1 00:00:00,320 –> 00:00:02,920 It’s good to remember that Christianity is unlike any 2 00:00:02,920 –> 00:00:06,140 other religion, precisely because Jesus Christ is 3 00:00:06,140 –> 00:00:10,140 unlike any other person who has ever lived. 4 00:00:10,140 –> 00:00:11,580 And we’re going to look at the uniqueness 5 00:00:11,580 –> 00:00:14,300 of the Lord Jesus Christ, we’re going to look today 6 00:00:14,300 –> 00:00:17,180 at his lordship, verse four tells us there 7 00:00:17,180 –> 00:00:21,420 that Jesus is God’s Son, but he is also Jesus Christ, 8 00:00:21,420 –> 00:00:24,580 our Lord, we’re going to look at his unique lordship. 9 00:00:24,580 –> 00:00:27,020 Then next week we’re going to look at his humanity 10 00:00:27,020 –> 00:00:29,340 we’re told verse three that the gospel of God 11 00:00:29,340 –> 00:00:32,759 is regarding God’s Son who, as to his human nature, 12 00:00:32,759 –> 00:00:36,060 was descended from David, this brings him near to us 13 00:00:36,060 –> 00:00:40,060 and makes him one with us so that he can be our savior. 14 00:00:40,060 –> 00:00:41,939 And then for Easter we’ll focus, of course, 15 00:00:41,939 –> 00:00:43,799 on the resurrection verse four. 16 00:00:43,799 –> 00:00:45,299 Through the spirit of holiness, 17 00:00:45,299 –> 00:00:48,099 Jesus was declared to be the Son of God 18 00:00:48,099 –> 00:00:52,820 through his resurrection from the dead. 19 00:00:52,820 –> 00:00:54,500 Now as you have your Bible open, 20 00:00:54,500 –> 00:00:58,500 the first four verses of this book of Romans 21 00:00:59,200 –> 00:01:01,160 are actually, if you look at it, 22 00:01:01,160 –> 00:01:05,160 one extremely long sentence. 23 00:01:05,160 –> 00:01:08,120 Four verses, there’s just one sentence. 24 00:01:08,120 –> 00:01:10,480 And the problem with a long sentence, 25 00:01:10,480 –> 00:01:14,839 as any speaker should know, 26 00:01:14,839 –> 00:01:17,580 and I’ll try not to make this a long sentence, 27 00:01:17,580 –> 00:01:19,800 is that if you add too many clauses, 28 00:01:19,800 –> 00:01:22,959 you lose the main point of what it’s all about. 29 00:01:22,959 –> 00:01:27,000 And so as we try to get hold of what God is saying to us 30 00:01:27,040 –> 00:01:29,599 in his word here, I want simply to take you 31 00:01:29,599 –> 00:01:31,120 through this one long sentence, 32 00:01:31,120 –> 00:01:35,559 and to pick out for you what it is actually all about. 33 00:01:35,559 –> 00:01:36,540 Notice what Paul says, 34 00:01:36,540 –> 00:01:39,480 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, 35 00:01:39,480 –> 00:01:43,300 called to be an apostle and set apart for what? 36 00:01:43,300 –> 00:01:45,660 The gospel of God, so that’s the subject. 37 00:01:45,660 –> 00:01:48,040 That’s what Romans is all about. 38 00:01:48,040 –> 00:01:49,720 And he describes it as the gospel 39 00:01:49,720 –> 00:01:51,080 that he promised beforehand 40 00:01:51,080 –> 00:01:53,720 through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures. 41 00:01:53,720 –> 00:01:55,839 And then he tells us what this gospel is about. 42 00:01:55,900 –> 00:02:00,099 It’s regarding his Son, our title for the series. 43 00:02:00,099 –> 00:02:02,239 So we’re learning here about the gospel of God, 44 00:02:02,239 –> 00:02:04,440 which is regarding God’s Son, 45 00:02:04,440 –> 00:02:06,620 and now Paul tells us more about God’s Son, 46 00:02:06,620 –> 00:02:09,960 who as to his human nature, was descended from David 47 00:02:09,960 –> 00:02:12,139 and through the Holy, the Spirit of Holiness 48 00:02:12,139 –> 00:02:14,779 was declared with power to be the son of God 49 00:02:14,779 –> 00:02:17,699 by his resurrection from the dead. 50 00:02:17,699 –> 00:02:19,720 And now we have Paul’s summary 51 00:02:19,720 –> 00:02:22,839 of who this Son of God is. 52 00:02:22,860 –> 00:02:27,699 We’re told he is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 53 00:02:27,699 –> 00:02:30,160 So there you have what this is all about. 54 00:02:30,160 –> 00:02:33,059 He says it is the good news of God. 55 00:02:33,059 –> 00:02:35,740 It is regarding his Son, 56 00:02:35,740 –> 00:02:40,740 who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 57 00:02:41,020 –> 00:02:42,639 Now, Paul has more to say about him, 58 00:02:42,639 –> 00:02:44,300 about his humanity and his resurrection. 59 00:02:44,300 –> 00:02:46,300 We’ll come to that in the coming two weeks. 60 00:02:46,300 –> 00:02:48,660 But this is what I want us to begin today, 61 00:02:48,660 –> 00:02:51,619 Jesus Christ, 62 00:02:51,820 –> 00:02:52,679 our Lord. 63 00:02:53,740 –> 00:02:56,580 The Gospel of God concerns His Son 64 00:02:56,580 –> 00:03:01,580 who is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 65 00:03:04,860 –> 00:03:08,779 Now, folks, we live in a time when many people 66 00:03:08,779 –> 00:03:12,740 have only ever experienced an emaciated 67 00:03:12,740 –> 00:03:14,839 form of Christianity. 68 00:03:16,740 –> 00:03:18,660 In the New Testament, 69 00:03:18,740 –> 00:03:22,600 whenever a person encounters Jesus Christ, 70 00:03:23,539 –> 00:03:27,860 that encounter, if it is an encounter of true faith, 71 00:03:27,860 –> 00:03:31,380 leads to lasting life change. 72 00:03:32,399 –> 00:03:34,020 You find this throughout the New Testament. 73 00:03:34,020 –> 00:03:36,619 I’m thinking, for example, of Thessalonians 74 00:03:36,619 –> 00:03:38,100 when Paul went to Thessalonica. 75 00:03:38,100 –> 00:03:39,460 He preached the Gospel. 76 00:03:39,460 –> 00:03:41,119 People were wonderfully converted. 77 00:03:41,119 –> 00:03:43,500 And he says in, 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 78 00:03:43,500 –> 00:03:47,539 and verse 9, he says you turned to God from idols 79 00:03:47,539 –> 00:03:49,259 to serve the living and true God 80 00:03:49,259 –> 00:03:54,259 and to wait for his son from heaven. 81 00:03:54,339 –> 00:03:56,740 In other words, here was Paul’s experience. 82 00:03:56,740 –> 00:04:00,539 He preached the Gospel in this town of Thessalonica. 83 00:04:00,539 –> 00:04:03,220 And as he preached the Gospel regarding God’s son, 84 00:04:03,220 –> 00:04:06,619 Jesus Christ, our Lord, what happened was 85 00:04:06,619 –> 00:04:11,380 that repentance and faith and worship and ministry 86 00:04:11,380 –> 00:04:14,559 and service and hope and sacrifice 87 00:04:14,559 –> 00:04:17,100 and love were all birthed. 88 00:04:18,179 –> 00:04:21,720 at the cross of Jesus Christ. 89 00:04:23,640 –> 00:04:26,119 Now, in our time, the Gospel 90 00:04:26,119 –> 00:04:30,820 has been widely redefined and repackaged, 91 00:04:31,920 –> 00:04:35,500 not as a life-changing encounter, but as a decision 92 00:04:37,200 –> 00:04:40,540 simply to accept Jesus as your Savior. 93 00:04:42,000 –> 00:04:45,540 This, we are told, usually involves saying a prayer, 94 00:04:45,559 –> 00:04:48,239 believing certain things about Jesus 95 00:04:49,700 –> 00:04:52,820 with the effect that your sins will be forgiven 96 00:04:52,820 –> 00:04:55,480 and you will have eternal joy 97 00:04:55,480 –> 00:04:58,420 in the presence of Christ in heaven. 98 00:04:59,980 –> 00:05:01,720 And so it is that thousands of people 99 00:05:01,720 –> 00:05:03,119 have bought into the idea 100 00:05:03,119 –> 00:05:05,799 that you can have faith without repentance. 101 00:05:06,920 –> 00:05:09,720 You could have justification without sanctification. 102 00:05:10,899 –> 00:05:12,619 You could have salvation with Christ 103 00:05:12,619 –> 00:05:14,899 in the next world without obedience 104 00:05:15,760 –> 00:05:17,440 to Christ in this world 105 00:05:17,440 –> 00:05:19,440 that you can have in short, 106 00:05:19,440 –> 00:05:20,839 Jesus as your Savior, 107 00:05:20,839 –> 00:05:22,839 without him ever becoming your Lord. 108 00:05:26,359 –> 00:05:28,420 If pastors preach a gospel 109 00:05:30,200 –> 00:05:31,820 in which you can somehow receive 110 00:05:31,820 –> 00:05:33,160 Jesus as your Savior 111 00:05:33,160 –> 00:05:35,519 without submitting your life to him as Lord, 112 00:05:36,940 –> 00:05:38,480 then we should not be surprised 113 00:05:38,480 –> 00:05:41,079 if after 50 years of this or so 114 00:05:41,980 –> 00:05:45,000 there will be a generation of people who say, 115 00:05:46,119 –> 00:05:48,299 I received Jesus as Savior 116 00:05:48,299 –> 00:05:50,859 but it has not really changed my life. 117 00:05:53,200 –> 00:05:56,160 How many times have you heard someone say, 118 00:05:56,160 –> 00:05:58,420 oh yes I accepted Jesus as my Savior. 119 00:05:59,519 –> 00:06:01,019 But of course he was never really my Lord 120 00:06:01,019 –> 00:06:02,600 and so nothing really changed. 121 00:06:04,399 –> 00:06:06,559 And maybe they will then say about 10 years later 122 00:06:06,559 –> 00:06:08,160 something else happened in my life 123 00:06:08,160 –> 00:06:11,119 and then it was that I bowed the knee to Jesus Christ. 124 00:06:13,420 –> 00:06:18,420 60 years ago, A.W. Tozer lamented the loss 125 00:06:18,459 –> 00:06:22,959 of a life-changing gospel within many evangelical churches. 126 00:06:22,959 –> 00:06:25,500 These are the words he wrote 60 years ago. 127 00:06:26,339 –> 00:06:30,000 The whole transaction of religious conversion 128 00:06:31,059 –> 00:06:33,739 has been made mechanical and spiritless. 129 00:06:33,739 –> 00:06:35,720 He’s writing in 1948. 130 00:06:36,640 –> 00:06:39,119 Faith may now, he says, 131 00:06:39,119 –> 00:06:43,079 be exercised without a jar to the moral life 132 00:06:44,299 –> 00:06:47,660 and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego. 133 00:06:49,320 –> 00:06:51,920 Christ may be received without creating 134 00:06:51,920 –> 00:06:55,000 any special love for him in the soul of the receiver 135 00:06:56,160 –> 00:06:59,420 and a man may be, he says, quote, saved, 136 00:06:59,420 –> 00:07:01,380 that is he may think himself saved, 137 00:07:02,399 –> 00:07:05,559 but he is not hungry or thirsty. 138 00:07:06,359 –> 00:07:07,299 After God. 139 00:07:09,880 –> 00:07:14,640 When my niece was over here at Christmas 140 00:07:14,640 –> 00:07:17,760 I got into playing Rush Hour with her. 141 00:07:17,760 –> 00:07:20,820 You know Rush Hour, it’s a little puzzle of a game 142 00:07:20,820 –> 00:07:23,579 where you have cars that are crammed into some squares 143 00:07:23,579 –> 00:07:25,519 that represent a car park and you have to move them 144 00:07:25,519 –> 00:07:26,959 all around so that you can get them 145 00:07:26,959 –> 00:07:29,559 out of a relatively narrow exit. 146 00:07:29,559 –> 00:07:32,480 And when I was playing this with my young niece 147 00:07:32,480 –> 00:07:34,440 the kid said to me, Dad, 148 00:07:34,440 –> 00:07:38,899 do you know you can get this as an app for your iphone? 149 00:07:38,899 –> 00:07:40,760 So, since I was playing around with this game 150 00:07:40,760 –> 00:07:44,100 I hadn’t actually downloaded any games for the iphone 151 00:07:44,100 –> 00:07:45,519 and thought I’d try the app. 152 00:07:46,440 –> 00:07:51,320 So, I have downloaded Rush Hour, the free version. 153 00:07:52,640 –> 00:07:55,179 It has 70 different puzzles, 154 00:07:55,179 –> 00:07:57,239 more than enough to keep me amused 155 00:07:57,239 –> 00:08:01,019 when I have absolutely nothing else to do. 156 00:08:01,459 –> 00:08:06,500 Included with this free version comes an advert 157 00:08:07,619 –> 00:08:11,700 that invites me to upgrade to the full version 158 00:08:11,700 –> 00:08:13,359 that I can buy 159 00:08:14,260 –> 00:08:16,899 and if I buy the full version of Rush Hour 160 00:08:16,899 –> 00:08:20,779 there are no less than 2,500 different puzzles 161 00:08:20,779 –> 00:08:23,859 that will take me to ever higher levels 162 00:08:25,380 –> 00:08:30,380 of difficulty when I have absolutely nothing else to do. 163 00:08:32,020 –> 00:08:36,099 You know folks, I will not buy the full version 164 00:08:36,099 –> 00:08:40,099 because the free one gives me everything I want. 165 00:08:42,500 –> 00:08:46,739 Now that is exactly how many folks 166 00:08:46,739 –> 00:08:49,219 in church world today think of Christianity. 167 00:08:49,219 –> 00:08:53,659 There’s a salvation in which your sins are forgiven 168 00:08:53,659 –> 00:08:55,419 and you get entrance to heaven and that one 169 00:08:55,419 –> 00:08:56,239 becomes free 170 00:08:56,239 –> 00:09:00,280 and then there’s discipleship but that’s harder. 171 00:09:00,599 –> 00:09:02,760 That involves repentance and obedience 172 00:09:02,760 –> 00:09:05,840 and holiness and sacrifice and that’s costly 173 00:09:05,840 –> 00:09:08,320 and maybe I’ll upgrade to it one day 174 00:09:09,960 –> 00:09:11,520 but right now I get everything I want 175 00:09:11,520 –> 00:09:12,619 with the free version. 176 00:09:14,119 –> 00:09:14,979 That’s all I need. 177 00:09:16,780 –> 00:09:20,599 So that leaves pastors who have preached in this way, 178 00:09:21,599 –> 00:09:25,119 spending the next years saying to disinterested people 179 00:09:25,119 –> 00:09:27,260 who are already quite sure that they’re saved 180 00:09:27,260 –> 00:09:28,599 and heading for heaven, 181 00:09:28,640 –> 00:09:31,159 you know if you like the free version of Christianity 182 00:09:31,159 –> 00:09:33,400 you really should upgrade to the full version 183 00:09:33,400 –> 00:09:36,400 and follow Christ in discipleship and obedience 184 00:09:36,400 –> 00:09:38,580 and call him your Lord 185 00:09:38,580 –> 00:09:42,020 but of course many people never get round to that. 186 00:09:43,440 –> 00:09:45,739 You see how far we’ve moved from the New Testament. 187 00:09:47,239 –> 00:09:50,200 Here’s the problem with that whole way of thinking, 188 00:09:50,200 –> 00:09:52,140 it’s just the wrong category. 189 00:09:54,659 –> 00:09:57,280 The gospel is not an upgradable program. 190 00:09:58,979 –> 00:10:02,960 In the gospel, God offers to us a person 191 00:10:02,960 –> 00:10:05,960 and that’s the whole point of Romans in chapter one. 192 00:10:05,960 –> 00:10:10,880 God’s gospel regarding his program of salvation, no. 193 00:10:11,940 –> 00:10:15,580 God’s gospel regarding his son. 194 00:10:16,979 –> 00:10:19,859 Jesus Christ our Lord. 195 00:10:20,780 –> 00:10:24,640 The gift of God is not some kind of upgradable product. 196 00:10:24,640 –> 00:10:26,840 It’s not as if salvation gets lobbed out 197 00:10:26,840 –> 00:10:30,880 in sort of separate, self-wrapped containers. 198 00:10:30,880 –> 00:10:32,679 Here’s forgiveness or here’s heaven. 199 00:10:33,960 –> 00:10:35,640 No, what the Bible makes clear to us 200 00:10:35,640 –> 00:10:38,359 is that God has one gift and the gift is a person, 201 00:10:38,359 –> 00:10:41,900 the gift is himself, the gift is his Son 202 00:10:43,359 –> 00:10:48,080 and this Son is Jesus Christ our Lord. 203 00:10:49,520 –> 00:10:52,380 So Christ offers himself to us 204 00:10:52,380 –> 00:10:55,000 and the Christ who offers himself to us 205 00:10:55,059 –> 00:10:57,140 is Savior and Lord 206 00:10:57,140 –> 00:10:59,320 and because he offers himself to us, 207 00:10:59,320 –> 00:11:02,080 we cannot divide Him into pieces. 208 00:11:04,619 –> 00:11:07,260 It’s fascinating to me since we live in a time 209 00:11:07,260 –> 00:11:10,580 where there’s so much interest in Jesus as Savior 210 00:11:10,580 –> 00:11:12,419 and yet a strange reluctance 211 00:11:12,419 –> 00:11:15,780 in many quarters over Christ as Lord 212 00:11:15,780 –> 00:11:18,659 that when you come to the New Testament, 213 00:11:18,659 –> 00:11:23,080 what you find is that the Lordship of Christ 214 00:11:23,119 –> 00:11:26,820 is not hidden as a kind of upgraded version 215 00:11:26,820 –> 00:11:30,960 but celebrated at the very heart of the Gospel. 216 00:11:30,960 –> 00:11:34,719 Let me give you some scriptures to think about this. 217 00:11:34,719 –> 00:11:38,799 Look chapter two in verse 10 and 11, Christmas story. 218 00:11:38,799 –> 00:11:42,080 You remember the angels appear to the shepherds 219 00:11:42,080 –> 00:11:43,239 and they say to the shepherds, 220 00:11:43,239 –> 00:11:46,119 do not be afraid I bring you good news of great joy 221 00:11:46,119 –> 00:11:47,780 that will be for all people 222 00:11:47,780 –> 00:11:48,719 and here’s the message. 223 00:11:48,719 –> 00:11:52,440 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. 224 00:11:52,440 –> 00:11:55,580 He is Christ the Lord. 225 00:11:56,780 –> 00:11:58,039 That’s the good news. 226 00:11:59,200 –> 00:12:01,039 Acts chapter two in verse 21. 227 00:12:01,039 –> 00:12:02,820 Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost, 228 00:12:02,820 –> 00:12:04,719 he quotes the prophet Joel 229 00:12:04,719 –> 00:12:05,739 and he says this, 230 00:12:05,739 –> 00:12:10,320 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved 231 00:12:10,320 –> 00:12:11,679 and then he goes on to explain 232 00:12:11,679 –> 00:12:14,719 that this Lord is Jesus who was risen from the dead 233 00:12:14,719 –> 00:12:18,400 and God the father has made him both Lord and Christ. 234 00:12:19,419 –> 00:12:20,599 Philippians in chapter two, 235 00:12:20,599 –> 00:12:22,000 you notice it’s all the toots, 236 00:12:22,359 –> 00:12:24,979 looked to, acts to, Philippians to, 237 00:12:24,979 –> 00:12:27,559 one of the earliest ever Christian hymns 238 00:12:27,559 –> 00:12:30,200 celebrating the Lordship of Jesus Christ. 239 00:12:30,200 –> 00:12:32,599 What are Christians singing about? 240 00:12:32,599 –> 00:12:35,320 They’re singing that God exalted him to the highest place 241 00:12:35,320 –> 00:12:37,900 and gave Christ the name that is above every name. 242 00:12:37,900 –> 00:12:39,039 That at the name of Jesus, 243 00:12:39,039 –> 00:12:41,219 every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth 244 00:12:41,219 –> 00:12:43,900 and under the earth and every tongue confess 245 00:12:43,900 –> 00:12:45,799 that Jesus Christ is Lord, 246 00:12:45,799 –> 00:12:48,859 to the glory of God the father. 247 00:12:49,780 –> 00:12:53,020 And then Colossians 2, in verse six. 248 00:12:53,020 –> 00:12:53,859 One more too. 249 00:12:53,859 –> 00:12:56,900 Luke two, acts two, Philippians two, Colossians two. 250 00:12:56,900 –> 00:13:01,119 Describing how the believers in this little town 251 00:13:01,119 –> 00:13:03,919 of Colossae had known their lives being changed 252 00:13:03,919 –> 00:13:05,359 through faith in Jesus Christ. 253 00:13:05,359 –> 00:13:10,359 Paul says, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, 254 00:13:12,000 –> 00:13:15,159 continue to live in him rooted in built up, 255 00:13:15,159 –> 00:13:17,900 strengthened in the faith as you were taught. 256 00:13:18,260 –> 00:13:22,299 And overflowing with thanksgiving. 257 00:13:23,539 –> 00:13:25,440 Now what I’m wanting to see here today 258 00:13:25,440 –> 00:13:27,559 is that there is absolutely nothing here 259 00:13:27,559 –> 00:13:30,400 in the New Testament of the idea 260 00:13:30,400 –> 00:13:33,700 that you somehow get saved. 261 00:13:33,700 –> 00:13:36,039 And then some time after that, 262 00:13:36,039 –> 00:13:38,200 you may get round to thinking about 263 00:13:38,200 –> 00:13:41,200 consecrating your life to Jesus Christ. 264 00:13:42,380 –> 00:13:44,619 Notice what Paul says, Colossians two, six, 265 00:13:44,619 –> 00:13:48,419 these believers received Christ as Lord. 266 00:13:49,780 –> 00:13:51,099 The Savior is the Lord. 267 00:13:51,099 –> 00:13:53,940 You cannot tear Christ into pieces. 268 00:13:55,039 –> 00:13:56,619 And the rest of the Christian life 269 00:13:56,619 –> 00:13:59,419 is about a continuing of what has been birthed 270 00:13:59,419 –> 00:14:00,979 right there at the cross. 271 00:14:02,380 –> 00:14:04,859 Paul says this is what you were taught. 272 00:14:04,859 –> 00:14:07,619 In other words, this is the Apostolic Gospel, 273 00:14:07,619 –> 00:14:09,179 the gospel that Paul is talking about 274 00:14:09,179 –> 00:14:10,299 right here in Romans. 275 00:14:10,299 –> 00:14:14,520 The gospel of God concerning His son, who is who? 276 00:14:14,599 –> 00:14:18,619 Jesus Christ, our Lord. 277 00:14:20,820 –> 00:14:22,320 It’s just fascinating to me. 278 00:14:23,599 –> 00:14:26,559 If you look at the story of Paul’s own conversion, 279 00:14:26,559 –> 00:14:28,859 his encounter with Jesus Christ. 280 00:14:30,440 –> 00:14:34,760 Remember the story of what happened on the Damascus road. 281 00:14:34,760 –> 00:14:38,500 Here is this man and he is angry 282 00:14:38,500 –> 00:14:41,000 and he is on his way to persecute 283 00:14:41,000 –> 00:14:44,000 the Church of Christ in Damascus. 284 00:14:44,000 –> 00:14:46,380 And he is resisting Christ. 285 00:14:47,320 –> 00:14:49,400 And Acts chapter nine says this, 286 00:14:49,400 –> 00:14:51,419 that as he neared Damascus on his journey 287 00:14:51,419 –> 00:14:53,000 suddenly there was a light from heaven 288 00:14:53,000 –> 00:14:54,380 and it flashed around him. 289 00:14:55,640 –> 00:14:57,880 And Saul fell to the ground and he heard a voice 290 00:14:57,880 –> 00:15:00,760 say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 291 00:15:00,760 –> 00:15:05,359 And Saul said, who are you Lord? 292 00:15:07,159 –> 00:15:10,320 See far from this idea of embracing Jesus as Savior 293 00:15:10,320 –> 00:15:11,859 and then somehow eventually getting around 294 00:15:11,859 –> 00:15:14,700 to think that He might have some authority in your life. 295 00:15:16,539 –> 00:15:21,539 Paul’s first awareness was that there’s an exalted Lord 296 00:15:22,739 –> 00:15:26,500 a sovereign Christ at the right hand 297 00:15:26,500 –> 00:15:28,000 of the Father in heaven. 298 00:15:29,380 –> 00:15:34,380 And that because he is exalted there, Saul has a problem. 299 00:15:35,979 –> 00:15:37,679 I gotta be reconciled to Him. 300 00:15:37,679 –> 00:15:41,799 I’ve got things in my life I have to change 301 00:15:43,520 –> 00:15:47,460 and therefore I can only hope to look to Him for mercy, 302 00:15:49,099 –> 00:15:50,739 forgiveness, grace. 303 00:15:52,900 –> 00:15:55,099 It’s exactly the same in Acts two, isn’t it? 304 00:15:56,140 –> 00:16:00,200 Peter’s proclaiming the resurrection of the Lord Jesus 305 00:16:00,200 –> 00:16:01,359 Christ as we come up to Easter. 306 00:16:02,700 –> 00:16:04,460 God has made this Jesus whom you crucified 307 00:16:04,780 –> 00:16:06,820 and we’ve become both Lord and Christ. 308 00:16:09,299 –> 00:16:11,320 Jesus the Lord, exulted, 309 00:16:13,479 –> 00:16:15,479 and here we are in rebellion against him. 310 00:16:16,719 –> 00:16:17,559 We have a problem. 311 00:16:18,979 –> 00:16:21,159 And so the people say, well now, Peter, 312 00:16:21,159 –> 00:16:22,419 what should we do? 313 00:16:22,419 –> 00:16:25,359 And Peter says, well, you repent. 314 00:16:25,359 –> 00:16:28,460 Oh, yes, there’s forgiveness, yes, there is grace, 315 00:16:28,460 –> 00:16:30,039 there’s mercy, there is the gift of the Holy Spirit, 316 00:16:30,119 –> 00:16:33,640 but it comes from Christ the Lord. 317 00:16:35,580 –> 00:16:39,320 The Savior who is wonderfully ready to forgive us 318 00:16:39,320 –> 00:16:41,559 through his redeeming death on the cross 319 00:16:41,559 –> 00:16:45,719 is the Lord who lays claim to our lives. 320 00:16:45,719 –> 00:16:48,859 And since this Savior is Lord and he is never Lord 321 00:16:48,859 –> 00:16:52,719 without Savior, he calls us to faith and repentance 322 00:16:52,719 –> 00:16:55,039 and never faith without repentance. 323 00:16:55,039 –> 00:16:57,000 That is why conversion is never a matter 324 00:16:57,119 –> 00:16:59,979 but simply of adding a belief to an unchanged life. 325 00:17:02,760 –> 00:17:07,760 Because true faith is in faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. 326 00:17:07,880 –> 00:17:09,319 Paul says, that’s the gospel. 327 00:17:11,680 –> 00:17:13,640 When the gospel is properly preached 328 00:17:13,640 –> 00:17:15,780 it becomes clear that there is a Lord in heaven 329 00:17:15,780 –> 00:17:18,280 to whom we must give account, 330 00:17:18,280 –> 00:17:20,839 to whom we must be reconciled, 331 00:17:20,839 –> 00:17:23,079 that there are sins from which we must turn, 332 00:17:23,079 –> 00:17:26,560 that there is a rebellion against him that must cease 333 00:17:26,680 –> 00:17:29,880 and trusting him as Savior 334 00:17:29,880 –> 00:17:32,579 involves turning from sin, 335 00:17:33,400 –> 00:17:37,319 turning from the sin that you’re asking him to save you from 336 00:17:38,520 –> 00:17:42,859 and placing your whole life in his hands 337 00:17:42,859 –> 00:17:44,199 and under his authority. 338 00:17:47,680 –> 00:17:50,479 Now, nobody would be surprised if the book of Romans 339 00:17:50,479 –> 00:17:52,319 began by saying that the good news of God 340 00:17:52,319 –> 00:17:55,180 is regarding his son Jesus Christ our Savior. 341 00:17:56,800 –> 00:17:58,239 But I think a lot of people today, 342 00:17:58,239 –> 00:17:59,680 if they looked at it carefully, 343 00:17:59,680 –> 00:18:01,880 might just widen their eyes a little bit 344 00:18:01,880 –> 00:18:05,599 when you see that what Paul says 345 00:18:05,599 –> 00:18:10,479 is that the gospel of God is regarding his son, 346 00:18:10,479 –> 00:18:13,119 Jesus Christ our Lord. 347 00:18:14,020 –> 00:18:14,959 That raises the question, 348 00:18:14,959 –> 00:18:19,780 how can it be good news that Jesus Christ is Lord? 349 00:18:21,079 –> 00:18:22,719 How’s good news that he’s Savior? 350 00:18:23,680 –> 00:18:27,040 How is it good news that Jesus Christ as Lord 351 00:18:27,040 –> 00:18:29,380 lays claim to your life? 352 00:18:30,739 –> 00:18:32,699 Why is it that, in the New Testament, 353 00:18:32,699 –> 00:18:35,420 the Lordship of Jesus Christ is celebrated? 354 00:18:35,420 –> 00:18:38,579 The good news is that he is Christ the Lord. 355 00:18:40,300 –> 00:18:44,459 I want to suggest to you three very simple insights 356 00:18:44,459 –> 00:18:49,060 that I think have the power to transform your discipleship 357 00:18:49,060 –> 00:18:51,739 as you see what it means for Jesus to be Lord. 358 00:18:53,119 –> 00:18:54,199 Here’s the first. 359 00:18:55,280 –> 00:19:00,280 Christ is savior precisely because he is Lord. 360 00:19:03,800 –> 00:19:05,160 Now I told this story before, 361 00:19:05,160 –> 00:19:06,599 but it’s the best way I know at least 362 00:19:06,599 –> 00:19:09,400 to communicate this point, so I’m going to tell it again. 363 00:19:10,619 –> 00:19:13,160 When I was young, my father took me 364 00:19:13,160 –> 00:19:17,719 on a number of occasions to a junkyard outside of Edinburgh. 365 00:19:19,540 –> 00:19:22,260 The place was filled with scrap cars and trucks. 366 00:19:22,300 –> 00:19:24,859 It was a marvelous place for a small child 367 00:19:24,859 –> 00:19:28,040 with a vivid imagination to play, and that was certainly me. 368 00:19:29,079 –> 00:19:32,260 Dad went there to get spare parts for our car, 369 00:19:32,260 –> 00:19:34,660 which, miraculously it seems, kept going 370 00:19:34,660 –> 00:19:36,699 long after it, itself, should’ve been 371 00:19:36,699 –> 00:19:38,420 on the scrap heap, I think. 372 00:19:38,420 –> 00:19:39,699 The system was simple. 373 00:19:39,699 –> 00:19:41,099 Guys who knew what they were doing could 374 00:19:41,099 –> 00:19:43,180 go in there, they could strip pieces 375 00:19:43,180 –> 00:19:45,780 off the scrapped cars, pay for them on the way out, 376 00:19:45,780 –> 00:19:48,699 and then installed them to keep their own vehicles going. 377 00:19:48,699 –> 00:19:50,500 And that was something that my father did 378 00:19:50,540 –> 00:19:51,599 from time to time. 379 00:19:52,579 –> 00:19:55,180 The problem was, of course, in that kind of place. 380 00:19:55,180 –> 00:19:57,060 It was out in a rural area. 381 00:19:57,060 –> 00:19:58,479 There were guys who got into the habit 382 00:19:58,479 –> 00:20:00,560 of coming into the junkyard, taking stuff 383 00:20:00,560 –> 00:20:02,739 off the cars, throwing it over the fence, 384 00:20:02,739 –> 00:20:04,420 going out paying nothing, and then picking 385 00:20:04,420 –> 00:20:05,420 it up on the outside. 386 00:20:05,420 –> 00:20:07,459 So, they had installed some security. 387 00:20:08,660 –> 00:20:10,560 And they had put a rail all the way 388 00:20:10,560 –> 00:20:12,780 around the whole of the junkyard. 389 00:20:12,780 –> 00:20:15,660 And they had brought in guard dogs. 390 00:20:15,660 –> 00:20:18,140 And they had the guard dogs on a lead, 391 00:20:18,219 –> 00:20:20,739 which was like a chain that was onto the rail 392 00:20:20,739 –> 00:20:22,540 so they could go all the way around the perimeter, 393 00:20:22,540 –> 00:20:24,939 but as long as you stayed more than 6 feet 394 00:20:24,939 –> 00:20:27,180 or so away from the perimeter, 395 00:20:27,180 –> 00:20:28,699 you were quite safe. 396 00:20:29,780 –> 00:20:32,540 And I was somewhere in the middle of the junkyard, 397 00:20:32,540 –> 00:20:37,119 five years old, found a truck sitting there 398 00:20:37,119 –> 00:20:40,020 in an imaginary child’s world, driving the thing, 399 00:20:41,739 –> 00:20:43,640 when one of these dogs slipped the lead 400 00:20:43,959 –> 00:20:48,959 and came with what I can only now still describe 401 00:20:50,060 –> 00:20:52,000 as terrifying pace towards me. 402 00:20:53,040 –> 00:20:56,300 I was sure that the thing was absolutely going to savage me. 403 00:20:57,479 –> 00:21:01,239 I will never forget saying my father grab, 404 00:21:01,239 –> 00:21:03,199 I don’t know if it was a stick or an exhaust 405 00:21:03,199 –> 00:21:05,400 or whatever it was, but he grabbed something 406 00:21:06,800 –> 00:21:09,719 and eventually he subdued this dog 407 00:21:09,719 –> 00:21:12,199 and I don’t know exactly what he saved me from. 408 00:21:14,400 –> 00:21:15,520 But here’s the point. 409 00:21:17,920 –> 00:21:20,560 He saved me by subduing the dog. 410 00:21:22,000 –> 00:21:24,920 If you can’t subdue the dog you can’t save the boy. 411 00:21:26,479 –> 00:21:29,400 It was through his authority over the dog 412 00:21:29,400 –> 00:21:31,560 that he delivered me from the dog’s power. 413 00:21:33,000 –> 00:21:34,280 Now you see the point? 414 00:21:35,239 –> 00:21:38,959 Christ is able to save us from our enemies 415 00:21:38,959 –> 00:21:42,040 precisely because he has authority over them 416 00:21:42,079 –> 00:21:45,599 which is why the fact that Jesus is Lord 417 00:21:45,599 –> 00:21:47,439 is the most marvelous Good News. 418 00:21:47,439 –> 00:21:50,640 A Savior who isn’t Lord is no use to you. 419 00:21:53,520 –> 00:21:56,599 Christ is able to save us from sin 420 00:21:56,599 –> 00:21:59,520 because his power is greater than the power of temptation. 421 00:22:00,599 –> 00:22:03,719 Christ is able to deliver you from death 422 00:22:03,719 –> 00:22:06,280 because his power is greater than the power of death 423 00:22:06,280 –> 00:22:08,339 as is demonstrated by his resurrection. 424 00:22:09,339 –> 00:22:12,760 Christ is able to open the doors of Heaven to you. 425 00:22:12,760 –> 00:22:17,479 Why, because all authority in heaven belongs to him 426 00:22:17,479 –> 00:22:19,280 and nobody says no to him. 427 00:22:19,280 –> 00:22:21,699 That’s why it’s good news that Jesus is Lord. 428 00:22:22,839 –> 00:22:25,079 It is the fact that Jesus is Lord 429 00:22:25,079 –> 00:22:28,319 that qualifies him to be our Savior. 430 00:22:28,319 –> 00:22:29,920 That is why the scripture says 431 00:22:29,920 –> 00:22:33,739 everyone who calls on the name of the Lord 432 00:22:33,739 –> 00:22:37,959 will be saved because he’s the only one who is able to save. 433 00:22:39,119 –> 00:22:41,219 From sin and death and hell. 434 00:22:43,839 –> 00:22:47,479 Jesus the name high over all. 435 00:22:47,479 –> 00:22:50,040 In hell or earth or sky, 436 00:22:50,040 –> 00:22:53,400 angels and men before him fall 437 00:22:53,400 –> 00:22:55,680 and devils fear and fly. 438 00:22:55,680 –> 00:22:59,400 He’s Savior because he’s Lord. 439 00:22:59,400 –> 00:23:02,239 That’s why the church rejoices in the Lordship of Christ. 440 00:23:03,199 –> 00:23:07,199 And when you see that, 441 00:23:07,199 –> 00:23:10,699 you will begin to discover that your highest good 442 00:23:10,699 –> 00:23:17,099 is to be wholly owned by the Son of God. 443 00:23:17,099 –> 00:23:19,800 I use the phrase wholly owned 444 00:23:19,800 –> 00:23:21,380 because I just want us to think about 445 00:23:21,380 –> 00:23:22,560 what it means for us to say 446 00:23:22,560 –> 00:23:24,500 Jesus is Lord. 447 00:23:24,500 –> 00:23:28,739 Paul says here he is Jesus Christ, our Lord. 448 00:23:28,739 –> 00:23:29,939 That is the apostle is saying 449 00:23:30,459 –> 00:23:32,319 on behalf of all the Christians in Rome 450 00:23:32,319 –> 00:23:35,739 and all of us who want to stand with Jesus Christ today, 451 00:23:35,739 –> 00:23:38,420 that He is Lord over us, 452 00:23:39,579 –> 00:23:43,780 that His saving power is effective in us, 453 00:23:44,900 –> 00:23:46,920 means that we are wholly owned 454 00:23:48,180 –> 00:23:49,140 by Jesus Christ. 455 00:23:49,140 –> 00:23:50,040 Or, to put it another way, 456 00:23:50,040 –> 00:23:52,979 as Paul puts it there in verse six, 457 00:23:52,979 –> 00:23:56,859 that we belong to Jesus Christ. 458 00:23:56,859 –> 00:23:58,859 We are called to belong to Him. 459 00:23:58,900 –> 00:24:00,819 We really are His. 460 00:24:01,780 –> 00:24:03,319 Now, being a Christian isn’t simply adding 461 00:24:03,319 –> 00:24:05,380 a few beliefs about Jesus, 462 00:24:05,380 –> 00:24:07,300 you become His. 463 00:24:08,579 –> 00:24:10,359 He’s your Savior, He’s your Lord. 464 00:24:13,040 –> 00:24:14,260 There’s a lovely story 465 00:24:16,060 –> 00:24:20,180 about a little boy 466 00:24:20,180 –> 00:24:21,260 who made a boat 467 00:24:23,079 –> 00:24:24,900 and he spent hours on it. 468 00:24:26,199 –> 00:24:28,020 He was gluing the pieces, 469 00:24:28,060 –> 00:24:29,439 he was building the structure, 470 00:24:29,439 –> 00:24:31,300 he was attaching the sails. 471 00:24:33,800 –> 00:24:35,319 And he built it from scratch. 472 00:24:35,319 –> 00:24:37,439 It really was the work of his own hands. 473 00:24:38,839 –> 00:24:39,780 And when it was done, 474 00:24:39,780 –> 00:24:43,000 he carved his initials on the hull of the boat 475 00:24:43,920 –> 00:24:46,300 and he set it up in his bedroom, 476 00:24:46,300 –> 00:24:48,339 pride of place, it really was his joy. 477 00:24:50,520 –> 00:24:52,520 One day the family were gone from the home 478 00:24:52,520 –> 00:24:53,800 and when they came back, 479 00:24:53,800 –> 00:24:55,160 they discovered to their horror 480 00:24:55,160 –> 00:24:56,760 that the house had been burgled. 481 00:24:58,260 –> 00:24:59,540 Stuff all over the place, 482 00:24:59,540 –> 00:25:01,319 of course the boy goes straight up to his bedroom, 483 00:25:01,319 –> 00:25:02,819 he’s only looking for one thing. 484 00:25:03,680 –> 00:25:05,619 And sure enough, the boats gone. 485 00:25:07,060 –> 00:25:08,260 He was inconsolable. 486 00:25:09,859 –> 00:25:12,040 Never be another boat like that, 487 00:25:12,040 –> 00:25:12,880 it’s my boat. 488 00:25:14,780 –> 00:25:16,520 Six months later, 489 00:25:16,520 –> 00:25:18,199 the boy is walking down the town 490 00:25:18,199 –> 00:25:21,000 where he lives with his mom and his dad 491 00:25:21,000 –> 00:25:23,079 and they walk past a charity shop 492 00:25:24,160 –> 00:25:27,040 and there in the window is the boat. 493 00:25:28,520 –> 00:25:29,520 And as soon as he saw it, 494 00:25:29,520 –> 00:25:31,380 the boy absolutely knew it was his. 495 00:25:33,660 –> 00:25:36,699 He goes rushing off home to get his money, 496 00:25:36,699 –> 00:25:38,359 pulls out all his savings 497 00:25:39,219 –> 00:25:43,760 and what he counted came to exactly the price 498 00:25:43,760 –> 00:25:45,099 that was there above the boat in the window 499 00:25:45,099 –> 00:25:46,540 in the charity shop. 500 00:25:48,060 –> 00:25:49,699 He runs back to the shop, 501 00:25:49,699 –> 00:25:50,819 buys the boat, 502 00:25:50,819 –> 00:25:52,719 comes out, he’s hugging this thing 503 00:25:54,900 –> 00:25:56,160 and he says to the boat, 504 00:25:56,959 –> 00:25:58,579 you’re twice mine. 505 00:26:00,000 –> 00:26:02,000 You’re mine because I made you 506 00:26:03,219 –> 00:26:05,060 and you’re mine because I bought you. 507 00:26:07,459 –> 00:26:10,619 Now, folks, that is exactly your position 508 00:26:10,619 –> 00:26:12,900 as a believer in Jesus Christ. 509 00:26:12,900 –> 00:26:15,739 You are twice His. 510 00:26:15,739 –> 00:26:18,060 When Paul says, belong to Jesus Christ, 511 00:26:18,060 –> 00:26:21,040 you belong to Jesus Christ. 512 00:26:21,040 –> 00:26:23,420 You belong to Him because He made you, 513 00:26:24,020 –> 00:26:27,199 you belong to Him because He bought you. 514 00:26:28,619 –> 00:26:30,719 You are not your own. 515 00:26:30,719 –> 00:26:35,000 The Apostle says you were bought with a price 516 00:26:36,459 –> 00:26:40,219 and that price was the precious blood 517 00:26:41,780 –> 00:26:46,780 of your Lord, your Savior, Jesus Christ. 518 00:26:49,380 –> 00:26:51,560 And to be purchased by him 519 00:26:51,619 –> 00:26:55,339 who created you already means that 520 00:26:55,339 –> 00:26:58,339 you are wholly owned by the Son of God. 521 00:26:58,339 –> 00:27:00,359 You are His. 522 00:27:00,359 –> 00:27:02,199 You are not your own. 523 00:27:02,199 –> 00:27:03,619 You’re bought with a price. 524 00:27:04,939 –> 00:27:07,579 Christ died for all that those who live 525 00:27:07,579 –> 00:27:09,739 should no longer live for themselves 526 00:27:09,739 –> 00:27:11,819 but for Him who died for them 527 00:27:11,819 –> 00:27:14,900 and was raised to life again. 528 00:27:16,439 –> 00:27:17,880 So to be a Christian then, 529 00:27:17,880 –> 00:27:19,760 to enter into this redeeming love 530 00:27:19,760 –> 00:27:21,819 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 531 00:27:21,819 –> 00:27:23,459 to be bought back, to be purchased, 532 00:27:23,459 –> 00:27:26,359 redeemed by Him means you become His, 533 00:27:26,359 –> 00:27:30,939 wholly owned by Jesus Christ your Lord. 534 00:27:33,300 –> 00:27:35,859 I found in reading Dr. Jim Packer this week 535 00:27:35,859 –> 00:27:37,819 just a marvelous statement 536 00:27:37,819 –> 00:27:40,260 as to what this actually looks like. 537 00:27:40,260 –> 00:27:44,560 What’s it mean for me to be wholly owned by Jesus Christ. 538 00:27:44,560 –> 00:27:45,599 Packer puts it this way. 539 00:27:45,599 –> 00:27:46,540 I found it so helpful. 540 00:27:46,579 –> 00:27:50,219 He says the repentance that Christ requires of his people 541 00:27:50,219 –> 00:27:53,819 consists in a settled refusal 542 00:27:53,819 –> 00:27:56,939 to place any limit on the claims 543 00:27:56,939 –> 00:27:58,900 which He may make on their lives. 544 00:27:58,900 –> 00:28:01,699 That’s what it means to be wholly owned by Jesus Christ. 545 00:28:03,979 –> 00:28:05,500 I’m twice His. 546 00:28:05,500 –> 00:28:06,819 His because He made me, 547 00:28:06,819 –> 00:28:09,420 His becaus He bought me. 548 00:28:09,420 –> 00:28:11,959 And recognizing that reality. 549 00:28:12,819 –> 00:28:15,219 My response to him 550 00:28:15,219 –> 00:28:17,699 is a settled refusal 551 00:28:18,979 –> 00:28:20,680 to place any limit 552 00:28:21,579 –> 00:28:25,219 on the claims that He may make upon my life. 553 00:28:27,319 –> 00:28:29,579 No limit on what He may call me to give. 554 00:28:30,640 –> 00:28:33,520 No limit on where He may call me to serve. 555 00:28:34,739 –> 00:28:39,300 No limit on what He may ask me to suffer or to endure. 556 00:28:41,239 –> 00:28:44,900 Christ, having purchased me so that I am twice His, 557 00:28:44,979 –> 00:28:48,199 lays claim to my obedience, my energy, my gifting, 558 00:28:48,199 –> 00:28:52,780 my time, my money, my dream, my family, my retirement. 559 00:28:53,800 –> 00:28:54,880 No limits. 560 00:28:57,900 –> 00:29:00,420 You say how can being holy owned like that 561 00:29:00,420 –> 00:29:03,060 possibly be your highest good? 562 00:29:05,119 –> 00:29:06,319 Here’s how. 563 00:29:06,319 –> 00:29:09,520 Jesus said, if anyone would come after me, 564 00:29:09,520 –> 00:29:12,459 he must deny himself and take up his cross daily 565 00:29:12,459 –> 00:29:13,859 and follow me. 566 00:29:14,540 –> 00:29:16,000 You’re just telling me it’s a very costly thing 567 00:29:16,000 –> 00:29:18,060 to follow Jesus Christ. 568 00:29:18,060 –> 00:29:20,800 Tell me, how is it my highest good to do that? 569 00:29:22,359 –> 00:29:24,439 Here’s what he says next. 570 00:29:24,439 –> 00:29:29,439 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. 571 00:29:31,160 –> 00:29:33,920 Whoever wants to live for himself, 572 00:29:35,300 –> 00:29:39,660 whoever wants to live for herself, they’ll lose life. 573 00:29:41,160 –> 00:29:43,160 But Jesus says whoever loses his life, 574 00:29:43,180 –> 00:29:47,800 whoever loses her life for me, will save it. 575 00:29:50,359 –> 00:29:53,079 This is the great irony of the Gospel. 576 00:29:53,079 –> 00:29:56,819 In keeping your life from Christ you lose it. 577 00:29:58,619 –> 00:29:59,479 Just goes. 578 00:30:01,099 –> 00:30:05,880 In giving your life to Christ, you keep it, 579 00:30:07,800 –> 00:30:12,800 so that to be wholly owned by Him is your highest good. 580 00:30:14,079 –> 00:30:19,079 It is the only way to have life and not to waste it. 581 00:30:20,939 –> 00:30:22,800 Here’s the last thing. 582 00:30:22,800 –> 00:30:26,859 When you grasp that belonging to Christ 583 00:30:26,859 –> 00:30:29,180 really is your highest good, 584 00:30:30,319 –> 00:30:35,319 then being His servant will be your greatest joy. 585 00:30:36,619 –> 00:30:40,579 It’s so striking to me as Paul opens up Romans 586 00:30:40,579 –> 00:30:41,939 that he introduces himself right at the beginning there 587 00:30:42,859 –> 00:30:46,099 as Paul a servant of Christ Jesus. 588 00:30:46,099 –> 00:30:49,400 In fact, the word he uses is a slave, a slave. 589 00:30:51,060 –> 00:30:53,439 Someone wholly owned by Jesus Christ. 590 00:30:55,219 –> 00:30:57,859 You say, how can this man be happy about being a slave? 591 00:30:57,859 –> 00:31:00,540 The answer is because he is a slave of Christ 592 00:31:01,819 –> 00:31:04,380 and he knows that being wholly owned by Jesus Christ 593 00:31:04,380 –> 00:31:07,699 is his life and that it is the highest good. 594 00:31:09,219 –> 00:31:11,520 One illustration and then we’re through today. 595 00:31:12,500 –> 00:31:15,180 In the Old Testament, God gave some amazing laws 596 00:31:15,180 –> 00:31:19,199 to protect the freedom of each generation of his people. 597 00:31:20,400 –> 00:31:25,400 As in other societies, if you got into debt, 598 00:31:25,560 –> 00:31:28,280 one of the ways in which you could pay off that debt 599 00:31:28,280 –> 00:31:29,939 if you didn’t have money to pay it 600 00:31:29,939 –> 00:31:33,660 would be to work for the person to whom you owed that money 601 00:31:33,660 –> 00:31:35,619 effectively to become a kind of servant 602 00:31:35,619 –> 00:31:38,459 at least for a period of time. 603 00:31:38,459 –> 00:31:41,300 And the Old Testament is very fascinating. 604 00:31:41,339 –> 00:31:42,660 God says among his people, 605 00:31:42,660 –> 00:31:45,619 there’s not to be any slavery here 606 00:31:45,619 –> 00:31:49,260 but you can employ someone as your own hired worker 607 00:31:49,260 –> 00:31:51,180 and you have to treat them really well. 608 00:31:52,180 –> 00:31:53,339 Now the problem, of course, 609 00:31:53,339 –> 00:31:57,079 was that this could easily lead to generational poverty 610 00:31:58,180 –> 00:31:59,739 in which the children of one family 611 00:31:59,739 –> 00:32:01,739 ended up serving the children of another family 612 00:32:01,739 –> 00:32:03,359 forever and forever. 613 00:32:03,359 –> 00:32:05,800 And so God gave marvelous laws 614 00:32:05,800 –> 00:32:10,060 to protect the freedom of succeeding generations. 615 00:32:10,099 –> 00:32:12,619 Just a wonderful reflection of the kindness 616 00:32:12,619 –> 00:32:13,939 and the character of God. 617 00:32:14,939 –> 00:32:16,660 The law was that every seven years, 618 00:32:16,660 –> 00:32:18,739 all debts were cancelled 619 00:32:18,739 –> 00:32:20,020 and every seven years, 620 00:32:20,020 –> 00:32:22,260 all servants were to be set free. 621 00:32:23,619 –> 00:32:26,319 And a servant who had been paying off debt 622 00:32:26,319 –> 00:32:28,300 by working for someone else 623 00:32:28,300 –> 00:32:31,040 was not to be sent away empty handed. 624 00:32:32,060 –> 00:32:34,260 When the servant was set free, 625 00:32:34,260 –> 00:32:37,900 he was to be given a generous gift 626 00:32:37,979 –> 00:32:40,420 from the flocks and from the grain 627 00:32:40,420 –> 00:32:43,420 and from the wine of the family 628 00:32:43,420 –> 00:32:44,459 that he had served. 629 00:32:44,459 –> 00:32:47,199 So it could never go more than six years. 630 00:32:47,199 –> 00:32:48,579 And when you’re released, 631 00:32:48,579 –> 00:32:49,619 God’s law says, 632 00:32:49,619 –> 00:32:51,939 if you serve for a period of time, 633 00:32:51,939 –> 00:32:53,140 then the ones who have served 634 00:32:53,140 –> 00:32:55,300 are to send you off not empty handed 635 00:32:55,300 –> 00:32:57,739 but generously, liberally 636 00:32:57,739 –> 00:32:59,140 supplied from your flock, 637 00:32:59,140 –> 00:33:00,900 your threshing floor 638 00:33:00,900 –> 00:33:02,160 and your wine press. 639 00:33:03,459 –> 00:33:05,219 But these wonderful laws 640 00:33:05,219 –> 00:33:06,420 to advance freedom 641 00:33:07,420 –> 00:33:10,239 led to one great question. 642 00:33:10,239 –> 00:33:11,979 What if, 643 00:33:13,459 –> 00:33:15,800 what if, after six years, 644 00:33:16,839 –> 00:33:19,780 a servant came to the conclusion 645 00:33:20,920 –> 00:33:23,219 that he or she had a better life 646 00:33:23,219 –> 00:33:24,900 with the family they were serving 647 00:33:24,900 –> 00:33:26,099 than they ever had had 648 00:33:26,099 –> 00:33:27,339 on their own before 649 00:33:27,339 –> 00:33:29,060 or ever could expect to have 650 00:33:29,060 –> 00:33:31,819 on their own outside the family afterwards? 651 00:33:32,939 –> 00:33:34,140 What would happen then? 652 00:33:35,099 –> 00:33:37,520 And in Deuteronomy chapter 15, 653 00:33:37,520 –> 00:33:39,640 God gives this particular provision. 654 00:33:39,640 –> 00:33:40,719 I quote, 655 00:33:40,719 –> 00:33:43,420 If your servant says to you, 656 00:33:43,420 –> 00:33:46,319 I do not want to leave you 657 00:33:46,319 –> 00:33:48,500 because he loves you 658 00:33:48,500 –> 00:33:49,959 and he loves your family 659 00:33:49,959 –> 00:33:52,020 and is well off with you, 660 00:33:53,180 –> 00:33:55,699 then take an awl 661 00:33:57,719 –> 00:34:01,040 and push it through his ear lobe 662 00:34:01,760 –> 00:34:03,900 into the door 663 00:34:05,739 –> 00:34:07,760 and he will become your servant for life. 664 00:34:07,760 –> 00:34:10,919 Anyone want to help me with a demonstration of this? 665 00:34:12,179 –> 00:34:13,280 Can you picture this? 666 00:34:14,679 –> 00:34:17,419 You have been serving a family for some years. 667 00:34:20,479 –> 00:34:21,560 You have a better life 668 00:34:21,560 –> 00:34:23,219 as the servant of this family 669 00:34:23,219 –> 00:34:25,320 than you ever had before on your own 670 00:34:25,320 –> 00:34:27,100 or ever are likely to have again. 671 00:34:28,320 –> 00:34:30,000 You have come to love this family. 672 00:34:31,080 –> 00:34:34,060 The father, the mother, the children, 673 00:34:34,060 –> 00:34:37,179 your life is bound up with their lives. 674 00:34:37,179 –> 00:34:39,280 You can’t imagine living without them now. 675 00:34:41,080 –> 00:34:42,300 Six years have passed 676 00:34:42,300 –> 00:34:43,679 and the father says to you now, 677 00:34:43,679 –> 00:34:46,899 next week it’s the time for your freedom. 678 00:34:48,439 –> 00:34:49,540 You’re going to be able to leave 679 00:34:49,540 –> 00:34:51,439 and I’ve got sheep in the pen 680 00:34:51,439 –> 00:34:53,159 and I have wine 681 00:34:53,159 –> 00:34:55,239 and I have grain ready for you to take. 682 00:34:55,239 –> 00:34:56,560 It’s a generous gift. 683 00:34:56,560 –> 00:34:59,899 It’ll get you started in a whole new life on your own, 684 00:35:01,560 –> 00:35:02,580 I hope you’re ready. 685 00:35:03,800 –> 00:35:05,600 What are you gonna do with your life? 686 00:35:06,919 –> 00:35:09,179 And you say, you know, 687 00:35:10,320 –> 00:35:11,879 I don’t want to leave. 688 00:35:14,000 –> 00:35:15,919 I don’t want a life without you. 689 00:35:17,820 –> 00:35:18,860 Here’s an all, 690 00:35:20,899 –> 00:35:22,800 let’s go to your front door. 691 00:35:22,800 –> 00:35:26,719 You pierce through my ear against the frame of your door 692 00:35:26,719 –> 00:35:31,719 and you mark me as your willing servant for life. 693 00:35:36,100 –> 00:35:37,679 I think that’s where Paul was 694 00:35:37,679 –> 00:35:42,620 when he said, Paul a servant of Jesus Christ my Lord. 695 00:35:49,239 –> 00:35:50,780 Let’s pray together, shall we? 696 00:35:51,379 –> 00:35:56,320 In a moment of response, 697 00:35:57,780 –> 00:36:00,000 perhaps you are someone 698 00:36:00,000 –> 00:36:02,520 who has made a profession of faith, 699 00:36:03,580 –> 00:36:06,360 but you know you’ve been running from God, 700 00:36:06,360 –> 00:36:08,159 calling yourself a Christian, 701 00:36:09,659 –> 00:36:12,219 believing that Jesus died and rose again, 702 00:36:12,219 –> 00:36:16,399 but actually it’s made no difference to your life. 703 00:36:17,040 –> 00:36:22,040 And same old sins, same old anger, 704 00:36:25,399 –> 00:36:27,239 and God’s speaking to you today. 705 00:36:29,899 –> 00:36:32,479 He’s Savior because he’s Lord. 706 00:36:34,500 –> 00:36:36,340 And he’s laying claim to your life. 707 00:36:39,699 –> 00:36:41,699 Satan has been leading you a merry dance. 708 00:36:41,699 –> 00:36:43,219 He’s got you wholly convinced 709 00:36:43,219 –> 00:36:45,620 that you’re better off running from Jesus 710 00:36:45,959 –> 00:36:47,239 and running from your sin. 711 00:36:47,239 –> 00:36:48,320 Today, through the word, 712 00:36:48,320 –> 00:36:50,659 the Holy Spirit is saying to you, no. 713 00:36:52,040 –> 00:36:54,000 You need the spiritual equivalent today 714 00:36:54,000 –> 00:36:55,459 of your ear being pierced. 715 00:36:55,459 –> 00:37:00,360 Of you being a servant of Christ the Lord for life. 716 00:37:03,580 –> 00:37:06,399 And as he was marked by a far greater spike 717 00:37:06,399 –> 00:37:10,679 in hands and in feet and a great spear in his side 718 00:37:10,679 –> 00:37:13,580 in order to be your Lord and Savior. 719 00:37:16,340 –> 00:37:18,399 so today will you bow before him. 720 00:37:20,919 –> 00:37:23,620 And in repentance, that’s ready to leave 721 00:37:23,620 –> 00:37:25,739 what displeases him in your life. 722 00:37:27,100 –> 00:37:30,260 And in faith that embraces his kind forgiveness 723 00:37:30,260 –> 00:37:32,679 that has been patient with you for so long. 724 00:37:35,500 –> 00:37:38,360 Will you bow before him and commit your life 725 00:37:38,360 –> 00:37:41,080 into the hands of Jesus Christ. 726 00:37:42,080 –> 00:37:47,080 Your savior, your Lord, ask him to save you. 727 00:37:48,860 –> 00:37:52,679 Ask him to deliver you from the sins that are binding you. 728 00:37:54,000 –> 00:37:58,560 Ask him to lead you in a whole new life 729 00:37:58,560 –> 00:38:00,300 by the power of his spirit. 730 00:38:02,479 –> 00:38:06,320 Lord Jesus Christ do miracles of life changing power 731 00:38:07,159 –> 00:38:10,899 in many lives this weekend. 732 00:38:12,439 –> 00:38:14,620 Through Jesus Christ we pray. 733 00:38:15,820 –> 00:38:16,659 Amen.