Martin Luther Joy in Justification
Series: HEROES OF THE FAITH
Speaker: John Lau
Date: 25th January 2020
Passage: Psalm 1:1-150:6
00:00:00 --> 00:00:10 Good morning.
00:00:12 --> 00:00:16 What was your greatest fear when you were younger?
00:00:20 --> 00:00:24 Up until high school, which was a long time ago now,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:26 I was so afraid of the dark.
00:00:26 --> 00:00:29 I could not sleep in a peach black room.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:34 I would insist my parents to leave the bedroom door ajar
00:00:34 --> 00:00:37 so some light would come through the gap.
00:00:38 --> 00:00:41 I was not so privileged as current generation
00:00:41 --> 00:00:47 where some would have their own bed and a night night by the bed.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:49 I shared a bun bag with my brother,
00:00:50 --> 00:00:52 and I don't think night light was invented back then.
00:00:52 --> 00:01:00 My nitrophobia provided my siblings with a lot of fun.
00:01:00 --> 00:01:04 All they have to do is close the bedroom door completely,
00:01:04 --> 00:01:06 and I will go crazy.
00:01:06 --> 00:01:10 And I have done a lot of other unreasonable things
00:01:10 --> 00:01:12 due to all sorts of fears too.
00:01:12 --> 00:01:16 If you are joining us today for the first time,
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 we are finishing our summer series on looking into heroes of the faith
00:01:20 --> 00:01:24 in terms of their joy in Jesus through the ages.
00:01:24 --> 00:01:32 We have looked into the life of Polycarp, Augustine, and Huston Taylor,
00:01:32 --> 00:01:37 which is from my right to my left.
00:01:37 --> 00:01:42 And if you have missed any of this sermon,
00:01:42 --> 00:01:45 let me encourage you to go to our website to listen to them
00:01:45 --> 00:01:49 because it's our aim to encourage us at St. Paul's
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 through the struggles, challenges, and hardship
00:01:53 --> 00:01:58 which lead to these men trusting in God and growing in joy
00:01:58 --> 00:02:03 so that we as a community can grow in our joy
00:02:03 --> 00:02:07 in living for Jesus, treasuring Jesus,
00:02:07 --> 00:02:11 depending upon Jesus, and being justified by Jesus.
00:02:12 --> 00:02:17 We'll be looking at Martin Luther, which is the second left,
00:02:18 --> 00:02:19 the one with the funny haircut.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 To finish the sermon series,
00:02:23 --> 00:02:25 a man that was very familiar with fear,
00:02:25 --> 00:02:29 we will see how he went from fear to being freed
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 and his joy in justification by faith.
00:02:34 --> 00:02:39 Martin Luther was born 537 years ago in 1483
00:02:39 --> 00:02:41 in northeastern Germany.
00:02:42 --> 00:02:45 His father was a manager of a copper mine
00:02:45 --> 00:02:49 and had the money and resources to send him to be educated
00:02:49 --> 00:02:52 and to pursue a career in the law.
00:02:52 --> 00:02:56 He earned his master's degree when he was only 22,
00:02:56 --> 00:02:59 but he did not follow the plan of his father.
00:02:59 --> 00:03:02 He went off to become a Roman Catholic monk.
00:03:04 --> 00:03:07 The reason for his change of career was well known.
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 It had to do with his fear of death.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 Not long before he finished his master's degree,
00:03:14 --> 00:03:18 he was caught in the middle of a thunderstorm while traveling.
00:03:18 --> 00:03:23 With one bolt of lightning strike terrifyingly close to him,
00:03:23 --> 00:03:29 Luther cried out in distress to the patron saint of miners and travelers,
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 Help me, St. Anne, I will become a monk.
00:03:33 --> 00:03:36 This knee-death experience changed his life.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 His desperate cry to St. Anne
00:03:39 --> 00:03:43 revealed the general beliefs and value of his time,
00:03:43 --> 00:03:46 which is also very similar to today.
00:03:46 --> 00:03:51 In the mid-1500s, the gospel, the true gospel,
00:03:52 --> 00:03:56 was hidden or even twisted for hundreds of years.
00:03:57 --> 00:04:01 People were reading a Bible in a language that was hard to understand.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:04 The authority of the scripture, the Bible,
00:04:04 --> 00:04:06 was second to church tradition.
00:04:08 --> 00:04:12 Importance of the centrality of Jesus Christ was not there.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:17 Today, a lot of people also approach religion as a tradition,
00:04:18 --> 00:04:20 as a form of spiritual protection,
00:04:21 --> 00:04:24 or a lifesaver in the middle of trouble.
00:04:25 --> 00:04:27 Like what we are facing in Australia right now,
00:04:28 --> 00:04:30 a man shared on national television that,
00:04:31 --> 00:04:34 after being an atheist for 25 years,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:37 the fire causes him to pray to God
00:04:37 --> 00:04:40 as he hears a siren started going.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:44 People were praying for protection and delivery
00:04:44 --> 00:04:46 at times of crisis
00:04:46 --> 00:04:50 from a God that they have ignored or rejected.
00:04:51 --> 00:04:54 But what often happens when danger passes?
00:04:55 --> 00:04:57 People might later dismiss whatever files
00:04:57 --> 00:04:59 they make at their desperate time.
00:04:59 --> 00:05:03 But Luther's conscience could not.
00:05:03 --> 00:05:04 He had a bigger fear.
00:05:06 --> 00:05:08 He feared God's disapproval and wrath.
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 And if you fear God's disapproval,
00:05:12 --> 00:05:14 you will not approach God with joy.
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 Luther once said,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 if I could believe that God was not angry with me,
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 I would stand on my head for joy.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:29 Martin Luther hoping to reduce his fear towards God
00:05:29 --> 00:05:32 and earning God's favor by being a monk,
00:05:32 --> 00:05:35 following all the strict rules and practices,
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 and by isolating himself from the world
00:05:38 --> 00:05:42 so that he will not do anything that will upset God.
00:05:43 --> 00:05:44 And he once said,
00:05:45 --> 00:05:48 you may not be able to keep the birds
00:05:48 --> 00:05:49 from flying over your head,
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.
00:05:53 --> 00:05:55 I wonder, would that be the reason
00:05:55 --> 00:05:57 they keep such a unique hairstyle?
00:05:59 --> 00:06:03 Luther salously followed his new calling as monk,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 believing he could only receive absolution
00:06:07 --> 00:06:10 for sins he confessed to a priest.
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 So he became obsessed with visiting the confessional.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:20 He was so rattle and fearful of eternity in hell
00:06:20 --> 00:06:24 that he would confess his sins for hours and hours,
00:06:25 --> 00:06:28 confessing sins that he committed just the day before.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 It was sins that were about him,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 not completely and totally,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:37 dedicating to the Lord with all his mind
00:06:37 --> 00:06:38 and with all his strength.
00:06:40 --> 00:06:42 Even though they were just thoughts,
00:06:42 --> 00:06:43 his thinking,
00:06:44 --> 00:06:48 he worries that he has somehow slipped far away from God.
00:06:48 --> 00:06:51 Martin Luther was taught
00:06:51 --> 00:06:53 that a holy and righteous God
00:06:53 --> 00:06:55 could not be in the presence of sin.
00:06:56 --> 00:06:59 The God's word that he was reading at the time
00:06:59 --> 00:07:01 speaks over and over again
00:07:01 --> 00:07:03 of God being completely just
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 and punishing wrongdoers.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 He understood from what he was reading
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 that he would fall into that category
00:07:11 --> 00:07:14 and would be punished in hell.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:17 If all we know about God
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 is judgment and punishment,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:22 we would all have anxiety
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 about our sin and ourselves.
00:07:25 --> 00:07:28 Being a monk did not bring him any joy.
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 In fact, it made him even more anxious
00:07:31 --> 00:07:34 because he got more time to study God's words.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 He knew the Ten Commandments.
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 He knew the Sermon on the Mount.
00:07:38 --> 00:07:41 He knew that a holy and just God
00:07:41 --> 00:07:44 could not allow sin in his presence.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 So, when he would measure his life
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 up against God's standard,
00:07:49 --> 00:07:51 he would become rattle with anxiety.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:54 He knows the Bible far better
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 than any one of us.
00:07:57 --> 00:07:58 But knowledge should not set him free.
00:07:59 --> 00:08:01 In fact, the more the knowledge,
00:08:01 --> 00:08:03 the more fearful he becomes.
00:08:03 --> 00:08:07 It was after becoming a monk
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 for about a year
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 in studying Augustine
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 to prepare to lecture in biblical study
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 and look at a correct version of the Bible
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 that eventually brought joy
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 to Luther's heart.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 Luther discovered a righteousness
00:08:23 --> 00:08:25 that freed him
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 and unlocked the joy
00:08:26 --> 00:08:29 that would serve generations to come.
00:08:29 --> 00:08:35 In German as well in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin,
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 justice and righteousness
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 are the same word.
00:08:40 --> 00:08:43 When Paul claimed in Romans 1.17
00:08:43 --> 00:08:46 that the justice or righteousness of God
00:08:46 --> 00:08:49 is gospel or good news,
00:08:50 --> 00:08:51 Luther could not make sense of it.
00:08:52 --> 00:08:54 For Luther, the justice of God
00:08:54 --> 00:08:56 had meant one thing only,
00:08:56 --> 00:08:59 the standard by which God found us guilty.
00:09:02 --> 00:09:02 Luther said,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:04 I hate that word justice of God,
00:09:05 --> 00:09:07 which by the use and custom
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 of all my teachers,
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 I have been taught to understand
00:09:10 --> 00:09:12 philosophically as
00:09:12 --> 00:09:15 that justice by which God is just
00:09:15 --> 00:09:18 and by which he punishes
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 sinners and the unjust.
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 I did not love,
00:09:22 --> 00:09:24 no, rather I hated
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 that just God
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 who punishes sinners.
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 If you look back at
00:09:29 --> 00:09:32 Romans 1.16-17,
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 it's saying there,
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 for I am not ashamed
00:09:37 --> 00:09:38 of the gospel
00:09:38 --> 00:09:40 because it is the power of God
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 that brings salvation
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 to everyone who believes,
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 first to the Jews,
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 then to the Gentiles.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 For in the gospel,
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 the righteousness of God
00:09:48 --> 00:09:49 is revealed.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 A righteousness that is by faith
00:09:51 --> 00:09:53 from first to last.
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 just as it is written,
00:09:55 --> 00:09:57 the righteous will live by faith.
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 Luther had been taught
00:10:00 --> 00:10:01 by the church
00:10:01 --> 00:10:02 that this verse means
00:10:02 --> 00:10:05 we are to be made righteous
00:10:05 --> 00:10:07 through the church of Rome
00:10:07 --> 00:10:09 by doing what the church
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 tell him to do.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 But he also knows
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 deep down that he could
00:10:13 --> 00:10:15 never measure up
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 to God's standard.
00:10:17 --> 00:10:17 Somewhere there
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 was always a piece of his heart
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 that he did not offer fully to God.
00:10:21 --> 00:10:24 Even living in a monastery,
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 following strict rules,
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 and allowing himself
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 to have any pleasure,
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 he knew he was still guilty.
00:10:33 --> 00:10:35 No matter what he did,
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 he could not,
00:10:36 --> 00:10:38 he cannot change the fact
00:10:38 --> 00:10:40 that crime had been committed.
00:10:41 --> 00:10:43 Today we do our own things
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 to justify ourselves
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 so that we do not fall
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 in the trap of Martin Luther.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 We mix up being righteous
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 to being good and kind.
00:10:55 --> 00:10:55 So we say,
00:10:56 --> 00:10:56 I'm a good person,
00:10:57 --> 00:10:59 I do not deliberately harm anyone,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:00 and in fact,
00:11:00 --> 00:11:01 I fight for those
00:11:01 --> 00:11:03 who cannot defend themselves.
00:11:04 --> 00:11:06 I protest to protect
00:11:06 --> 00:11:07 the environment,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:09 human rights,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 and animals.
00:11:11 --> 00:11:13 God should be happy with me.
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 Some might set themselves
00:11:15 --> 00:11:16 a list of things
00:11:16 --> 00:11:17 that they should do.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 Work hard,
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 be a good model citizen,
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 be a good parent,
00:11:23 --> 00:11:24 give money to charity,
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 keep a religion
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 or being spiritual
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 or go to church.
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 We all have a list
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 that we check
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 to assure ourselves
00:11:33 --> 00:11:34 that we are okay.
00:11:34 --> 00:11:37 but at the same time
00:11:37 --> 00:11:39 become very unsettled
00:11:39 --> 00:11:40 if we sense
00:11:40 --> 00:11:42 a kind of a disagreement.
00:11:44 --> 00:11:44 Even Luther,
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 even though Luther knows
00:11:46 --> 00:11:47 the Bible far better than us,
00:11:48 --> 00:11:49 there is something
00:11:49 --> 00:11:50 that did not add up.
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 So he went back
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 to the scripture
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 and looked into
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 the original Greek.
00:11:56 --> 00:11:58 And what the church said,
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 being made righteous,
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 Paul actually used
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 a Greek word
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 that means
00:12:03 --> 00:12:05 to be declared righteous,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 not made righteous.
00:12:08 --> 00:12:09 When Luther discovered
00:12:09 --> 00:12:11 that this changed
00:12:11 --> 00:12:12 everything for him,
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 when Paul claimed
00:12:14 --> 00:12:16 in Romans 117
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 that the justice
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 or righteousness of God
00:12:18 --> 00:12:20 is gospel of good news,
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 he was saying that
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 in the gospel,
00:12:23 --> 00:12:25 which is by the suffering,
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 death,
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 and resurrection
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 of Jesus Christ,
00:12:28 --> 00:12:29 the righteousness of God
00:12:29 --> 00:12:31 is revealed to us.
00:12:31 --> 00:12:33 we are declared righteous,
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 not with the righteousness
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 of our own,
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 but with the righteousness
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 from Jesus Christ
00:12:38 --> 00:12:39 by faith.
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 At this discovery,
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 the light come on
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 for Luther.
00:12:46 --> 00:12:46 The darkness
00:12:46 --> 00:12:47 and fear were lifted.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:49 He began to understand
00:12:49 --> 00:12:51 that when Paul was speaking
00:12:51 --> 00:12:53 of what Paul
00:12:53 --> 00:12:53 was speaking of here,
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 it was a righteousness
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 that God,
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 in his grace,
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 was making available
00:12:59 --> 00:12:59 to those
00:12:59 --> 00:13:01 who receive it
00:13:01 --> 00:13:02 passively,
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 not those
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 who achieve it
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 actively.
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 The grace of God
00:13:07 --> 00:13:08 received by faith
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 is by which
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 a person
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 could be reconciled
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 to a holy
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 and righteous God.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:15 We receive it
00:13:15 --> 00:13:15 from God,
00:13:16 --> 00:13:17 not achieve it
00:13:17 --> 00:13:18 by our own effort.
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 At this was a moment
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 of reckoning.
00:13:22 --> 00:13:22 Luther said,
00:13:22 --> 00:13:24 when I discovered
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 that I was born again
00:13:25 --> 00:13:26 of the Holy Spirit
00:13:26 --> 00:13:28 and that the doors
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 of paradise
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 run open
00:13:30 --> 00:13:31 and I walk through.
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 Luther finally
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 understood that
00:13:35 --> 00:13:35 the righteousness
00:13:35 --> 00:13:36 of God
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 that is in the gospel
00:13:37 --> 00:13:39 is a righteousness
00:13:39 --> 00:13:40 that belongs
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 properly
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 to someone else.
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 It is a righteousness
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 that is outside of us.
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 It is a righteousness
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 of Jesus Christ.
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 And we receive it
00:13:50 --> 00:13:50 from Jesus.
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 We do not
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 and cannot earn it.
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 He finally
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 has the assurance
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 that he was looking
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 for all his life.
00:14:00 --> 00:14:01 And the same assurance
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 is presented
00:14:03 --> 00:14:03 to us
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 because
00:14:04 --> 00:14:05 here
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 was a confidence
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 in front of God
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 which was based
00:14:09 --> 00:14:11 not on our merits
00:14:11 --> 00:14:12 but on Christ.
00:14:13 --> 00:14:14 The righteousness
00:14:14 --> 00:14:15 of Christ
00:14:15 --> 00:14:16 credited
00:14:16 --> 00:14:17 to us
00:14:17 --> 00:14:18 through faith
00:14:18 --> 00:14:20 promise to God's
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 children of heaven
00:14:21 --> 00:14:22 without fear
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 of help.
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 This gospel
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 moved Luther
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 from fear
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 to faith
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 from despair
00:14:30 --> 00:14:30 to joy.
00:14:32 --> 00:14:33 When Luther
00:14:33 --> 00:14:33 went back
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 to the scripture
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 to the words
00:14:36 --> 00:14:37 of God
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 he realized
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 that the way
00:14:39 --> 00:14:40 to be saved
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 is just as
00:14:41 --> 00:14:42 Jesus said
00:14:42 --> 00:14:42 in the beginning
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 of Mark.
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 The time
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 has come
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 the kingdom
00:14:46 --> 00:14:47 of God
00:14:47 --> 00:14:48 has come
00:14:48 --> 00:14:48 near.
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 Repent
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 and believe
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 the good news.
00:14:52 --> 00:14:53 Repent
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 and believe.
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 Repent
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 means turn
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 and go
00:14:58 --> 00:14:59 the other way.
00:15:00 --> 00:15:01 You are going
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 your own way
00:15:02 --> 00:15:03 trying to fix
00:15:03 --> 00:15:03 up
00:15:03 --> 00:15:04 our problems
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 and earn
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 God's forgiveness.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:07 We turn
00:15:07 --> 00:15:09 and believe
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 and have faith
00:15:10 --> 00:15:10 in Jesus.
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 Let me give you
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 an example
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 of this
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 turning faith
00:15:14 --> 00:15:14 that I'm talking
00:15:14 --> 00:15:15 about.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 If I was
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 to say to you
00:15:18 --> 00:15:19 I would pick
00:15:19 --> 00:15:19 you up
00:15:19 --> 00:15:20 half an hour
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 before church
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 and take you
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 to church.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:24 You might
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 hear me say it
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 but that
00:15:26 --> 00:15:27 isn't enough.
00:15:28 --> 00:15:28 You might
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 choose not
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 to do anything
00:15:30 --> 00:15:30 about it
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 or you say
00:15:32 --> 00:15:33 okay great
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 then you went
00:15:34 --> 00:15:35 and organized
00:15:35 --> 00:15:35 the Uber
00:15:35 --> 00:15:36 to come here
00:15:36 --> 00:15:36 yourself.
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 People do
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 that all the
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 time with the
00:15:40 --> 00:15:40 gospel.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 They hear
00:15:42 --> 00:15:42 that Jesus
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 died on the
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 cross for
00:15:44 --> 00:15:44 their sin
00:15:44 --> 00:15:45 and rose
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 three days
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 later
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 and they
00:15:48 --> 00:15:49 say fine
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 and then they
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 go about
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 their life
00:15:51 --> 00:15:51 in their
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 own way
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 or find
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 some way
00:15:53 --> 00:15:53 to make
00:15:53 --> 00:15:54 themselves
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 less sinful
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 or more
00:15:56 --> 00:15:57 likable
00:15:57 --> 00:15:57 or acceptable.
00:15:59 --> 00:16:00 The kind
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 of faith
00:16:00 --> 00:16:00 that is
00:16:00 --> 00:16:01 repentance
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 is that
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 you hear
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 that I'm
00:16:03 --> 00:16:03 going to
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 pick you
00:16:04 --> 00:16:05 up half
00:16:05 --> 00:16:05 an hour
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 before church
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 to take
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 you to
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 church.
00:16:07 --> 00:16:08 You cancel
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 that Uber
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 that you
00:16:10 --> 00:16:10 have
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 prearranged.
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 You stand
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 outside
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 of your
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 house
00:16:13 --> 00:16:14 early
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 and wait
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 for me
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 knowing
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 and trusting
00:16:16 --> 00:16:17 that I'm
00:16:17 --> 00:16:18 going to be
00:16:18 --> 00:16:18 there.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 And then
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 when I do
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 arrive
00:16:20 --> 00:16:20 you gain
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 the car
00:16:21 --> 00:16:21 and come
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 to church
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 with me
00:16:22 --> 00:16:22 here.
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 The faith
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 that brings
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 you into
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 a righteous
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 standing
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 with God
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 is a faith
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 that turns
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 you from
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 going about
00:16:31 --> 00:16:32 your life
00:16:32 --> 00:16:32 in your own
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 way
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 and turns
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 you towards
00:16:35 --> 00:16:35 Jesus
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 to believe
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 and follow
00:16:37 --> 00:16:37 his way.
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 Your turning
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 and following
00:16:41 --> 00:16:41 is an
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 action
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 that
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 is
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 used
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 by
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 your
00:16:44 --> 00:16:44 faith
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 because
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 you
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 are
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 declared
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 righteous
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 in God's sight
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 by your
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 faith in
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 God's words.
00:16:50 --> 00:16:51 Like in my
00:16:51 --> 00:16:51 example,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 the moment
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 you decide
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 to go
00:16:54 --> 00:16:54 and meet
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 me
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 and cancel
00:16:56 --> 00:16:56 that Uber
00:16:56 --> 00:16:58 you are
00:16:58 --> 00:16:58 committed
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 to ride
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 with me
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 because you
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 have faith
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 that I'm
00:17:02 --> 00:17:03 going to
00:17:03 --> 00:17:03 do what
00:17:03 --> 00:17:04 I said
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 and pick
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 you up.
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 If you
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 don't have
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 faith
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 that I was
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 going to
00:17:09 --> 00:17:09 pick you up
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 you will
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 not have
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 canceled
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 your ride.
00:17:12 --> 00:17:12 The moment
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 you place
00:17:13 --> 00:17:14 your faith
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 in Jesus
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 Christ
00:17:14 --> 00:17:15 for forgiveness
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 of your
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 sins
00:17:17 --> 00:17:17 you are
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 declared
00:17:18 --> 00:17:18 righteous
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 in God's
00:17:19 --> 00:17:19 sight.
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 When God
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 look at
00:17:21 --> 00:17:21 you
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 he sees
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 the righteousness
00:17:23 --> 00:17:23 of Jesus
00:17:23 --> 00:17:24 Christ
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 not yours.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 However,
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 the things
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 around you
00:17:28 --> 00:17:28 have not
00:17:28 --> 00:17:29 yet changed.
00:17:30 --> 00:17:31 If you are
00:17:31 --> 00:17:31 involved in
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 complicated
00:17:32 --> 00:17:32 sin
00:17:32 --> 00:17:34 that just
00:17:34 --> 00:17:34 doesn't
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 go away
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 it has
00:17:36 --> 00:17:36 to be
00:17:36 --> 00:17:37 dealt
00:17:37 --> 00:17:37 with.
00:17:37 --> 00:17:39 your
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 being
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 declared
00:17:40 --> 00:17:40 righteous
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 does not
00:17:41 --> 00:17:41 mean that
00:17:41 --> 00:17:42 those things
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 you are
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 doing
00:17:42 --> 00:17:42 wrong
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 are no
00:17:43 --> 00:17:43 longer
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 sin
00:17:44 --> 00:17:44 but
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 instead
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 you
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 begin
00:17:46 --> 00:17:46 to
00:17:46 --> 00:17:47 work
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 on
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 those
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 sins
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 in
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 your
00:17:48 --> 00:17:48 life
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 not
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 on
00:17:49 --> 00:17:49 your
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 own
00:17:50 --> 00:17:50 abilities
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 anymore
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 but
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 with
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 faith
00:17:52 --> 00:17:52 in
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 Jesus
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 Christ
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 for
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 we
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 are
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 empowered
00:17:55 --> 00:17:55 by
00:17:55 --> 00:17:56 the
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 Holy
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 Spirit
00:17:56 --> 00:17:56 to
00:17:56 --> 00:17:57 change
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 not
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 to
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 try
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 and
00:18:00 --> 00:18:00 justify
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 ourselves
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 before
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 God
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 but
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 to
00:18:02 --> 00:18:02 walk
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 in
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 close
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 fellowship
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 with
00:18:04 --> 00:18:04 him
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 by being
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 in
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 fellowship
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 with
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 other
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 Christians
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 because
00:18:08 --> 00:18:08 he
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 called
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 you
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 to
00:18:09 --> 00:18:09 him
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 and
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 you
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 realize
00:18:11 --> 00:18:11 that
00:18:11 --> 00:18:12 he
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 was
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 willing
00:18:12 --> 00:18:12 to
00:18:12 --> 00:18:13 suffer
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 and
00:18:13 --> 00:18:13 die
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 in
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 your
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 place
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 for
00:18:15 --> 00:18:16 use
00:18:16 --> 00:18:16 so
00:18:16 --> 00:18:17 that
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 you
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 could
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 be
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 with
00:18:18 --> 00:18:18 him
00:18:18 --> 00:18:20 the
00:18:20 --> 00:18:20 journey
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 that
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 begins
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 with
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 justification
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 may be
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 long
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 and at
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 times
00:18:24 --> 00:18:24 it's
00:18:24 --> 00:18:25 been
00:18:25 --> 00:18:25 difficult
00:18:25 --> 00:18:26 but
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 the
00:18:26 --> 00:18:26 fact
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 that
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 you
00:18:27 --> 00:18:27 have
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 placed
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 your
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 faith
00:18:28 --> 00:18:28 in
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 Jesus
00:18:29 --> 00:18:29 Christ
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 means
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 that
00:18:30 --> 00:18:30 when
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 things
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 do
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 go
00:18:31 --> 00:18:31 dark
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 when
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 they're
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 pleased
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 that
00:18:33 --> 00:18:33 Jesus
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 is
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 not
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 near
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 you
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 can
00:18:35 --> 00:18:35 turn
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 to
00:18:36 --> 00:18:37 look
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 at
00:18:37 --> 00:18:37 the
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 gospel
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 and
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 in
00:18:39 --> 00:18:39 seeing
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 that
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 the
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 righteousness
00:18:40 --> 00:18:40 of
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 God
00:18:41 --> 00:18:41 is
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 refilled
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 you
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 can
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 know
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 that
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 even
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 in
00:18:44 --> 00:18:44 your
00:18:44 --> 00:18:45 failings
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 even
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 in
00:18:46 --> 00:18:46 the
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 disappointments
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 and
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 failures
00:18:47 --> 00:18:48 we
00:18:48 --> 00:18:48 can
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 be
00:18:49 --> 00:18:49 to
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 be
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 righteous
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 that
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 because
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 of
00:18:52 --> 00:18:52 the
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 power
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 of
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 the
00:18:53 --> 00:18:53 gospel
00:18:53 --> 00:18:54 you
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 are
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 indeed
00:18:55 --> 00:18:55 righteous
00:18:55 --> 00:18:57 this
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 is a
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 message
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 we
00:18:58 --> 00:18:58 need
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 to
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 keep
00:18:59 --> 00:18:59 on
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 hearing
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 even
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 if
00:19:01 --> 00:19:02 we
00:19:02 --> 00:19:02 trust
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 Christ
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 for
00:19:03 --> 00:19:03 our
00:19:03 --> 00:19:04 acquittal
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 on
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 the
00:19:04 --> 00:19:04 final
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 day
00:19:05 --> 00:19:06 we
00:19:06 --> 00:19:06 cannot
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 too
00:19:07 --> 00:19:07 easily
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 seek
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 to
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 establish
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 our
00:19:09 --> 00:19:09 own
00:19:09 --> 00:19:10 justification
00:19:10 --> 00:19:11 today
00:19:11 --> 00:19:12 even
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 as
00:19:13 --> 00:19:13 we
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 share
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 the
00:19:14 --> 00:19:14 message
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 of
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 justification
00:19:15 --> 00:19:15 by
00:19:15 --> 00:19:16 faith
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 we
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 can
00:19:17 --> 00:19:17 be
00:19:17 --> 00:19:18 practicing
00:19:18 --> 00:19:19 justification
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 by
00:19:19 --> 00:19:20 doing
00:19:20 --> 00:19:21 instead
00:19:21 --> 00:19:22 we
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 try
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 to
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 achieve
00:19:23 --> 00:19:24 instead
00:19:24 --> 00:19:24 to
00:19:24 --> 00:19:25 receive
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 we
00:19:26 --> 00:19:27 think
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 our
00:19:27 --> 00:19:27 approval
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 and
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 acceptance
00:19:28 --> 00:19:28 before
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 the
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 heavenly
00:19:29 --> 00:19:29 father
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 depend
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 on
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 our
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 behavior
00:19:32 --> 00:19:33 and
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 if
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 you
00:19:34 --> 00:19:34 fear
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 God's
00:19:35 --> 00:19:35 disapproval
00:19:35 --> 00:19:36 you
00:19:36 --> 00:19:36 will
00:19:36 --> 00:19:37 not
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 approach
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 him
00:19:37 --> 00:19:37 with
00:19:37 --> 00:19:38 joy
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 if
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 I
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 ask
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 Martin
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 Luther
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 to
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 give
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 me
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 an
00:19:42 --> 00:19:42 example
00:19:42 --> 00:19:43 of
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 his
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 joy
00:19:43 --> 00:19:43 I
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 believe
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 he
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 would
00:19:44 --> 00:19:44 use
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 Psalm
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 30
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 which
00:19:46 --> 00:19:47 talk
00:19:47 --> 00:19:47 about
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 no
00:19:49 --> 00:19:49 more
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 fearful
00:19:50 --> 00:19:50 or
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 depressed
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 but
00:19:51 --> 00:19:51 lift
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 up
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 in
00:19:52 --> 00:19:52 joy
00:19:52 --> 00:19:54 starting
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 by
00:19:54 --> 00:19:54 talking
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 about
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 God
00:19:55 --> 00:19:55 lifting
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 us
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 out
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 of
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 the
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 death
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 bringing
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 us
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 up
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 from
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 the
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 realm
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 of
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 death
00:19:59 --> 00:20:01 spaying
00:20:01 --> 00:20:01 us
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 from
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 going
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 down
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 to
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 the
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 pit
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 first
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 one
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 it
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 read
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 in
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 Psalm
00:20:06 --> 00:20:06 30
00:20:06 --> 00:20:09 I
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 I
00:20:10 --> 00:20:10 will
00:20:10 --> 00:20:11 exalt
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 you
00:20:11 --> 00:20:11 Lord
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 for
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 you
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 lifted
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 me
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 out
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 of
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 the
00:20:13 --> 00:20:13 death
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 and
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 did
00:20:14 --> 00:20:14 not
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 let
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 me
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 let
00:20:15 --> 00:20:15 my
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 enemy
00:20:16 --> 00:20:16 go
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 over
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 me
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 Lord
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 my
00:20:18 --> 00:20:19 God
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 I
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 called
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 to
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 you
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 for
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 help
00:20:20 --> 00:20:21 and
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 you
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 healed
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 me
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 you
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 Lord
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 brought
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 me
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 up
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 from
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 the
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 realm
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 of
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 death
00:20:24 --> 00:20:25 you
00:20:25 --> 00:20:25 spared
00:20:25 --> 00:20:26 me
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 from
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 going
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 down
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 to
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 the
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 pit
00:20:27 --> 00:20:29 he
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 called
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 his
00:20:30 --> 00:20:30 faithful
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 people
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 to
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 sing
00:20:31 --> 00:20:31 praise
00:20:31 --> 00:20:32 and
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 rejoice
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 for
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 God
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 is
00:20:34 --> 00:20:34 angry
00:20:34 --> 00:20:44 no more. He said his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. It called to God
00:20:44 --> 00:20:52 for mercy and to be our help, and it finishes in verse 11. You turned my whirling into dancing.
00:20:53 --> 00:20:59 You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy that my heart may sing your praises and not be
00:20:59 --> 00:21:07 silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever. When Luther realized the righteousness of God in
00:21:07 --> 00:21:16 Romans 1, 17 means the righteousness of God, and it was a gift to all those willing to accept it,
00:21:16 --> 00:21:23 Luther was standing on his head of joy. He was born again of the Holy Spirit and walked through the
00:21:23 --> 00:21:30 doors of paradise to the awaiting arms of God. It was made possible because of our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:21:31 --> 00:21:38 for whoever believes in what God has done for him or her have been justified by faith. We have peace
00:21:38 --> 00:21:46 with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him, we have also obtained access by faith into this
00:21:46 --> 00:21:55 grace in which we stand. If you do not yet know the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, like the faith
00:21:55 --> 00:22:01 that I have been talking about, if you do not yet sense that joy of being accepted by our Heavenly Father,
00:22:01 --> 00:22:10 our merciful God, I urge you today to stop trying to achieve but to receive the grace of God. Walk through
00:22:10 --> 00:22:20 that open door of paradise into the open arms of God. Turn from following your ways, the ways of this world
00:22:20 --> 00:22:27 in justifying yourself by your own effort. Turn and put your faith in following the Lord Jesus Christ,
00:22:28 --> 00:22:36 who was crucified, died, and buried, who rose again three days later in fulfillment of the scripture
00:22:36 --> 00:22:46 so that you may live. You may begin that step by repenting of your sins in prayer. Ask the Lord Jesus
00:22:46 --> 00:22:54 Christ to forgive you and tell him you want to follow him, to live your life for him. We have printed a
00:22:54 --> 00:23:01 short prayer at the back of this handout in a few different languages. You can use that as your first step
00:23:01 --> 00:23:08 prayer, walking towards paradise, walking into paradise. I will ask our worship team to join me on stage
00:23:08 --> 00:23:17 now to lead us in a song. Please take this as your opportunity to walk through the open doors of paradise,
00:23:17 --> 00:23:23 into the open arms of God. Let's sing to our God in joyful acceptance.