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A reading from Paul's letter to 
the Romans. 

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Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus 
called to be an apostle, set 

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apart for the Gospel of God, 
which he promised beforehand 

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through his prophets in the Holy
Scriptures concerning his Son, 

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who was descended from David 
according to the flesh, and was 

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declared to be the Son of God in
power according to the Spirit of

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holiness by His resurrection 
from the dead. 

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Jesus Christ our Lord, through 
whom we have received grace and 

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apostleship to bring about the 
obedience of faith for the sake 

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of His name among all the 
nations, including you who are 

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called to belong to Christ 
Jesus. 

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To all those in Rome who are 
loved by God and called to be 

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Saints. 
Grace to you and peace from God 

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our Father and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, the Word of the Lord. 

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Please pray with me. 
We come to you now, Lord you our

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King, ready to hear you speak to
us. 

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We surrender ourselves to you in
Christ's name, Amen. 

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You can have your seats. 
Imagine discovering that you 

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possess A ture for a very fatal 
disease. 

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Imagine being Alexander Flaming 
in the 1920s, realizing that you

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have this penicillin that could 
stop all the affections that we 

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are causing problems to the 
people. 

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At first you might feel 
unqualified and you are 

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overwhelmed, but once you 
understand that you are holding 

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something that is so great, 
something will change and you 

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cannot be silent anymore because
now you have an awareness that 

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can lead into a calling. 
And this calling does not begin 

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with you asking yourself a 
question of what can I do, but 

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rather another question about 
what do you hold at this time. 

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This is what exactly Paul does 
in Romans 1. 

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He begins by introducing 
himself, not with a glorious 

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resume of accomplishment and 
credentials and special 

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victories, but rather he names 
what has been given to him. 

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He defines his identity by what 
he possesses. 

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What he has received from Christ
determines his purpose and 

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determines his calling. 
This is what he wants us to do. 

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He wants us to see ourselves in 
light of what we have received 

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from Christ. 
So what do we possess? 

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As people who believe in Christ,
we possess a message of 

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immeasurable value, a message 
that is life changing than 

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penicillin. 
Paul calls this message the 

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gospel in verse one and three. 
This is a word that comes from 

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the ancient world that basically
means an announcement of victory

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after battle. 
It's a declaration that the 

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enemy has been one, has been 
defeated. 

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Paul understands this good news 
not just as human achievement, 

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but rather as Gordy's own 
initiative. 

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It's an announcement that God 
has acted in the world to help 

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us solve one of the greatest 
problems of the world, in fact, 

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the greatest of all, which the 
Bible calls sin. 

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And sin is not just not doing 
good things, but it is an 

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inability to live according to 
God is desires and purposes of 

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righteousness. 
Yet the gospel declares to us 

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that God has done for us 
something that we cannot do for 

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ourselves. 
He has stepped in to come and 

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help us. 
So that is the message of hope 

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that we hold. 
Paul understands this message in

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two ways. 
It is both a promise but also a 

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revelation. 
So first of all, the gospel has 

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a promise. 
Paul reminds us that the gospel 

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does not begin at Bethlehem 
because according to verse 2, 

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this is what was promised 
beforehand through the prophets 

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in the Holy Scriptures. 
In other words, the Gospel has a

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long history, long before the 
manager, the Angel, and the 

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stars. 
Think about those gifts under 

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the Christmas tree, in your 
houses, in your homes, even 

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before Christmas morning. 
Those gifts already belong to 

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someone. 
Someone already possesses those 

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gifts. 
They have already been promised 

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to someone, even though they 
have not yet been opened by that

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person. 
This applies to the Gospel. 

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It was wrapped in the Old 
Testament Scriptures. 

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It was presented, though not yet
unveiled. 

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The probe, the promise, was not 
yet fully revealed and 

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understood. 
For Israel, they waited for many

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centuries. 
They were waiting for this 

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promise that the prophets had 
spoken about. 

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But God is never late. 
God is faithful. 

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Soon the promise was revealed. 
And event teaches us to wait in 

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such a manner, not with anxiety,
but rather waiting for the 

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fulfillment of God, these 
promises. 

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This is what waiting would look 
like if we consider it as being 

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a mission that God is calling us
to do. 

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Sometimes it involves us being 
present where there is suffering

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and we don't expect even have 
quick answers. 

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God expects us to continue 
praying even when we don't 

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demand immediate answers. 
God expects us to continue 

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praying and trusting in Him. 
Sometimes we serve in places 

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where you don't see the outcomes
of your efforts. 

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You don't see the outcomes of 
all the love that you are 

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pouring in. 
God calls us to continue 

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powering in our service even in 
such places where progress 

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remains hidden. 
Our waiting in Christ is not 

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just passive. 
I've spoken about it as being 

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missional. 
We continue bearing witness 

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about the promises of Christ 
that are sure and that will be 

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revealed. 
Therefore, the question that 

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Adevent brings to us is where is
God calling us to trust in His 

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promises, even those promises 
that we have not yet seen the 

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outcomes? 
The Gospel secondary is not just

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promised, but also it has been 
revealed through Christ. 

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Just as you see a coin that has 
two sides, if one side of the 

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coin is removed, it is no longer
a valid calling, a valid coin, 

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valid currency. 
In the same way, Paul shows us 

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Christ as having two sides. 
These two sides enable us to 

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understand the kind of effort he
brings towards the gospel. 

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They enable us to understand 
that indeed Jesus is the cure of

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this illness known as sin that 
is affecting the world. 

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On the first side, Jesus is 
fully human. 

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Paul says this in verse three. 
He tells us concerning his Son 

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who has descended from David 
according to the flesh. 

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Jesus does not appear out of 
nowhere. 

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He comes from a family. 
He has a family and ancestry. 

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He's rooted in the family of 
David, who was Israel shepherd 

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and king. 
Ultimately, body's promises to 

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David. 
We are like this in the book of 

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second Samuel. 
Your house and your Kingdom 

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shall be made sure forever 
before me. 

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Your throne shall be established
forever. 

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So when Paul tells us that Jesus
was descended from David, he's 

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simply telling us that the crown
that was promised to David feeds

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Jesus. 
Exactly. 

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He's claiming that Jesus is 
indeed the promised Messiah. 

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Jesus is the fulfillment of the 
covenant that God had with King 

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David. 
Jesus wore this crown. 

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David is crown naturally through
birth. 

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The one in the Manger is also a 
king. 

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However, if Jesus is only a 
human being, he cannot save us 

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from sin. 
Also, He cannot demand our 

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ultimate allegiance because he's
a mere human being like us. 

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Therefore, Jesus has another 
second sight. 

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He is fully God. 
Paul tells us in verse four that

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this Jesus was declared to be 
the Son of God in power 

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according to the Spirit of 
holiness by his resurrection 

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from the dead, Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

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The child in the manga is the 
Lord in waiting before Easter. 

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Jesus's glory is real but is 
still veiled. 

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And at resurrection God turns on
the lights and we are able to 

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see his floor full glory. 
The resurrection is God's 

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verdict that indeed this is my 
Son and this is my King. 

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And this declaration of divine 
authority validates the gospel 

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because it is as well a 
pronouncement that through 

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Jesus, sin and death have been 
totally defeated. 

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He has authority to defeat sin. 
And certain Paul does not tell 

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us about Jesus's divine and 
human nature simply for us to 

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admire him. 
He wants us to understand this 

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because it has implications for 
the gospel. 

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He wants us to understand the 
kind of gospel that has been 

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revealed, but also the kind of 
life that now is possible 

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through the gospel because Jesus
is fully human. 

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The gospel is not abstract. 
It is not distant and 

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inaccessible. 
Jesus stepped into our history 

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so that He can meet us by grace 
exactly where we are. 

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And Adeven tells us this truth, 
that God did not wait for us to 

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rise up to Him in heaven, but he
came down and stepped into us on

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earth. 
Therefore, just as Jesus stepped

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into our ordinary and 
complicated world, now He gives 

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us the same grace to invite His 
presence where we are. 

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What can this look like? 
It can't be as simple as saying 

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a prayer at the beginning of a 
meeting or even reading 

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scripture on a dinner table, 
maybe lighting an Advent candle 

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with your children. 
That is a gesture of inviting 

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God is presence and making sure 
he's felt that he's real and 

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relieving and surrounding us. 
These may be small practices, 

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but we are holy ones. 
They are saying that come, Lord 

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Jesus, be here in our presence. 
But also if Jesus is fully God, 

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then the gospel is not just 
near, it is also powerful. 

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His resurrection makes obedience
possible. 

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The gospel is not merely to 
instruct us, but the gospel also

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has power to transform us. 
Receiving the gospel is 

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receiving the power of Christ to
transform us, even in ways that 

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are beyond our understanding. 
For instance, sometimes we can 

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feel that we are unable to 
change ourselves. 

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Obedience is impossible. 
Things like forgiveness, things 

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like conquering seed might seem 
as if they're impossible. 

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But we have the power of Christ 
through the gospel to change all

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those things that seem as if 
they are impossible. 

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Paul also tells us that the 
gospel is a really identity that

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claims him. 
Once we receive God's promises, 

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the gospel begins to name us. 
The good news moves from 

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something that we hear and it 
becomes something that 

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identifies us. 
Something that identifies us. 

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It is something that gives us a 
new name. 

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In the 1st place. 
The Gospel identifies us as 

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servants of Christ. 
In verse one, Paul calls himself

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a servant of Jesus Christ. 
This phrase tells us something 

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about Paul. 
His life was no longer self 

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owned. 
He his identity was no longer 

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rooted in autonomy but in 
belonging to Christ. 

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In the ancient world, a servant 
interested in a master's 

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household was not just 
powerless, he has purpose in 

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that household. 
And the beginning of that 

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person, no, didn't don't come 
from his status of being a 

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servant. 
It came from the kind of house 

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where he was ministering. 
Paul tells us that he is 

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ministering in a House of a 
great master, a House of a king.

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So when Paul calls himself a 
servant, he's not diminishing 

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himself. 
Rather, he's saying that I am 

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someone who matters. 
I serve in a King's house. 

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He's not saying that he has been
coerced into obedience in that 

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house. 
Rather, it is an expression of 

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his love and willingness and 
devotion into that house. 

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He's glad to be identified as a 
servant of Christ. 

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But also, Paul does not only 
want to identify himself alone 

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in that capacity. 
Paul wants us to all come into 

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that service. 
Sometimes we can have those 

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rules. 
And you feel I should be only 

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the person in that role. 
Paul extends this identity to us

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as well because in verse five 
and six he opens the door wide 

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and says through whom we have 
received grace and apostleship 

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to bring about the obedience of 
faith for the sake of His name 

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among all nations. 
And this is the point including 

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you who are called to belong to 
Jesus Christ. 

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This is the the invitation of 
the gospel to belong to Christ, 

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to serve in his house, and to 
find our deepest dignity through

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that service. 
It is not something that 

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belittles that belittles us when
we are servants of Christ. 

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It is something that gives us 
glory and set us full status. 

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So the question is who is ruling
my life? 

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Because if Jesus is not Lord 
over my life, something else 

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will be Lord over my life. 
Many people can say I don't 

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subscribe to anything like like 
religion. 

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I don't subscribe to that. 
I am not under authority by 

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being ruled by anything. 
But if you cannot be there 

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without anything ruling you, if 
you reject Christ, you are 

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submitting yourself to another 
thing. 

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And usually that thing that you 
are submitting yourself to might

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not have the right, the right 
capacity to rule over you. 

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But Jesus rules us because he 
belongs there. 

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He's a king that has been 
endorsed. 

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Many other things that we can 
submit ourselves, they don't 

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have the capacity that has been 
endorsed by God to rule over us.

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Therefore, when we surrender to 
Christ, our obedience is not 

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restrained, rather it is rescue 
and our allegiance is total 

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freedom. 
We are not at a loss. 

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We surrender to Christ and then 
we are at rest, not at anxiety. 

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Then secondly, the gospel also 
identifies us as people who are 

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set apart for Christ's purposes.
When you look at ordinary things

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like these clothes and these 
candles, the ordinary items, but

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because they have been set apart
for use in this context in 

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church, now they belong to some 
kind of status. 

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They are still the ordinary 
things, but now they have a set 

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apart purpose. 
They are set apart. 

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This is how Paul identifies 
himself in verse 1. 

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He describes himself as one that
has been set apart for the 

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gospel. 
He's not speaking about a status

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or an achievement, but rather he
has been consecrated. 

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God has claimed him for his 
purposes. 

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And this description and this 
identity is rather striking for 

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Paul because in the past Paul 
used to be a Pharisee and a 

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Pharisee. 
This was basically people who 

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were separated ones. 
There were people who understood

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holiness in the forms of 
withdrawal from other people. 

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Then we are separated from the 
world. 

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They no longer wanted to live 
like people of the world in 

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their own pride. 
But now, unlike that, Paul has 

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been set apart in humanity for 
the gospel, and this identity is

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not for Paul alone. 
In verse 7, Paul extends this to

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all believers because he says we
are loved by God and called to 

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be Saints. 
We are called to be holy ones. 

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This is not just a badge of 
superiority, but it's a gift 

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that we are called to steward. 
We are called to be in the world

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that is passing away, but to 
continue being people who are 

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saying sunset apart. 
We are not called to run away 

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from the world and live in 
exclusion. 

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We are called to continue living
in the world, but serving the 

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purposes of God. 
What does this look like? 

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To live in the world and to 
serve the purposes of the world?

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It might show itself in some of 
these small and powerful ways. 

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For instance, someone who is 
working in an environment where 

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there is dishonesty as a norm, 
being set set apart means 

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serving with the integrity even 
in that context. 

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In that environment, it might be
practicing hospitality in a 

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neighborhood that is fragmented 
and divided, but for you choose 

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to be hospitable in such a 
neighborhood, it might be 

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continuing to hold on to the 
values of faithfulness and 

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patience and respect in a 
culture where those values are 

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no longer held in regard and are
compromised. 

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So being set apart is not 
running away from the world and 

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hiding, but it means living 
differently in the world, being 

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transformed by the gospel, and 
then giving our time and our 

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00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:34,640
world and our relationships our 
our entire lives for the 

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purposes of Christ. 
So in that event, we remember 

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that Our Calling as believers 
does not begin by doing, but by 

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what we have received. 
And we don't wait with empty 

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hands. 
We wait when we hold the gospel 

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00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,720
of God, the good news that the 
world still needs, and when we 

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truly understand that which we 
have received, then our identity

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00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:05,280
is clarified. 
Just as Paul has stated, we are 

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00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:10,000
servants belonging to Christ who
came to serve, but also we are 

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set apart by God because we have
been claimed for the gospel. 

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So, Lord, come now and enable 
our service in the name of the 

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Father, the Son and the Holy 
Spirit. 

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Amen.