1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Amen. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Amen. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Amen. 4 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:27,000 Testing, testing, testing, testing. Testing, testing. We're getting like a crazy hum on that. Testing, testing. I don't know if it's picking up background noise. 5 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Maybe. Check, check, check. Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. 6 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:16,000 Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. Testing, one, two, three. Testing, test, test, test, test. 7 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:29,000 ...in winter air and mountain rain combining. This icy course, both foul and fair, has a frozen harbor binding. 8 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:46,000 So cut through the heart, cold and clear. Strike for love and strike for fear. See the beauty sharp and sheer. Slip the ice apart and break the frozen heart. 9 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:58,000 Let it go. Oh, watch your step. Let it go. Beautiful, powerful, dangerous. Oh, nice as a magic can be controlled. 10 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:03,000 Stronger than one. Stronger than ten. Stronger than a hundred men. 11 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Ha! 12 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:16,000 Born of cold and winter rare. And mountain rain on fire. This harshly forceful, foul and clear. Has a frozen heart with mining. 13 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:27,000 Clap through the heart, cold and clear. Strike for love and strike for fear. The beauty and the danger here. Slip the ice apart. 14 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:32,000 Share the frozen heart. 15 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:37,000 Come on, Sven. 16 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:05,000 Let's pray. 17 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:20,000 The Spirit and the bride together testify. All things shall be made right. Amen. 18 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:37,000 The lost shall be restored. The grave shall be no more. And all the church will roar. Amen. 19 00:05:38,000 --> 00:06:04,000 Prepare the way the King is coming. In front of praise, the King is coming. The lost, the first, the living world, His glory shall return. 20 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:12,000 And we, prepare the way. 21 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:29,000 As light upon the earth, we wait for His return. Amen. 22 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:45,000 No fear of what's to come. Our hopes and in the one who said that it is done. Amen. 23 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:53,000 Prepare the way the King is coming. 24 00:06:55,000 --> 00:07:11,000 It blows. Our pain is coming. The last, the first, the living word, the glory shall renew. 25 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:20,000 We prepare the way. Jesus, we prepare the way. 26 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Jesus, we prepare the way. 27 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:48,000 The trumpet soon shall start. You ride upon the clouds. In every need of love. Amen. 28 00:07:49,000 --> 00:08:05,000 The honor and the faith. The glory, power and praise. Be unto Jesus' name. Amen. 29 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:18,000 Amen. Amen. Amen. 30 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Prepare the way the King is coming. 31 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:36,960 In the world of praise, the King is coming. 32 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:47,960 The last of us, the living words, the glory shall return. 33 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:57,000 The great I am, the Son of Man, the Lion and the Lamb. 34 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:05,000 The poor of the Son, who stands alone, in light will lead us home. 35 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:13,000 We prepare the way. 36 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:20,000 Jesus, we prepare the way. 37 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:28,000 Jesus, we prepare the way. 38 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Jesus, we prepare the way. 39 00:09:39,000 --> 00:10:08,980 Thank you. 40 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:30,880 Jesus, we prepare the way. Jesus, we prepare the way. 41 00:10:30,880 --> 00:10:38,760 Jesus, we prepare the way. 42 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:46,000 Jesus, we prepare the way. Amen. 43 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Amen. 44 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,000 Amen. 45 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Amen. 46 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:31,000 This morning, let me turn on my mic. We've got some folks out sick this morning, but we are glad that you are here with us on probably the coldest Sunday we've had in a long time. 47 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:41,000 So whether you are here with us or you're watching online, just a couple of reminders. There is communion and bulletins on the little stand as you come in. 48 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:51,000 The door inside the bulletin is a short sort of abbreviated sermon outline if you'd like to follow along with where we are in the Sermon on the Mount. 49 00:14:51,000 --> 00:15:04,000 Just a note: if you are watching online, we're missing a guy in the sound booth this morning. And so if there are audio issues, I text Derek, specifically that's to Rachel. 50 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:11,000 And we won't be able to do anything to fix it, but at least we'll know. So we are glad that you are here this morning. 51 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:19,000 So we are working our way through the Sermon on the Mount, and we're listening to Jesus. He calls us not just to outward obedience, 52 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:24,000 but to a deeper righteousness that comes from a transformed heart. 53 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:31,000 So I'm going to pray, and then we'll read from the 145th Psalm together. So let's pray. 54 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:42,000 Father in heaven, I thank you for your grace. I thank you for your provision. I thank you for your spirit who is at work in our lives. 55 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:49,000 I just ask that you would be with us this morning, that you would encourage those who are discouraged. 56 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:54,000 That you would comfort those who are mourning and in sorrow. 57 00:15:54,000 --> 00:16:01,000 That you would restore those whose lives and relationships are broken. 58 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:07,000 That you would encourage those who are discouraged with what lies in front of them. 59 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:20,000 That if, for us, life is good and feeling victorious, that you would fix our eyes towards you, and that you would bring us to you in an attitude of gratefulness for your provision. 60 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:29,000 So be with us this morning. Take care of us as we worship. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 61 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:34,000 If you would, let's go ahead and be standing. We're going to read from the 145th Psalm together. 62 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:41,000 It's actually where we ended up at the end of our service last week, and it's where we're going to open this morning. 63 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:42,000 So let's read together. 64 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:50,000 The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. 65 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:57,000 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 66 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:04,000 You open your hand. You satisfy the desire of every living thing. 67 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:11,000 The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works. 68 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:19,000 The Lord is near to those who call on Him, and to all who call on Him in truth. 69 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:21,000 This is the word of the Lord. 70 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:30,000 We're going to start by singing, "This is our God," and then we'll move into a time of assurance and forgiveness. 71 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:59,000 Remember those wars that we call sin and shame? They were like prisons that we couldn't escape. But He came, and He died, and He rose. Those wars are rubble now. 72 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:23,000 Remember those giants we call death and grave? They were like mountains that stood in our way. But He came, and He died, and He rose. Those giants are dead now. 73 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:39,000 This is our God. This is who He is. He loves us. This is our God. This is what He does. He saves us. 74 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:49,000 Born across, beat the grave. That hell and the propane. This is our God, King Jesus. 75 00:18:49,000 --> 00:19:07,000 The woman that fears and took a breath away. Faith so weak that we could barely pray. He heard every word, every whisper. 76 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:17,000 Now those alters in the wilderness tell the story of His faithfulness. 77 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:37,000 Never once did He fail, and He never will. This is our God, this is who He is. He loves us. This is our God, this is what He does. He saves us. 78 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:49,000 He bore the cross, beat the grave, and again in love broken. This is our God, King Jesus. 79 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:57,000 He pulled me out of that pit. He did. He did. Who paid for all of our sin? Nobody but Jesus. Who pulled me out of that pit? He did. He did. 80 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:15,000 Who paid for all of our sin? Nobody but Jesus. Who pulled me out of that pit? He did. He did. Who paid for all of our sin? Nobody but Jesus. 81 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:30,000 This is our God. This is who He is. He loves us. This is our God. This is what He does. He saves us. 82 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:48,000 For the cross, read the grave. Let heaven proclaim. This is our God. King Jesus. For the cross, read the grave. Let heaven proclaim. 83 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:52,000 This is our God. King Jesus. 84 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:26,000 The temple, the seraphim, each had six wings. With two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 85 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:34,000 And they called to one another and said, "Holy, holy, holy, the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory." 86 00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:43,000 And as Isaiah beholds the glory and the righteousness of God, his response is to see his own brokenness and sinfulness. 87 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:55,000 And he cries out, "I am lost! Woe is me! I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." 88 00:21:55,000 --> 00:22:00,000 We're going to sing, "Holy, holy, holy." 89 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:21,000 Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. 90 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:42,000 Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. 91 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:57,000 Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. 92 00:22:57,000 --> 00:23:22,000 Holy, holy, holy, holy, holy. All the saints adore Him. Casting down the golden crowns around the glassy sea. 93 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Children and seraphim falling down before me. Who was there not and ever more shall be? 94 00:23:49,000 --> 00:24:08,000 Holy, holy, holy, though the darkness hide me, though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see. 95 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:27,000 Only thou art holy, there is none beside me, but the temple in love and purity. 96 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:52,000 Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, all thy words shall praise thy name in love that sky will sing. 97 00:24:52,000 --> 00:25:02,000 Holy, holy, holy, blessed Lord Almighty, 98 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:13,000 God in repressive, blessed tracy. 99 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:19,000 You may be seated. 100 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:28,000 One of my favorite contrasts in the book of Ephesians 101 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:41,000 is in Ephesians chapter 2, where Paul describes the brokenness in which we once walked. He will say, "Following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, 102 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:51,000 the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all once lived, in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and mind, 103 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:56,000 and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind." 104 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:11,000 And then here's the contrast. "But God, being rich in mercy, and because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, and by grace you have been saved." 105 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:23,000 Let's pray. Father, as we come to you in repentance, as we come to you seeing your holiness and your glory, 106 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:30,000 we see our own unworthiness and our own brokenness. 107 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:37,000 We know that you are our only hope and our only strength and our only transformation. 108 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:41,000 So we thank you for the good news of the Gospel, and we thank you for Jesus. 109 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:48,000 And we thank you for forgiveness. We thank you for the gift of your Spirit. May you help us to walk in righteousness. 110 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:52,000 It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 111 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,000 As we prepare to come to the table, we're going to sing "Turn Your Eyes." 112 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:28,000 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. 113 00:27:28,000 --> 00:27:44,000 Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. 114 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:52,000 And the things of earth will grow strangely dim. 115 00:27:52,000 --> 00:28:10,000 In the light of His glory and grace. Turn your eyes to that hillside. 116 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:32,000 Where justice and mercy embrace. There the Son of God gave His life for us. And our measureless death was erased. 117 00:28:32,000 --> 00:29:00,000 Jesus, to You we lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our Christ. We adore You, behold You, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. 118 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:28,000 Jesus, to You, our Savior ever true. Turn your eyes to the morning and see Christ the lion away. What a glorious dawn 119 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:56,000 fear of death is gone, for we carry His life in our veins. Jesus, to You we lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our prize. We adore You, 120 00:29:56,000 --> 00:30:24,000 behold You, our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Turn your eyes to the heavens. Our King will return for His own. 121 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:52,000 Every knee will bow. Every tongue will shine. All glory to Jesus, Lord. Jesus, to You You lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our blood. 122 00:30:52,000 --> 00:31:20,000 We adore You. Behold You. Our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Jesus, to You You lift our eyes. Jesus, our glory and our blood. 123 00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:48,000 Our glory and our prize. We adore You. Behold You. Our Savior ever true. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. Oh, Jesus, we turn our eyes to You. 124 00:31:48,000 --> 00:32:16,000 It's pretty easy in life sometimes to do things halfway. Back before the weather was bad, and our family was sick, and the kids had a ton of appointments. I used to work out with Dave. Hopefully we'll be back to doing that again soon. And one of the things I like to do 125 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:44,000 is whenever he left the basement gym and came back, I'd be there. On the way it's going, "One thousand!" It's like, "Well, there's my set for the day. I've got it taken care of." Or if you've ever used the phrase, "Close enough for government work." Or when your parents are coming to visit, "I never did this," but you stuff everything in a closet so your house looks clean. We are oftentimes masters of making the outside and the surface look 126 00:32:44,000 --> 00:33:12,000 pretty well. And in Matthew chapter 5 and 6 and 7, Jesus is calling us to a righteousness that goes deeper. That's more than just the outward picture of doing good things and not doing bad things and looking really, really good. What Jesus is calling us to is a righteousness of the heart. And if we've had any experience in life, we know that that kind 127 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:40,000 of righteousness does not come very easily or naturally to us. And one of the reasons I think it is important for God's people to come to the table is to be reminded that our righteousness is not found in our own goodness, but it's found in the goodness of Christ. The one that 2 Corinthians chapter 5 said knew no sin, but he became sin so that 128 00:33:40,000 --> 00:34:08,000 in him we might become the righteousness of God. Last week we spent some time in the book of Ezekiel on our very snowy Sunday. And I would just remind you of these words from Ezekiel chapter 36. Maybe I have the wrong remote. Where Ezekiel says, "From God, I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove the heart 129 00:34:08,000 --> 00:34:36,000 of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and to be careful to obey my rules." And at this table we are reminded that that promise is fulfilled. Right? The bread reminds us that Christ has given his body for us. Right? Not just to sort of improve us or make us look better, but to redeem us completely. The cup reminds us that his blood 130 00:34:36,000 --> 00:35:04,000 His blood was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, cleansing us from the inside out. When we eat and we drink, we are not declaring our own righteousness or goodness. We are declaring that we belong to Jesus. That our hope is not in our righteousness, but in His. And as we come to Him, He continues to work in us. He softens what is hard in our hearts. He heals what is broken. 131 00:35:04,000 --> 00:35:22,000 He shapes our hearts to look more and more like what He intends us to be. So we come to the table, not because we are perfect, but because we know the One who is. And so we come hungry, and with repentance, and trusting the One who gives us a new heart. Let's pray. 132 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:32,000 Father, we thank You that You have taken our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh, that You have given us Your Spirit, and You have done so through Your Son, 133 00:35:32,000 --> 00:36:00,000 giving Himself in our place. As we remember this sacrifice, as we eat the bread, and we drink the cup, remembering His broken body and His blood that was poured out for us, may we first of all see the weight of our brokenness. And may we see the glorious reality of Your forgiveness and redemption in the cross. May we see the hope that lays ahead 134 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:28,000 all of us as Jesus has conquered death and sin and all of our fears. We ask that You bless this bread and bless this cup. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. If you would take the bread with me, as Jesus shares with His disciples and says, "Do this in remembrance of me." If you would take this cup, the new covenant in the blood of Christ, let's remember Him together. 135 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:56,000 And as often as we eat this bread and we drink this cup, we proclaim Jesus until He comes again. At this point in our service, what we're going to do is we're going to dismiss the kids to Children's Church. Miss Tiffany and Miss Susan are downstairs and they're ready for you. And then we up here are going to begin to move into our time of prayer. 136 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:02,000 And so I'll have Russell come and lead us in prayer. 137 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:55,980 Thank you. 138 00:37:56,000 --> 00:38:25,980 Thank you. 139 00:38:26,000 --> 00:38:55,980 Let's pray. 140 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:25,980 Let's pray. 141 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:55,980 Let's pray. 142 00:54:26,000 --> 00:54:55,980 Jesus said, "Follow me." Let's pray. 143 00:54:56,000 --> 00:54:58,000 Amen. 144 00:55:26,000 --> 00:55:28,000 Amen. 145 00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:58,000 Amen. 146 00:58:56,000 --> 00:59:24,000 . . . . . 147 00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:32,000 "For must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." This is God's Word. 148 00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:46,000 So these verses, they're long. They take a while to read through and have been the source of struggle and debate, because Jesus says some difficult things. 149 00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:52,000 Some difficult things that are difficult culturally. They may be difficult in terms of what we already believe. 150 00:59:52,000 --> 01:00:01,000 They may be difficult in terms of our personal life situations. Some of this is helpful, some of it's hard, some of it's confronting. 151 01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:07,000 Some of us are a little bit like Jacob, as he goes to meet Esau and meets the angel of the Lord in the middle of the night, 152 01:00:07,000 --> 01:00:16,000 Jesus, and begins to wrestle with him. And when you read commentaries on this section, there is a lot that comes through that's sort of like, 153 01:00:16,000 --> 01:00:26,000 "Yes, but..." I know what Jesus says, but what he really means, and we try to qualify Jesus' words, because when we hear these words, 154 01:00:26,000 --> 01:00:35,000 we struggle with righteousness. So I thought a lot about how to deal with this text. Each of these six examples that Jesus walks through, 155 01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:42,000 this text could be a sermon, but more likely a series, right? In a culture of outrage, let's not just talk about murder, 156 01:00:42,000 --> 01:00:53,000 but let's talk about what unchecked anger ultimately does. In a culture that's filled with lust, as an entire industry, 157 01:00:53,000 --> 01:00:59,000 more than a hundred billion dollars, the pornography industry is more than a hundred billion dollar industry, 158 01:00:59,000 --> 01:01:06,000 bigger than all of the major sports combined. Lust being used in advertisement, entertainment, huge problem. 159 01:01:06,000 --> 01:01:11,000 Let's talk about marriage, and what it means, and what do we expect, and what is God's design for, 160 01:01:11,000 --> 01:01:22,000 about words, and oaths, and how your life is speech, and your obedience should be your yes and your no. 161 01:01:22,000 --> 01:01:28,000 Let's talk about retaliation. And loving your enemies. Each one of these couldn't just be a simple sermon, 162 01:01:28,000 --> 01:01:35,000 but we could spend an entire series on each one of these. And so what I want to do this morning is not necessarily 163 01:01:35,000 --> 01:01:42,000 unpack every verse or every controversy or every little bit of this text. I want to give you an overview 164 01:01:42,000 --> 01:01:51,000 because I think sometimes we miss the righteousness that we are called to. You see, Jesus in this, very 165 01:01:51,000 --> 01:01:59,000 specifically, he is calling us to righteousness. And you can't mistake this, I think, throughout this text 166 01:01:59,000 --> 01:02:04,000 is that Jesus' purpose in saying this, he says, "Here's what that righteousness looks like. 167 01:02:04,000 --> 01:02:10,000 The righteousness that ultimately the Beatitudes lead to, that can lead to cultural opposition. 168 01:02:10,000 --> 01:02:17,000 The righteousness that must be greater than the scribes and the Pharisees." Listen to how it comes 169 01:02:17,000 --> 01:02:22,000 through this sermon. "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the 170 01:02:22,000 --> 01:02:28,000 kingdom of heaven." Right? The Beatitudes lead us to righteousness, and Jesus' next words tell us not 171 01:02:28,000 --> 01:02:33,000 just the importance, but warn us of both the passive and the active struggles. If the salt 172 01:02:33,000 --> 01:02:38,000 loses its saltiness, right, there is a sense where we can sort of put righteousness 173 01:02:38,000 --> 01:02:43,000 in the corner, deprioritize it, and it sort of disappears from our life. But in the same 174 01:02:43,000 --> 01:02:50,000 way, we also face cultural opposition, and it's very easy to hide our light under a basket. And 175 01:02:50,000 --> 01:02:55,000 so Jesus will say this, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see 176 01:02:55,000 --> 01:03:02,000 your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven." And Jesus says this very startling 177 01:03:02,000 --> 01:03:06,000 thing. "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and 178 01:03:06,000 --> 01:03:11,000 Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." And that's at the very beginning. 179 01:03:11,000 --> 01:03:14,000 Right before we read this morning, that's what Jesus said, "Your righteousness must 180 01:03:14,000 --> 01:03:19,000 exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees." And the last verse of our text is this, "You 181 01:03:19,000 --> 01:03:28,000 therefore must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." So in between 182 01:03:28,000 --> 01:03:33,000 verse 20 and verse 48, there are six examples of deeper righteousness. And there 183 01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:39,000 can be no misunderstanding. And it's easy as we look at these pictures of 184 01:03:39,000 --> 01:03:45,000 righteousness, simply to see them as a contrast between the law of Moses and the 185 01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:49,000 words of Christ. There's a pretty easily seen pattern that you may have picked up 186 01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:54,000 on as I read through it. Jesus will say, "You have heard it said, 187 01:03:54,000 --> 01:04:00,000 said, you have read, you have heard it said of old," and then he'll insert, for 188 01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:09,000 example, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery," these kinds of things. And then he will say, "But 189 01:04:09,000 --> 01:04:14,000 I say to you," and then you insert sort of a deepening and widening of that command. 190 01:04:14,000 --> 01:04:19,000 And it's easy just to simply look through this entire text and go, "Jesus is just 191 01:04:19,000 --> 01:04:23,000 contrasting the law of Moses with the way in which he calls us to walk." There's a way 192 01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:28,000 that people could walk, there's a way they should walk, and we want to walk like 193 01:04:28,000 --> 01:04:33,000 Jesus. But I want you to see something deeper here. Jesus is not only 194 01:04:33,000 --> 01:04:38,000 contrasting the external part of righteousness, the actions, with the 195 01:04:38,000 --> 01:04:44,000 internal part, the heart righteousness. He's also in this text, and in almost 196 01:04:44,000 --> 01:04:47,000 every one of these, some is very obvious, some you have to dig a little deeper, but 197 01:04:47,000 --> 01:04:52,000 he's sort of showing us a diagnosis. And so, for example, he'll say, "There's a 198 01:04:52,000 --> 01:04:56,000 symptom, and that symptom is murder." But murder isn't the ultimate 199 01:04:56,000 --> 01:05:00,000 problem. Underlying murder is a hatred and 200 01:05:00,000 --> 01:05:04,000 unforgiveness and anger and insults that fill your heart. 201 01:05:04,000 --> 01:05:07,000 And so, if you want to get rid of this symptom, which is murder, 202 01:05:07,000 --> 01:05:12,000 you have to deal with the actual diagnosis, which is the 203 01:05:12,000 --> 01:05:15,000 anger and unforgiveness that fills your heart, and there is a treatment. 204 01:05:15,000 --> 01:05:19,000 He says, "Reconciliation." Right? Even if it's your 205 01:05:19,000 --> 01:05:23,000 brother's problem, if you're standing at the altar and your 206 01:05:23,000 --> 01:05:27,000 brother has a problem with you, you go to him, leave your gift 207 01:05:27,000 --> 01:05:31,000 there, walk out, go deal with it, and come back. 208 01:05:31,000 --> 01:05:35,000 You see, there is a pattern that runs through 209 01:05:35,000 --> 01:05:39,000 these where Jesus will show us the symptom. 210 01:05:39,000 --> 01:05:43,000 He'll deal with the heart cause of it, and then he'll help us 211 01:05:43,000 --> 01:05:47,000 to get back on track with righteousness. And in some cases 212 01:05:47,000 --> 01:05:51,000 there's a bit of extra wisdom or extra benefit. This happens 213 01:05:51,000 --> 01:05:55,000 with lust. Adultery is the symptom. The diagnosis is the lust. The treatment 214 01:05:55,000 --> 01:05:59,000 is to get as far away from you as possible, like Joseph. Leave your coat 215 01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:03,000 and get out of town. Head for the hills. 216 01:06:03,000 --> 01:06:07,000 Divorce is the symptom. The diagnosis is treating marriage 217 01:06:07,000 --> 01:06:11,000 in a small and flippant way. And the solution, Jesus says, is 218 01:06:11,000 --> 01:06:15,000 stop doing it. Speech, oaths, loving your enemies, 219 01:06:15,000 --> 01:06:19,000 and retaliation. It all goes sort of hand in hand. 220 01:06:19,000 --> 01:06:23,000 Jesus isn't just going, "There's a way you were told, and now I'm showing you a different 221 01:06:23,000 --> 01:06:27,000 way that's a little deeper and a little wider." But he's saying, "The law 222 01:06:27,000 --> 01:06:31,000 diagnoses the symptoms of your heart, and now 223 01:06:31,000 --> 01:06:35,000 let's dive into your heart, and let's work on bringing that 224 01:06:35,000 --> 01:06:39,000 into righteousness." Jesus is saying this. He's going to deal with your 225 01:06:39,000 --> 01:06:43,000 heart, but not alone. 226 01:06:43,000 --> 01:06:47,000 And so what we find, first of all, is there is a symptom 227 01:06:47,000 --> 01:06:51,000 that's sort of general to all of us. And it's simply this. 228 01:06:51,000 --> 01:06:55,000 We minimize righteousness. Think about how we approach 229 01:06:55,000 --> 01:06:59,000 laws. Probably most of us, whether we admit it or not, some laws are a little 230 01:06:59,000 --> 01:07:03,000 more binding than other laws. Maybe 231 01:07:03,000 --> 01:07:07,000 speed limits. Maybe inspections on your cars. 232 01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:11,000 I mean, I don't know. In the early 2000s, there was a thing 233 01:07:11,000 --> 01:07:13,000 that played before every movie in a theater 234 01:07:13,000 --> 01:07:15,000 and on DVDs, and it's like, 235 01:07:15,000 --> 01:07:17,000 "Well, you wouldn't steal a car. 236 01:07:17,000 --> 01:07:19,000 You wouldn't take a purse. Why would 237 01:07:19,000 --> 01:07:21,000 you download a movie off the internet?" 238 01:07:21,000 --> 01:07:23,000 And I'm going, "Well, I might do those 239 01:07:23,000 --> 01:07:25,000 things." But what they were doing is saying 240 01:07:25,000 --> 01:07:27,000 that these things are as bad 241 01:07:27,000 --> 01:07:29,000 as other things. We have a tendency to look 242 01:07:29,000 --> 01:07:31,000 at different sins and different righteousness 243 01:07:31,000 --> 01:07:33,000 and sort of establish 244 01:07:33,000 --> 01:07:35,000 maybe a badness value 245 01:07:35,000 --> 01:07:37,000 and go, "Well, at least I don't 246 01:07:37,000 --> 01:07:39,000 do that." And maybe the issue is 247 01:07:39,000 --> 01:07:41,000 comparison. 248 01:07:41,000 --> 01:07:43,000 Maybe the idea is 249 01:07:43,000 --> 01:07:45,000 we minimize it. It's not as bad 250 01:07:45,000 --> 01:07:47,000 as we think. Or we justify it. 251 01:07:47,000 --> 01:07:49,000 There's a reason for this. 252 01:07:49,000 --> 01:07:51,000 Or maybe 253 01:07:51,000 --> 01:07:53,000 we hide our sin. 254 01:07:53,000 --> 01:07:55,000 Jesus will talk about this later. 255 01:07:55,000 --> 01:07:57,000 The Pharisees are like these whitewashed cups. 256 01:07:57,000 --> 01:07:59,000 Like a coffee cup 257 01:07:59,000 --> 01:08:01,000 sitting on a desk. I don't know anything about that because 258 01:08:01,000 --> 01:08:03,000 I immediately return all my coffee cups, 259 01:08:03,000 --> 01:08:05,000 right, Debbie, to the kitchen 260 01:08:05,000 --> 01:08:07,000 to be cleaned. Never leave them on my desk. 261 01:08:07,000 --> 01:08:09,000 A coffee cup looks clean on the outside 262 01:08:09,000 --> 01:08:11,000 until you look inside, and it's just 263 01:08:11,000 --> 01:08:13,000 it's been there for a while. 264 01:08:13,000 --> 01:08:15,000 You see, this list 265 01:08:15,000 --> 01:08:17,000 in many ways 266 01:08:17,000 --> 01:08:19,000 is a self-diagnosis. 267 01:08:19,000 --> 01:08:21,000 Because we tend to look at this list 268 01:08:21,000 --> 01:08:23,000 and for me, I go, "Well, I haven't murdered anybody." 269 01:08:23,000 --> 01:08:25,000 And Jesus goes, "Yeah, but 270 01:08:25,000 --> 01:08:27,000 where's your heart in terms of anger 271 01:08:27,000 --> 01:08:29,000 and unforgiveness?" 272 01:08:29,000 --> 01:08:33,000 And maybe we go, 273 01:08:33,000 --> 01:08:35,000 trying to justify, "Well, it's not my fault. It's their 274 01:08:35,000 --> 01:08:37,000 fault." The same is true 275 01:08:37,000 --> 01:08:39,000 for adultery and for lust. 276 01:08:39,000 --> 01:08:41,000 And sometimes our 277 01:08:41,000 --> 01:08:43,000 hiding isn't just being sneaky. 278 01:08:43,000 --> 01:08:45,000 It's a culturally 279 01:08:45,000 --> 01:08:47,000 accepted way of excusing 280 01:08:47,000 --> 01:08:49,000 sin. Right? That's what's happening 281 01:08:49,000 --> 01:08:51,000 in Jesus' day with his 282 01:08:51,000 --> 01:08:53,000 teaching on divorce 283 01:08:53,000 --> 01:08:55,000 in this text. 284 01:08:55,000 --> 01:08:57,000 Right? There were people in that day using 285 01:08:57,000 --> 01:08:59,000 the law as a way 286 01:08:59,000 --> 01:09:01,000 to sin while still looking 287 01:09:01,000 --> 01:09:03,000 righteously. 288 01:09:03,000 --> 01:09:05,000 And what Jesus does 289 01:09:05,000 --> 01:09:07,000 as he confronts our heart, is he doesn't 290 01:09:07,000 --> 01:09:09,000 allow us to minimize our sin. He doesn't 291 01:09:09,000 --> 01:09:11,000 allow us to hide it. He doesn't allow 292 01:09:11,000 --> 01:09:13,000 us to assign a value 293 01:09:13,000 --> 01:09:15,000 to it. He confronts us with 294 01:09:15,000 --> 01:09:17,000 words that are difficult. And so as you 295 01:09:17,000 --> 01:09:19,000 hear the words of Jesus, you go, 296 01:09:19,000 --> 01:09:21,000 "Man, I don't know about that." 297 01:09:21,000 --> 01:09:23,000 Right? Sometimes 298 01:09:23,000 --> 01:09:25,000 that's the rock of the Word of 299 01:09:25,000 --> 01:09:27,000 God confronting a hard heart that needs 300 01:09:27,000 --> 01:09:29,000 to be softened. 301 01:09:29,000 --> 01:09:33,000 Jesus, first of all, diagnoses our problems 302 01:09:33,000 --> 01:09:35,000 that we tend to minimize righteousness. 303 01:09:35,000 --> 01:09:37,000 And then he begins 304 01:09:37,000 --> 01:09:39,000 to diagnose. The problem 305 01:09:39,000 --> 01:09:41,000 is we make sin small, and so 306 01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:43,000 he says the real issue is, first of all, 307 01:09:43,000 --> 01:09:45,000 sin is big, and secondly, 308 01:09:45,000 --> 01:09:47,000 it's in your hearts. 309 01:09:47,000 --> 01:09:49,000 The issue here isn't simply the practice 310 01:09:49,000 --> 01:09:51,000 of external sin. It's the 311 01:09:51,000 --> 01:09:53,000 sinful heart that bears sinful 312 01:09:53,000 --> 01:09:55,000 fruit, right? Murder, lust, 313 01:09:55,000 --> 01:09:57,000 problems in our marriages, speech, 314 01:09:57,000 --> 01:09:59,000 attitudes, actions toward our 315 01:09:59,000 --> 01:10:01,000 enemies. The real problem 316 01:10:01,000 --> 01:10:03,000 is sin that's rooted in our hearts, right? 317 01:10:03,000 --> 01:10:05,000 This is what we just talked about. The cup that's 318 01:10:05,000 --> 01:10:07,000 dirty on the inside. 319 01:10:07,000 --> 01:10:09,000 And here's the reality. Many of us, when we come to 320 01:10:09,000 --> 01:10:11,000 sin, 321 01:10:11,000 --> 01:10:13,000 we don't ever deal with the roots of sin. 322 01:10:13,000 --> 01:10:15,000 We like to prune sin. Right? Cut it 323 01:10:15,000 --> 01:10:17,000 back so it looks acceptable. 324 01:10:17,000 --> 01:10:19,000 We grew up with a lot of apple trees 325 01:10:19,000 --> 01:10:21,000 in our backyard, and if you want the apples to 326 01:10:21,000 --> 01:10:23,000 produce, there are branches 327 01:10:23,000 --> 01:10:25,000 that grow with no fruit, 328 01:10:25,000 --> 01:10:27,000 but they're also unsightly. 329 01:10:27,000 --> 01:10:29,000 So you gotta come in and prune. And a lot of us 330 01:10:29,000 --> 01:10:31,000 are expert sin pruners 331 01:10:31,000 --> 01:10:33,000 in our hearts. We take away those unsightly 332 01:10:33,000 --> 01:10:35,000 branches. 333 01:10:35,000 --> 01:10:37,000 You know what the problem is with pruning? 334 01:10:37,000 --> 01:10:39,000 Is that what happens next 335 01:10:39,000 --> 01:10:41,000 year, those unsightly branches just 336 01:10:41,000 --> 01:10:43,000 pop back up again, right? There's really only one way 337 01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:45,000 to deal with it. 338 01:10:45,000 --> 01:10:47,000 Is you have to deal with the root 339 01:10:47,000 --> 01:10:49,000 of the problem. And so many 340 01:10:49,000 --> 01:10:51,000 of us often seek to prune the 341 01:10:51,000 --> 01:10:53,000 appearance of sin rather than dealing with the depths 342 01:10:53,000 --> 01:10:55,000 of it, right? It's far easier 343 01:10:55,000 --> 01:10:57,000 for me not to murder than 344 01:10:57,000 --> 01:10:59,000 it is for me to forgive and reconcile. 345 01:10:59,000 --> 01:11:01,000 It's far easier 346 01:11:01,000 --> 01:11:03,000 to do the bare minimum, carrying the 347 01:11:03,000 --> 01:11:05,000 Roman's bag. That's the context of 348 01:11:05,000 --> 01:11:07,000 going the extra mile. 349 01:11:07,000 --> 01:11:09,000 And to do so with resentment 350 01:11:09,000 --> 01:11:11,000 in my heart than to put my heart in it. 351 01:11:11,000 --> 01:11:13,000 It's very easy to let society 352 01:11:13,000 --> 01:11:15,000 set the standard for righteousness, 353 01:11:15,000 --> 01:11:17,000 and that's what Jesus gets at with love. 354 01:11:17,000 --> 01:11:19,000 It's easy for us to love 355 01:11:19,000 --> 01:11:21,000 those who love us. 356 01:11:21,000 --> 01:11:23,000 Very different situation 357 01:11:23,000 --> 01:11:25,000 when it's your enemies. 358 01:11:25,000 --> 01:11:27,000 Right? This is all more than action. 359 01:11:27,000 --> 01:11:29,000 It's the center of our being. 360 01:11:29,000 --> 01:11:31,000 The real issue with righteousness is not 361 01:11:31,000 --> 01:11:33,000 that you do sinful things. It's that you are 362 01:11:33,000 --> 01:11:35,000 a sinful person. 363 01:11:35,000 --> 01:11:37,000 That's what Paul 364 01:11:37,000 --> 01:11:39,000 says in Ephesians 365 01:11:39,000 --> 01:11:41,000 chapter 2. 366 01:11:41,000 --> 01:11:43,000 And so Jesus, first of all, as he gives 367 01:11:43,000 --> 01:11:45,000 us this list, as we're sort of flying 368 01:11:45,000 --> 01:11:47,000 over broadly, he says that we tend to minimize 369 01:11:47,000 --> 01:11:49,000 sin. He doesn't allow us 370 01:11:49,000 --> 01:11:51,000 to do that. He then diagnoses that the problem 371 01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:53,000 is the sin in the depths of our heart. 372 01:11:53,000 --> 01:11:55,000 And the treatment, I think, is two-fold. 373 01:11:55,000 --> 01:11:57,000 The first one 374 01:11:57,000 --> 01:11:59,000 is this: the city uprooted. 375 01:11:59,000 --> 01:12:01,000 Not simply pruned, but uprooted. 376 01:12:01,000 --> 01:12:03,000 And I've shared this 377 01:12:03,000 --> 01:12:05,000 with some of you before, but our 378 01:12:05,000 --> 01:12:07,000 neighbors, back on the other side of the fence 379 01:12:07,000 --> 01:12:09,000 it's like three neighbors ago. 380 01:12:09,000 --> 01:12:11,000 In fact, they lived there when I first moved 381 01:12:11,000 --> 01:12:13,000 here back in 2004. 382 01:12:13,000 --> 01:12:15,000 They had a giant mimosa tree. 383 01:12:15,000 --> 01:12:17,000 And for a lot of years it was alive, and then it died 384 01:12:17,000 --> 01:12:19,000 and it was still there, and finally got cut down. 385 01:12:19,000 --> 01:12:21,000 And the crazy thing about 386 01:12:21,000 --> 01:12:23,000 mimosa trees, and I'd 387 01:12:23,000 --> 01:12:25,000 never heard of a mimosa tree before moving to 388 01:12:25,000 --> 01:12:27,000 Virginia, is that 389 01:12:27,000 --> 01:12:29,000 they can send out their roots like 30 390 01:12:29,000 --> 01:12:31,000 to 50 feet. And the way that they are 391 01:12:31,000 --> 01:12:33,000 so invasive is 392 01:12:33,000 --> 01:12:35,000 those roots anywhere can pop up mimosa 393 01:12:35,000 --> 01:12:37,000 trees. And I think I shared a couple years 394 01:12:37,000 --> 01:12:39,000 ago that the tree had been dead for like 395 01:12:39,000 --> 01:12:41,000 10 years, but those roots are still producing 396 01:12:41,000 --> 01:12:43,000 mimosa trees. And we had gone 397 01:12:43,000 --> 01:12:45,000 through our driveway, and I think Derek helped us out 398 01:12:45,000 --> 01:12:47,000 with this. And we cut down like 25 399 01:12:47,000 --> 01:12:49,000 mimosa trees. Everything from little 400 01:12:49,000 --> 01:12:51,000 sprouts to one that was like this big 401 01:12:51,000 --> 01:12:53,000 around. And guess what? 402 01:12:53,000 --> 01:12:55,000 Next spring came, 25 403 01:12:55,000 --> 01:12:57,000 more mimosa trees. I don't even know how many there 404 01:12:57,000 --> 01:12:59,000 were this year. The neighbor kids all 405 01:12:59,000 --> 01:13:01,000 and our kids went out and built 406 01:13:01,000 --> 01:13:03,000 a shelter out of mimosa tree branches 407 01:13:03,000 --> 01:13:05,000 that they cut down. And 408 01:13:05,000 --> 01:13:07,000 the problem is 409 01:13:07,000 --> 01:13:09,000 not that they keep popping out and we cut them down. 410 01:13:09,000 --> 01:13:11,000 The problem is that root system 411 01:13:11,000 --> 01:13:13,000 that spreads out somewhere between 30 412 01:13:13,000 --> 01:13:15,000 and 50 feet from where the center of that tree 413 01:13:15,000 --> 01:13:17,000 was. And as long 414 01:13:17,000 --> 01:13:19,000 as that root system is there 415 01:13:19,000 --> 01:13:21,000 and alive, those 416 01:13:21,000 --> 01:13:23,000 little mimosa trees are going to keep popping 417 01:13:23,000 --> 01:13:25,000 up over and over 418 01:13:25,000 --> 01:13:27,000 and over again. The same 419 01:13:27,000 --> 01:13:29,000 is true with your heart. You can 420 01:13:29,000 --> 01:13:31,000 cut out the visual 421 01:13:31,000 --> 01:13:33,000 sin as much as you want, 422 01:13:33,000 --> 01:13:35,000 but until you deal with 423 01:13:35,000 --> 01:13:37,000 the depth of the root 424 01:13:37,000 --> 01:13:39,000 of your sin, 425 01:13:39,000 --> 01:13:41,000 that's a big part of the contrast 426 01:13:41,000 --> 01:13:43,000 that Jesus makes. That 427 01:13:43,000 --> 01:13:45,000 easily seen pattern where he says, 428 01:13:45,000 --> 01:13:47,000 "You have heard," and then we can insert 429 01:13:47,000 --> 01:13:49,000 that sin there, and then he says, 430 01:13:49,000 --> 01:13:51,000 "But I say to you," when Jesus 431 01:13:51,000 --> 01:13:53,000 does that, he's deepening and widening 432 01:13:53,000 --> 01:13:55,000 these commandments, and it's a 433 01:13:55,000 --> 01:13:57,000 direct attack on the sin that's 434 01:13:57,000 --> 01:13:59,000 rooted in our hearts. He's saying, 435 01:13:59,000 --> 01:14:01,000 "You have heard how to deal 436 01:14:01,000 --> 01:14:03,000 with the symptoms. Now, 437 01:14:03,000 --> 01:14:05,000 let me show you how to tear those 438 01:14:05,000 --> 01:14:07,000 roots up." And it's only possible 439 01:14:07,000 --> 01:14:09,000 by the grace of God. 440 01:14:09,000 --> 01:14:11,000 Right? You've got to uproot your anger. 441 01:14:11,000 --> 01:14:13,000 You've got to uproot your lust. 442 01:14:13,000 --> 01:14:15,000 You've got to dig down 443 01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:19,000 into the selfishness 444 01:14:19,000 --> 01:14:21,000 that impacts our 445 01:14:21,000 --> 01:14:23,000 families, our marriages, 446 01:14:23,000 --> 01:14:25,000 that impacts our words 447 01:14:25,000 --> 01:14:27,000 and our treatment of others. 448 01:14:27,000 --> 01:14:29,000 To not just 449 01:14:29,000 --> 01:14:31,000 speak firmly, but live firmly. 450 01:14:31,000 --> 01:14:33,000 Not just doing the bare minimum, 451 01:14:33,000 --> 01:14:35,000 but going the extra mile, because your heart 452 01:14:35,000 --> 01:14:37,000 has been transformed, and that bitterness 453 01:14:37,000 --> 01:14:39,000 has been rooted out. And so, first 454 01:14:39,000 --> 01:14:41,000 of all, that bitterness 455 01:14:41,000 --> 01:14:43,000 and that sin 456 01:14:43,000 --> 01:14:45,000 must be uprooted. 457 01:14:45,000 --> 01:14:47,000 Now, often times, 458 01:14:47,000 --> 01:14:49,000 that's kind of where we stop. 459 01:14:49,000 --> 01:14:51,000 Let me get in there, and let me dig out 460 01:14:51,000 --> 01:14:53,000 the sin that has been rooted 461 01:14:53,000 --> 01:14:55,000 in my heart. The problem is, 462 01:14:55,000 --> 01:14:57,000 that only works temporarily. 463 01:14:57,000 --> 01:14:59,000 Remember, Jesus talks about a man 464 01:14:59,000 --> 01:15:01,000 who had a demon cast out 465 01:15:01,000 --> 01:15:03,000 of him, and the house was clean and put in order. 466 01:15:03,000 --> 01:15:05,000 And that demon went out and roamed 467 01:15:05,000 --> 01:15:07,000 around and finally came back and found the house 468 01:15:07,000 --> 01:15:09,000 and it was empty. It was all 469 01:15:09,000 --> 01:15:11,000 swept and cleaned up, and so he gets his worst friends 470 01:15:11,000 --> 01:15:13,000 and moves back in. The reality 471 01:15:13,000 --> 01:15:15,000 is that it is not enough to 472 01:15:15,000 --> 01:15:17,000 uproot the sin, that it 473 01:15:17,000 --> 01:15:19,000 must be replaced 474 01:15:19,000 --> 01:15:21,000 with something else. 475 01:15:21,000 --> 01:15:23,000 That 476 01:15:23,000 --> 01:15:25,000 sin isn't simply removing 477 01:15:25,000 --> 01:15:27,000 it from our lives, but something else must 478 01:15:27,000 --> 01:15:29,000 be present. 479 01:15:29,000 --> 01:15:31,000 Thomas Chalmers writes 480 01:15:31,000 --> 01:15:33,000 a wonderful sermon. I encourage you to go look up the PDF and read it. 481 01:15:33,000 --> 01:15:35,000 The expulsive power of a new affection. 482 01:15:35,000 --> 01:15:37,000 He's a Puritan 483 01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:39,000 and his premise is simply this: 484 01:15:39,000 --> 01:15:41,000 that the only way we truly change 485 01:15:41,000 --> 01:15:43,000 is for sin to be displaced 486 01:15:43,000 --> 01:15:45,000 by the affection 487 01:15:45,000 --> 01:15:47,000 for something greater. 488 01:15:47,000 --> 01:15:49,000 Listen to how 489 01:15:49,000 --> 01:15:51,000 Jesus ends 490 01:15:51,000 --> 01:15:53,000 this last part. He says, "Therefore 491 01:15:53,000 --> 01:15:55,000 you must be perfect as your heavenly Father 492 01:15:55,000 --> 01:15:57,000 is perfect." 493 01:15:57,000 --> 01:15:59,000 This is a 494 01:15:59,000 --> 01:16:01,000 pretty difficult set of words. 495 01:16:01,000 --> 01:16:03,000 Right? So difficult 496 01:16:03,000 --> 01:16:05,000 that we often try to explain these 497 01:16:05,000 --> 01:16:07,000 away, or dismiss them, 498 01:16:07,000 --> 01:16:09,000 or say, "That's not 499 01:16:09,000 --> 01:16:11,000 what Jesus really meant," which is just another 500 01:16:11,000 --> 01:16:13,000 way of saying what the serpent said in the garden 501 01:16:13,000 --> 01:16:15,000 is that, "Did God really say 502 01:16:15,000 --> 01:16:17,000 that?" 503 01:16:17,000 --> 01:16:19,000 So instead of doing that, 504 01:16:19,000 --> 01:16:21,000 instead of dismissing, let's see how these 505 01:16:21,000 --> 01:16:23,000 words replace 506 01:16:23,000 --> 01:16:25,000 that uprooted sin in our 507 01:16:25,000 --> 01:16:27,000 heart. Let's take 508 01:16:27,000 --> 01:16:29,000 this as what Jesus says. Let's take it 509 01:16:29,000 --> 01:16:31,000 based value. A call to 510 01:16:31,000 --> 01:16:33,000 live in the same way that our Heavenly Father 511 01:16:33,000 --> 01:16:35,000 lives. 512 01:16:35,000 --> 01:16:37,000 The same standard, the same righteousness, 513 01:16:37,000 --> 01:16:39,000 and the heart 514 01:16:39,000 --> 01:16:41,000 surgery that is necessary. 515 01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:43,000 So before we do that, 516 01:16:43,000 --> 01:16:45,000 rather than just taking it as a whole, what I want 517 01:16:45,000 --> 01:16:47,000 to do is kind of go right to the middle 518 01:16:47,000 --> 01:16:49,000 of this. 519 01:16:49,000 --> 01:16:51,000 And it's not in the middle in terms of the text, 520 01:16:51,000 --> 01:16:53,000 but it is, I think, in terms of our understanding 521 01:16:53,000 --> 01:16:55,000 the text. It's just two words: Heavenly 522 01:16:55,000 --> 01:16:57,000 Father. 523 01:16:57,000 --> 01:16:59,000 Jesus uses the word Father 524 01:16:59,000 --> 01:17:03,000 in this sermon, it's been like 15 times. 525 01:17:03,000 --> 01:17:05,000 Over and over in these three chapters, 526 01:17:05,000 --> 01:17:07,000 Jesus talks about our Father, our Heavenly Father. 527 01:17:07,000 --> 01:17:09,000 He's talking about God, the Father. 528 01:17:09,000 --> 01:17:11,000 Let's get some context 529 01:17:11,000 --> 01:17:13,000 as to what Jesus says 530 01:17:13,000 --> 01:17:15,000 about our Heavenly Father. 531 01:17:15,000 --> 01:17:17,000 In the very next chapter, 532 01:17:17,000 --> 01:17:19,000 He's going to talk about how those who pray 533 01:17:19,000 --> 01:17:21,000 with words that sort of overflow. 534 01:17:21,000 --> 01:17:23,000 The quantity over quality of the prayers. 535 01:17:23,000 --> 01:17:25,000 Right? I'm not going to pray deeply, 536 01:17:25,000 --> 01:17:27,000 but I'm going to pray a lot. And He says, "Don't be like this." 537 01:17:27,000 --> 01:17:29,000 In fact, listen to what He says. 538 01:17:29,000 --> 01:17:31,000 "Do not be like them, 539 01:17:31,000 --> 01:17:35,000 for your Father knows what you need 540 01:17:35,000 --> 01:17:37,000 before you ask Him. Pray then like this: 541 01:17:37,000 --> 01:17:39,000 Our Father 542 01:17:39,000 --> 01:17:41,000 in Heaven. 543 01:17:41,000 --> 01:17:43,000 Hallelujah." 544 01:17:43,000 --> 01:17:45,000 Jesus says that when we 545 01:17:45,000 --> 01:17:47,000 come before the great God 546 01:17:47,000 --> 01:17:49,000 of the universe, the one 547 01:17:49,000 --> 01:17:51,000 clothed in majesty, the one of whom 548 01:17:51,000 --> 01:17:53,000 the cherubim and the seraphim sing, "Holy, 549 01:17:53,000 --> 01:17:55,000 holy, holy." 550 01:17:55,000 --> 01:17:57,000 Come to Him 551 01:17:57,000 --> 01:17:59,000 as your Heavenly Father. In fact, just 552 01:17:59,000 --> 01:18:01,000 a few verses later as Jesus talks 553 01:18:01,000 --> 01:18:03,000 in chapter 6 about anxiety. 554 01:18:03,000 --> 01:18:05,000 Look at the birds. 555 01:18:05,000 --> 01:18:07,000 They neither sow nor 556 01:18:07,000 --> 01:18:09,000 reap, nor gather into barns, and yet 557 01:18:09,000 --> 01:18:11,000 your Heavenly Father 558 01:18:11,000 --> 01:18:13,000 feeds them. Are you not 559 01:18:13,000 --> 01:18:15,000 of more value than they? 560 01:18:15,000 --> 01:18:17,000 In the midst of prayer, 561 01:18:17,000 --> 01:18:19,000 in the midst of anxiety, 562 01:18:19,000 --> 01:18:21,000 Jesus says, "Take a look at your 563 01:18:21,000 --> 01:18:23,000 Heavenly Father." 564 01:18:23,000 --> 01:18:25,000 These two words that Jesus 565 01:18:25,000 --> 01:18:27,000 addresses in the midst 566 01:18:27,000 --> 01:18:29,000 of this command that for us is so often 567 01:18:29,000 --> 01:18:31,000 difficult 568 01:18:31,000 --> 01:18:33,000 is this great truth. 569 01:18:33,000 --> 01:18:35,000 That there is a loving Heavenly 570 01:18:35,000 --> 01:18:37,000 Father who cares for you 571 01:18:37,000 --> 01:18:39,000 and who sees you 572 01:18:39,000 --> 01:18:41,000 and who knows you. 573 01:18:41,000 --> 01:18:43,000 Now take a look at the very end. 574 01:18:43,000 --> 01:18:45,000 This one characteristic that Jesus mentions 575 01:18:45,000 --> 01:18:47,000 here. 576 01:18:47,000 --> 01:18:49,000 Perfect. 577 01:18:49,000 --> 01:18:51,000 The word teleos means perfect 578 01:18:51,000 --> 01:18:53,000 or mature. 579 01:18:53,000 --> 01:18:55,000 This is the God 580 01:18:55,000 --> 01:18:57,000 who is holy and who is 581 01:18:57,000 --> 01:18:59,000 righteous and there is no shadow 582 01:18:59,000 --> 01:19:01,000 of sin. 583 01:19:01,000 --> 01:19:03,000 There is a standard that is greater and 584 01:19:03,000 --> 01:19:05,000 deeper than our view of morality. 585 01:19:05,000 --> 01:19:07,000 It's one that doesn't take shortcuts. 586 01:19:07,000 --> 01:19:09,000 It's one that doesn't justify bad behavior. 587 01:19:09,000 --> 01:19:11,000 It doesn't make excuses. 588 01:19:11,000 --> 01:19:13,000 It doesn't do the bare minimum 589 01:19:13,000 --> 01:19:15,000 and we see it 590 01:19:15,000 --> 01:19:17,000 in our Heavenly 591 01:19:17,000 --> 01:19:19,000 Father. 592 01:19:19,000 --> 01:19:21,000 So there's a Heavenly Father. 593 01:19:21,000 --> 01:19:23,000 He is perfect. 594 01:19:23,000 --> 01:19:25,000 And look at what Jesus says. 595 01:19:25,000 --> 01:19:27,000 You, therefore, 596 01:19:27,000 --> 01:19:29,000 must be perfect. 597 01:19:29,000 --> 01:19:31,000 As your Heavenly Father is perfect. And we hear that and go, 598 01:19:31,000 --> 01:19:33,000 "It's impossible. I can't." 599 01:19:33,000 --> 01:19:35,000 Alright, we've seen the middle and we've seen the end. 600 01:19:35,000 --> 01:19:37,000 Look at the beginning. 601 01:19:37,000 --> 01:19:39,000 The call here, Jesus is saying, 602 01:19:39,000 --> 01:19:41,000 is to live like your 603 01:19:41,000 --> 01:19:43,000 Heavenly Father. 604 01:19:43,000 --> 01:19:45,000 Like a child 605 01:19:45,000 --> 01:19:47,000 saying, "I want to be like my Dad." 606 01:19:47,000 --> 01:19:49,000 Think about how that works. 607 01:19:49,000 --> 01:19:51,000 Especially as a child. 608 01:19:51,000 --> 01:19:53,000 I was once a child to have a Dad. 609 01:19:53,000 --> 01:19:55,000 Begins by knowing your Dad, and seeing your Dad, 610 01:19:55,000 --> 01:19:57,000 and seeing what he does. 611 01:19:57,000 --> 01:19:59,000 And then there comes a point in every young man's life 612 01:19:59,000 --> 01:20:01,000 who knows it, they begin to imitate 613 01:20:01,000 --> 01:20:03,000 their Dad. 614 01:20:03,000 --> 01:20:05,000 And that never 615 01:20:05,000 --> 01:20:07,000 starts really well, right? 616 01:20:07,000 --> 01:20:09,000 Your Dad's out building something with a hammer, 617 01:20:09,000 --> 01:20:11,000 and you're still struggling with the nail. 618 01:20:11,000 --> 01:20:13,000 But what happens? 619 01:20:13,000 --> 01:20:15,000 Over time, and spending time with your Dad, 620 01:20:15,000 --> 01:20:17,000 you begin to 621 01:20:17,000 --> 01:20:19,000 imitate Him more closely. 622 01:20:19,000 --> 01:20:21,000 Paul says it this way: "Imitate me 623 01:20:21,000 --> 01:20:23,000 as I imitate Christ." 624 01:20:23,000 --> 01:20:25,000 Now the next thing 625 01:20:25,000 --> 01:20:27,000 I know in relation to my Dad, is I'm turning 626 01:20:27,000 --> 01:20:29,000 45 in a couple days, 627 01:20:29,000 --> 01:20:31,000 and I do so many things, 628 01:20:31,000 --> 01:20:33,000 it goes, "Oh, wait, I'm my father," right? 629 01:20:33,000 --> 01:20:35,000 And it's not a bad thing, and I'm so 630 01:20:35,000 --> 01:20:37,000 thankful for that. 631 01:20:37,000 --> 01:20:39,000 Because of His character, and His 632 01:20:39,000 --> 01:20:41,000 righteousness, and His love for the Gospel, 633 01:20:41,000 --> 01:20:43,000 what happens? 634 01:20:43,000 --> 01:20:45,000 I know Him. 635 01:20:45,000 --> 01:20:47,000 I see Him. 636 01:20:47,000 --> 01:20:49,000 I want to be like Him. 637 01:20:49,000 --> 01:20:51,000 And what happens to the trajectory of my life? 638 01:20:51,000 --> 01:20:53,000 I become more 639 01:20:53,000 --> 01:20:55,000 and more like Him. 640 01:20:55,000 --> 01:20:57,000 This root, this word, 641 01:20:57,000 --> 01:20:59,000 this Greek word "tel" means 642 01:20:59,000 --> 01:21:01,000 sort of 643 01:21:01,000 --> 01:21:03,000 reaching the end. 644 01:21:03,000 --> 01:21:05,000 One of the illustrations they used 645 01:21:05,000 --> 01:21:07,000 to use of this Greek word is a 646 01:21:07,000 --> 01:21:09,000 telescope, like a pirate's telescope. 647 01:21:09,000 --> 01:21:11,000 You grab and you stretch out to its end. 648 01:21:11,000 --> 01:21:13,000 And it's fully there. 649 01:21:13,000 --> 01:21:15,000 It's fully extended. 650 01:21:15,000 --> 01:21:17,000 It's where it needs to be. 651 01:21:17,000 --> 01:21:19,000 And the picture, "You therefore 652 01:21:19,000 --> 01:21:21,000 must be perfect as your heavenly 653 01:21:21,000 --> 01:21:23,000 Father is perfect." It's not a lowering 654 01:21:23,000 --> 01:21:25,000 of the standard, but also it's a call 655 01:21:25,000 --> 01:21:27,000 to know that there is a heavenly 656 01:21:27,000 --> 01:21:29,000 Father who is perfect 657 01:21:29,000 --> 01:21:31,000 and to know Him, 658 01:21:31,000 --> 01:21:33,000 to be near 659 01:21:33,000 --> 01:21:35,000 Him, and to live 660 01:21:35,000 --> 01:21:37,000 like Him. 661 01:21:37,000 --> 01:21:39,000 Like this. 662 01:21:39,000 --> 01:21:41,000 Right? 663 01:21:41,000 --> 01:21:43,000 In the same way, let your light shine before 664 01:21:43,000 --> 01:21:45,000 others so that they may see your good works 665 01:21:45,000 --> 01:21:47,000 and give glory to your Father 666 01:21:47,000 --> 01:21:51,000 who is in heaven. 667 01:21:51,000 --> 01:21:53,000 I want to go back to this just one more time. 668 01:21:53,000 --> 01:21:55,000 "You therefore 669 01:21:55,000 --> 01:21:57,000 must be perfect as your heavenly Father 670 01:21:57,000 --> 01:22:01,000 is perfect." I want to give you a little bit more context. 671 01:22:01,000 --> 01:22:03,000 This comes at the end of this sermon. 672 01:22:03,000 --> 01:22:05,000 This call to live 673 01:22:05,000 --> 01:22:07,000 like our heavenly Father. 674 01:22:07,000 --> 01:22:09,000 But notice where it comes 675 01:22:09,000 --> 01:22:11,000 in the sermon. 676 01:22:11,000 --> 01:22:13,000 "But I say to you, love your enemies. 677 01:22:13,000 --> 01:22:15,000 Pray for those 678 01:22:15,000 --> 01:22:17,000 who persecute you, 679 01:22:17,000 --> 01:22:19,000 so that you may be sons of your 680 01:22:19,000 --> 01:22:21,000 Father who is in heaven. 681 01:22:21,000 --> 01:22:23,000 For He makes His sun rise 682 01:22:23,000 --> 01:22:25,000 on the evil and on the good. 683 01:22:25,000 --> 01:22:27,000 He sends His rain on 684 01:22:27,000 --> 01:22:29,000 the just and the unjust." 685 01:22:29,000 --> 01:22:31,000 These words occur 686 01:22:31,000 --> 01:22:33,000 in the immediate context of 687 01:22:33,000 --> 01:22:35,000 loving your enemies, doing good to 688 01:22:35,000 --> 01:22:37,000 those who hurt you. 689 01:22:37,000 --> 01:22:39,000 And Jesus 690 01:22:39,000 --> 01:22:41,000 who is speaking is doing exactly that. 691 01:22:41,000 --> 01:22:43,000 Romans 692 01:22:43,000 --> 01:22:45,000 5 talks about 693 01:22:45,000 --> 01:22:47,000 He came not for the righteous, 694 01:22:47,000 --> 01:22:51,000 but He came at the right time. 695 01:22:51,000 --> 01:22:53,000 For while we were yet sinners, 696 01:22:53,000 --> 01:22:55,000 Christ died for us. 697 01:22:55,000 --> 01:22:57,000 You see, 698 01:22:57,000 --> 01:22:59,000 these words about our Heavenly Father 699 01:22:59,000 --> 01:23:01,000 and being perfect 700 01:23:01,000 --> 01:23:03,000 in our life, 701 01:23:03,000 --> 01:23:05,000 it comes in the midst of this illustration 702 01:23:05,000 --> 01:23:07,000 of loving 703 01:23:07,000 --> 01:23:09,000 your enemies 704 01:23:09,000 --> 01:23:11,000 and doing good to 705 01:23:11,000 --> 01:23:13,000 them. You see, 706 01:23:13,000 --> 01:23:15,000 sin must be replaced in our lives 707 01:23:15,000 --> 01:23:17,000 by filling with this vision of our Heavenly 708 01:23:17,000 --> 01:23:19,000 Father. It's what Jesus means 709 01:23:19,000 --> 01:23:21,000 when He says, "We hunger and thirst for righteousness." 710 01:23:21,000 --> 01:23:23,000 If I am hungry 711 01:23:23,000 --> 01:23:25,000 and thirsting for righteousness, 712 01:23:25,000 --> 01:23:27,000 it's going to be so much harder 713 01:23:27,000 --> 01:23:29,000 to pursue anger and rage 714 01:23:29,000 --> 01:23:31,000 and lust and selfishness 715 01:23:31,000 --> 01:23:33,000 and words that deceive 716 01:23:33,000 --> 01:23:35,000 and a heart that is full 717 01:23:35,000 --> 01:23:39,000 of bitterness and anger and resentment. 718 01:23:39,000 --> 01:23:41,000 This is a serious 719 01:23:41,000 --> 01:23:45,000 call for God's people in regard to righteousness. 720 01:23:45,000 --> 01:23:47,000 But it is a call that is so 721 01:23:47,000 --> 01:23:51,000 wonderfully filled with grace. 722 01:23:51,000 --> 01:23:53,000 That those who hunger 723 01:23:53,000 --> 01:23:55,000 are filled. That those who are poor 724 01:23:55,000 --> 01:23:57,000 and spiritually bankrupt 725 01:23:57,000 --> 01:23:59,000 will be in the Kingdom of Heaven. 726 01:23:59,000 --> 01:24:01,000 A heavenly Father who loves you 727 01:24:01,000 --> 01:24:03,000 and who leads you and who 728 01:24:03,000 --> 01:24:05,000 transforms you and strengthens you. 729 01:24:05,000 --> 01:24:07,000 Christians, 730 01:24:07,000 --> 01:24:09,000 let's fix our eyes 731 01:24:09,000 --> 01:24:11,000 on the greatness and the goodness 732 01:24:11,000 --> 01:24:13,000 and righteousness of God and take 733 01:24:13,000 --> 01:24:15,000 this call to righteousness seriously. 734 01:24:15,000 --> 01:24:19,000 And if you are not a Christian 735 01:24:19,000 --> 01:24:21,000 or you're struggling, you're hurting, my call is 736 01:24:21,000 --> 01:24:23,000 to come home to a Father 737 01:24:23,000 --> 01:24:25,000 who loves you. Let's pray. 738 01:24:25,000 --> 01:24:27,000 Father in Heaven, 739 01:24:27,000 --> 01:24:29,000 help us to see the seriousness 740 01:24:29,000 --> 01:24:31,000 of our sin. 741 01:24:31,000 --> 01:24:33,000 Not to dismiss it, 742 01:24:33,000 --> 01:24:35,000 minimize it, or excuse it. 743 01:24:35,000 --> 01:24:37,000 Help us to see the root 744 01:24:37,000 --> 01:24:39,000 of our sin. May your Spirit 745 01:24:39,000 --> 01:24:41,000 be at work in our hearts 746 01:24:41,000 --> 01:24:43,000 transforming us. 747 01:24:43,000 --> 01:24:45,000 May those roots be removed 748 01:24:45,000 --> 01:24:47,000 and may we be filled 749 01:24:47,000 --> 01:24:49,000 with righteousness. 750 01:24:49,000 --> 01:24:51,000 Found 751 01:24:51,000 --> 01:24:53,000 made possible by the cross 752 01:24:53,000 --> 01:24:55,000 and through your Son 753 01:24:55,000 --> 01:24:57,000 who stood in our place 754 01:24:57,000 --> 01:24:59,000 so that we can be brought 755 01:24:59,000 --> 01:25:01,000 into your family. 756 01:25:01,000 --> 01:25:03,000 Fix our eyes on your goodness. 757 01:25:03,000 --> 01:25:05,000 May we see you as our heavenly Father. 758 01:25:05,000 --> 01:25:07,000 May we know you 759 01:25:07,000 --> 01:25:09,000 and may we seek 760 01:25:09,000 --> 01:25:11,000 to be like you. 761 01:25:11,000 --> 01:25:13,000 That people would see us 762 01:25:13,000 --> 01:25:15,000 and glorify you. 763 01:25:15,000 --> 01:25:17,000 In Jesus name we pray. Amen. 764 01:25:17,000 --> 01:25:19,000 We're going to stand 765 01:25:19,000 --> 01:25:21,000 and sing for his glory 766 01:25:21,000 --> 01:25:23,000 and our good. 767 01:25:25,000 --> 01:25:27,000 Amen. 768 01:25:55,000 --> 01:25:57,000 Amen. 769 01:26:25,000 --> 01:26:40,000 So, in faith I follow Jesus. For I know that He is working for His glory and my Lord. 770 01:26:40,000 --> 01:26:54,000 To our God be the glory. To our God be praise He alone. 771 01:26:54,000 --> 01:27:08,000 The name above all names. I will boast ever only if the Lord my Lord be told. 772 01:27:08,000 --> 01:27:13,000 His glory is my good. 773 01:27:17,000 --> 01:27:38,000 See the open arms of Jesus upon the cross that day. What they understood as weakness deserves my every praise. For the child that was against me, it was never to the word. 774 01:27:38,000 --> 01:27:59,000 Yes, I want you to save me glory and my good. To our God be the glory. To our God be praise. Be alone. The name above all names. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. 775 01:27:59,000 --> 01:28:14,000 For I know His glory is my good. 776 01:28:26,000 --> 01:28:40,000 Would I gladly be made nothing, that Christ would be made more? Would I seek the only kingdom, that far outweighs them all? 777 01:28:40,000 --> 01:28:53,000 I will stand before my Father, where the faithful saints have stood. And with joy in my heart, praise Him glory and my good. 778 01:28:53,000 --> 01:29:03,000 And with joy in my heart shall praise Him glory and my good. 779 01:29:03,000 --> 01:29:20,000 To our God be good glory. To our God be great. He alone, the name above all names. 780 01:29:20,000 --> 01:29:47,000 I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know His glory and good. To our God be the glory. To our God be great. He alone, the name above all names. 781 01:29:47,000 --> 01:30:09,000 And I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know His glory is in my good. Yes, I know His glory is in my good. 782 01:30:17,000 --> 01:30:23,000 We are thankful that you are here this morning. We'll be back Wednesday night, 6 p.m. 783 01:30:23,000 --> 01:30:30,000 We've been talking a little bit more in detail, and so we'll be in this section of Scripture again Wednesday night, 784 01:30:30,000 --> 01:30:37,000 but digging into some of the details and some of those harder things that Jesus has said. 785 01:30:37,000 --> 01:30:51,000 So that's Wednesday night Bible study at 6 p.m. this Wednesday. Also coming up the 15th, which is not next Sunday, but the Sunday following, 786 01:30:51,000 --> 01:31:00,000 we're going to do another winter soup Sunday, day after Valentine's. So I guess bring your most romantic soup. 787 01:31:00,000 --> 01:31:05,000 So I don't know if that's like a lady in the tramp with like some noodles in it or something like that. 788 01:31:05,000 --> 01:31:11,000 But yeah, soup Sunday. It's always a good time. It's always an encouraging time of fellowship. 789 01:31:11,000 --> 01:31:16,000 Invite a friend, bring your soup. Just come and spend some time together with us. 790 01:31:16,000 --> 01:31:23,000 I'm going to go ahead and have a word of prayer. We'll read from Micah 6:8, and then in a moment we'll sing the doxology. 791 01:31:23,000 --> 01:31:29,000 Father in heaven, we thank you for your goodness and your glory and your greatness. 792 01:31:29,000 --> 01:31:36,000 And we're thankful that because of your Son, we can stand before you. 793 01:31:36,000 --> 01:31:46,000 We just ask that as we go out to face the joys and the difficulties, the victories and the struggles of this coming week, 794 01:31:46,000 --> 01:31:50,000 that you would strengthen our hearts for righteousness. 795 01:31:50,000 --> 01:31:53,000 That we would be lights that shine in a dark world, 796 01:31:53,000 --> 01:31:59,000 the salts that melt the hearts that are frozen by sin. 797 01:31:59,000 --> 01:32:04,000 We thank you for Jesus, and it's in his name we pray. Amen. 798 01:32:04,000 --> 01:32:07,000 Micah 6:8 says this, very familiar, 799 01:32:07,000 --> 01:32:11,000 "He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you, 800 01:32:11,000 --> 01:32:17,000 but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." 801 01:32:17,000 --> 01:32:20,000 So church, as we go from this place, 802 01:32:20,000 --> 01:32:25,000 I want to remind you that we are not sent out to earn God's favor, 803 01:32:25,000 --> 01:32:29,000 but to live as children of our Heavenly Father. 804 01:32:29,000 --> 01:32:33,000 And so may the God who gives new hearts continue his work in you, 805 01:32:33,000 --> 01:32:36,000 uprooting your sin, shaping your lives, 806 01:32:36,000 --> 01:32:40,000 and forming in you a righteousness that reflects his own character. 807 01:32:40,000 --> 01:32:44,000 It is my prayer that your anger gives way to reconciliation, 808 01:32:44,000 --> 01:32:46,000 your fear gives way to trust, 809 01:32:46,000 --> 01:32:48,000 and your love extends to where it is costly. 810 01:32:48,000 --> 01:32:50,000 And may your lives shine in such a way 811 01:32:50,000 --> 01:32:52,000 that others see your good works 812 01:32:52,000 --> 01:32:54,000 and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 813 01:32:54,000 --> 01:32:56,000 And so as we prepare to go, 814 01:32:56,000 --> 01:32:58,000 go in the grace of Christ, 815 01:32:58,000 --> 01:33:00,000 and in the love of the Father, 816 01:33:00,000 --> 01:33:02,000 and in the power of the Holy Spirit. 817 01:33:02,000 --> 01:33:04,000 Amen. 818 01:33:18,000 --> 01:33:34,000 Praise Him, all creatures here below. Praise Him above Him and the Most. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 819 01:33:48,000 --> 01:33:50,000 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 820 01:34:18,000 --> 01:34:20,000 Amen. 821 01:34:48,000 --> 01:34:50,000 Amen. 822 01:35:18,000 --> 01:35:20,000 Amen.