00:00:00 --> 00:00:02 Let me pray before we look at God's word together.
00:00:02 --> 00:00:05 Father, we thank you for your word.
00:00:05 --> 00:00:07 We thank you for your spirit
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 who inspired these words for the Apostle Paul so long ago.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 We pray that your spirit might take this word tonight,
00:00:15 --> 00:00:18 enabling me to speak your word correctly and powerfully,
00:00:19 --> 00:00:21 that your spirit might work in our hearts,
00:00:21 --> 00:00:23 for we ask it in Jesus' name.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:24 Amen.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:24 Amen.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:30 Well, it's great that you're doing a sermon series on Romans.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:33 It's a wonderful book in the New Testament
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 and written by the Apostle Paul to a Christian community.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:40 Actually, there was more than one church in Rome.
00:00:41 --> 00:00:42 You don't actually find the word church
00:00:42 --> 00:00:45 in the opening invitation of the letter,
00:00:45 --> 00:00:46 but to the saints at Rome.
00:00:46 --> 00:00:48 But there are different churches and different house groups
00:00:48 --> 00:00:51 you'll see when you get to the end of the book in chapter 16.
00:00:51 --> 00:00:53 He's never been to Rome before.
00:00:53 --> 00:00:56 He's writing to them to encourage them
00:00:56 --> 00:00:59 in terms of his anticipated arrival.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:03 He's writing to them to explain his gospel,
00:01:04 --> 00:01:04 to expound it,
00:01:05 --> 00:01:06 and to also encourage them
00:01:06 --> 00:01:09 with regard to his ongoing mission work.
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 Now, you've been doing a series
00:01:12 --> 00:01:15 where you've been jumping from mountaintop to mountaintop, I think.
00:01:15 --> 00:01:18 I think last week was chapter 5, verse 1,
00:01:18 --> 00:01:21 and we've just picked up the end of chapter 7,
00:01:21 --> 00:01:25 and now really looking at 8, verses 1 to 4.
00:01:25 --> 00:01:27 And these mountaintop experiences,
00:01:28 --> 00:01:31 you've got the valleys filled in in 6 and 7,
00:01:31 --> 00:01:33 but chapter 8, verse 1,
00:01:33 --> 00:01:34 starts off with that word, therefore.
00:01:36 --> 00:01:40 And the therefore is a way of saying,
00:01:40 --> 00:01:42 this now follows from what I've said before.
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 You might think at first glance,
00:01:45 --> 00:01:47 it follows from what's just happened in chapter 7.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 But in actual fact,
00:01:49 --> 00:01:51 it flows back to chapter 5.
00:01:51 --> 00:01:53 So you've done very well in your sermon series
00:01:53 --> 00:01:55 to sort of see 6 and 7 has got a,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:55 in a sense,
00:01:55 --> 00:01:56 it's like a digression.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 6 and 7 is looking at what,
00:01:59 --> 00:02:01 how the law affects
00:02:01 --> 00:02:04 God's plan of salvation,
00:02:04 --> 00:02:05 and in particular,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:07 how Christ has set us free
00:02:07 --> 00:02:08 from that law.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:11 But the mountaintop of chapter 5,
00:02:11 --> 00:02:13 if you'll recall from last week,
00:02:13 --> 00:02:15 we've been justified through faith
00:02:15 --> 00:02:18 and we have peace with God
00:02:18 --> 00:02:19 through our Lord Jesus Christ.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:21 So in chapter 80 says,
00:02:21 --> 00:02:22 Therefore,
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 there is now no condemnation
00:02:25 --> 00:02:28 for those who are in Christ Jesus.
00:02:28 --> 00:02:30 There's no condemnation.
00:02:31 --> 00:02:32 You see,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:35 there were Jews and Gentiles in Rome.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 And a Jew would know
00:02:37 --> 00:02:41 that the law was an oppressive regime
00:02:41 --> 00:02:43 which was so demanding.
00:02:45 --> 00:02:47 It was impossible
00:02:47 --> 00:02:49 to keep the law sinlessly.
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 Lots of people tried,
00:02:52 --> 00:02:53 but in actual fact,
00:02:53 --> 00:02:56 it was their promising life,
00:02:57 --> 00:03:00 but was unable to fulfil that
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 for the Jewish people.
00:03:02 --> 00:03:05 It actually brought condemnation upon it.
00:03:06 --> 00:03:08 It brought condemnation in a way in which
00:03:08 --> 00:03:11 if you break just one aspect of the law,
00:03:12 --> 00:03:14 then you've broken the whole law.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:16 You know,
00:03:16 --> 00:03:18 you can imagine a friend of mine
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 very close to me.
00:03:21 --> 00:03:22 It was pulled over for speeding.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:25 And I said,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:25 sorry,
00:03:25 --> 00:03:25 the friend said,
00:03:26 --> 00:03:27 and that...
00:03:28 --> 00:03:32 I said to the officer,
00:03:32 --> 00:03:32 look,
00:03:33 --> 00:03:35 I may have been going over the speed limit
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 a teensy,
00:03:36 --> 00:03:37 weensy little bit,
00:03:37 --> 00:03:38 but you know what?
00:03:38 --> 00:03:38 All day,
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 I've been driving under the speed limit.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:42 So I reckon you should take
00:03:42 --> 00:03:44 all those kilometres per hour
00:03:44 --> 00:03:45 I was driving under the speed limit
00:03:45 --> 00:03:48 and then you can apply them to this
00:03:48 --> 00:03:49 and you'll find that I haven't actually
00:03:49 --> 00:03:50 broken the law at all.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:53 That went down like a lead balloon,
00:03:54 --> 00:03:55 I might add.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:56 It's sort of one of those things,
00:03:56 --> 00:03:58 if you break the law,
00:03:58 --> 00:03:59 you break the law.
00:04:00 --> 00:04:00 You can't say,
00:04:00 --> 00:04:01 well,
00:04:01 --> 00:04:02 look at all the good things I've done,
00:04:03 --> 00:04:05 because when you break God's law,
00:04:05 --> 00:04:06 judgment comes,
00:04:07 --> 00:04:09 condemnation comes.
00:04:09 --> 00:04:12 So the law brings condemnation.
00:04:13 --> 00:04:14 What happens to Christians
00:04:14 --> 00:04:16 with regard to the law?
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 You see,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:19 in chapter 7,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:23 you'll see that the person in chapter 7
00:04:23 --> 00:04:25 is bound by the law,
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 dead to that which held it captive.
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 The man of Romans 7
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 can't keep the law.
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 He's unable to do so.
00:04:35 --> 00:04:37 Some people think the man in chapter 7
00:04:37 --> 00:04:38 is all about the Christian
00:04:38 --> 00:04:39 struggling with sin.
00:04:39 --> 00:04:40 I actually don't think
00:04:40 --> 00:04:41 that's what it's talking about.
00:04:42 --> 00:04:43 I think it's talking about
00:04:43 --> 00:04:44 the unbelieving Jew
00:04:44 --> 00:04:48 who is under God's condemnation,
00:04:49 --> 00:04:50 wants to keep the law,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 but can't keep the law
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 because he's out of relationship with God.
00:04:56 --> 00:04:57 The law is actually good.
00:04:57 --> 00:04:58 In chapter 7,
00:04:58 --> 00:04:59 the law is spiritual.
00:05:00 --> 00:05:02 There's a good thing about law,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:06 but law has to be in relationship.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 Unless law is in relationship,
00:05:10 --> 00:05:11 you will always want to break it.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 You know those signs
00:05:13 --> 00:05:14 that you've seen on billboards,
00:05:15 --> 00:05:15 you know,
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 don't look through this peephole here,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:19 and you think,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:20 hmm,
00:05:20 --> 00:05:21 let me think.
00:05:22 --> 00:05:23 Let me think.
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 Might as well just fix up this thing.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:25 Yes.
00:05:25 --> 00:05:27 And then by a sign like that,
00:05:28 --> 00:05:30 you're automatically enticed
00:05:30 --> 00:05:31 to look through the hole,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:31 aren't you?
00:05:31 --> 00:05:33 Or when it says,
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 bill posters,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 we prosecute it.
00:05:36 --> 00:05:37 Poor old bill posters,
00:05:37 --> 00:05:38 he's always going to get prosecuted.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:39 Anyhow,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:40 so people put up posters there.
00:05:41 --> 00:05:41 Now,
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 you look through,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 when you get a law like that,
00:05:44 --> 00:05:45 you actually want to break it.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:48 But if you're in relationship
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 with a lawgiver,
00:05:49 --> 00:05:50 it's very different.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:52 We had a house we lived in,
00:05:53 --> 00:05:56 had a very broken kind of concrete pathway
00:05:56 --> 00:05:57 coming up the driveway.
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 And my wife has been saying to me,
00:05:59 --> 00:05:59 look,
00:05:59 --> 00:05:59 you know,
00:06:00 --> 00:06:01 why can't you just fix this?
00:06:02 --> 00:06:02 You know,
00:06:02 --> 00:06:03 can't you fix it?
00:06:03 --> 00:06:03 And,
00:06:03 --> 00:06:04 you know,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:04 I say,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:04 well,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 I'm not really,
00:06:05 --> 00:06:07 I didn't do concreting 101
00:06:07 --> 00:06:08 at Theological College,
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 so I'm not really,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 I'm not really good at that.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 And,
00:06:12 --> 00:06:12 but then one day,
00:06:13 --> 00:06:13 while she was out,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:15 I hired a concrete man
00:06:15 --> 00:06:17 to come and lay the path for me.
00:06:18 --> 00:06:18 And,
00:06:19 --> 00:06:20 because it would be all wet cement,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:22 I put up a sign saying,
00:06:22 --> 00:06:25 don't step in the wet cement.
00:06:26 --> 00:06:26 Okay?
00:06:26 --> 00:06:28 My wife comes home,
00:06:29 --> 00:06:29 and she says,
00:06:30 --> 00:06:31 goodness,
00:06:31 --> 00:06:32 he's finally listened.
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 He's got the pathway.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 And he's warned me by saying,
00:06:38 --> 00:06:39 don't step in the cement.
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 Because I could easily have stepped in there,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:44 not thinking it was actually newly laid.
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 The warning,
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 the law,
00:06:47 --> 00:06:49 don't step on the cement,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:49 wet cement,
00:06:49 --> 00:06:51 is actually for her good.
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 Because she's in relationship with me,
00:06:54 --> 00:06:57 she wants to abide by that law.
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 She wants to keep that law.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 We've got an 11-year-old boy
00:07:03 --> 00:07:04 who lives next door.
00:07:08 --> 00:07:10 He's not really in relationship with me
00:07:10 --> 00:07:11 like my wife is.
00:07:12 --> 00:07:14 When he sees the sign,
00:07:14 --> 00:07:15 don't step in the wet cement,
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 whoa,
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 let's go.
00:07:20 --> 00:07:21 Let's do those little doggy marks.
00:07:22 --> 00:07:22 Anyhow.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:24 Or, you know,
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 so-and-so loves so-and-so,
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 or something like that.
00:07:27 --> 00:07:29 Because he sees that law
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 as an invitation to break it,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 because he's not in relationship
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 with a lawgiver.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:37 That's how the law works for Christians,
00:07:37 --> 00:07:37 you see.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 We're in relationship with God,
00:07:40 --> 00:07:43 therefore the law is not oppressive
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 for us as Christians,
00:07:44 --> 00:07:46 we actually want to keep it.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:49 I actually asked the candidates tonight
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 about the Ten Commandments.
00:07:51 --> 00:07:52 And you passed.
00:07:54 --> 00:07:55 Lucky Sam.
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 And then I asked,
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 how many of you actually keep
00:08:00 --> 00:08:01 the commandments perfectly?
00:08:02 --> 00:08:02 And of course,
00:08:03 --> 00:08:03 no one can.
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 Except one man,
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 Jesus.
00:08:07 --> 00:08:09 You know,
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 because Jesus has kept
00:08:10 --> 00:08:12 the commandments perfectly,
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 prevents us
00:08:14 --> 00:08:15 from being condemned
00:08:15 --> 00:08:16 by the law.
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 I don't know if you've heard
00:08:20 --> 00:08:22 in your classical education,
00:08:22 --> 00:08:22 probably the older people
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 would have heard the phrase
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 Damocles sword.
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 For younger ones,
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 probably don't know it,
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 but it's a,
00:08:29 --> 00:08:31 it goes back to a story,
00:08:31 --> 00:08:32 the Mediterranean king.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 And this king
00:08:34 --> 00:08:36 had a courtier,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:36 a courtier
00:08:36 --> 00:08:37 by the name of Damocles.
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 And Damocles would have,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:41 you know,
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 meals with the king
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 and he's one of those
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 sort of chatterboxes
00:08:44 --> 00:08:44 that just talks,
00:08:44 --> 00:08:45 talks, talks.
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 You have people like that
00:08:46 --> 00:08:46 in your church?
00:08:47 --> 00:08:47 Anyhow,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 so people you might invite
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 for dinner
00:08:50 --> 00:08:50 and they just chat,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 chat, chat.
00:08:51 --> 00:08:51 And he was just sick
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 of Damocles.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 So he actually said to Damocles,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 give me your sword
00:08:55 --> 00:08:57 and I'm going to hang
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 your sword
00:08:58 --> 00:08:59 over your head
00:08:59 --> 00:09:01 and I'm going to hold it up,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:02 I'm going to tie it up
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 by a horse's hair.
00:09:03 --> 00:09:06 And then I want you
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 to come and have dinner
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 with me
00:09:08 --> 00:09:10 sitting under your own sword.
00:09:11 --> 00:09:11 Well,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:12 Damocles of course
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 had to do what the king said.
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 So,
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 he came in fear
00:09:16 --> 00:09:17 and trembling.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 He could hardly
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 eat his dinner.
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 He had no appetite
00:09:21 --> 00:09:23 and what's more,
00:09:23 --> 00:09:23 he couldn't even start
00:09:23 --> 00:09:24 a conversation up.
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 So the king was delighted.
00:09:26 --> 00:09:27 It worked.
00:09:27 --> 00:09:29 And so the phrase being,
00:09:29 --> 00:09:29 having,
00:09:30 --> 00:09:31 sitting under Damocles' sword,
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 Damocles' sword
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 hanging over your head
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 means the threat
00:09:35 --> 00:09:35 of judgment.
00:09:38 --> 00:09:39 When Jesus says,
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 people will come
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 from the east and west
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 and sit down
00:09:44 --> 00:09:45 and feast with Abraham
00:09:45 --> 00:09:47 in the kingdom of God.
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 Jesus is saying
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 that the feasting table
00:09:51 --> 00:09:52 for the people of God
00:09:52 --> 00:09:54 includes Old Testament saints
00:09:54 --> 00:09:54 like Abraham
00:09:54 --> 00:09:56 as well as New Covenant saints
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 like us.
00:09:58 --> 00:10:00 Under the Old Covenant,
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 the law
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 was hanging
00:10:02 --> 00:10:04 as a judgment
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 over the people of God.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 It's like Abraham
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 and Moses
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 and the rest of the
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 Old Testament saints
00:10:10 --> 00:10:11 were sitting at the
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 banquet table of God
00:10:12 --> 00:10:14 but the sword
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 of God's law
00:10:15 --> 00:10:17 was hanging over them.
00:10:18 --> 00:10:20 Not by a horse's hair
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 but something
00:10:21 --> 00:10:23 much more secure,
00:10:24 --> 00:10:24 the thread
00:10:24 --> 00:10:26 of God's promise.
00:10:26 --> 00:10:29 They could feast
00:10:29 --> 00:10:31 at God's table
00:10:31 --> 00:10:33 because they trusted
00:10:33 --> 00:10:33 that God
00:10:33 --> 00:10:34 would not bring
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 the judgment on them.
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 When Jesus arrives,
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 he comes and sits
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 at the same
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 banqueting table
00:10:42 --> 00:10:45 but the sword
00:10:45 --> 00:10:46 of God's judgment
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 falls upon Jesus.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 He actually satisfies
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 all that the law
00:10:52 --> 00:10:54 requires and demands.
00:10:54 --> 00:10:56 He keeps the
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 Ten Commandments.
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 He's perfectly
00:10:58 --> 00:11:00 obedient to his
00:11:00 --> 00:11:00 Heavenly Father
00:11:00 --> 00:11:02 and what's more
00:11:02 --> 00:11:02 than that,
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 he dies the death
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 that you and I
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 deserve.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 So that as New
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 Covenant saints,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 when we come to
00:11:10 --> 00:11:11 the feasting,
00:11:11 --> 00:11:12 banqueting table
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 of God,
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 we no longer
00:11:14 --> 00:11:16 have the threat
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 of God's law
00:11:17 --> 00:11:17 over us
00:11:17 --> 00:11:19 with its condemnation.
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 That's what Paul
00:11:21 --> 00:11:21 means when he says
00:11:21 --> 00:11:23 we are not under
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 law but under
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 grace.
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 In Romans 8.1,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 there is now
00:11:29 --> 00:11:31 no condemnation
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 for those who
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 are in Christ
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 Jesus.
00:11:35 --> 00:11:36 Why?
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 Because through
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 Christ Jesus,
00:11:39 --> 00:11:39 the law of the
00:11:39 --> 00:11:41 spirit of life
00:11:41 --> 00:11:43 has set me free
00:11:43 --> 00:11:44 from the law
00:11:44 --> 00:11:46 of sin and death.
00:11:47 --> 00:11:47 You see,
00:11:47 --> 00:11:49 sin and death
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 hang over us.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 Paul says
00:11:51 --> 00:11:51 elsewhere in
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 1 Corinthians,
00:11:52 --> 00:11:52 he says,
00:11:53 --> 00:11:56 the sting of
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 death is sin
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 but the power
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 of sin is the
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 law.
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 It's a fascinating
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 thought,
00:12:03 --> 00:12:03 isn't it?
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 The sting of
00:12:04 --> 00:12:04 death is sin
00:12:04 --> 00:12:06 but the power
00:12:06 --> 00:12:08 of sin is the
00:12:08 --> 00:12:08 law.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 It's the law
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 that condemns.
00:12:11 --> 00:12:11 It's the law
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 that judges us.
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 It's the law
00:12:14 --> 00:12:15 that sends us
00:12:15 --> 00:12:15 to our death.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:18 And what Jesus
00:12:18 --> 00:12:18 has done
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 has taken
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 that penalty
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 away,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:23 has taken
00:12:23 --> 00:12:24 the condemnation
00:12:24 --> 00:12:26 that belongs
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 to us
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 as people
00:12:28 --> 00:12:28 who sin.
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 You see,
00:12:30 --> 00:12:30 our God
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 is a righteous
00:12:31 --> 00:12:31 God.
00:12:33 --> 00:12:34 He's a perfect
00:12:34 --> 00:12:34 God.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 He loathes sin
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 even in his
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 people.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:39 And he can't
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 just turn a blind
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 eye to sin.
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 In order to
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 save us,
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 he has to deal
00:12:45 --> 00:12:46 with our sins.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:48 And the
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 only way
00:12:49 --> 00:12:50 he could do
00:12:50 --> 00:12:51 it was to
00:12:51 --> 00:12:52 sin Jesus.
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 If there was
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 another way,
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 he'd have done
00:12:55 --> 00:12:55 so.
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 Such as the
00:12:58 --> 00:12:58 depths of
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 God's love
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 is that the
00:13:00 --> 00:13:02 most excruciating
00:13:02 --> 00:13:02 way,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 the only way
00:13:04 --> 00:13:04 in which we
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 could be freed
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 from the
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 condemnation of
00:13:07 --> 00:13:07 the law,
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 is if Jesus
00:13:08 --> 00:13:10 stands in
00:13:10 --> 00:13:10 our place.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:15 Imagine you
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 four
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 confidants
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 at the
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 day of
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 judgment.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 Scary
00:13:22 --> 00:13:22 thought.
00:13:24 --> 00:13:24 Here is
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 God's
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 throne.
00:13:27 --> 00:13:28 And God
00:13:28 --> 00:13:28 has a line
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 of people
00:13:29 --> 00:13:29 coming up.
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 And as each
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 person stands
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 before the
00:13:32 --> 00:13:32 throne of
00:13:32 --> 00:13:33 God,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 Gabriel goes
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 off and gets
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 their DVD
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 of their
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 life.
00:13:38 --> 00:13:38 You've just
00:13:38 --> 00:13:39 seen Pol Pot.
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 Idi Amin,
00:13:43 --> 00:13:43 a few other
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 awful chaps,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 and you see
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 a video of
00:13:47 --> 00:13:47 their life,
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 you don't
00:13:48 --> 00:13:48 have to play
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 for very long,
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 and God
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 says,
00:13:51 --> 00:13:51 judgment,
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 death.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:55 Then
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 James,
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 you're next.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:00 You're
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 alphabetically
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 ahead of your
00:14:01 --> 00:14:01 sister,
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 you see.
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 And you
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 stand before
00:14:06 --> 00:14:06 the throne
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 of God.
00:14:09 --> 00:14:09 And Gabriel
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 goes off to
00:14:10 --> 00:14:12 get James's
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 DVD.
00:14:15 --> 00:14:15 You're
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 shaking in
00:14:16 --> 00:14:16 your boots.
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 Every thought
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 that you've
00:14:20 --> 00:14:20 ever had
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 is captured
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 in this
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 DVD.
00:14:25 --> 00:14:25 Every
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 wrongdoing,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 every act,
00:14:29 --> 00:14:29 every
00:14:29 --> 00:14:30 transgression
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 of the Ten
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 Commandments
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 is there,
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 even the
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 ones your
00:14:34 --> 00:14:34 parents didn't
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 know about,
00:14:35 --> 00:14:37 nor your
00:14:37 --> 00:14:37 minister,
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 father.
00:14:39 --> 00:14:39 But you
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 know about
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 it,
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 and God
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 knows about
00:14:42 --> 00:14:42 it.
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 And then
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 up on the
00:14:47 --> 00:14:47 screen,
00:14:47 --> 00:14:47 the DVD,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 sorry,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 it's over
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 there,
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 isn't it?
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 Wow,
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 it's hot,
00:14:50 --> 00:14:50 isn't it?
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 Up on the
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 screen,
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 comes the
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 Jesus video,
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 a DVD of
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 Jesus'
00:14:58 --> 00:14:58 life,
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 and his
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 death.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:00 faith.
00:15:02 --> 00:15:02 And God
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 says to
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 James,
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 enter into
00:15:05 --> 00:15:05 my kingdom.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 Jesus has
00:15:08 --> 00:15:08 done it
00:15:08 --> 00:15:09 for you.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:11 He's lived
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 the life you
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 could not
00:15:12 --> 00:15:12 live,
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 and died
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 the death
00:15:15 --> 00:15:15 that you
00:15:15 --> 00:15:15 deserve.
00:15:18 --> 00:15:18 That's
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 fabulous,
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 isn't it?
00:15:21 --> 00:15:21 If you've
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 put your
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 faith in
00:15:22 --> 00:15:22 Jesus,
00:15:24 --> 00:15:24 then you
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 can stand
00:15:25 --> 00:15:25 where James
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 stands.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:27 You can
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 stand where
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 Jesus
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 stands.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 and Jesus
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 has done
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 it all.
00:15:37 --> 00:15:38 The law
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 that was
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 powerless
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 to do,
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 in that it
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 was weakened
00:15:43 --> 00:15:43 by the
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 sinful
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 nature,
00:15:44 --> 00:15:46 what the
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 law was
00:15:47 --> 00:15:47 powerless
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 to do,
00:15:48 --> 00:15:50 God did
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 by sending
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 his own
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 son in
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 the likeness
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 of sinful
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 flesh to
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 be a sin
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 offering.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 That's what
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 Jesus did.
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 That's why
00:16:01 --> 00:16:01 the law
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 is spiritual,
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 you see.
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 In actual
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 fact,
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 the law
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 does save
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 us,
00:16:05 --> 00:16:07 because Jesus
00:16:07 --> 00:16:07 has kept
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 the law
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 for us.
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 I was
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 talking to
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 the
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 Confirmese
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 beforehand,
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 I was
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 talking about
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 the Lord's
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 Supper,
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 when you
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 take Holy
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 Communion.
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 You
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 experienced
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 saints who've
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 taken the
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 Lord's
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 Supper for
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 many years
00:16:19 --> 00:16:21 would know
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 why you've
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 got two
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 elements in
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 Holy
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 Communion,
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 the bread
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 and the
00:16:25 --> 00:16:25 wine.
00:16:27 --> 00:16:27 But why
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 do we
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 take the
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 wine?
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 Jesus said
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 I'm the
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 bread of
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 life,
00:16:31 --> 00:16:31 he didn't
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 say I'm
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 the wine
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 of life.
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 So why
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 is there
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 bread and
00:16:36 --> 00:16:36 wine?
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 And we
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 don't have
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 soap and
00:16:38 --> 00:16:38 water in
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 baptism,
00:16:39 --> 00:16:39 as you'll
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 see when I
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 baptise Ali
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 tonight,
00:16:42 --> 00:16:42 it's just
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 water.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 So why
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 bread and
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 wine?
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 Well the
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 bread is
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 Jesus'
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 life.
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 I'm the
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 bread of
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 life,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 his life,
00:16:51 --> 00:16:53 his perfect
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 obedience in
00:16:55 --> 00:16:55 place of
00:16:55 --> 00:16:57 my frail,
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 flawed,
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 sinful life.
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 But it's
00:17:01 --> 00:17:01 not just
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 that, it's
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 also his
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 death.
00:17:04 --> 00:17:04 The death
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 that I
00:17:05 --> 00:17:07 deserve is
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 what Jesus
00:17:07 --> 00:17:09 has undergone
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 for me.
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 So when
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 you take
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 Holy
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 Communion or
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 the Lord's
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 Supper,
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 think of
00:17:16 --> 00:17:16 Jesus'
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 life and
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 Jesus'
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 death.
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 it will
00:17:22 --> 00:17:22 help you
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 focus on
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 the truths
00:17:24 --> 00:17:24 that Paul
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 is preaching
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 when he
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 says there
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 is no
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 condemnation
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 for those
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 who are
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 in Christ
00:17:29 --> 00:17:29 Jesus.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:30 For he
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 condemned
00:17:31 --> 00:17:34 sin in
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 sinful man
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 in order
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 to the
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 righteous
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 requirement
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 of the
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 law.
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 I don't
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 know why
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 the NIV
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 has
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 requirements,
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 it shouldn't
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 be plural,
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 it's actually
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 a singular
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 in the
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 original.
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 The
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 righteous
00:17:45 --> 00:17:45 requirement
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 of the
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 law is
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 the death
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 penalty.
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 He uses
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 that same
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 phrase
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 elsewhere
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 in chapter
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 2,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 where he's
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 talking about
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 the death
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 penalty.
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 So here
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 Jesus has
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 taken the
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 death penalty
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 for us,
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 that's the
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 righteous
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 requirement of
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 the law,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 in order
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 that we
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 then might
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 live,
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 not according
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 to the
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 sinful nature,
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 but according
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 to the
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 spirit.
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 So the
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 spirit of
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 Christ Jesus
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 has now
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 set us
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 free,
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 not only
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 from the
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 guilt of
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 sin,
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 but from
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 the power
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 of sin,
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 so that
00:18:22 --> 00:18:22 we might
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 live as
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 Christ wants
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 us to
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 do.
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 Tonight is
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 not so much
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 a graduation
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 for these
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 four young
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 people,
00:18:32 --> 00:18:34 but rather a
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 step along
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 the path.
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 They've been
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 nurtured in
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 Christian families
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 and we thank
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 God for that.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 What a powerful
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 promise it is
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 for Christian
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 parents to
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 know that
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 their children
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 are covered
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 by God's
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 grace and
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 to bring
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 them up and
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 raise them
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 up in
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 covenant love
00:18:50 --> 00:18:50 so that now
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 they can
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 profess before
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 you all,
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 not that you
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 had any doubt
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 beforehand,
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 but profess
00:18:56 --> 00:18:56 before you
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 that they
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 have turned
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 to Christ.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 And we're
00:19:00 --> 00:19:00 going to do
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 that symbolically
00:19:01 --> 00:19:03 tonight and
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 I'm going to
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 lay hands on
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 them as an
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 indication,
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 an ancient
00:19:06 --> 00:19:08 sign of God's
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 blessing and of
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 prayer for these
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 people,
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 that they might
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 continue strong
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 in Christ because
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 God has
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 taken away
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 their sins,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 as far as
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 the east is
00:19:18 --> 00:19:18 from the west
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 so far as
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 God removed
00:19:20 --> 00:19:20 our sins
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 from us.
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 The joy of
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 the Spirit
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 gives us a
00:19:24 --> 00:19:26 desire to
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 follow him,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 a desire to
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 be obedient,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 a desire to
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 bring forth the
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 fruit of the
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 Spirit and the
00:19:33 --> 00:19:35 obedience which
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 springs from
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 faith.
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 That's what
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 Paul is
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 concerned about
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 and elsewhere in
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 this book as
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 beforehand,
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 he talks of
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 the way in
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 which the
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 fruit of the
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 Spirit comes
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 forth by the
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 obedience of
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 faith and
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 that's the
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 work of the
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 Spirit in
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 us.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 We'll never
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 be sinless in
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 this life.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 We'll always
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 need to keep
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 repenting of
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 our sins but
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 there is growth
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 in grace and
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 so Paul elsewhere
00:20:00 --> 00:20:02 prays for the
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 saints at
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 Corinth that
00:20:03 --> 00:20:03 they might be
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 changed from
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 one degree of
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 glory to
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 another and
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 this comes by
00:20:09 --> 00:20:09 the Spirit of
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 God's grace,
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 grace by the
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 Lord who is
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 the Spirit.
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 So tonight's a
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 great night,
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 great night for
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 you four guys
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 and for your
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 families,
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 parents and
00:20:21 --> 00:20:23 godparents that
00:20:23 --> 00:20:25 as you profess
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 Christ tonight
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 that you're
00:20:26 --> 00:20:28 saying you are
00:20:28 --> 00:20:28 no longer
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 condemned,
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 Christ has
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 taken that
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 penalty for
00:20:32 --> 00:20:34 you and set
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 you free,
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 free to live a
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 life which
00:20:38 --> 00:20:40 honors him and
00:20:40 --> 00:20:40 which brings
00:20:40 --> 00:20:42 others to a
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 knowledge of
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 the Lord Jesus
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 and if you're
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 here tonight,
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 perhaps you're a
00:20:46 --> 00:20:46 friend of the
00:20:46 --> 00:20:47 family,
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 don't normally
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 come to church
00:20:49 --> 00:20:50 and you think
00:20:50 --> 00:20:51 what is that
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 man talking
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 about at the
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 front?
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 Well you know
00:20:54 --> 00:20:54 the best person
00:20:54 --> 00:20:55 to ask is one
00:20:55 --> 00:20:55 of these.
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 Ask them,
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 they've been
00:20:58 --> 00:20:58 well prepared for
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 tonight,
00:20:59 --> 00:21:00 ask them why
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 they're going to
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 stand up and
00:21:01 --> 00:21:01 say to you,
00:21:02 --> 00:21:02 I turn to
00:21:02 --> 00:21:04 Christ and
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 ask them why
00:21:05 --> 00:21:05 it's important
00:21:05 --> 00:21:07 that you too
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 turn to Christ
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 because if you
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 don't,
00:21:11 --> 00:21:12 God's
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 condemnation
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 will rest
00:21:13 --> 00:21:14 upon you
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 and it
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 won't be the
00:21:16 --> 00:21:17 Jesus video
00:21:17 --> 00:21:18 but the video
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 of your own
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 life which
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 will not
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 stand the
00:21:22 --> 00:21:24 test of
00:21:24 --> 00:21:24 God's
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 righteous
00:21:25 --> 00:21:25 judgment.
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 Only in
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 Christ are
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 we free
00:21:30 --> 00:21:31 of condemnation.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 Let's pray.
00:21:34 --> 00:21:36 heavenly
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 father we
00:21:37 --> 00:21:37 thank you
00:21:37 --> 00:21:40 for the
00:21:40 --> 00:21:40 inestimable
00:21:40 --> 00:21:42 gift of
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 salvation in
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 Christ.
00:21:45 --> 00:21:45 We thank you
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 for his life
00:21:46 --> 00:21:48 and his death
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 on our behalf
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 and we pray
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 for these four
00:21:52 --> 00:21:52 young people
00:21:52 --> 00:21:53 that you would
00:21:53 --> 00:21:54 as you have
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 brought them
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 safe thus far
00:21:55 --> 00:21:55 that you would
00:21:55 --> 00:21:56 continue to
00:21:56 --> 00:21:57 strengthen them
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 as your
00:21:58 --> 00:22:00 disciples to
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 the glory of
00:22:01 --> 00:22:01 your name
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 for we ask
00:22:03 --> 00:22:03 it for
00:22:03 --> 00:22:04 Jesus'
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 sake.
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 Amen.