A Heart in Turmoil
Series: The Preacher and the Prostitute
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 22nd February 2014
Passage: Hosea 9:1-11:12
00:00:00 --> 00:00:07 I, like every child, had a simple and naive view of the adult world.
00:00:08 --> 00:00:14 I was around about 10 when I first noticed someone writing out a cheque to pay for something.
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 And for me as a 10-year-old, a cheque book seemed like a great option.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:23 Scribbling on a piece of paper and you could buy whatever you want.
00:00:23 --> 00:00:31 I remember asking them, where do you get one of those from and whether or not I could have one of those?
00:00:32 --> 00:00:35 They said, you get it from the bank and no, you can't have one until you're an adult.
00:00:36 --> 00:00:39 And I remember thinking, oh, how good it would be to be an adult.
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 They have it so easy.
00:00:45 --> 00:00:53 Here am I having to, you know, scrape together coins, beg from parents in order to buy something small.
00:00:53 --> 00:01:00 And an adult whips out a cheque book and you can buy anything in the world with it just by scribbling on a piece of paper.
00:01:01 --> 00:01:02 That is brilliant.
00:01:03 --> 00:01:04 Oh, how I long to be an adult.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:10 From my perspective, adults seem to be able to do whatever they want whenever they wanted.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:16 And I couldn't wait to be one to have all that freedom and all that power at my disposal.
00:01:18 --> 00:01:24 Now, as an adult and as a father, I see that naivety and that simplicity in my girls.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 It is both cute and frustrating.
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 My girls right now are into horses.
00:01:31 --> 00:01:34 I hope they get out of it before they actually want one.
00:01:34 --> 00:01:45 But so right now, things like saddle club, DVDs, they've got horse heads on sticks and soft toys and Barbie on horse backs.
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 And it just goes on and on and on.
00:01:49 --> 00:01:55 They've noticed that horses eat grass and that we have grass in our backyard.
00:01:56 --> 00:01:59 And so they conclude, why can't we have a horse?
00:01:59 --> 00:02:02 And I've said to them, well, that's just impossible.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:05 We cannot have a horse in our backyard.
00:02:07 --> 00:02:12 The best you can do is pony rides occasionally, like when we have a church here on some sort of fun afternoon.
00:02:13 --> 00:02:18 And so when we had one recently, the Chinese congregations had three little ponies came in.
00:02:18 --> 00:02:23 I got the job of assisting one of my children on the horse pony ride.
00:02:23 --> 00:02:27 And I was talking to the person leading the horses who owned the horses.
00:02:27 --> 00:02:28 And I said, you wouldn't believe my kids.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 They think they can own one of these things in their backyard.
00:02:30 --> 00:02:33 Well, what's wrong with that?
00:02:36 --> 00:02:40 She said, we had three in our backyard before we had to get a bigger backyard.
00:02:41 --> 00:02:45 I'm like, do not tell my children that they can actually have a horse in their backyard.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:53 Now, it's a little more difficult for me when their simplicity or the naivety takes me for granted.
00:02:55 --> 00:02:59 Like little concern for breaking toys and here you go, daddy, fix this.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:01 Because that's what daddy does.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:03 He fixes things.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:12 Or I remember the time we pulled into a car park in the shopping centre.
00:03:12 --> 00:03:20 And as I'm hopping out of the car, I heard the back door of the car go bang against a concrete pillar with a little bit of gusto.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:21 It was an accident.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:24 But I still recall being fairly upset about that incident.
00:03:25 --> 00:03:27 About the careless attitude towards the car.
00:03:27 --> 00:03:31 And I said things like, you need to look before you hop out and open the door.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:33 You could have dented it.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 You could have put a big scratch on someone else's car.
00:03:36 --> 00:03:39 And my ranting received the reply.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 Little pat on the leg.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:41 Don't worry, daddy.
00:03:42 --> 00:03:43 We could just buy another one.
00:03:43 --> 00:03:49 And I'm like, with what?
00:03:54 --> 00:03:59 Just get out one of those plastic cards or the checkbook that you've got on your desk.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 Oh, like father, like daughter.
00:04:04 --> 00:04:11 It is easy for us to have a naive, childlike idea of God.
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 That is, God is the all-powerful and he's the all-loving.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:21 And so he should, frankly, just get over when things are not right in the world.
00:04:21 --> 00:04:22 He should just get over it.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:23 He should just love everyone.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:24 Pretty simple, really.
00:04:24 --> 00:04:25 God is love.
00:04:26 --> 00:04:27 He is meant to forgive.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:29 And so he should just do that.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:30 He should just forgive.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:39 Anyway, how can he really be hurt by my sin and my rebellion when he knew it was going to happen anyway?
00:04:39 --> 00:04:43 So he can't really be, you know, that deeply hurt.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 He shouldn't, you know, it's expectations.
00:04:44 --> 00:04:47 He knew we were going to fail right from the beginning.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:50 And so is he really hurt when we actually do?
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 He just goes, oh, I just knew that was going to happen.
00:04:52 --> 00:05:11 It is not too hard to take God for granted and treat him like some sort of an emotionless machine in our simplicity and our naivety as we look upon God as the all-powerful, as all the freedom and resources in the world.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:29 And the danger is that we purge God's love of anything that's uncomfortable and we sanitize it and sentimentalize it to the point where most people nowadays are not surprised if you tell them that God loves them.
00:05:30 --> 00:05:31 Well, of course he loves me.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 That's his job, isn't it?
00:05:33 --> 00:05:37 Besides, why wouldn't he love me?
00:05:37 --> 00:05:39 I'm cute and I'm lovable.
00:05:40 --> 00:05:44 Or at least I'm certainly more lovable than that other person over there.
00:05:44 --> 00:05:46 So why wouldn't he love me?
00:05:48 --> 00:05:53 And this is where in the last couple of weeks, Hosea has been so helpful for us.
00:05:53 --> 00:06:04 He helps us to see the problem of our sin from the Father's perspective, from God's perspective.
00:06:05 --> 00:06:21 He sheds light on our understanding of our relationship with him from his perspective so that we don't read things like love and forgiveness from our perspective and push them back up to him and say, this is what God must be like.
00:06:23 --> 00:06:34 He has introduced us or shown us what he is like by introducing us to a family that is a miniature of this world.
00:06:34 --> 00:06:51 In Hosea, God is not the emotionless, all-powerful magician, but a broken-hearted husband and father who tears open his chest to reveal to his people what they have done and how they have hurt him.
00:06:51 --> 00:07:06 Hosea 11, which Ken just read out to us, is one of the boldest in the Old Testament, indeed, possibly in the whole Bible, in exposing us to the mind and heart of God in human terms.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:15 Last October, we had a week's holiday visiting my family in Tasmania.
00:07:16 --> 00:07:34 And the entertainment one afternoon was, when I was with my parents, was an old-fashioned slideshow, family slideshow, which sets out to reveal the embarrassing moments of your family history, courtesy of my parents.
00:07:34 --> 00:07:39 Noticeably, most of the photos were about the three children.
00:07:40 --> 00:07:50 Of particular interest and delight for my girls were the photos of their daddy, all-powerful daddy, fix anything, sitting on a potty.
00:07:50 --> 00:07:54 Naked in the shower.
00:07:55 --> 00:07:57 Wet patches around the pants.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 Dressed up as a cowboy.
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 Asleep in cupboards and weird positions.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:08 Covered in grime and food and crying.
00:08:09 --> 00:08:13 I've never heard them laugh so much at times.
00:08:13 --> 00:08:23 And it amazed me that my parents, my dad's 75, were remarkably sharp about the details of when and where those photos were taken.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:28 We were asking, where's that?
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 When did that happen?
00:08:30 --> 00:08:32 But they knew the details.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:41 They were even able to express something of the emotions of what was happening when that photo was taken.
00:08:42 --> 00:08:46 All these years later, 40 odd years later.
00:08:48 --> 00:08:50 And that's the picture of Isaiah 11.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:56 It starts as if God pulls out the slideshow of his children.
00:08:57 --> 00:08:59 He remembers all the details.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:04 The first photo is the day of the adoption was finalized in verse 1 there.
00:09:04 --> 00:09:09 When Israel was a child, I loved him and out of Egypt I called my son.
00:09:09 --> 00:09:18 He remembers the joy of picking up his own son, his new son, up into his arms and embracing him and taking him home.
00:09:19 --> 00:09:25 I'll never forget the day when I held Isabel for the first time, my first child.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:28 Because she cried for two hours.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:30 I'll never forget that moment.
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 And the smile which was on my face.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:36 The nurse came in after an hour and a half and said, are you alright, love?
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 I said, I'm perfect.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:46 He remembers the day that his son learned to walk.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:51 In verse 3, it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms.
00:09:51 --> 00:09:58 He remembers the pride as his little man pulled himself up on the couch and grabbed his finger and began to walk.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:04 He remembers the chuffed look on his face when he took those first three steps into his arms.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:08 He remembers the day also when he fell and scraped his knee in his staggering around.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:11 In verse 3, it was I who healed them.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:21 He remembers the pity and the compassion he felt when he saw the pain in his boy's eyes and he applied a bandage and he brought comfort to him.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 He remembers the guidance that he gave.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:27 Verse 4, I led them with cords of human kindness.
00:10:27 --> 00:10:31 With ties of love, I lift the yoke from their neck.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:36 He remembers having to instruct and correct and to guide his son.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:40 But it was done with gentleness and with tenderness and with love and with kindness.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:43 He remembers the high chair.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:50 He got the photo of the kid with food all over their face in verse 4 where he bent down to feed his son.
00:10:50 --> 00:10:55 He remembers the delight in providing everything that his son needed, the nourishment and the help.
00:10:57 --> 00:11:04 God is portrayed here in these early verses as a doting father over the life of his beloved son.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:19 And every photo as he flicks through the album just recalls the moment, what he felt, the love, the passion, the compassion, the devotion to his son.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:24 And yet, his heart burns.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 His heart is broken.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:33 Verse 2, but the more I called Israel, the further they went from me.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:38 They sacrificed to the bales and they burned incense to images.
00:11:39 --> 00:11:43 Verse 3, but they did not realise it was I who healed them.
00:11:45 --> 00:11:51 Their rebellion and sin and cavalier attitude from the son to the father just breaks his heart.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:56 He flicks through the family album, remembering his son and his love for him.
00:11:57 --> 00:12:01 And yet, his son is grown up and is wayward.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:13 Sin in Hosea is not portrayed as breaking an impersonal moral code or standards or a set of rules.
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 Sin is intensely personal.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 It is adultery.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 It is spurning a loving husband.
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 It is spurning a doting father.
00:12:24 --> 00:12:27 It is spurning the love of God.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:32 And we have seen in the last couple of weeks the catalogue of Israel's sin.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:37 Chapter 8, verse 14 pretty much sums it up.
00:12:38 --> 00:12:42 Israel has forgotten his maker.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:50 The broken hearted father is hurt and he is offended and he is angry.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:55 His love has been spurned.
00:12:56 --> 00:13:02 In fact, in chapter 9, verse 15, he says that he hated them.
00:13:03 --> 00:13:05 That's strong language.
00:13:05 --> 00:13:10 And so he pronounces his judgment in chapter 11, verse 5.
00:13:13 --> 00:13:14 Will they not return to Egypt?
00:13:15 --> 00:13:17 Remember in verse 1, I called them out of Egypt?
00:13:18 --> 00:13:25 Will they not return to Egypt and will not Assyria rule over them because they refuse to repent?
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 Swords will flash in their cities.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:32 Will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans.
00:13:32 --> 00:13:35 My people are determined to turn from me.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:42 Even if they call to the Most High, he will by no means exalt them.
00:13:45 --> 00:13:47 The wayward son is guilty.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 Descended is pronounced.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 It is invasion.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:55 It is exile.
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 And a burdensome captivity.
00:13:59 --> 00:14:02 His son has spurned his love.
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 He is angry.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 He hates it.
00:14:05 --> 00:14:11 And so he's going to throw all of his stuff out of the house.
00:14:11 --> 00:14:13 He's going to cut off the allowance.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 And cut off contact.
00:14:21 --> 00:14:23 But he loves him beyond comprehension.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:26 See the next verse, verse 8.
00:14:26 --> 00:14:29 How can I give you up, Ephraim?
00:14:31 --> 00:14:33 How can I hand you over, Israel?
00:14:34 --> 00:14:37 How can I treat you like Abba?
00:14:37 --> 00:14:40 How can I make you like Zeboiim?
00:14:40 --> 00:14:48 He's saying, you are my beloved firstborn.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:56 How can I treat you like the other nations, the nations that were, the other cities which were around Sodom and Gomorrah,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:58 who got obliterated with Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:02 Not even mentioned again in world history.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 How can I treat you like that?
00:15:03 --> 00:15:07 I have set my heart upon you.
00:15:08 --> 00:15:11 The turmoil in the Father's heart is right there in verse 8.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:14 My heart is changed within me.
00:15:15 --> 00:15:17 All my compassion is aroused.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:20 My heart recoils.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 It turns over.
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 It churns inside of me.
00:15:24 --> 00:15:29 It's not that God is confused.
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 It's not that he doesn't know what to do.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:43 Those verses just simply express the emotional intensity of God's love in language.
00:15:43 --> 00:15:46 It just helps us to see something of his heart.
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 He must judge the sin.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 His holiness demands it.
00:15:54 --> 00:16:00 But he cannot abandon his promise to love his son.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:11 And so how can the demands of both God's love and his justice be satisfied?
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 Decision is reached in verse 9.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:24 I will not carry out my fierce anger, nor will I turn and devastate Ephraim.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:31 It's not that God has all of a sudden changed his mind about his son's sin.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:34 It's not like God all of a sudden agree with Israel.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 Yeah, you know, you're right.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 I should get over it.
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 I'm much bigger than this.
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 I should just build a bridge, get over it.
00:16:40 --> 00:16:42 You know, I shouldn't take it so seriously.
00:16:42 --> 00:16:44 I should just love you instead.
00:16:44 --> 00:16:52 What verse 9 means is he decides not to execute the heat of his anger.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:56 He literally holds it back.
00:16:57 --> 00:17:03 He holds back his pent-up anger rather than unleashing it on his rebellious son.
00:17:03 --> 00:17:14 God's compassion is aroused and he will turn his anger away from his son and not devastate him.
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 How can he do that?
00:17:19 --> 00:17:21 Because verse 9 says he is God.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:23 That's how he can do it.
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 And he is not a man.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 That's how he does it.
00:17:35 --> 00:17:35 That's good.
00:17:38 --> 00:17:47 Except at God's beckoning in 722 BC, Assyria came and obliterated Israel.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:57 They destroyed Jerusalem and deported those who weren't killed into the four corners of their empire.
00:17:57 --> 00:18:02 The ten tribes of Israel never re-entered world history again.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:07 Did God actually go back on his word?
00:18:10 --> 00:18:16 Did his wayward son, after God said this in Hosea 11, you know, so you move on a little bit further,
00:18:16 --> 00:18:18 a couple of years down the track.
00:18:18 --> 00:18:24 Did God's son just commit one more sin, which was just the straw that broke the camel's back and goes,
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 right, unleash.
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 Had enough.
00:18:31 --> 00:18:33 Did God's anger spill over in frustration?
00:18:35 --> 00:18:39 Was love not able to win out in the end?
00:18:39 --> 00:18:44 Did God actually turn his back on his promise in Hosea 2?
00:18:44 --> 00:18:47 To take a people, not his, and make them his people?
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 Big questions.
00:18:57 --> 00:19:00 Judgment on Israel was not the end.
00:19:01 --> 00:19:04 Centuries later, a baby was born in a stable.
00:19:04 --> 00:19:13 And as a boy, he went to Egypt with his parents to escape from King Herod.
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 Matthew chapter 2 tells us,
00:19:15 --> 00:19:18 The name of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and he said,
00:19:19 --> 00:19:22 Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:28 Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
00:19:28 --> 00:19:33 And so he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 where he stayed until the death of Herod.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:40 And so was fulfilled what the prophet had said through the prophet.
00:19:41 --> 00:19:44 And then here Matthew quotes from Hosea 11 verse 1,
00:19:45 --> 00:19:47 Out of Egypt I called my son.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:56 Matthew makes the connection with Hosea so that we might see that this infant Jesus
00:19:56 --> 00:20:02 as more than just another baby boy, but as the son of the living God.
00:20:05 --> 00:20:10 Jesus' identity is made explicit at his baptism in Matthew 3,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:13 when a voice from heaven says,
00:20:13 --> 00:20:17 This is my son with whom I am well pleased.
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 I love him.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:27 In Hosea 11, Israel was the son of God who disobeyed from the moment
00:20:27 --> 00:20:31 that they were brought out of Egypt and into the wilderness.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:35 And here we have the Lord Jesus, the eternal son of God,
00:20:35 --> 00:20:39 the true Israelite, the true Israel.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 He is what Israel should have been.
00:20:43 --> 00:20:46 And Jesus was brought out of Egypt.
00:20:46 --> 00:20:50 And when he has grown up, he was cast out, let out into the wilderness,
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 but without sin.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 He lived the perfect life.
00:20:56 --> 00:20:58 He lived as Israel should have lived.
00:20:58 --> 00:21:05 And it would be the obedient, innocent, guiltless, and beloved son of the Father
00:21:05 --> 00:21:11 who would willingly, willingly resolve the tension in the heart of God
00:21:11 --> 00:21:18 between God's commitment to us and our rebellion against him.
00:21:18 --> 00:21:29 The anguish and the horror as God unleashes centuries of held back anger
00:21:29 --> 00:21:32 upon his beloved son, the Lord Jesus.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:39 As the Lord Jesus takes our sin upon his shoulders and dies
00:21:39 --> 00:21:43 and suffers God's judgment for us.
00:21:43 --> 00:21:53 God resolves the tension of his anger and love within himself on the cross.
00:21:53 --> 00:21:58 The Father said to his beloved son at his baptism,
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 this is my beloved son.
00:22:01 --> 00:22:02 I love him.
00:22:04 --> 00:22:07 And the son cries out to the father on the cross,
00:22:07 --> 00:22:10 my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
00:22:10 --> 00:22:18 The father turns his face away, as we have sung,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:22 from his much-loved son and he exiles him to the grave.
00:22:25 --> 00:22:27 But it was the love of the father
00:22:27 --> 00:22:34 that turned back to him and brought him triumphantly from the grave.
00:22:34 --> 00:22:38 And only in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus
00:22:38 --> 00:22:42 is the tension in the heart of God satisfied.
00:22:42 --> 00:22:45 He satisfies it himself.
00:22:46 --> 00:22:49 He doesn't look to us to satisfy it.
00:22:51 --> 00:22:56 Our rebellion against God is dealt with as Jesus calls out from the cross,
00:22:56 --> 00:22:58 it is finally over.
00:22:58 --> 00:23:08 And so the lion that pounced in judgment on God's people in Hosea 5
00:23:08 --> 00:23:11 now roars in Hosea 11
00:23:11 --> 00:23:14 to scare off the captives of God's people
00:23:14 --> 00:23:17 and to gather its cubs to himself.
00:23:20 --> 00:23:22 They will follow the Lord.
00:23:22 --> 00:23:24 He will roar like a lion.
00:23:24 --> 00:23:27 And when he roars, his children will come trembling,
00:23:27 --> 00:23:30 no longer taking him for granted,
00:23:31 --> 00:23:35 no longer abusing him from the West.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:38 And they will come trembling like birds from Egypt,
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 like doves from Assyria.
00:23:39 --> 00:23:42 I will settle them in their homes, declares the Lord.
00:23:42 --> 00:23:44 From every corner of the earth,
00:23:44 --> 00:23:48 no matter how deep the depths of sin and depravity,
00:23:48 --> 00:23:52 the father is calling people from every aspect
00:23:52 --> 00:23:56 into relationship with himself through the Lord Jesus.
00:23:56 --> 00:24:00 And he gives us the status of sonship.
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 What news!
00:24:07 --> 00:24:11 The Apostle Paul ends Romans 8
00:24:11 --> 00:24:14 proclaiming his absolute confidence
00:24:14 --> 00:24:18 in God's future salvation of his people through Jesus.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:23 He stresses that nothing can stop God from fulfilling his promises
00:24:23 --> 00:24:28 to eternally save everyone who trusts in the Lord Jesus.
00:24:28 --> 00:24:33 He ends Romans 8 with a bold statement of confidence in God's love
00:24:33 --> 00:24:36 that nothing can hinder God's love.
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 He says,
00:24:37 --> 00:24:39 I am convinced that neither death nor life,
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 neither angels nor demons,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 neither present nor the future,
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 nor any powers,
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 neither height nor depth,
00:24:44 --> 00:24:46 nor anything else in all of creation
00:24:46 --> 00:24:48 will be able to separate us
00:24:48 --> 00:24:51 from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus,
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 our Lord.
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 Lord.
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 What a statement!
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 Just imagine
00:25:01 --> 00:25:04 that you are sitting in the church in Rome
00:25:04 --> 00:25:07 as that letter is being read out from Paul.
00:25:09 --> 00:25:12 You're one of the Jewish Christians sitting in the church
00:25:12 --> 00:25:14 and there are tears
00:25:14 --> 00:25:16 and there are cheers
00:25:16 --> 00:25:19 as the end of chapter 8 is read out.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 Great joy.
00:25:23 --> 00:25:25 It seems like it's a great time to break
00:25:25 --> 00:25:27 for the passing of the peace
00:25:27 --> 00:25:29 before the rest of Romans is read out,
00:25:30 --> 00:25:32 the rest of Paul's letter is read out to us.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:36 But instead of greeting your brothers and sisters in Christ,
00:25:36 --> 00:25:38 you just sit there.
00:25:38 --> 00:25:40 You're mulling over the words
00:25:40 --> 00:25:42 of the first eight chapters of Romans
00:25:42 --> 00:25:45 and all that's accomplished in Christ.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:49 You're not feeling as triumphant
00:25:49 --> 00:25:52 and secure as the rest.
00:25:53 --> 00:25:55 You remember that God had singled out
00:25:55 --> 00:25:57 your ancestors Israel
00:25:57 --> 00:26:01 as his special people in the Old Testament.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:03 And God said that he would love them
00:26:03 --> 00:26:07 and promised that he would not destroy them
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 in Hosea 11
00:26:08 --> 00:26:11 and many places throughout the Old Testament.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 But he did.
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 Ephraim kept on sinning
00:26:19 --> 00:26:22 and Assyria came in 722 BC.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:25 Babylon came and destroyed
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 the two tribes of the south in Judah
00:26:26 --> 00:26:28 in 586 BC
00:26:28 --> 00:26:30 and only a handful returned from exile.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:33 And you hear this great promise
00:26:33 --> 00:26:35 that nothing can separate me
00:26:35 --> 00:26:36 from God's love
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 in chapter 8
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 and you start to doubt
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 the reliability
00:26:40 --> 00:26:42 of God's word.
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 Can it be true
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 what Paul said
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 at the beginning of chapter 8?
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 Therefore there is now no condemnation
00:26:51 --> 00:26:53 for those who are in Christ Jesus.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 Can those words be trusted
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 especially when
00:26:56 --> 00:26:58 at the end of chapter 7 of Romans
00:26:58 --> 00:27:01 He talks about the ongoing struggle
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 of sin
00:27:02 --> 00:27:04 in the life of the Christian
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 which is real
00:27:05 --> 00:27:06 and it is daily.
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 God condemned His people
00:27:09 --> 00:27:11 for their sin in their past
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 and Paul says in chapter 7
00:27:12 --> 00:27:15 that that's going to be my experience.
00:27:21 --> 00:27:23 Is God going to get tired of me?
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 Is God going to get tired of me?
00:27:28 --> 00:27:30 You want to believe
00:27:30 --> 00:27:31 what Paul has written
00:27:31 --> 00:27:31 about confidence
00:27:31 --> 00:27:32 and assurance in Christ
00:27:32 --> 00:27:34 but unsure if God
00:27:34 --> 00:27:34 can be trusted
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 to keep His promises.
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 And then your thoughts
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 are interrupted
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 by the reader of the letter
00:27:40 --> 00:27:42 starting at the beginning
00:27:42 --> 00:27:43 of chapter 9.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:45 I speak the truth
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 in Christ
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 I am not lying
00:27:47 --> 00:27:50 my conscience confirms it
00:27:50 --> 00:27:51 in the Holy Spirit
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 I have great sorrow
00:27:52 --> 00:27:54 and unceasing anguish
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 in my heart
00:27:55 --> 00:27:57 for I could wish
00:27:57 --> 00:27:59 that I myself were cursed
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 and cut off from Christ
00:28:00 --> 00:28:00 for the sake
00:28:00 --> 00:28:02 of my brothers
00:28:02 --> 00:28:03 those of my own race
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 the people of Israel
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 theirs is the adoption
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 of sons
00:28:07 --> 00:28:09 theirs is the divine glory
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 the covenants
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 the receiving of the law
00:28:11 --> 00:28:12 the temple worship
00:28:12 --> 00:28:13 and the promises
00:28:13 --> 00:28:15 theirs are the patriarchs
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 and from there is traced
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 the human ancestry of Christ
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 who is God over all
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 forever praised
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 Amen.
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 It's like Paul's been
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 reading your mind
00:28:24 --> 00:28:28 what about them?
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 And then he says
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 it is not as though
00:28:32 --> 00:28:34 God's word has failed
00:28:34 --> 00:28:37 it is like Paul
00:28:37 --> 00:28:38 knows what you're thinking
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 did God forget
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 His promise to Israel?
00:28:40 --> 00:28:41 No
00:28:41 --> 00:28:43 Did He take His word
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 back from His people?
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 No
00:28:45 --> 00:28:47 It is not as though
00:28:47 --> 00:28:49 God's word has failed
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 In chapter 9
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 verses 6 to 13
00:28:51 --> 00:28:52 Paul backs up
00:28:52 --> 00:28:53 this statement
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 that the word of God
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 has not failed
00:28:55 --> 00:28:57 He says that
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 not all of the nation
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 of Israel
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 were God's chosen people
00:29:01 --> 00:29:03 His true people
00:29:03 --> 00:29:05 that is
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 what He says is
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 that being a true
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 Israelite
00:29:08 --> 00:29:10 was not passed on
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 from ancestry
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 to ancestry
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 through
00:29:12 --> 00:29:14 through being born
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 into the family
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 it is
00:29:15 --> 00:29:17 through the promise
00:29:17 --> 00:29:20 the covenant promises
00:29:20 --> 00:29:21 that God made
00:29:21 --> 00:29:21 to Abraham
00:29:21 --> 00:29:23 right at the very beginning
00:29:23 --> 00:29:25 being part of God's family
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 is based on being
00:29:25 --> 00:29:27 chosen by God
00:29:27 --> 00:29:29 not by my effort
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 or being born
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 into a nation
00:29:31 --> 00:29:35 His argument
00:29:35 --> 00:29:35 goes on
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 into verses
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 14 to 18
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 where Paul says
00:29:38 --> 00:29:40 that it has always
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 been God's character
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 to have mercy
00:29:42 --> 00:29:43 on whom He wants
00:29:43 --> 00:29:44 to have mercy
00:29:44 --> 00:29:45 and that God
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 is not answerable
00:29:46 --> 00:29:46 to us
00:29:46 --> 00:29:48 about the choices
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 that He makes
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 He is God
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 and I am not
00:29:51 --> 00:29:53 forgotten
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 and it's then
00:29:53 --> 00:29:53 at the end
00:29:53 --> 00:29:54 of Romans 9
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 as the clincher
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 to Paul's argument
00:29:56 --> 00:29:57 that God
00:29:57 --> 00:29:59 has not forgotten
00:29:59 --> 00:29:59 His word
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 that He quotes
00:30:01 --> 00:30:02 from Hosea
00:30:02 --> 00:30:04 in chapter 9
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 verse 25
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 He says
00:30:06 --> 00:30:07 I will call them
00:30:07 --> 00:30:07 my people
00:30:07 --> 00:30:09 who are not
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 my people
00:30:09 --> 00:30:11 and I will call them
00:30:11 --> 00:30:12 my loved one
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 who is not
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 my loved one
00:30:14 --> 00:30:18 Paul makes
00:30:18 --> 00:30:18 the point
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 that God's love
00:30:19 --> 00:30:19 for Israel
00:30:19 --> 00:30:21 and the world
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 in Jesus
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 is not
00:30:23 --> 00:30:24 some new plan
00:30:24 --> 00:30:27 it was the plan
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 right back
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 in Hosea
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 before the judgment
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 came
00:30:31 --> 00:30:33 God's plan
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 right back
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 then
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 was to love
00:30:36 --> 00:30:37 all those
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 to whom He would
00:30:37 --> 00:30:38 have mercy
00:30:38 --> 00:30:40 both Jew
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 and Gentile
00:30:41 --> 00:30:46 He is trustworthy
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 He has never
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 turned His back
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 on His promises
00:30:49 --> 00:30:51 because
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 as Hosea 11
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 verse 9
00:30:54 --> 00:30:54 says
00:30:54 --> 00:30:56 I am
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 God
00:30:57 --> 00:31:00 and to make
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 it clear
00:31:01 --> 00:31:01 He says
00:31:01 --> 00:31:02 I'm not
00:31:02 --> 00:31:02 man
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 I'm not
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 like you
00:31:04 --> 00:31:06 I am God
00:31:06 --> 00:31:08 our assurance
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 of God's love
00:31:09 --> 00:31:10 for us
00:31:10 --> 00:31:10 in the Lord
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 Jesus
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 is based
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 on His
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 character
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 which is
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 supremely
00:31:18 --> 00:31:18 seen
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 in the Lord
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 Jesus
00:31:20 --> 00:31:20 on the cross
00:31:20 --> 00:31:26 God
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 is not
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 like
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 me
00:31:28 --> 00:31:31 God's
00:31:31 --> 00:31:31 anger
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 is not
00:31:32 --> 00:31:33 one
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 of His
00:31:33 --> 00:31:34 intrinsic
00:31:34 --> 00:31:35 character
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 traits
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 it is a
00:31:37 --> 00:31:37 function
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 of His
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 holiness
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 against
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 the sin
00:31:42 --> 00:31:43 of humanity
00:31:43 --> 00:31:45 that is
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 God
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 is not
00:31:47 --> 00:31:49 part of His
00:31:49 --> 00:31:49 character
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 is not
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 that He's
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 angry
00:31:51 --> 00:31:53 it's not
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 deep in His
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 heart
00:31:54 --> 00:31:54 to be angry
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 it's a
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 function of His
00:31:56 --> 00:31:56 holiness
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 which is
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 part of His
00:31:58 --> 00:31:58 character
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 against human
00:31:59 --> 00:31:59 sin
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 that is
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 He reacts
00:32:02 --> 00:32:03 to human
00:32:03 --> 00:32:03 sin
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 in anger
00:32:04 --> 00:32:06 that's His
00:32:06 --> 00:32:06 response
00:32:06 --> 00:32:11 but love
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 is part
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 of His
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 character
00:32:13 --> 00:32:15 that is
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 who God
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 is
00:32:16 --> 00:32:16 God
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 is
00:32:17 --> 00:32:18 love
00:32:18 --> 00:32:22 that means
00:32:22 --> 00:32:22 that where
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 there is
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 no sin
00:32:24 --> 00:32:25 there is
00:32:25 --> 00:32:25 no anger
00:32:25 --> 00:32:28 and God
00:32:28 --> 00:32:29 has dealt
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 with sin
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 in Jesus
00:32:30 --> 00:32:32 and where
00:32:32 --> 00:32:32 there is
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 no sin
00:32:33 --> 00:32:33 there is
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 no anger
00:32:34 --> 00:32:36 but there
00:32:36 --> 00:32:36 will always
00:32:36 --> 00:32:37 be love
00:32:37 --> 00:32:39 because that
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 is who
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 God
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 is
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 God's
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 love
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 is part
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 of His
00:32:43 --> 00:32:43 perfect
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 character
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 and is
00:32:45 --> 00:32:45 not
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 generated
00:32:46 --> 00:32:46 by the
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 loveliness
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 of those
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 who receive
00:32:49 --> 00:32:49 it
00:32:49 --> 00:32:52 get that
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 point
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 really
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 clear
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 God
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 is
00:32:55 --> 00:32:55 love
00:32:55 --> 00:32:57 and His
00:32:57 --> 00:32:58 love
00:32:58 --> 00:32:58 towards us
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 is not
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 generated
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 because we
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 are lovely
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 it is
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 generated
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 it is
00:33:04 --> 00:33:04 self
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 generating
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 because He
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 is
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 love
00:33:07 --> 00:33:12 He has
00:33:12 --> 00:33:12 actually
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 not
00:33:13 --> 00:33:13 changed
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 His
00:33:14 --> 00:33:14 mind
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 about
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 His
00:33:15 --> 00:33:15 promise
00:33:15 --> 00:33:17 because
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 God's
00:33:18 --> 00:33:18 love
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 does not
00:33:19 --> 00:33:19 react
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 to my
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 sin
00:33:20 --> 00:33:25 you see
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 if it was
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 up to me
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 this is
00:33:26 --> 00:33:26 where I'm
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 different
00:33:27 --> 00:33:27 than God
00:33:27 --> 00:33:29 revenge
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 or justice
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 or the
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 breaking
00:33:32 --> 00:33:32 of ties
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 would be
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 my
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 response
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 to such
00:33:35 --> 00:33:37 treatment
00:33:37 --> 00:33:39 and that
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 is where
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 God and
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 I are
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 different
00:33:40 --> 00:33:42 if I
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 was God
00:33:43 --> 00:33:43 I would
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 have long
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 changed
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 my mind
00:33:45 --> 00:33:48 I would
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 have redrawn
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 my love
00:33:49 --> 00:33:51 and I
00:33:51 --> 00:33:51 certainly
00:33:51 --> 00:33:52 wouldn't have
00:33:52 --> 00:33:52 paid the
00:33:52 --> 00:33:53 price of
00:33:53 --> 00:33:53 redemption
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 for a
00:33:54 --> 00:33:54 faithless
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 people
00:33:55 --> 00:34:00 but I'm
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 a man
00:34:00 --> 00:34:02 I'm
00:34:02 --> 00:34:02 not
00:34:02 --> 00:34:03 God
00:34:03 --> 00:34:05 a man
00:34:05 --> 00:34:05 that is
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 called by
00:34:06 --> 00:34:06 my God
00:34:06 --> 00:34:07 of love
00:34:07 --> 00:34:07 to love
00:34:07 --> 00:34:08 as He
00:34:08 --> 00:34:08 loves
00:34:08 --> 00:34:10 and so
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 I stand
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 here as
00:34:12 --> 00:34:12 a man
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 and I
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 stand here
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 as a
00:34:14 --> 00:34:14 father
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 and let
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 me tell
00:34:16 --> 00:34:16 you I
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 really love
00:34:17 --> 00:34:17 my
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 children
00:34:18 --> 00:34:21 one of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:21 the
00:34:21 --> 00:34:23 you message
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 with my
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 kids and
00:34:24 --> 00:34:24 you'll
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 experience
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 my
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 wrath
00:34:25 --> 00:34:28 ungodly
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 wrath
00:34:28 --> 00:34:29 probably
00:34:29 --> 00:34:31 one of
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 the really
00:34:32 --> 00:34:32 big things
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 that I
00:34:33 --> 00:34:33 want for
00:34:33 --> 00:34:34 my kids
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 is for
00:34:34 --> 00:34:34 them to
00:34:34 --> 00:34:35 feel secure
00:34:35 --> 00:34:36 in their
00:34:36 --> 00:34:36 relationship
00:34:36 --> 00:34:37 with me
00:34:37 --> 00:34:37 particularly
00:34:37 --> 00:34:39 if they're
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 secure
00:34:39 --> 00:34:40 they'll be
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 healthy
00:34:40 --> 00:34:40 and they'll
00:34:40 --> 00:34:41 be balanced
00:34:41 --> 00:34:43 I want
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 them to
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 know the
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 security
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 of my
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 love for
00:34:47 --> 00:34:47 them
00:34:47 --> 00:34:50 but they
00:34:50 --> 00:34:50 do not
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 always feel
00:34:51 --> 00:34:51 it
00:34:51 --> 00:34:54 I
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 still
00:34:54 --> 00:34:54 remember
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 the
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 first
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 time
00:34:55 --> 00:34:55 I
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 was
00:34:56 --> 00:34:56 really
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 angry
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 with
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 one
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 of
00:34:57 --> 00:34:57 my
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 children
00:34:58 --> 00:34:59 and I
00:34:59 --> 00:34:59 could see
00:34:59 --> 00:35:00 the fear
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 in their
00:35:00 --> 00:35:00 eyes
00:35:00 --> 00:35:01 I could
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 see that
00:35:02 --> 00:35:03 they were
00:35:03 --> 00:35:03 feeling
00:35:03 --> 00:35:04 insecure
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 in that
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 moment
00:35:06 --> 00:35:07 they
00:35:07 --> 00:35:07 weren't
00:35:07 --> 00:35:08 confident
00:35:08 --> 00:35:09 what
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 would
00:35:09 --> 00:35:10 happen
00:35:10 --> 00:35:11 at any
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 moment
00:35:11 --> 00:35:12 because of
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 my
00:35:13 --> 00:35:13 anger
00:35:13 --> 00:35:20 I'm
00:35:20 --> 00:35:20 not
00:35:20 --> 00:35:21 God
00:35:21 --> 00:35:24 they
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 question
00:35:24 --> 00:35:24 my
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 love
00:35:25 --> 00:35:28 God's
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 love is
00:35:28 --> 00:35:28 not like
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 mine
00:35:29 --> 00:35:29 because God
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 is love
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 and so I
00:35:31 --> 00:35:32 must point
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 my girls
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 to him
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 who ensures
00:35:35 --> 00:35:36 that they
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 will be more
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 than conquerors
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 through Christ
00:35:38 --> 00:35:38 who loves
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 them
00:35:39 --> 00:35:41 and as
00:35:41 --> 00:35:41 for me
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 as a man
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 and a
00:35:43 --> 00:35:43 father
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 my heart
00:35:44 --> 00:35:44 will always
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 be in
00:35:45 --> 00:35:45 tension
00:35:45 --> 00:35:47 the tension
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 between my
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 constant awareness
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 of my
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 failure
00:35:50 --> 00:35:50 and my
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 sin
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 and my
00:35:51 --> 00:35:51 flaws
00:35:51 --> 00:35:53 and God's
00:35:53 --> 00:35:54 declaration
00:35:54 --> 00:35:54 that I
00:35:54 --> 00:35:55 am free
00:35:55 --> 00:35:57 free from
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 sin
00:35:58 --> 00:36:00 guiltless
00:36:00 --> 00:36:00 because of
00:36:00 --> 00:36:01 what Christ
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 has done
00:36:02 --> 00:36:02 for me
00:36:02 --> 00:36:05 and so I
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 must take
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 myself daily
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 to my
00:36:07 --> 00:36:07 heavenly
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 father
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 and be
00:36:09 --> 00:36:09 reminded
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 that he
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 loves me
00:36:11 --> 00:36:11 with an
00:36:11 --> 00:36:11 unchanging
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 love
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 his
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 assessment
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 of Steve
00:36:15 --> 00:36:15 Jeffery
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 is not
00:36:16 --> 00:36:16 based
00:36:16 --> 00:36:17 on a
00:36:17 --> 00:36:18 naive
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 assessment
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 of my
00:36:19 --> 00:36:19 love
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 of my
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 character
00:36:21 --> 00:36:24 he knows
00:36:24 --> 00:36:26 how dark
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 my heart
00:36:26 --> 00:36:26 is
00:36:26 --> 00:36:29 but he's
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 called me
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 to be
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 his son
00:36:30 --> 00:36:33 and he
00:36:33 --> 00:36:33 ensures
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 that in
00:36:34 --> 00:36:34 the Lord
00:36:34 --> 00:36:35 Jesus
00:36:35 --> 00:36:37 I will
00:36:37 --> 00:36:37 be more
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 than a
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 conqueror
00:36:38 --> 00:36:40 let's
00:36:40 --> 00:36:40 pray
00:36:40 --> 00:36:46 gracious
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 father
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 we thank
00:36:47 --> 00:36:47 you for
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 your love
00:36:48 --> 00:36:48 for us
00:36:48 --> 00:36:51 God you
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 are worthy
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 to receive
00:36:52 --> 00:36:54 all glory
00:36:54 --> 00:36:54 and honor
00:36:54 --> 00:36:58 not only
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 have you
00:36:58 --> 00:36:58 created all
00:36:58 --> 00:36:59 things you
00:36:59 --> 00:36:59 sustain all
00:36:59 --> 00:37:00 things but
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 we thank
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 you for
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 the Lord
00:37:01 --> 00:37:02 Jesus that
00:37:02 --> 00:37:03 through his
00:37:03 --> 00:37:03 death and
00:37:03 --> 00:37:04 his resurrection
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 he has
00:37:05 --> 00:37:07 turned your
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 anger away
00:37:08 --> 00:37:09 from us
00:37:09 --> 00:37:10 so that we
00:37:10 --> 00:37:11 might know
00:37:11 --> 00:37:12 your love
00:37:12 --> 00:37:13 in all its
00:37:13 --> 00:37:13 fullness in
00:37:13 --> 00:37:14 him
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 we thank you
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 that he has
00:37:16 --> 00:37:16 paid the
00:37:16 --> 00:37:18 complete debt
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 of our
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 sin
00:37:20 --> 00:37:22 we thank
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 you that
00:37:22 --> 00:37:22 he has
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 eternally
00:37:23 --> 00:37:24 delivered us
00:37:24 --> 00:37:26 from your
00:37:26 --> 00:37:26 judgment
00:37:26 --> 00:37:29 and so
00:37:29 --> 00:37:29 father right
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 now we
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 remember what
00:37:30 --> 00:37:31 you've done
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 for us
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 we thank
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 you that
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 what we're
00:37:32 --> 00:37:32 going to
00:37:32 --> 00:37:33 do right
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 now in
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 the Lord's
00:37:34 --> 00:37:35 supper
00:37:35 --> 00:37:36 that we
00:37:36 --> 00:37:36 have this
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 bread we
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 have this
00:37:37 --> 00:37:39 wine and
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 we pray
00:37:39 --> 00:37:39 that as we
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 take them
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 that we
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 might remember
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 the cost
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 of your
00:37:42 --> 00:37:42 love for
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 us in
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 the Lord
00:37:43 --> 00:37:43 Jesus
00:37:43 --> 00:37:46 and we
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 pray father
00:37:47 --> 00:37:47 that you
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 would deeply
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 deeply
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 nourish and
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 feed us
00:37:51 --> 00:37:51 by your
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 word
00:37:52 --> 00:37:54 we pray
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 that the
00:37:55 --> 00:37:55 bread and
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 this wine
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 might be a
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 symbol lord
00:37:58 --> 00:37:58 of all that
00:37:58 --> 00:37:59 you've done
00:37:59 --> 00:37:59 for us
00:37:59 --> 00:38:00 and may we
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 be deeply
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 assured of
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 your goodness
00:38:03 --> 00:38:03 to us in
00:38:03 --> 00:38:04 the Lord
00:38:04 --> 00:38:05 Jesus and
00:38:05 --> 00:38:05 we ask it
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 for your
00:38:06 --> 00:38:06 sake
00:38:06 --> 00:38:07 amen
00:38:07 --> 00:38:10 friends
00:38:10 --> 00:38:10 we're going
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 to distribute
00:38:11 --> 00:38:12 these elements
00:38:12 --> 00:38:12 to you in
00:38:12 --> 00:38:13 your seats
00:38:13 --> 00:38:13 and we
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 will eat
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 and we
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 will drink
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 together