1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,440 I’m going to ask you to open your Bible in three different places in the course of our 2 00:00:03,440 –> 00:00:09,640 time together this morning, and the first of them is Exodus chapter 20, and verse 17 3 00:00:09,640 –> 00:00:13,440 as we come today to the last of the 10 commandments. 4 00:00:13,440 –> 00:00:21,379 Exodus chapter 20, and verse 17 as we come to the 10th commandment, we read these words, 5 00:00:21,379 –> 00:00:27,840 God says, you shall not covet your neighbor’s house. 6 00:00:27,840 –> 00:00:37,439 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his manservant or maidservant or ox or 7 00:00:37,439 –> 00:00:43,160 donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. 8 00:00:43,160 –> 00:00:49,820 Now I want to suggest to you today as we come to the last of our series through this fall 9 00:00:49,820 –> 00:00:57,860 that the tenth commandment is actually the key to understanding all of the other nine. 10 00:00:57,860 –> 00:01:04,019 You see, looked at strictly, all of the other commandments are about specific actions. 11 00:01:04,019 –> 00:01:08,220 They are about murder, if you look at them. 12 00:01:08,220 –> 00:01:12,779 Adultery, stealing, perjury. 13 00:01:12,779 –> 00:01:16,760 All of these are behaviors that can be seen. 14 00:01:17,599 –> 00:01:22,279 But the tenth commandment stands all on its own, a category of one. 15 00:01:22,279 –> 00:01:27,480 It is different because it does not deal with behaviors that can be seen. 16 00:01:27,500 –> 00:01:35,260 It deals with attitudes that go on in the secret place of your heart and of mine. 17 00:01:37,220 –> 00:01:43,839 What goes on in the secret place of your heart and mine is undetected. 18 00:01:43,839 –> 00:01:47,919 It is known only to God and to you. 19 00:01:47,919 –> 00:01:57,339 My neighbor would know if I stole his car, but my neighbor would never know if I coveted 20 00:01:57,339 –> 00:01:59,820 his car. 21 00:01:59,820 –> 00:02:03,379 Nobody knows the secret desires of your heart. 22 00:02:03,379 –> 00:02:06,820 Nobody knows your secret fantasies.” 23 00:02:06,820 –> 00:02:13,380 Now, this is very important you see, because many Christians have the strange idea that 24 00:02:13,720 –> 00:02:18,000 in the Old Testament God was only concerned with actions, 25 00:02:18,000 –> 00:02:24,679 and when Jesus came along in the New Testament, what He did was He put a new spin on the commandments, 26 00:02:24,679 –> 00:02:27,779 and that He applied them to the attitudes of our hearts. 27 00:02:27,779 –> 00:02:31,660 And that’s why in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, as you remember, you’ve heard it 28 00:02:31,660 –> 00:02:35,820 said you shall not murder but I say to you, don’t even be angry with your brother in your 29 00:02:35,820 –> 00:02:40,080 heart, you’ve heard it said, do not commit adultery but I say whoever looks on a woman 30 00:02:40,100 –> 00:02:44,479 with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 31 00:02:46,179 –> 00:02:50,800 We have the idea too often, you see, that Jesus put a new spin on the commandments. 32 00:02:52,679 –> 00:02:57,520 But if you look at the 10th commandment and you understand it as God originally gave it, 33 00:02:57,520 –> 00:03:03,979 you will see that this was the original intent of almighty God in the commandments that He 34 00:03:03,979 –> 00:03:05,320 gave to Moses. 35 00:03:05,460 –> 00:03:11,100 So the reason Jesus taught as He did in the sermon on the mount was precisely that this 36 00:03:11,100 –> 00:03:15,800 was already the teaching of the Old Testament. 37 00:03:15,800 –> 00:03:20,539 In other words, the 10th commandment is the one that tells us how we should understand 38 00:03:20,539 –> 00:03:22,539 all of the other nine. 39 00:03:22,539 –> 00:03:29,419 That is why we have used throughout this series the picture of each command being like a railway 40 00:03:29,419 –> 00:03:34,639 track with various stations down the line, because each of these commandments does not 41 00:03:34,679 –> 00:03:41,639 just speak to one sin in particular, one observable action, but to a whole series of attitudes 42 00:03:41,639 –> 00:03:48,779 and actions that are related to each of these specific commandments. 43 00:03:48,779 –> 00:03:54,559 Each one relates not just to words and to actions, but includes the secrets that live 44 00:03:54,559 –> 00:03:56,820 within our minds and our hearts. 45 00:03:56,820 –> 00:04:02,960 Now, by the way, for those who want to think deeply about these things, this may be just 46 00:04:02,960 –> 00:04:10,059 one of the most important single insights for sharing the Gospel with our Jewish and 47 00:04:10,059 –> 00:04:13,320 Muslim friends today. 48 00:04:13,320 –> 00:04:19,619 One of the reasons that we find communicating the Gospel so difficult is that we live with 49 00:04:19,619 –> 00:04:27,399 this mistaken idea that the Old Testament is only concerned with outward conformity 50 00:04:27,399 –> 00:04:32,019 and that the New Testament is only concerned with matters of the heart. 51 00:04:32,140 –> 00:04:35,220 Both of these are falsehoods. 52 00:04:35,220 –> 00:04:39,940 As if God somehow changed his mind halfway through human history and decided he was going 53 00:04:39,940 –> 00:04:44,279 to look for something different from what he had first said. 54 00:04:44,279 –> 00:04:50,279 The Tenth Commandment blows that kind of thinking apart by making it clear that all the way 55 00:04:50,279 –> 00:04:56,540 through human history, God has been calling us to more than correct behaviour. 56 00:04:56,540 –> 00:04:59,179 He calls us to purity of heart. 57 00:04:59,679 –> 00:05:03,260 That’s not just a New Testament idea announced by Jesus. 58 00:05:03,260 –> 00:05:07,200 It is right there in the very foundation of the Commandments themselves. 59 00:05:07,200 –> 00:05:11,700 It is not just that God calls me to do right. 60 00:05:11,700 –> 00:05:15,519 It is that God calls me to be right. 61 00:05:15,519 –> 00:05:20,140 It is not just that God is looking at what I do and what I say, it is that God is looking 62 00:05:20,140 –> 00:05:26,399 at what I think, what I intend and what I desire so that the Tenth Commandment shows 63 00:05:26,440 –> 00:05:32,059 us how we should interpret all of the other nine. 64 00:05:32,059 –> 00:05:34,700 I want us to see the unique value of this Tenth Commandment. 65 00:05:34,700 –> 00:05:42,700 It really is the key to understanding the whole of this series and so my prayer is that 66 00:05:42,700 –> 00:05:50,059 we will grasp it this morning and as we grasp it, we will embrace it and we will follow 67 00:05:50,059 –> 00:05:52,579 it where it leads. 68 00:05:52,579 –> 00:06:02,959 I want simply to explain the significance and the value of this wonderful Tenth Commandment. 69 00:06:02,959 –> 00:06:13,119 And its value is first that it shows us that morally upright people are sinners in need 70 00:06:13,119 –> 00:06:16,000 of a savior. 71 00:06:16,160 –> 00:06:24,299 Now, I hope that immediately we will see therefore that this speaks especially to us as a congregation 72 00:06:24,299 –> 00:06:25,640 this morning. 73 00:06:25,640 –> 00:06:32,160 See, this congregation, for all its diversity, and we are different in many ways, but nonetheless 74 00:06:32,160 –> 00:06:38,720 I believe that this congregation can be characterized as largely a gathering of morally upright 75 00:06:38,720 –> 00:06:41,119 people. 76 00:06:41,160 –> 00:06:50,820 And this makes it extremely difficult for us to grasp the gospel. 77 00:06:50,820 –> 00:06:56,440 Remember that the people who responded to Jesus when he came into this world were first 78 00:06:56,440 –> 00:07:03,019 the prostitutes, the tax collectors, and the sinners. 79 00:07:03,019 –> 00:07:12,260 In today’s terms that would be terrorists and child abusers. 80 00:07:12,260 –> 00:07:17,839 And the reason that they respond most quickly and immediately to the gospel is simply this. 81 00:07:17,839 –> 00:07:23,380 They feel their need. 82 00:07:23,380 –> 00:07:32,739 But for morally upright folks like us, who have a good education, never murdered anyone, 83 00:07:32,760 –> 00:07:37,399 never committed adultery, have not robbed a bank, raised a stable family, run a successful 84 00:07:37,399 –> 00:07:40,339 business, gone to church, and given generously. 85 00:07:40,339 –> 00:07:48,559 It is honestly difficult for us to get to the point where we really feel that we have 86 00:07:48,559 –> 00:07:53,079 some kind of desperate need of a savior. 87 00:07:53,079 –> 00:07:59,799 We see our religion instinctively is something that we offer to God, which taken along with 88 00:07:59,799 –> 00:08:05,600 the rest of our lives unbalanced, should put us in a position to enter eternal life. 89 00:08:05,600 –> 00:08:10,600 When the preacher talks about sin and about forgiveness, we are glad to hear it because 90 00:08:10,600 –> 00:08:11,959 we believe it. 91 00:08:11,959 –> 00:08:15,160 This is a good message, and we know that many need to hear it. 92 00:08:15,160 –> 00:08:23,440 But somehow, as best we try, it seems and feels at a distance from us. 93 00:08:24,440 –> 00:08:33,520 Now, if that is your condition today, then my prayer is that God will speak to you through 94 00:08:33,520 –> 00:08:36,880 the Tenth Commandment. 95 00:08:36,880 –> 00:08:43,539 Because more than any other, this commandment is addressed to you. 96 00:08:43,539 –> 00:08:51,700 I want to tell you two stories today, about people just like us. 97 00:08:51,700 –> 00:08:59,900 People who were wakened up and brought to their spiritual senses by the Tenth Commandment. 98 00:08:59,900 –> 00:09:04,599 The first is a man who was sometimes called, the rich young ruler, but I want him to bring 99 00:09:04,599 –> 00:09:07,719 him, as it were, over into our world today. 100 00:09:07,719 –> 00:09:14,419 And so I’m going to call him, the man who was living the American dream. 101 00:09:14,419 –> 00:09:19,380 I want you to turn in your bibles to Luke’s gospel chapter 18, and you’ll find him there. 102 00:09:19,380 –> 00:09:22,099 The man who was living the American dream. 103 00:09:22,099 –> 00:09:27,260 Let me just translate a description of his profile, into the culture of the Northwest 104 00:09:27,260 –> 00:09:30,539 suburbs today. 105 00:09:30,539 –> 00:09:34,539 And if you’ll allow me this translation, this is the guy who graduates from district 106 00:09:34,539 –> 00:09:39,380 210 with a good group of friends and gets voted most likely to succeed in his senior 107 00:09:39,380 –> 00:09:40,380 year. 108 00:09:40,380 –> 00:09:45,340 He plays sports at college, he graduates cum laude in business, and marries the following 109 00:09:45,340 –> 00:09:46,340 year. 110 00:09:46,700 –> 00:09:51,919 He is earning a six-figure salary in his early thirties, he pays off his mortgage in his 111 00:09:51,919 –> 00:09:58,679 forties, he shifts his attention from success to significance in his fifties, he sees the 112 00:09:58,679 –> 00:10:02,039 world in his sixties, and he retires in comfort in his seventies. 113 00:10:02,039 –> 00:10:06,299 Now, there is nothing wrong with any one of these things. 114 00:10:06,299 –> 00:10:11,679 All I’m doing is describing success in the northwest suburbs, right? 115 00:10:11,679 –> 00:10:15,760 The man who’s living the American Dream. 116 00:10:15,859 –> 00:10:18,979 Of course, the American Dream is more than money, isn’t it? 117 00:10:18,979 –> 00:10:25,260 It’s also about values, and this man has his values, in fact values are very, very 118 00:10:25,260 –> 00:10:26,260 important to him. 119 00:10:26,260 –> 00:10:29,659 He’s raised a good family and he’s given time to them. 120 00:10:29,659 –> 00:10:32,200 He’s been a great husband, a good father. 121 00:10:32,200 –> 00:10:33,859 He’s known for his generosity. 122 00:10:33,859 –> 00:10:36,219 He’s contributing to the community. 123 00:10:36,219 –> 00:10:41,359 More than that, he is a true believer in God. 124 00:10:41,359 –> 00:10:45,700 And he knows that beyond death lies eternity, so he wants to make sure that he’s got that 125 00:10:45,700 –> 00:10:46,700 life counted out, too. 126 00:10:46,700 –> 00:10:52,940 So he has set himself the goal of living a good life, because that’s part of success. 127 00:10:52,940 –> 00:10:55,299 So he attends church or synagogue or mosque. 128 00:10:55,299 –> 00:10:59,780 Delete whichever applies. 129 00:10:59,780 –> 00:11:05,700 He prays to God, he reads spiritual books, he has always given generously to good causes, 130 00:11:05,700 –> 00:11:10,340 that’s the profile. 131 00:11:10,580 –> 00:11:18,039 Then one day the guy who’s living the American dream hears that Jesus has come to town. 132 00:11:18,039 –> 00:11:22,460 The talk of many people is that he is someone who has come from God and so the man who’s 133 00:11:22,460 –> 00:11:31,460 living the American dream decides that it would be good to hear what he has to say. 134 00:11:31,460 –> 00:11:36,099 So I hope you’ve got your Bible open at Luke chapter 18 and verse 18, he comes to Jesus 135 00:11:36,119 –> 00:11:42,080 and you’ll see there he asks the question, he says, what must I do to inherit eternal 136 00:11:42,080 –> 00:11:43,080 life? 137 00:11:43,080 –> 00:11:45,900 I can almost see him opening up his day timer you know. 138 00:11:45,900 –> 00:11:48,580 I want to write it down, what must I do? 139 00:11:48,580 –> 00:11:55,280 And I’ve got everything else sorted out, but I want to hear what you think. 140 00:11:55,280 –> 00:11:57,260 I’m interested. 141 00:11:57,260 –> 00:12:01,700 Give me the checklist. 142 00:12:01,700 –> 00:12:04,320 Tell me what I need to do. 143 00:12:04,479 –> 00:12:10,340 I want to cover all my bases. 144 00:12:10,359 –> 00:12:15,919 And you see Jesus reply in verse 20, you know the commandments. 145 00:12:15,919 –> 00:12:20,179 Do not commit adultery, that’s number seven. 146 00:12:20,179 –> 00:12:25,400 Do not murder, that’s number six. 147 00:12:25,400 –> 00:12:27,200 Do not steal, that’s number eight. 148 00:12:27,200 –> 00:12:29,559 Do not give false testimony, that’s number nine. 149 00:12:29,559 –> 00:12:33,559 Honor your father and mother, that’s number five. 150 00:12:34,159 –> 00:12:39,739 And you can almost see this guy checking them off in his list, can’t you, in his 151 00:12:39,739 –> 00:12:41,859 daytimer, hey. 152 00:12:41,859 –> 00:12:46,960 Do not commit adultery, that’s number seven, I’m okay there. 153 00:12:46,960 –> 00:12:51,179 Do not murder, number six, okay there. 154 00:12:51,179 –> 00:12:55,900 Do not steal, never rob the bank, okay there. 155 00:12:55,900 –> 00:12:58,840 Do not give false testimony, that’s number nine, I’m okay there. 156 00:12:58,840 –> 00:12:59,840 Now what else did he say? 157 00:13:00,000 –> 00:13:04,099 Oh yeah, honor your father and mother, oh get on great with mom and dad, that’s number 158 00:13:04,099 –> 00:13:07,520 five, I’m okay there. 159 00:13:07,520 –> 00:13:12,619 You notice the one that Jesus didn’t mention? 160 00:13:12,619 –> 00:13:18,559 He holds back number ten. 161 00:13:18,559 –> 00:13:27,619 There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that that was intentional, because what Jesus does 162 00:13:28,080 –> 00:13:30,659 is just this. 163 00:13:30,659 –> 00:13:33,299 He applies the tenth commandment. 164 00:13:33,299 –> 00:13:41,619 And he says to him, look at that, you still lack one thing. 165 00:13:41,619 –> 00:13:45,940 Sell everything you have and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven and then 166 00:13:45,940 –> 00:13:50,179 come and follow me? 167 00:13:50,179 –> 00:13:55,059 You see in that single statement what Jesus is doing is he’s penetrating beyond all of 168 00:13:55,059 –> 00:14:04,419 this man’s actions, and he’s exposing the fundamental selfishness of this man’s heart. 169 00:14:04,419 –> 00:14:09,880 And in that moment Jesus reveals the single greatest struggle of all of our lives, however 170 00:14:09,880 –> 00:14:15,460 you and I may change our behavior, whatever we may do, we cannot change our heart. 171 00:14:15,460 –> 00:14:20,580 And suddenly it becomes clear that whatever good things this man has done morally the 172 00:14:20,700 –> 00:14:26,820 whole of his life has been about gathering to himself and he can’t get free from that. 173 00:14:26,820 –> 00:14:34,520 Do you know, the hard truth is there are many reasons why people live good moral lives that 174 00:14:34,520 –> 00:14:39,020 have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with loving God or loving your neighbor. 175 00:14:39,020 –> 00:14:46,059 I mean, for a start there is what we could call the peer factor. 176 00:14:46,059 –> 00:14:50,539 The peer factor. 177 00:14:50,539 –> 00:14:55,299 Now I thank God that my kids have good friends. 178 00:14:55,299 –> 00:15:03,299 Every parent I know thanks God if their kids have good friends. 179 00:15:04,260 –> 00:15:11,020 But why do we parents worry so much about our kids having good friends. 180 00:15:11,020 –> 00:15:13,840 Because the truth is we know that a very, very large part of what they will do 181 00:15:13,840 –> 00:15:19,640 depends on what their friends are going to do. 182 00:15:19,640 –> 00:15:25,979 What does that say about the depths of our righteousness. 183 00:15:25,979 –> 00:15:30,780 If we were to take a survey this morning of how many men in the congregation pray five 184 00:15:30,780 –> 00:15:32,960 times a day. 185 00:15:33,820 –> 00:15:39,820 I don’t think that too many of us would be raising our hands. 186 00:15:39,820 –> 00:15:46,200 But if we all lived in Saudi Arabia, every one of the men of this church would pray five 187 00:15:46,200 –> 00:15:47,419 times a day. 188 00:15:47,419 –> 00:15:56,380 Not because we loved God more but because everybody else does it. 189 00:15:56,380 –> 00:15:59,760 What kind of morality is that? 190 00:16:00,340 –> 00:16:07,460 There’s not just the peer factor, it’s often to do frankly with the fear factor. 191 00:16:07,460 –> 00:16:11,099 Some of us can go through the Ten Commandments, tick them off, I never dropped a bank, I 192 00:16:11,099 –> 00:16:13,520 never committed adultery, I never murdered anybody. 193 00:16:13,520 –> 00:16:18,940 But why didn’t you do these things? 194 00:16:18,940 –> 00:16:22,739 Was it that your heart was filled with such a deep love for God and with other people 195 00:16:22,739 –> 00:16:26,140 or was it simply that the risks were too great? 196 00:16:27,059 –> 00:16:31,700 See, sometimes the reason that we do not lie or steal or commit adultery has more to do 197 00:16:31,700 –> 00:16:37,080 with fear of consequences for your position and your reputation than it is to do with 198 00:16:37,080 –> 00:16:39,239 a deep love for God. 199 00:16:40,280 –> 00:16:49,640 And the way that we know the reason is by looking at the secret thoughts of our hearts. 200 00:16:49,640 –> 00:16:54,859 Because what goes on in the secret place of your mind is the very best register of what 201 00:16:54,859 –> 00:17:01,299 you would do if you knew you could get away with it. 202 00:17:01,299 –> 00:17:08,819 So the Tenth Commandment raises disturbing questions for morally upright people. 203 00:17:08,819 –> 00:17:16,339 If Christianity were just a program for promoting good behavior, then all that would matter 204 00:17:16,339 –> 00:17:21,880 would be that we do the right things. 205 00:17:21,880 –> 00:17:28,420 But God calls us in both Old Testament and New Testament not only to do right, but to 206 00:17:28,420 –> 00:17:40,400 be right, and that means that morally upright people are sinners too – every bit as much 207 00:17:40,400 –> 00:17:49,819 in need of a Savior as the terrorist or the child abuser. 208 00:17:50,020 –> 00:17:56,079 There’s another story in the New Testament that I find even more fascinating. 209 00:17:56,079 –> 00:17:58,819 I wonder if you’ve ever noticed this before. 210 00:17:58,819 –> 00:18:04,739 But the amazing thing is that there is another man in the New Testament who fits exactly 211 00:18:04,739 –> 00:18:10,680 the same profile as the rich young ruler having lived a deeply moral life but then found that 212 00:18:10,680 –> 00:18:17,819 he came unglued when he understood the 10th commandment. 213 00:18:17,819 –> 00:18:22,760 He of course had known the commandments for years like virtually all of us, but there 214 00:18:22,760 –> 00:18:28,420 came a point when he understood the 10th commandment, and when that happened he came to a completely 215 00:18:28,420 –> 00:18:31,599 different evaluation of himself. 216 00:18:31,599 –> 00:18:38,739 I’m referring of course to Saul of Tarsus who we know better as the apostle Paul. 217 00:18:38,739 –> 00:18:44,119 Now remember that Paul fitted exactly the same profile as the rich young ruler and frankly 218 00:18:44,699 –> 00:18:49,939 here this morning – born into a successful and well-connected family, received a marvellous 219 00:18:49,939 –> 00:18:54,140 education at the School of Gamaliel which set him on the track of the most prosperous 220 00:18:54,140 –> 00:18:55,140 career. 221 00:18:55,140 –> 00:19:01,239 He describes in Phillipians 3 his own background, his credentials, his blessings and advantages 222 00:19:01,239 –> 00:19:07,380 in life, circumcised on the 8th day, a Hebrew of the Hebrews in regard to the law, a Pharisee 223 00:19:07,380 –> 00:19:12,400 for Seale, persecuting the church and, as for legalistic righteousness he says, I was 224 00:19:12,400 –> 00:19:13,400 faultless. 225 00:19:13,400 –> 00:19:16,219 You see what he’s saying. 226 00:19:16,219 –> 00:19:18,420 I kept the law. 227 00:19:18,420 –> 00:19:25,339 I saw myself for years as a morally upright, good citizen. 228 00:19:25,339 –> 00:19:30,459 A good, conscientious person. 229 00:19:30,459 –> 00:19:33,280 Now turn with me please to Romans Chapter 7. 230 00:19:33,640 –> 00:19:38,579 If you only turned one place in your bible this morning, make it now please. 231 00:19:38,579 –> 00:19:40,160 Romans Seven. 232 00:19:40,160 –> 00:19:45,359 I want you to discover something so important here. 233 00:19:45,359 –> 00:19:50,640 Because in Romans 7 Paul tells us how all this changed in his life. 234 00:19:50,640 –> 00:19:58,079 He’s talking personally in Romans 7 and he describes a specific experience in his life. 235 00:19:58,079 –> 00:20:03,020 Now I do not know whether this experience took place before or after the Lord appeared 236 00:20:03,020 –> 00:20:05,939 to him on the Damascus road. 237 00:20:05,939 –> 00:20:13,760 But whether it was before or after he tells us about how he came to a complete re-evaluation 238 00:20:13,760 –> 00:20:16,420 of his own position. 239 00:20:16,420 –> 00:20:18,979 Romans 7 in verse 7. 240 00:20:18,979 –> 00:20:20,000 Look at what he says. 241 00:20:20,339 –> 00:20:22,760 What shall we say then? 242 00:20:22,760 –> 00:20:25,459 Is the law sin? 243 00:20:25,459 –> 00:20:28,040 Certainly not. 244 00:20:28,040 –> 00:20:32,520 Indeed I would not have known what sin was, except through the law. 245 00:20:32,520 –> 00:20:34,900 Now, wait a minute. 246 00:20:34,900 –> 00:20:39,500 You scratch your head if you put that against Philippians which we’ve just quoted. 247 00:20:39,500 –> 00:20:43,420 In Philippians he is saying before the law, I’m faultless. 248 00:20:44,239 –> 00:20:50,680 Now in Romans he’s saying it was through the law that I discovered sin. 249 00:20:50,680 –> 00:20:54,540 So something has happened here. 250 00:20:54,540 –> 00:20:57,900 How do we put these two things together? 251 00:20:57,900 –> 00:21:03,060 In Philippians he tells us that for many years he’d looked at the commandments and he’d 252 00:21:03,060 –> 00:21:04,619 said, I’m OK, I’m OK. 253 00:21:04,619 –> 00:21:08,660 He’d ticked the checklist. 254 00:21:08,680 –> 00:21:12,979 But now he’s telling us that the commandment had the effect of showing him that he was 255 00:21:12,979 –> 00:21:13,979 a sinner. 256 00:21:13,979 –> 00:21:14,979 How come? 257 00:21:14,979 –> 00:21:15,979 What made the difference? 258 00:21:15,979 –> 00:21:16,979 Well, let’s read on. 259 00:21:16,979 –> 00:21:20,099 The answer is the tenth commandment. 260 00:21:20,099 –> 00:21:22,359 Very specific. 261 00:21:22,359 –> 00:21:30,459 I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, do not covet. 262 00:21:31,140 –> 00:21:41,239 Here I was, he says, with my moral checklist, thinking that I was doing quite well as a 263 00:21:41,260 –> 00:21:44,380 good living person, I don’t steal, I don’t kill. 264 00:21:44,380 –> 00:21:53,859 Then one day, after all my training in the law, one day I really came face to face with 265 00:21:53,859 –> 00:21:56,619 the tenth commandment. 266 00:21:56,619 –> 00:21:59,479 See, that’s the language he uses in verse nine. 267 00:21:59,500 –> 00:22:04,439 The commandment came, he’s talking about personal experience. 268 00:22:04,439 –> 00:22:07,280 He’s saying, it suddenly came to me. 269 00:22:07,280 –> 00:22:13,819 I’d known these commandments for years he’s saying but one day it was the tenth commandment 270 00:22:13,819 –> 00:22:18,099 and it got me. 271 00:22:18,099 –> 00:22:23,280 I realized for the first time that God’s not just looking at my outward actions, God 272 00:22:23,280 –> 00:22:27,880 is measuring my heart and I’ve got to tell you, he says, it’s the tenth commandment 273 00:22:27,880 –> 00:22:30,099 that nailed me. 274 00:22:30,099 –> 00:22:35,239 It strangled the life out of my self-righteousness. 275 00:22:35,239 –> 00:22:41,079 The tenth commandment is the killer commandment for morally upright people. 276 00:22:41,079 –> 00:22:47,199 And you see once you see the meaning of number ten then you re-evaluate your own checklist 277 00:22:47,199 –> 00:22:51,280 on all of the other nine and what you ticked off as successful, you suddenly see you should 278 00:22:51,280 –> 00:22:54,760 be crossing off as still to be done. 279 00:22:55,699 –> 00:23:00,760 A large part of my morality, Paul would say, had much more to do with the peer factor and 280 00:23:00,760 –> 00:23:06,500 the fear factor than it really had to do with the condition of my heart. 281 00:23:06,500 –> 00:23:13,099 See, this tenth commandment speaks to us today. 282 00:23:13,099 –> 00:23:18,660 Strange thing is that the rich young ruler and Saul of Tarsas were both confronted by 283 00:23:18,660 –> 00:23:24,280 the challenge of the same commandment and made an opposite response. 284 00:23:25,000 –> 00:23:31,160 The rich young ruler, the Bible says, went away sorrowful. 285 00:23:31,359 –> 00:23:35,140 The equivalent for us today would be, he came to church, he said, 286 00:23:35,140 –> 00:23:36,359 I don’t really like that message. 287 00:23:36,359 –> 00:23:38,020 It makes me feel uncomfortable. 288 00:23:38,020 –> 00:23:46,000 I’ll find another place that will make me feel better. 289 00:23:46,000 –> 00:23:50,880 The apostle Paul took a different road. 290 00:23:50,959 –> 00:23:54,020 If God’s truth is showing me that I have this kind of need, 291 00:23:54,020 –> 00:24:01,579 then I have to embrace God’s son as my savior. 292 00:24:04,119 –> 00:24:11,959 I need to start walking with a completely different self-evaluation. 293 00:24:11,959 –> 00:24:19,140 I need to begin again. 294 00:24:19,579 –> 00:24:24,400 The great value of this Tenth Commandment is that it shows us, 295 00:24:24,400 –> 00:24:28,640 morally upright people, that we’re sinners who need a savior. 296 00:24:28,640 –> 00:24:37,260 If you grasp that in the core of your being… 297 00:24:37,260 –> 00:24:45,260 More briefly, the Tenth Commandment makes it very clear that 298 00:24:45,359 –> 00:24:50,939 The heart of my problem is the problem of my heart. 299 00:24:51,920 –> 00:24:53,780 Now, that’s important to grasp. 300 00:24:53,780 –> 00:24:56,800 The heart of the human problem, 301 00:24:56,800 –> 00:25:02,599 the heart of your problem is the problem of your heart. 302 00:25:03,880 –> 00:25:07,939 I want to give you a quotation from Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones. 303 00:25:07,939 –> 00:25:11,680 He was a medical doctor who became a great Bible preacher 304 00:25:11,939 –> 00:25:14,819 and often used his medical background 305 00:25:14,819 –> 00:25:18,459 to give great insight into the Scriptures. 306 00:25:18,459 –> 00:25:20,459 Now, let me quote this paragraph to you. 307 00:25:20,459 –> 00:25:22,839 I found this so profoundly helpful. 308 00:25:23,699 –> 00:25:27,680 Sin, he says, is not merely a matter of actions and deeds, 309 00:25:27,680 –> 00:25:32,680 it is something within the heart that leads to the action. 310 00:25:34,040 –> 00:25:36,920 What we must, therefore, really concentrate upon 311 00:25:36,920 –> 00:25:41,079 is not so much sins as sin. 312 00:25:42,680 –> 00:25:47,680 Sins are nothing but the symptoms of a disease called sin 313 00:25:50,479 –> 00:25:55,060 and it is not the symptoms that matter but the disease. 314 00:25:55,880 –> 00:26:00,880 It is the disease that kills not the symptoms. 315 00:26:01,339 –> 00:26:02,599 You see what he’s saying? 316 00:26:03,520 –> 00:26:04,959 We talk a lot about sins. 317 00:26:04,959 –> 00:26:06,880 Oh, this person did this, this person did that, 318 00:26:06,880 –> 00:26:07,959 this person did the other. 319 00:26:07,959 –> 00:26:10,739 Sins, sins, sins, but he says, what really matters 320 00:26:10,839 –> 00:26:13,079 is not so much what any person did, 321 00:26:13,079 –> 00:26:16,280 it’s sin, it is the root cause 322 00:26:16,280 –> 00:26:18,000 that leads to these actions. 323 00:26:18,000 –> 00:26:21,239 It’s rather like he says, symptoms in a disease, 324 00:26:21,239 –> 00:26:26,239 symptoms vary amongst those who are sick. 325 00:26:26,400 –> 00:26:29,339 And frankly, it’s not the symptoms that kill you. 326 00:26:31,060 –> 00:26:32,400 The question that really matters 327 00:26:32,400 –> 00:26:34,560 is not which symptoms are you showing. 328 00:26:34,560 –> 00:26:36,119 The question that really matters 329 00:26:36,119 –> 00:26:38,300 is which disease have you got. 330 00:26:41,300 –> 00:26:46,300 I’ve been struggling with a flu all week. 331 00:26:49,300 –> 00:26:52,579 And I’ve been taking these tablets. 332 00:26:54,780 –> 00:26:57,040 I’m not knocking them, I’m very grateful 333 00:26:57,040 –> 00:26:58,239 for them, I’ll tell you. 334 00:26:59,219 –> 00:27:02,420 But this is what it says on the box, all right? 335 00:27:02,420 –> 00:27:03,979 I’m quoting. 336 00:27:03,979 –> 00:27:08,979 Uses, temporarily relieves the effects 337 00:27:11,060 –> 00:27:13,819 common flu symptoms. 338 00:27:15,420 –> 00:27:17,060 Think about what they are saying. 339 00:27:18,459 –> 00:27:21,500 First it’s saying, the box of stuff 340 00:27:21,500 –> 00:27:23,699 you’ve just bought will help you. 341 00:27:25,540 –> 00:27:28,400 But it won’t help you for long, temporarily. 342 00:27:31,479 –> 00:27:33,060 The way that it will help you is 343 00:27:33,060 –> 00:27:34,660 that you’ll have less of these symptoms, 344 00:27:34,660 –> 00:27:36,420 you won’t have to worry about a runny nose 345 00:27:36,420 –> 00:27:37,859 and a sore throat, but the problem 346 00:27:37,859 –> 00:27:39,800 is that it won’t deal with the problem. 347 00:27:41,579 –> 00:27:43,800 So as I get worse my wife says to me, 348 00:27:43,800 –> 00:27:45,619 you need to go to the doctor, 349 00:27:47,040 –> 00:27:50,140 and I say, no, I don’t, I’m not that bad. 350 00:27:53,140 –> 00:27:55,079 Now listen to this. 351 00:27:55,079 –> 00:27:57,280 Jesus said it is not the healthy 352 00:27:57,280 –> 00:27:59,280 who need a doctor but the sick. 353 00:28:00,239 –> 00:28:03,839 And as long as you and I live with the illusion 354 00:28:03,839 –> 00:28:06,199 that we are morally healthy, 355 00:28:06,199 –> 00:28:09,680 because we’ve found a way of suppressing the symptoms, 356 00:28:09,680 –> 00:28:12,880 we will never come to Christ to deal with the disease. 357 00:28:14,280 –> 00:28:16,880 See that’s the problem with behavior modification 358 00:28:16,880 –> 00:28:20,500 by the way, there are many, many, many ways 359 00:28:20,500 –> 00:28:22,079 to change behavior. 360 00:28:23,020 –> 00:28:26,219 If all you want to do is to stop drinking alcohol 361 00:28:26,219 –> 00:28:28,520 or break free from some compulsive habit 362 00:28:28,520 –> 00:28:29,979 that you’ve had for 10 years, 363 00:28:29,979 –> 00:28:32,760 you don’t need Jesus to do that. 364 00:28:35,060 –> 00:28:38,599 You can do it with good therapy and a support group. 365 00:28:40,599 –> 00:28:43,439 But good therapy and a support group 366 00:28:43,439 –> 00:28:45,839 will never change your heart. 367 00:28:47,400 –> 00:28:50,040 It will affect the symptoms. 368 00:28:50,040 –> 00:28:52,900 It will not touch the disease. 369 00:28:54,219 –> 00:28:55,900 The heart of your problem 370 00:28:57,199 –> 00:28:58,780 is the problem of your heart. 371 00:28:59,979 –> 00:29:02,140 And so the great question that you face 372 00:29:02,140 –> 00:29:05,260 is not, how do I change my behavior, 373 00:29:05,260 –> 00:29:07,000 the primary question is, 374 00:29:07,000 –> 00:29:08,500 how do I change my heart? 375 00:29:10,239 –> 00:29:11,800 And of course that was the great discovery 376 00:29:11,800 –> 00:29:13,239 that King David made. 377 00:29:14,140 –> 00:29:17,140 Remember, when he got himself in a right royal mess, 378 00:29:17,140 –> 00:29:19,579 after an affair with a woman called Bathsheba? 379 00:29:20,459 –> 00:29:22,859 He covered it up, of course. 380 00:29:22,859 –> 00:29:24,619 But then God broke through the cover up 381 00:29:24,619 –> 00:29:25,859 through a man called Nathan, 382 00:29:25,859 –> 00:29:27,520 and that brought David to repentance, 383 00:29:27,520 –> 00:29:30,479 and it led him to write Psalm 51, 384 00:29:31,400 –> 00:29:32,920 where he confesses his sin. 385 00:29:32,920 –> 00:29:35,640 He asks God to wash him and to cleanse him 386 00:29:35,640 –> 00:29:39,099 and to forgive him, but he doesn’t end there, 387 00:29:40,579 –> 00:29:43,380 see, it’s more than sins he’s worried about. 388 00:29:43,380 –> 00:29:44,920 It’s more than what he did here, 389 00:29:44,920 –> 00:29:46,920 and here, and here, and here, and here. 390 00:29:48,160 –> 00:29:52,920 He says, create in me a pure heart, O God. 391 00:29:55,800 –> 00:29:57,380 Why does he say that? 392 00:29:59,300 –> 00:30:02,119 Because he says, Lord, I need you to deal 393 00:30:02,119 –> 00:30:03,719 not just with what I did, 394 00:30:03,719 –> 00:30:06,900 but with the impulse that made me do it. 395 00:30:07,819 –> 00:30:11,420 If you were just to forgive what I did, 396 00:30:11,420 –> 00:30:14,239 but not to touch the deep, inner impulse, 397 00:30:14,239 –> 00:30:16,520 the heart that gave rise to it, 398 00:30:16,520 –> 00:30:18,699 then all that will happen is six months 399 00:30:18,699 –> 00:30:20,160 from now I will go down the same track 400 00:30:20,160 –> 00:30:21,660 and do the same kind of thing. 401 00:30:23,459 –> 00:30:26,300 Lord, I need more than forgiveness for my sins. 402 00:30:26,300 –> 00:30:27,979 I need a change of heart. 403 00:30:27,979 –> 00:30:31,260 I need more than medicine to relieve the symptoms. 404 00:30:31,260 –> 00:30:34,420 I need a doctor to deal with the disease. 405 00:30:37,140 –> 00:30:39,000 So the 10th commandment shows us 406 00:30:40,599 –> 00:30:43,300 that morally upright people are sinners 407 00:30:43,300 –> 00:30:47,339 who need a savior, that the heart of my problem 408 00:30:47,339 –> 00:30:51,180 is the problem of my heart. 409 00:30:53,219 –> 00:30:54,979 The last and wonderful thing is this, 410 00:30:54,979 –> 00:30:57,060 that the 10th commandment shows me hope 411 00:30:57,060 –> 00:30:58,239 of a new life, 412 00:30:59,099 –> 00:31:01,839 and the power of the Holy Spirit of God. 413 00:31:03,619 –> 00:31:04,979 See all the way through the series 414 00:31:04,979 –> 00:31:06,300 we’ve been reminding ourselves 415 00:31:06,300 –> 00:31:08,839 that God’s commander actually promises 416 00:31:08,839 –> 00:31:12,680 through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. 417 00:31:12,680 –> 00:31:14,180 And the wonderful thing is, you see, 418 00:31:14,180 –> 00:31:16,959 that the killer commandment was the beginning 419 00:31:16,959 –> 00:31:19,239 of hope for the Apostle Paul. 420 00:31:19,239 –> 00:31:22,439 Dr. Lloyd-Jones points out so wonderfully well 421 00:31:22,439 –> 00:31:25,479 in these words the first sign of spiritual life 422 00:31:25,479 –> 00:31:28,099 is to feel that you are dead. 423 00:31:28,099 –> 00:31:30,060 When the commandment came, Paul says, 424 00:31:30,060 –> 00:31:32,520 sin revived and I died. 425 00:31:32,520 –> 00:31:35,900 Thank God the moment a man is dead 426 00:31:35,900 –> 00:31:38,939 there is the possibility of him being resurrected. 427 00:31:40,219 –> 00:31:42,060 That’s true, isn’t it? 428 00:31:42,060 –> 00:31:45,479 Can’t be resurrected to new life until you’re dead. 429 00:31:45,479 –> 00:31:48,060 You can’t have the new life of the Spirit 430 00:31:48,060 –> 00:31:51,319 until you have come to the place 431 00:31:51,319 –> 00:31:55,000 where your own hopes in your own morality 432 00:31:55,000 –> 00:31:57,640 have actually bitten the dust. 433 00:31:58,979 –> 00:32:01,400 That’s the great value of the tenth commandment, 434 00:32:01,400 –> 00:32:03,099 it opens the door of hope. 435 00:32:03,979 –> 00:32:05,640 It brings us to Christ. 436 00:32:09,219 –> 00:32:11,619 Listen for the tenth commandment is a promise, 437 00:32:14,140 –> 00:32:15,699 you shall not covet. 438 00:32:18,699 –> 00:32:21,520 You don’t need to go through a life 439 00:32:21,520 –> 00:32:24,560 that is forever seeking and never finding. 440 00:32:26,420 –> 00:32:28,439 A life that is always the next thing, 441 00:32:28,439 –> 00:32:30,180 the next thing, the next thing, 442 00:32:30,180 –> 00:32:32,660 and you always think that the next thing will satisfy you, 443 00:32:33,660 –> 00:32:36,199 but it never does because you’re chasing the wind. 444 00:32:40,800 –> 00:32:43,319 You do not need to live that kind of life. 445 00:32:43,319 –> 00:32:46,020 You can find contentment, the contentment 446 00:32:46,020 –> 00:32:51,020 that says I have found the thing of greatest value. 447 00:32:53,459 –> 00:32:55,959 See, coveting is chasing the wind. 448 00:32:57,380 –> 00:32:59,420 Contentment is knowing that you have found 449 00:32:59,420 –> 00:33:01,459 that which is of greatest value, 450 00:33:01,500 –> 00:33:03,540 and that’s where the Lord Jesus Christ 451 00:33:03,540 –> 00:33:05,079 brought the apostle Paul. 452 00:33:05,079 –> 00:33:06,619 He says, late in his life 453 00:33:06,619 –> 00:33:10,060 I have learned, in every circumstance of life, 454 00:33:10,060 –> 00:33:11,339 to be content. 455 00:33:11,339 –> 00:33:12,880 How have I learned that? 456 00:33:12,880 –> 00:33:16,239 I’ve learned it because I have Christ, 457 00:33:17,319 –> 00:33:19,839 and I’m not spending my life chasing 458 00:33:19,839 –> 00:33:22,099 the thing that’s ultimatelygoing to satisfy 459 00:33:22,099 –> 00:33:23,660 and never finding it. 460 00:33:25,420 –> 00:33:28,819 I have him, and so I’ve discovered 461 00:33:28,819 –> 00:33:30,339 that there are some times in my life 462 00:33:30,339 –> 00:33:31,739 when I have other things that I want, 463 00:33:31,739 –> 00:33:33,380 there are sometimes in my life 464 00:33:33,380 –> 00:33:35,540 when I don’t have other things that I want, 465 00:33:36,880 –> 00:33:39,660 but I have learned the secret of contentment 466 00:33:39,660 –> 00:33:44,660 because I have found that which is of greatest value, 467 00:33:46,380 –> 00:33:48,300 and isn’t this precisely what Jesus Christ 468 00:33:48,300 –> 00:33:49,239 offers to all of us? 469 00:33:49,239 –> 00:33:52,260 Come to me, he says, all you who are weary 470 00:33:52,260 –> 00:33:55,619 and heavy-laden, you’re chasing after the wind, 471 00:33:55,619 –> 00:33:57,459 and I will give you rest. 472 00:33:57,500 –> 00:34:00,260 Come to me, all you who are thirsty, 473 00:34:01,459 –> 00:34:05,099 and I will cause out of you to flow streams of living water. 474 00:34:08,379 –> 00:34:11,879 See, Christ offers more than a change of behavior. 475 00:34:13,580 –> 00:34:15,360 He offers a change of heart. 476 00:34:16,780 –> 00:34:19,379 He says, come to me and I will do something for you 477 00:34:19,379 –> 00:34:23,520 and in you that you can never do for yourself. 478 00:34:23,919 –> 00:34:28,540 Now, you do not need to be trapped in a life 479 00:34:29,679 –> 00:34:32,459 where you are always seeking and never finding. 480 00:34:35,379 –> 00:34:40,000 Seek and you will find, he says as he speaks of himself. 481 00:34:41,260 –> 00:34:43,419 Knock and it will be opened to you. 482 00:34:45,659 –> 00:34:47,899 Ask and you will receive. 483 00:34:49,840 –> 00:34:52,419 You see, when we come to Christ in this way, 484 00:34:52,439 –> 00:34:55,699 recognizing that our only hope is to embrace him 485 00:34:55,699 –> 00:34:58,699 who gives to us and is for us what we do not have 486 00:34:58,699 –> 00:35:02,879 and what we cannot be, then he puts his spirit within us. 487 00:35:02,879 –> 00:35:05,739 And you know where the Holy Spirit brings us? 488 00:35:08,939 –> 00:35:11,300 Back to the rock face. 489 00:35:14,459 –> 00:35:16,020 See, this is the wonderful promise 490 00:35:16,020 –> 00:35:17,459 that when we come to Christ, 491 00:35:17,459 –> 00:35:19,159 God will put his spirit within you. 492 00:35:19,159 –> 00:35:23,300 I will put, God says in Ezekiel, a new heart in you. 493 00:35:23,300 –> 00:35:25,399 I will put a new spirit in you. 494 00:35:25,399 –> 00:35:26,879 I will put my spirit in you. 495 00:35:26,879 –> 00:35:28,199 And I will do what? 496 00:35:28,199 –> 00:35:30,479 I’ll move you to follow my decrees. 497 00:35:33,040 –> 00:35:34,879 The spirit of God within you 498 00:35:34,879 –> 00:35:38,959 is the power by which you continue the climb. 499 00:35:40,040 –> 00:35:43,360 The strength with which you engage in the struggle. 500 00:35:44,760 –> 00:35:47,120 The spirit brings us back to the commandments. 501 00:35:47,120 –> 00:35:49,320 The spirit brings us back to the rock face. 502 00:35:49,320 –> 00:35:53,800 The spirit brings us back to live in his energy and power, 503 00:35:53,800 –> 00:35:57,159 the 10 greatest struggles of our lives. 504 00:35:59,239 –> 00:36:02,040 But if the Spirit of Jesus lives within you 505 00:36:02,040 –> 00:36:05,000 this will not be a matter of outward conformity. 506 00:36:05,000 –> 00:36:08,840 It will rather be that the deepest desire of your heart 507 00:36:08,840 –> 00:36:12,080 will be to live a life that reflects the character of God 508 00:36:12,080 –> 00:36:15,280 because truly you have come to love him. 509 00:36:17,780 –> 00:36:19,379 You say, that’s gonna be tough. 510 00:36:22,159 –> 00:36:23,139 It’ll be tough. 511 00:36:24,560 –> 00:36:28,179 It will be the greatest struggle of your life. 512 00:36:31,659 –> 00:36:34,580 But this is the challenge that God calls us to pursue. 513 00:36:37,159 –> 00:36:41,800 The question for one who has come to Christ 514 00:36:41,800 –> 00:36:45,520 and has received the gift of God’s spirit. 515 00:36:46,419 –> 00:36:50,179 The question is, is it possible? 516 00:36:53,139 –> 00:36:57,000 Now that takes me back to the Heidelberg Catechism, 517 00:36:57,899 –> 00:37:00,540 which we refer to at the very beginning of our series. 518 00:37:01,919 –> 00:37:04,100 I don’t know if you’d remember back this far, 519 00:37:05,040 –> 00:37:07,280 but the Heidelberg Catechism, a very wonderful statement 520 00:37:07,280 –> 00:37:10,159 that describes many aspects of the Christian faith 521 00:37:10,159 –> 00:37:12,459 in the form of questions and answers. 522 00:37:12,459 –> 00:37:16,179 In question 114 has this great question, 523 00:37:16,179 –> 00:37:21,179 Can those converted to God obey these commands perfectly? 524 00:37:21,459 –> 00:37:22,459 That’s the question. 525 00:37:23,379 –> 00:37:26,139 Okay, I’ve come to Christ, I’ve seen my need. 526 00:37:26,139 –> 00:37:27,879 I embrace the Savior. 527 00:37:27,879 –> 00:37:30,139 The Spirit of God now lives within me. 528 00:37:30,139 –> 00:37:32,260 I’m brought back to the rock face. 529 00:37:33,239 –> 00:37:38,239 Can those converted to God obey these commands perfectly? 530 00:37:38,959 –> 00:37:39,800 Answer, 531 00:37:41,679 –> 00:37:42,520 no. 532 00:37:44,580 –> 00:37:45,479 You say, we went through all of this 533 00:37:45,479 –> 00:37:47,280 this fall to get to there? 534 00:37:48,959 –> 00:37:50,260 No, that’s not the end of the answer, 535 00:37:50,260 –> 00:37:51,679 but it’s an important part. 536 00:37:51,679 –> 00:37:52,500 No. 537 00:37:54,679 –> 00:37:56,139 In this life, 538 00:37:57,120 –> 00:37:58,919 even the holiest 539 00:38:00,320 –> 00:38:04,179 have only a small beginning of this obedience. 540 00:38:05,139 –> 00:38:07,020 Nevertheless, 541 00:38:07,979 –> 00:38:11,939 they do begin to live according to all, 542 00:38:11,939 –> 00:38:15,840 not only some of God’s commandments. 543 00:38:15,840 –> 00:38:18,260 I have found that liberating, 544 00:38:21,159 –> 00:38:23,659 because what it’s telling me is this, 545 00:38:25,179 –> 00:38:28,260 I know I’m not perfectly pure, 546 00:38:30,239 –> 00:38:32,560 but in God’s grace and by his Spirit, 547 00:38:32,979 –> 00:38:35,780 I have the beginning of purity even in this life. 548 00:38:39,179 –> 00:38:42,840 You know that you don’t have perfect peace, 549 00:38:42,840 –> 00:38:44,479 that you are often troubled, 550 00:38:44,479 –> 00:38:47,399 but by the grace of God and through the Holy Spirit, 551 00:38:47,399 –> 00:38:50,939 you truly have the beginning of peace in this life. 552 00:38:51,979 –> 00:38:55,159 You have the beginning of integrity. 553 00:38:55,159 –> 00:38:57,000 You have the beginning of contentment, 554 00:38:57,000 –> 00:38:58,919 and it is a true beginning 555 00:38:58,919 –> 00:39:01,520 because it is a beginning that is born of God, 556 00:39:02,199 –> 00:39:05,179 and every day, the Spirit of God 557 00:39:05,179 –> 00:39:07,840 brings me back to this rock face, 558 00:39:07,840 –> 00:39:10,199 and there is the challenge and the opportunity 559 00:39:10,199 –> 00:39:12,719 to climb higher and for what has begun 560 00:39:12,719 –> 00:39:15,560 to increase and to grow and to develop within me. 561 00:39:15,560 –> 00:39:17,580 And sometimes I slip, 562 00:39:19,479 –> 00:39:22,520 and sometimes I may even fall off the wall, 563 00:39:22,520 –> 00:39:26,479 but if I do, I am held by the rope that is Christ 564 00:39:28,840 –> 00:39:31,120 so I can get back on the wall today 565 00:39:31,120 –> 00:39:33,919 and I can start climbing again, 566 00:39:35,959 –> 00:39:40,540 and one day, the climb will be over. 567 00:39:42,080 –> 00:39:46,639 One day, you will stand on the top of that great rock face, 568 00:39:48,000 –> 00:39:51,899 and what Christ has begun and grown in you 569 00:39:51,899 –> 00:39:55,600 through this life will, on that day, be complete. 570 00:39:56,300 –> 00:39:59,719 And not only will you be in his glory, 571 00:40:01,300 –> 00:40:06,219 but his glory will be in you.