0:01
Speaker 2Good morning, church. Will you please stand up and let's worship God. Amen? Amen.
3:49
Speaker 1Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have a few announcements this morning. We'll see what they are. Monday nights at first beat.
3:57
Now, this is spring break for those of you who don't know. Most of you probably know. Spring break, when it happens around here, if you're visiting from out of town, we have had winter for so long. A lot of us get out of here on spring break. I will be leaving tomorrow with my family.
4:11
We'll be going out, but it is going on. Monday night, first bee is still happening right here. There'll be a meal tomorrow night, and there'll be a study. Eugene has helped facilitate this study on the future of the Church, capital c Church. That'll be good.
4:23
Meal, music, and a message, and it's gonna be a little different than it usually looks, but it'll be tomorrow night, 06:00. We've got no Awana tomorrow night. So normally Awana meets in this room right here, but no Awana during spring break this week or next, all right? Everybody with me on that? Okay.
4:41
Precept study still going forward. That is happening during this break. Thursdays, nine to 11:30 in the fellowship hall. That's happening. Refit is happening too.
4:53
That happens in this room. If you ever come by and there it looks like a disco ball. It's inside of the First Baptist Church. If you're just riding by and you see swirling lights, there are probably people here exercising and stretching out. Refit is revolutionizing fitness.
5:08
It's a really, really good, good time in here on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 05:15. This is a picture of, actually that's actually Kyle Knutson and a few other guys up on top of Suzanne Richards, Suzanne and Ray Richards' roof, and they're shoveling. But I put this as representative. These guys and the youth group have covered, or uncovered, I should say, uncovered a lot of roofs during this heavy, heavy snow season, and one of those was while we were on a mission trip to Africa, the youth group came over and dumped all of the snow off of our roof and off of our deck, and it is this deep in our backyard right now still. But it was really nice to have you all do that and thank you for being the hands and feet in Jesus for those who cannot or could not.
5:51
I really, really appreciate it. We just put it in there so we could mention it. Yeah. Yeah. It's steady.
5:58
There are lots of pictures of it too. This is an ad for a movie that's coming up. It's one night only. It's only gonna be here in Jackson for one night. Carolyn Wozniak is the director of Turning Point.
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She had petitioned for the movie theater to show it, and they didn't, and they wouldn't. And then they called her back and said, we'll we'll give you a night, but you gotta sell the tickets and you gotta do all the legwork on it. They're not advertising or anything like that. So I'm advertising it right now. This is about Abby Johnson who was one of the directors of Planned Parenthood, and she had a complete change of heart.
6:35
What she saw changed everything is a tagline for the movie. So the movie's called Unplanned. We have tickets for it. First B got the first 50 tickets, so you can buy them from us, or if we run out, you can get in touch with Carolyn. Carolyn, would you wave?
6:50
Stand up. Thank you. There you go. That's Carolyn. Diane is over here in the yellow sweater.
6:55
If you see one of those two, they should be able to get you a ticket for this movie. It'll be April 7 at 07:15. It's gonna be at the Twin Cinemas, but you have to get the tickets from us. You can't get them from the movie theater. Do you understand?
7:06
Okay, very good. Connect hours happen in between services, and that reminds me, Dave Kaufman, would you like to stand and make a loud announcement?
7:31
Speaker 2Amen to that. Amen.
8:01
Speaker 1Thank you, Dave. Appreciate it. Dave Kaufman is gonna be leading on the crew that is getting breakfast ready on Easter before and between services. And I think that's every announcement that we need to make from up here. There are more of them in your bulletin.
8:15
If you would, look at the paper bulletin you're handed on the way in or on your way out. Grab one of those. Anything else? Feel like I'm forgetting something.
8:23
Speaker 3Oh, Wednesday night, Eugene and I are hosting sort of like a worship open mic night. So if you wanna come share a song or a poem or anything, we just wanna just worship together any way that you feel called. It's at six or seven? Seven. 07:00.
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So if you wanna come Wednesday night, worship open mic night.
8:43
Speaker 1Fantastic. That's good. Would you all stand up and greet one another? We'll bring you back together with a song. Thank you.
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Thank you.
9:35
Speaker 2Leaning on the everlasting arms. Let's sing this beautiful hymn with all our hearts. Amen? Amen. I love to fill the church alive.
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Singing and praising our savior. Amen? Amen. Don't worry about how you sing early in the morning. I know he's not.
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Just worship the Lord. Amen. Just feel his presence in this life. Amen. In this church.
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Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Father it's a joy to be here together as a church, as a body to praise your name. God please bless us and help us to understand more of who you are. God, I understand we know the salvation that comes from you, but I would love for everyone here to understand what means to walk with you every single day.
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Please bless us and help us to to feel your presence in our lives. I'm thankful for this church. This is my family right here. Thank you. Thank you father for everything.
12:59
In Jesus name I pray, amen. Amen. Now this song between the verses we're gonna do like a little instrumental, break. So please please follow me. Pastor Ray said you're gonna sing on your own.
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But I told him, no. They're gonna follow me. So thank you. You can do this. Oh, thank you.
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I have a I have a Jeep C Blunt, so thank you. Amen. Praise God. You guys sing beautiful. I can see the church on fire.
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Praise God. And this song is about that. We seek your kingdom first. We hunger and we thirst for you God. Hallelujah.
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Build your kingdom kingdom here. Let the darkness fear show your mighty hand through us. Heal our streets and land. This song is so good. If you feel like you don't you don't wanna sing it, that's okay.
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Just close your eyes and worship the Lord. Praise the Lord. Amen.
21:30
Speaker 1I'm going invite the frontline team forward though if you would. Would y'all pray with me? God, I thank you for this morning, this beautiful morning. I pray for everyone lord who's here in attendance, every family that they represent and I'm thoughtful this morning of all that's going on around us. There's the end of the season here upon us with the hill climb that's been happening the last few days and today, we pray for safety on the hill for those who are participating in that and down on the bottom too and lord, I just pray that we would be consciously about the work of surrendering our lives to do exactly what that song says.
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We pray lord that you would build your kingdom here, that you'd start from here, that you'd use us here, but you'd use us lord also to the uttermost parts. Pray for Richard and Andrea as they are in Africa, Ghana, the mission that they have in front of them this week. We pray for the folks who are sending out in the next short term, Lord, to New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, all over the world. Lord, we pray. We thank you for the gracious goodness that you've given and we ask lord that you would take this that we give back a portion of what you've given to us.
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We pray that you'd take it lord and that you would advance your gospel. Amen. That people would know that you are a good God who is glorious, that they would give you the glory that you deserve, that they would know you, and that come to know you by your spirit through Jesus. In Jesus name, lord, we pray and we ask your blessing on this offering that you'd multiply and do on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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Speaker 2Amen. Praise God.
27:48
Speaker 1So, it's time now for children's church downstairs. Peak Children's Church is happening right now. How are you all this morning? Good. Good.
28:01
We've had a whirlwind of a week since the last time we met here. It's been a lot of miles. Yesterday, I would make an announcement. There are a couple of things. Mike and JJ, you know, Mike, the youth director, and JJ, Mike's wife, have had a baby, so they are now parents.
28:19
Yeah. So threetwenty one. On threetwenty one, they had Matteo Jackson Demetrius, six pounds thirteen ounces, bouncing little baby boy. So alright, we're excited about that. And our little girl yesterday day before yesterday, we rode down to Rock Springs for one night, spent the night, and then Pascal was in the state spelling bee.
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And I'm just a proud dad, I won't tell you. She came in second place. That's pretty cool. That doesn't equate with having a baby, but it's kinda cool for me. Okay?
28:51
It's really, really nice. And she's excited about that too, so little fun. They went longer than any round had ever gone any competition in the state had ever gone. They went through 36 rounds of spelling words, and it was 23 of them to clear the field and then it was just two of them back and forth for 13 straight rounds. Was pretty fun.
29:12
Yeah. So words I've never heard of before, and they're just spelling them. So it's pretty pretty cool. And I'm a word nerd, admittedly, you know. So stuff from Japanese, Russian, Slavic, all kinds of stuff.
29:22
It was crazy. So I'm I'm excited this morning. Sometimes when I get excited, whew, I've got the same amount of slides with more on them. Okay? So will y'all listen fast this morning?
29:36
Can you listen fast? Because I'm gonna say a whole lot up front, and then I'm gonna come down to a very sharp point at the end, okay? It's not it's a sharp point in a good way, all right? But I'm giving you a lot of information towards the beginning and then coming down to a point towards the end. And two weeks ago, we did this.
29:52
I said, two weeks ago, it was a rare topical sermon on the glory of God and that's where we started and we started with Exodus twenty and second Corinthians four six were my main text. Exodus 20 is Moses rather than speaking to the rock like God said. Moses struck the rock but he spoke to the people and said, listen, you rebels, you know? Exodus 20 was that and then second Corinthians four six is this and this is kind of where I've been thinking a lot since that week. So, the last three weeks, for God who said, light shall shine out of darkness.
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That is a a paraphrase by Paul of the first verse of Genesis. He's talking all the way back to the beginning. For God who said, let there be light. You know, let light shine out of darkness is the one who has shown in our hearts. He's writing this letter to the Corinthians who were Christians and he says, God is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
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Okay? That's the in the face of Christ part. So Exodus 20 is Moses and the law and all of that. And then second Corinthians was pointing towards Christ. Christ.
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Christ. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed, and every story points toward Jesus. Okay? So that's the first week two weeks ago. We moved forward last week up to Exodus 21.
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Exodus 20, it follows. Exodus 21. So that was the Moses. People were complaining, and God sent venomous snakes among them and he said, this would be the way. When Moses prayed for the people, God told him, make a snake, put it up on a pole, anybody looks at it will live.
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Sounds crazy. Weirdest story in the Bible as far as I'm concerned but it is the way that God established for those people to be saved and then, we move forward into John three where Jesus is talking to Nicodemus and he said in John three fourteen, just as Moses lifted up that serpent in the wilderness, so the son of man must be lifted up. So, it was very evangelistic message because that is the way that God established. Basically, it came down to this, sin, sorrow, and salvation in both context, right? In the Old Testament, it was temporal but in the New Testament, it was eternal.
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I showed this slide. It's a picture on top of Mount Nebo which is in modern day Jordan and it is commemorating those two events. This the cross that Jesus was pointing to when he said he must be lifted up and then, you know, for God so loved the world comes right after that, three sixteen. And it also represents that snake in the wilderness lifted up on the pole. Both of them point towards this message of the cross.
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You see this slide a lot if you're here a lot. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it's the power of God. It is the split. It is the center point of all history, and where you spend the rest of eternity will bear on this. For those who are believing, it's the power of God unto salvation but for those who just think it's foolishness, those who are perishing, it's just foolishness But it is a trustworthy saying, Paul says to Timothy, and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to sin save sinners.
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Alright. So that's a little bit of prologue. That's the last two weeks. And since I have one more Sunday, I can't say it's a rare topical sermon because I've done three in a row now. But it is another topical sermon on the glory of God.
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And if you'll listen fast, I wanna go through some something. This is what the rabbis in the Old Testament used to call the string of pearls type sermon. I'm gonna throw just one thing after another after another on this necklace. It's a string of pearls. Okay?
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And I'm not just gonna use verses. I wanna use the whole context because I don't wanna deceive you by just picking and choosing proof text. Alright? So here we go. Yeah, for the glory of God.
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There we go. Before I get started, a little art. Do you all know what this is? Does anybody know what this is just off the top of your head? That guy in the middle right there?
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He's got up under his arm right there two tablets. Does that help? Yeah. That originally was carved by Michelangelo for Pope Julius II for his funeral piece while Pope Julius was still alive, carved around 1505 or so. And Pope Julius pulled him off of that funeral piece to paint the Sistine sealant.
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Yeah. But it was originally done for that. He didn't get to do the 40 full size figures that he was going to do for that, but he did do this one, and it's in a little church in Italy. It's actually kind of off the beaten path. It's not right in a big place, but that's a close-up right there.
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And do you see anything unusual about the painting? I mean, the like, does that anything look weird to you? It's Moses, and he has horns. So there it is. How about another close-up?
35:02
That's too close-up. How about that? Yeah, he has horns right there. Does anybody know why? So there are people who say, oh yeah, the Jews believe Moses had horns.
35:09
No. That's crazy talk. Never mentions that. There are some poems that said Moses had horns. They were written because of some of these type of sculptures.
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But if you look at this one, this is just a it's a public sculpture, not Michelangelo by any stretch, but it's in Bern, Switzerland. And it's also Moses carrying the 10 Commandments. And those aren't horns, but it looks like this. Right? They are representative of the radiant glory that was shining off of the face of Moses.
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So we're gonna go to the story from Exodus 34. Actually, it's Exodus 34. I have been in Numbers the past couple weeks. Alright? So Exodus 3four 29 says this.
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Now it was so that when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and the two tablets of testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain, That Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him. The skin of Moses' face shone while he talked with him. That seems weird to me too. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shown, it was radiant, radiant beams came out of his face. Skin of his face shown and they were afraid to come near him.
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Then, Moses called to them and Aaron and the rulers of the congregation returned to him. Moses talked with him and afterwards, all the children of Israel came near and he gave them as commandments all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai and when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak to him, he would take off the veil. When he was speaking face to face with God. He would take off the veil until he came out and he would come out, speak to the children of Israel, whatever had been commanded.
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You know, for the two weeks ago, I said, things went really well and they always do when Moses did just as the Lord had commanded. This is a different telling. It's an Exodus not in numbers but it's a different telling of the beginning of that same story And whenever the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone, then Moses would put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with him, capital h, that's God. Okay. So that's the story from Exodus 34, and that sounds weird to me too.
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I have admitted that the Old Testament to me is hard sometimes. But because it just sounds unusual to me, how how these things could be. How could that be? I'm not sure what the science is behind that, and that's probably my twenty first century mind working over, but God's word says that that is the way that it was. And just like Moses lifted up that snake in the wilderness, you know, you have to look back to it.
37:53
Paul uses a throwback to that or a callback to that in second Corinthians. But I wanna say, even Moses knew back at this time. Deuteronomy is a second telling of the law. Okay? So Exodus talks about God giving the 10 commandments and starting off on the law.
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Leviticus has the law. Deuteronomy is before they go into the promised land. Moses is not gonna go in, but he's able to restate all that God has commanded him and give it again. Deuterah means second or twice, and then namos means law. Deuteronomy is the second reading of the law.
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And during Deuteronomy eighteen fifteen, Moses gives them something that should be very reassuring to them. It is very reassuring to me because I have seen the capital p prophet myself. The Lord your God will raise up for you a capital P, prophet like me from your midst. The Taeb. Actually, the word Taeb is like Messiah.
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The Lord will, the Lord your God will raise up for you a Messiah, an anointed one, one who has come to save. In a similar way, in a temporal shadowed way that Moses was the one to lead people out of bondage in Egypt. The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your midst, from among your brethren. Him, you shall hear according to all you desired of the Lord your God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord, my God, because it was terrifying nor let me see his great fire anymore lest I die. They thought that it was going be too much.
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Now, Moses had been in and Moses had seen and had talked to and his face shown. Listen to what the Lord says back to Moses. He says, God is gonna raise up for you a messiah, an anointed one. He calls him a taheb, a prophet like me, from your midst, from your brother. And the Lord said to me, what they have spoken is good.
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I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him and did Jesus do that? He did raise someone up. When you think about people being the chosen people of God, sometimes that's a real stumbling block for people. It's like, out of all the people in the world, why did God choose them? From that line would come Jesus.
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That is the choosing. Okay? That is it. From that line would come Jesus. And he's saying these are gonna be from your own people, and you need to know all of this before you get to that.
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Are you with me? Okay. I'm glad I live now and not then. I'm glad I live in a clearer picture time. But when he gives them this reassuring statement of you're going to see something that's even better as a people.
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What they have spoken was good. I will raise up for them. That's prophecy right there. Now, here we go. New Testament.
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I'm going read all of second Corinthians three. I'm going to try not to preach the whole book, okay? Second Corinthians three says this, do we begin again to commend ourselves now? In Corinth in Corinth, there is a church that is split and divided, and their unity is questioned because some people are like, I'm with this guy. I'm with this guy.
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This guy's better. I really like this guy, and they're going fractured. And so in first Corinthians, he calls them back in to unity, and then in second Corinthians, he redoubles down on that message and says that, and he says there are people there that are trying to deceive you. What do I need? Do I have to have patents with me?
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Do I have to have a writ that says you can trust me? Y'all know me. I was there with you. You remember how this was. Do we begin again to commend ourselves?
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Do I have to convince you again? You remember what we were like when we were there, or do you need us some others, these Johnny come latelys that came in here after we spread the actual gospel and they started to add law back into it. They started to add other things back to it or they started to take away some stuff from it. Do we need to really commend ourselves again, or do we, as some others, do we need epistles of commendation that say, yeah, this guy could be trusted? Do we need epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?
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If anybody was going to write the letters, it would be you. You saw exactly how we were when we were with you, right? You saw how the gospel work. We never claimed any more than we have. Paul said, I'm the chief of sinners.
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I understand that but God has chosen to save and this is the way he does it. You, people, Christians, he says, you, you are our epistle and it's written on our hearts. We know and we feel it deeply, known, and read by all men. They can see the gospel when they see people who have been changed and transformed and you have been and I'm calling you back into holiness. I'm calling you out of the ditches on both sides.
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Clearly, you are an epistle of Christ ministered by us, Written and here we go, not with ink but by the spirit of the living God and it's not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh that is of the heart. Praise God. We have the tablets of stone. Praise God. We have that but he's saying, this is something where God is active and alive and he is at work by his spirit and we have such trust through Christ toward God.
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We trust that what he did with the tablets of stone was fantastic but what he's doing with the heart of flesh that is accepting him is even more amazing, okay? Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything of it as being from our but our sufficiency it's from God God who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant. Oh, when Jesus said on the night that he was betrayed, this is my body. This is my blood. This is the new covenant in my blood.
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I am taking upon me as the lamb of God. I'm taking upon me the sins of the world. Whosoever believes will not have a sin debt because they've trusted in me to pay that. Who also made us sufficient. We are ministers of the new covenant.
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We are not saving anybody, but we're pointing people to where they may be saved and sanctified. Ministers of the New Covenant, it's not of the letter but of the spirit. For the letter kills but the spirit gives life. I didn't put the slide in here this time but y'all remember my slide It's of a old woodcut from an edition of Pilgrim's Progress where Christian main character in Pilgrim's Progress is progressing along and there is a guy and he is swinging something and he's already hit him once and he's about to hit him again and Jesus is picking Christian up and he says to Christian says to Christ, he says, what just happened to me? He goes, that was Moses.
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He hit you with the law and if you get hit with the law, you cannot stand and if you feel like you can get back up, he'll hit you again, okay? He says, come on and he lifts him up because it's in Christ that we find our salvation and security and sanctification but the spirit gives life, letter kills but if the ministry of the death, ministry of death, the ministry of death, that sounds horrible. But if the ministry of death that's written and engraved on stones, oh, it's the law. We don't measure up. None of us measure up to the law but if the ministry of death written and engraved on the stone, if that was glorious and it was, it was so glorious that Moses's face shown.
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You know what? To just go through life and not believe in anything and not know anything and have no ideas about where this all came from would be horrible but to know that there is a good and right way and there is a holy way, not just protection for you. The ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious and it was so glorious that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of his glory of his countenance and that glory was passing away. Did you notice how in the Exodus 34 passage, it was whenever he was with God, he was accepting the radiance of God. He was looking and he was accepting God's radiance and when he would go down the hill and they saw that, it would shine off of him.
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It was resplendent. But it was fading and he it would wear off and when he would go back in his presence, it would gain again and then it would wear off. You with me? Which glory was passing away? How then will the ministry of the spirit not be more glorious?
46:51
Are you with me? If the bad news was glorious, just think about how awesome the good news is. That's what he's saying right there. For if the ministry of condemnation and that's what the law is, the law condemns but the spirit gives life. For if the ministry of condemnation had glory and it did, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.
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The ministry of righteousness, it is possible to walk a holy life if you're surrendered to the spirit. For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect because of the glory that excels. He says in comparison between the two, the present glory of God available in Jesus Christ makes the other pale in comparison. Are you with still necessary, still absolutely necessary for the foundation. We build all of this on the foundations of the apostles and the prophets.
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For if what was passing if what is passing away was glorious, what remains as much more glorious. Therefore, because of that, because this new covenant is so much better than the old covenant, don't go back to the old covenant. Don't be tempted to go back to Egypt where you were enslaved. Are you with me? Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech.
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Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was just passing away. It was too much for them to even look at what was shining off of him. Unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away but their minds were blinded. For until this day and this is Paul writing in the first century around fifty six, seven, somewhere in there. '55 to '57 but their minds were blinded.
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For until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament. If you just read the Old Testament, there is a veil over it. It is still concealed. Everything's pointing to Jesus but if you don't look at Jesus, you miss the point of the Old Testament. You've just got a code of laws and you could just as well be going by the code of Hammurabi.
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The Yeah. Minds were blinded. For until this day, the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, Jesus Christ, when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
49:48
Do you remember the veil in the Holy of Holies in the temple that at the crucifixion, when Jesus says it's finished, it was rent. It was torn from the top to the bottom. The veil was torn. Nevertheless, when one turns the Lord, the veil is taken away and now, the Lord is spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. I talk a lot about the ditches of license.
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Oh, I'm sorry. I'll do this backwards this time. Legalism and license. But right here is the good old gospel way. There is liberty in Christ right here on the good old gospel way.
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He will lead, and you do have liberty. It is not unbounded licentiousness, license to do whatever you want to do in your flesh. There is liberty in Christ to live in the freedom of the spirit. The law, the law kills. It's the ministry of condemnation.
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It is still a ministry though. You gotta know the bad news before the good news can be good news. We all with unveiled face. Amen. Beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord.
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We all, that is a letter written to Christians and I'm broadcasting it to a group. Last week, it was an evangelistic message and it was for everybody who hadn't received Jesus, receive him today, okay? This week, this is a primarily a message for people who have trusted in Christ. If you look at the Old Testament, you start in Genesis, you may before Ezekiel just figure, good grief, I don't think I deal with this guy. I quit in Ezekiel a lot of times.
51:29
I have to mention them. I have to, Ezekiel is one that was always hard for me. I don't know if it's the duration. Like winter time around here. It's tough but the duration of it is what it is.
51:37
I've quit in Ezekiel multiple times. Now, I love the book of Ezekiel. When you look at it with Christ in mind, it's much easier to get through. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror, and I will say that mirrors today and mirrors then are very different. Mirror today looks exactly like you look, right?
51:58
But a mirror then is a brushed surface. It could look pretty good, and it might look great, but depending on the mirror, we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror. Same word there as now we see through a glass or a mirror dimly, like it's a little bit taken off of that. We don't see everything exactly as it is but with we all with unveiled face. We, Christians, all with unveiled face, you don't need to fear God because Christ has paid the penalty.
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We all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord. Jesus. We are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory just as by the spirit of the Lord. Amen. That's a great precious Bible promise right there.
52:47
If you want to hold on to it, if you are a believer, that is a great thing to think and that's the main verse that I want to concentrate on today. With my remaining four minutes. That we all with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. That right there reminds me of another verse and this is the string of pearls and this is closing in on the end. We know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose.
53:18
Great bumper sticker, great coffee mug, great help in times of trouble. The next two verses are awesome. Especially when we're considering second Corinthians that we are being transformed into the same image. That's the image of Christ. From glory to glory.
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For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined and don't stop at forenew and don't stop at predestined, okay? That'll blow your mind if you do. Just for those whom he foreknew, those he also predestined to be conformed into the image of his son. The predestined part of is he has made each one who would accept Christ for salvation He has made the way for them to become more and more like Christ Are you with me? So, it's not just salvation but it's also sanctification.
54:08
He also predestined them to be conformed into the image of his son. So, I hadn't used this one in a while. I had to widescreen it last night but if we're looking at eternity from eternity past, eternity future. God chose from the beginning before the very foundations of the world. He chose from the beginning the way that it would be and he knew that Christ would have to make a way because we would sin and wander and so Christ came and did his work including a perfect life, well lived without sin, tempted in every way just as we're tempted.
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Sacrificially and voluntarily giving his life as an atonement or ransom for many. So, his death, his burial, his resurrection, I could put his ascension and session in there but in the scope of eternity from people with finite minds, I think this will do. God chose from the beginning how Christ would do it. The gospel witness of that event has gone forward since. Actually, you could say it was going ahead of it to the prophets and Moses were all pointing towards him.
55:12
God will raise up for you a Taeheb, a prophet like me and he will say and his word will go. So, the gospel witness has been going forth since God instituted all of this in the garden even with Adam and Eve. He made sacrifice pointing towards Jesus. The gospel witness has gone forth and then at some point, someone believes and if you are the one that believes at that point, you are saved right there. One is saved right there and that begins a process and that process is the up down of life.
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That we call sanctification That sanctification process depends a lot on where we are looking and what we are yielded to. Are you with me? If you're yielded to Christ if what you adore is Christ, you will naturally go towards that which you admire the most. If Christ is what you admire the most, that is what you are going towards. Alright?
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So, sanctification, you will you will go from glory to glory upwards as you look into the face of Christ. As you look for Christ. It is the work of the Holy Spirit. You can't force this. You can't spiritual growth.
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You can't spiritual growth like that. You can't just gut it out. You have to yield and as God leads, obey. And he will do the work. He says he will.
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Until that point of that ultimate great and mighty day of the Lord when we are ultimately saved. Whether that be at death or whether that be when the Lord returns for each of us that ultimately saved, we could call glorification, alright? And we're saying that. I'm going to go back and show you the verses here. And all of that is a work of grace.
57:08
It is not because we deserve it or because we have figured the puzzle out or we've done it exactly right or we've twisted God's arm. It is a work of God's grace. It's unmerited favor. It is God leaning towards us and bringing us up out of either one of the ditches, okay? Alright.
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So, Romans eight twenty nine says, for those whom he foreknew, that's the people who believe the gospel. He also predestined them to be conformed into the image of his son that Jesus might be the first born among many brethren. So, we're joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this side as the long. Moreover, and then it doesn't stop there but wait, there's more. Okay.
57:50
Moreover, those whom he predestined, he also called and those he called, he called them by the gospel witness. The gospel witness is out there. It is an effective call for anyone who would believe it. Just as Moses lifted up that snake, those people were in peril. They could have lift up and been saved or they can resist and perish.
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The same way with the cross. The gospel witness goes forward and that is makes the cross the dividing point. Those whom he called, he also justified. Oh, we could say right there for belief that belief is justification. That is the place where God said, this one is made righteous.
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I'm imputing to him my righteousness, the righteousness of Christ. You are justified. So, those he called, he justified and those he also what? Glorified. He glorified.
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Glorification. Now, that looks like future to to me because I'm still in this process somewhere on that green line, you know? So, glorification is future to me but it's a done deal. It's already a done deal. When Jesus says it's finished, it's already a done deal, okay?
59:00
Yielding to him is the way to advance and I'll come back to this. Now, we're going forward in second Corinthians three. The chapter titles and the chapter breaks are not divinely inspired. That's just helps us keep up with things. Go forward from what I just read at 03:18 into four one.
59:20
Therefore, since we have this ministry, this awesome new covenant ministry, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy ourselves, we do not lose heart but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully but by manifestation of the truth. When Jesus was in the garden, he was praying. He said, sanctify them by your truth. God, sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth.
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So, by the manifestation of God's word, the truth, we're commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. Everything we've done is on the table. We have nothing to hide. Even if our gospel, good news is veiled, it's veiled to those who are perishing. It's the message of the cross.
1:00:11
It's either going to be the power of God or it's going to be foolishness. Whose minds, the God of this age, there is an enemy. There is an adversary. There is a devil. There is the accuser of the brethren.
1:00:27
God of this age has blinded, who do not believe, Lest the light of the gospel, the glory of Christ, who is the very image of God should shine on them. Just like when Moses would come down from the mountain and the people saw the glory of God shine on his face. They said, it is too much for us. Let us look away. Put a veil over that.
1:00:45
Are you with me? It's sometimes it's too much for people to bear. But then, Paul says in verse five there, but we do not preach ourselves. It's not that we're so resplendent but I'm saying, look at us. We are barely a reflection of Christ our God.
1:01:04
We do not preach ourselves but we preach Christ Jesus the Lord and we show ourselves as bond servants for Jesus sake and then we end up at that verse we started on. For God who said, let light shine out of darkness. He did that from the beginning. Absolutely, Genesis one one. He did it from the beginning for it's God who has said, let light shine out of darkness and it is God who made the move.
1:01:29
He is the one that leaned towards. He is the one that by his grace has revealed this. What Christians have, they have by grace. God is the one who has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of glory of God in the face of Christ. If he predestined us to be conformed into the image of his son, and he is in the process of doing that in sanctification until our glorification.
1:01:58
How is it then that we will get better? If you want to keep reading chapter four after that, it goes that we're pressed and we're crushed but we're not discouraged, alright? That's the next passage but you can read that on your own. I preach half the Bible today. We all with unveiled face, do not fear God.
1:02:20
He's made a way for you to be made right. Lean into him and say, I trust in the way that you've made for me to be made right and I want lord to walk in this good old gospel way of liberty and I want to be transformed into Jesus' image and I'm willingly yielding my spirit to you so that you will do that. Nevertheless, when one turns to the Lord, that's the difference. Turn to Jesus. Turn to him.
1:02:46
You can turn to him in his word. Read the gospel of John. Read the other gospels. Come talk to me. Find a Christian friend.
1:02:54
There are lots of ways that you can turn to the Lord. When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Things will not be such a mystery. The Lord is spirit and where the spirit of the Lord is, there's liberty. We all with unveiled face, beholding, and is in a mirror.
1:03:08
This, the best mirror that we have for Jesus. In my opinion, the best mirror that we have for Jesus is the Bible. It is the gospel of John is the one that's the easiest to understand but we have the whole Old Testament pointing towards and we have all the gospels that are about him. We have all the epistles that are looking back to it, okay? If that's overwhelming, just start with the gospel of John.
1:03:29
Get to know who he is. Read it for four times. And you'll be beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord and you will begin to be transformed into that same image because if what you admire the most is what you spend the most time on, that's what you will gravitate towards. Alright, I'm going end with this. So this is second Corinthians three eighteen again but it's in the ESV and I like this because you might feel like, I don't know about all that and we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord.
1:04:00
We do see that in Jesus. I I find very few people that can look at Christ and have anything to call him out on. Okay? But you find tons of people that can look in Christians and go, ugh, I don't want to be what they are. Yeah.
1:04:20
If you can look into the face of Christ, behold his glory. You'll be being transformed into that same image from one degree of glory to another. It's not our glory. The glory is God's and don't take any of it. Don't accept any of it.
1:04:36
We don't deserve it. But this comes from the Lord who is the spirit and I think it goes right back to that. That is where we are. Where are you on that chart? Where are you?
1:04:48
Have you believed the gospel witness? Are you justified? Are you being sanctified? And that should give you some degree because you're not perfect yet. But a day is coming when you will be glorified.
1:05:02
And you will know just as you're known. And you will see not as in a mirror dimly but face to face as it is. You'll know just as you are known. I think that's it. That's the story.
1:05:12
Would you all stand? I'll invite the band back up, and we're going to sing what I think is the cure. I think that the thing that makes us better is to turn our eyes upon Jesus. And so would you pay attention to the words of this and sing them out and pray them if you mean them?
1:05:35
Speaker 2This song is so good to the point that I was praying over there. I said, I thought he's not gonna close. I I hope he's not gonna close with doxology because this song is so good.
1:09:16
Speaker 1Amen. I say this because of the spirit of God and I can call upon you to holiness. Paul just did it to the Corinthians. I'm doing it to you and I'm doing it with his words to the Ephesians. Imitate God therefore.
1:09:30
Spend time with him. If you want to imitate somebody, you gotta spend time with him. Imitate God therefore in everything that you do because you are his dead children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and he offered himself as a sacrifice for us.
1:09:45
A pleasing aroma to God. Imitate God therefore. In Jesus name, lord, would you shine your light on this community and this world off of the faces of those of us who know you. Amen. I was gonna tell y'all.
