Welcome to Anchors Of Truth
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live from the
3ABN Worship Center.
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We do welcome you to
the final presentation
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in what has been a
really exciting and spiritual
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series of presentations dealing
with the law and with love.
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So we welcome our audience
here in Thompsonville, Illinois
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and we welcome those
of you who are watching
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and listening
from around the world.
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The other night Ty and I were
talking and we happened to hit
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on a subject that was
sort of tangential to what
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he's been preaching about.
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And he said, "C.A.,
you've got to preach this."
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And I have a fairly long
list of things that I want to
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preach on, so I
said, "Well, I'll add that.
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You know, I'll
put it there somewhere
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on the bottom of the list."
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Because he was giving
me a homework assignment.
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And I didn't need
another homework assignment.
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I tend not to like
homework assignments.
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But he said,
"You've got to preach this."
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And then as he went
into the message that night
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and the subsequent nights,
that assignment kept coming
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closer to the top of the list.
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And now that I've heard
four of his presentations,
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now I've got to preach it.
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In fact, the next time
I preach, I will probably
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preach on that subject.
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Because it is tangential
to what we are talking about.
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What Ty has been
walking us through is really,
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not the necessity
of keeping the law,
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but as we discussed
today, the inevitability of
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keeping the law once
you've got a functioning
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working love
relationship with Jesus Christ.
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So that it's not something
you do, it is something you are.
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It's not something
that you're striving to do.
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It's something that
comes as a natural consequence
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of being in love with Jesus.
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And that is an old doctrine,
but it is also a new doctrine.
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Because the Adventist
church has had to, sort of,
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wrestle with that
since its early days.
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Keep the law? Yeah.
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But how do you keep the law?
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Why do you keep the law?
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You put Christ in
the center of the law,
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and the law makes sense.
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It's not something you are
striving and grasping to do.
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It is something
that's a natural consequence
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of being in love
with Jesus Christ.
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And that's what we found out
during these last several days.
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And so tonight's presentation,
No Harm, I'm sure will
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follow in that context.
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Danny and Ty and I
were discussing this.
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This is what the
Adventist church needs.
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This is what the world needs.
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It needs to know that it
all revolves around Jesus.
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That it becomes so much
easier when you start with a
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loving relationship with Jesus.
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You don't start with the law.
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You start with Jesus.
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And everything else
follows in its train.
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And Ty has done that so
very, very beautifully and
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illustrated that for us during
these last several sessions.
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And we expect no less
than that again this evening.
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Of course, our guest,
our speak, is Ty Gibson.
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He is co-founder of
Light Bearers Ministry.
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And as has been so well
articulated, they have given
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hundreds of millions of
pieces of literature out
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around the world.
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And doing a
wonderful job doing that.
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If you have known
3ABN for many years,
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you remember Ty from the
days when he was a young guy
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with a beard, a young
guy trying to look old.
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Now he's an older
guy trying to look young.
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He's gotten rid of that beard
and he looks a little better.
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I think clean shaven, for me.
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You can actually see his face.
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Good looking guy
once you can see that face
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out from under all that beard.
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And really a wonderful...
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I'll tell you why
I shaved my beard.
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Because I was on 3ABN and
I got mail from 3ABN viewers,
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most of them
older women, who said,
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"You look like
the criminal element.
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You need to get
that hair off your face."
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- So I shaved.
- Praise the Lord.
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We'll edit that later.
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The question really is,
and Ty has been asking it
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for these past
several presentations,
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do you love God?
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How much do you love God?
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And if you love
Him, let your actions
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let the whole world know.
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We'll pray, and
then sing that song.
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And then Ty will
give us his presentation.
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Father God, we praise
You and we do love You.
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What we want is
to love You more,
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to love You best,
so that You can use us
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any way that you see fit.
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Please, Lord, speak to us
just now, because we want to
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hear a word from You.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Do you love God
more than anything?
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Do you love God?
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Do you love God
more than anything?
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Do you love my God?
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Love is all that
He asks in return
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for all that He has given.
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Love will be the endless theme
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throughout the course of heaven.
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Do you love God more
than your car or home?
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Do you love God?
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Do you love God
more than all you own?
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Do you love my God?
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Tell me, do you love
God more than your family?
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Really, really, really love Him?
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If you do, just let
the whole world know.
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That's all He asks of you.
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Do you love God more
than your car or home?
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Do you love God?
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And do you love God
more than all you own?
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Do you love God?
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Tell me, do you love
God more than your family?
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Really, really, really love Him?
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If you do, just let
the whole world know
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that you love the Lord.
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Come on, let the whole
world know, let them know,
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that you love the Lord.
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Let the whole world know,
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let the whole world know,
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let the whole world know.
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That's all He asks
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of you.
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Hmmm, thank you, C.A.
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What an appropriate song
for the message this afternoon.
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I'm glad you stayed by.
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This is the meeting after lunch.
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And I think some of
you know what that means.
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I'm a little at a distance from
you, so it won't be that easy
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for me to pay attention
to the glazed over look
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in some of your eyes as
your lasagna tries to interfere
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with our purpose just now.
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So I want to encourage you to
put forth extra special effort,
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if necessary
correct your posture,
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take a few deep breaths,
as we launch in to God's Word.
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You need your frontal
lobe to be engaged just now.
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Alright?
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This morning, Danny asked
me to share about an exciting
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new set of Bible studies.
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And some of you, you
said it just went by too fast.
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You didn't get where
they could be obtained,
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what it's about.
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Let me just briefly repeat.
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This is a brand new
set of Bible studies,
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27 Bible studies in the
series, called, Truth Link.
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They are a very unique
resource that I think will just
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absolutely blow your
mind and take your heart
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in your relationship with
Jesus to a whole new level,
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and give you a tool
to share the message
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with absolute
biblical doctrinal integrity.
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Simultaneously, the love of
God and the gospel of Christ
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woven in to every
single biblical doctrine.
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So get a set of these
Bible studies and begin
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making use of them,
not only for your own
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personal spiritual
growth and edification,
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but also to have on
hand something to study
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with family and friends.
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So they're available
at, lightbearers.org.
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Lightbearers, the name of
the ministry I represent,.org.
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You can also go to that website
and just get the phone number
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from there and call and order
them on any day of the week.
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Alright, so I'm excite
about our subject right now.
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And in order to access
the concepts that we want to
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begin developing
regarding the law of God,
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in this our final
session on the subject,
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I want to explore with
you, ask you to explore with me,
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something that
we all experience.
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Have you noticed that we
tend to cringe when we witness
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pain or suffering
of just about any kind?
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Have you noticed that?
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Just today earlier
somebody was sharing with me
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from their heart and they began
talking about the breakdown
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in a relationship
between a mother and a daughter.
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And as he was describing
to me the disintegration of
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that relationship, I noticed
that his eyes were tearing up.
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And as he continued
describing the breakdown of the
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relationship, I could
just feel the stab of that pain
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in my own heart, and I felt
my eyes beginning to tear up.
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Almost involuntarily.
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Just last week a woman
came to me, somebody I know,
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and I've known
her for some time.
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And she walked up
and rather abruptly said,
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"Ty, my husband just informed me
that he's seeing another woman."
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And immediately,
boom, the pain was there.
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It was residual pain for me.
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It wasn't even my experience.
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But I could
empathize, I could feel the pain
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that was throbbing in her heart.
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Even pain on what might
be regarded as a lesser level
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is difficult for us to
witness as human beings.
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I'm driving down the road just,
I don't know, a few months ago
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and I'm doing, I don't
know, 50 or 60 miles an hour.
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And as I'm driving
along, suddenly I see out of the
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corner of my eye,
here comes a rabbit.
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And everything in me,
I'm willing to risk my life
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and run into trees
and hit mountain sides
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to avoid the bunny.
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Because everything in me is
against the pain, the suffering,
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the death that might
be inflicted on a creature
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of nature.
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Now it is possible,
and often is the case,
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that we as human
beings can become jaded.
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We can become insensitive.
00:13:15.49\00:13:18.93
And insensitivity can
move into being not just
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insensitive, but literally
callus and hard and cold.
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Where we can begin to
hear about and witness
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relational breakdown
and suffering and pain
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and it means nothing to us.
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We don't feel anything.
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And then when you get past the
point of just being insensitive,
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a human being can be
brought to the place where they
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feel no pain or empathy at all.
00:13:47.12\00:13:50.83
And that's called, psychopathy.
00:13:50.93\00:13:54.06
That's when a human
being gets to the place
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where they have
no emotional response
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to the suffering
and pain of others.
00:14:00.87\00:14:04.94
Now I bring all of
this to our attention
00:14:05.14\00:14:09.48
to direct you to one of
what I would regard to be
00:14:09.94\00:14:14.35
one of the most
important biblical perspectives
00:14:14.38\00:14:18.85
on the law of God,
and one that I think
00:14:18.89\00:14:22.62
many of us might find
to be a totally new idea.
00:14:22.82\00:14:26.43
We know lots of
Bible verses about the law.
00:14:26.46\00:14:28.76
And I would venture to say
that when we turn to this one,
00:14:28.80\00:14:32.07
you'll say, "Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I've read that."
00:14:32.10\00:14:33.94
But almost none of us have read
the second half of the verse,
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or at least
allowed it to register.
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Go to this verse
in Romans chapter 13.
00:14:41.44\00:14:45.11
Go to Romans 13.
00:14:45.31\00:14:46.78
Just an amazing text
from which I have drawn the
00:14:46.82\00:14:50.19
title of this message.
00:14:50.22\00:14:52.19
Notice this text,
it's about the law of God.
00:14:52.45\00:14:55.46
But we're going to
unpack and explore a dimension,
00:14:55.49\00:15:00.36
an aspect, of the law of God
that is rarely ever considered.
00:15:00.40\00:15:04.47
Alright, this is
Romans chapter 13
00:15:04.50\00:15:09.00
and verse 10.
00:15:09.50\00:15:12.97
Notice the language.
00:15:13.01\00:15:14.58
"Love does no..." What?
00:15:14.61\00:15:19.88
"...no harm to a
neighbor; therefore..."
00:15:20.12\00:15:24.85
Notice the grammatical flow.
00:15:24.89\00:15:26.55
Notice the connection.
00:15:26.59\00:15:27.92
"Love does no harm
to a neighbor; therefore
00:15:28.96\00:15:34.83
love is the fulfillment..."
00:15:34.86\00:15:37.17
The fulfilling of what?
00:15:37.20\00:15:39.00
"...the law."
00:15:39.37\00:15:40.70
Here, the apostle Paul is
informing us that God's law
00:15:40.74\00:15:47.24
is a realm of existence, if
you will, a set of parameters
00:15:47.94\00:15:57.55
within which there is no harm.
00:15:57.59\00:16:01.32
One version says,
"Love does no hurt
00:16:02.32\00:16:05.96
to its neighbor, therefore, love
is the fulfilling of the law."
00:16:06.80\00:16:11.37
Within the parameters
of God's law, there is an
00:16:11.40\00:16:15.54
absence of harm,
there's an absence of hurt.
00:16:15.57\00:16:20.11
Now in our first presentation,
we explored what we called,
00:16:20.48\00:16:25.21
The Law Before the Law.
00:16:25.25\00:16:26.75
And we essentially tried
to point out that God's law
00:16:27.02\00:16:32.05
is not an arbitrary set of rules
that He concocted willy-nilly
00:16:32.09\00:16:37.76
out of nowhere.
00:16:37.79\00:16:39.13
And I posed the question
to you, could God have come up
00:16:39.16\00:16:42.00
with another ten other
than the Ten Commandments?
00:16:42.03\00:16:45.53
Could He have just said,
"You know what, not these ten.
00:16:45.57\00:16:48.17
But I'll come up with
another totally different ten.
00:16:48.20\00:16:51.84
Move that pile of
rocks twice a day;
00:16:51.87\00:16:54.14
commandment number one.
00:16:54.18\00:16:55.71
Commandment number two;
every day look up, down,
00:16:55.74\00:16:59.18
to your left, to your right.
00:16:59.21\00:17:00.55
And then do it again four times.
00:17:00.58\00:17:02.45
Commandment number three..."
00:17:02.48\00:17:03.89
Those would be
arbitrary commands that have no
00:17:04.25\00:17:06.69
grounding in
relational existence,
00:17:06.72\00:17:10.93
no grounding in reality.
00:17:10.96\00:17:12.96
In other words, God's
law is not an arbitrary list
00:17:12.99\00:17:16.43
of externally imposed rules.
00:17:16.46\00:17:19.37
It is in fact, the law of God is
in fact a transcript of the very
00:17:19.47\00:17:23.97
character of God.
00:17:24.01\00:17:25.61
It is the essence
of God's own identity.
00:17:25.64\00:17:29.54
The law of God
describes for us how God thinks,
00:17:30.05\00:17:34.82
and feels, and
behaves toward all others.
00:17:34.85\00:17:38.92
It's not arbitrary.
00:17:39.62\00:17:40.96
It's intrinsic to
the very nature of God.
00:17:40.99\00:17:45.43
Do you see what I'm saying?
00:17:45.46\00:17:46.96
So this helps us to
understand that the law of God
00:17:47.00\00:17:52.90
is basically a description
of what relational integrity
00:17:53.00\00:17:59.14
looks like.
00:17:59.17\00:18:00.51
The Bible uses
another word to describe this.
00:18:00.54\00:18:03.65
And that word is, covenant.
00:18:03.68\00:18:05.78
I'll leave this for you
to study in your own time.
00:18:05.81\00:18:08.68
Look in Scripture at the
usage of the word, covenant,
00:18:09.25\00:18:14.19
and you will discover
that over and over again
00:18:14.22\00:18:18.36
the Ten Commandment
law of God is called,
00:18:18.39\00:18:21.23
a covenant.
00:18:21.26\00:18:22.60
Now a covenant is
simply a word that describes
00:18:22.70\00:18:26.74
what a relationship
looks like when it's mutual.
00:18:26.77\00:18:30.47
A covenant is when I live
for you, and you live for me.
00:18:31.17\00:18:38.81
It is the perfect arrangement
for all relationships.
00:18:39.11\00:18:43.59
I live for you, and I don't
say, "Wow, I really like the..."
00:18:43.99\00:18:48.86
Or you don't say,
"I really like the fact
00:18:48.89\00:18:50.63
that he's living for me.
00:18:50.66\00:18:51.99
I think I'll live for me too.
00:18:52.03\00:18:53.40
This is a great arrangement.
00:18:54.26\00:18:55.66
How about
everybody live for me."
00:18:55.70\00:18:57.63
That's not a covenant.
00:18:58.83\00:19:00.20
The covenant occurs when I live
for you, and you reciprocate.
00:19:00.87\00:19:06.91
This is what
Jesus is describing.
00:19:06.94\00:19:08.81
He gets to the heart of it.
00:19:08.84\00:19:10.18
This is what Jesus is
describing in Luke 6:38.
00:19:10.21\00:19:12.88
One of the best
verses in all the Bible.
00:19:12.91\00:19:14.78
This should be something
you know like your phone number,
00:19:14.82\00:19:17.82
or your social security
number, or your wife's birthday.
00:19:17.85\00:19:21.02
This verse, Jesus
describes the whole deal.
00:19:22.29\00:19:26.56
He says, "Give, and
it shall be given to you.
00:19:26.76\00:19:33.34
Pressed down, shaken
together, and running over
00:19:33.97\00:19:37.07
shall others give into
your bosom," or into your life.
00:19:37.11\00:19:41.64
In other words, in the
process of living for others,
00:19:41.68\00:19:46.11
Jesus is saying it
starts a chain reaction.
00:19:46.15\00:19:50.05
There's a
reciprocation that occurs.
00:19:50.09\00:19:52.49
There's a cause
and there's an effect.
00:19:52.52\00:19:54.62
You also find this
principle in 1 John 4:19
00:19:54.66\00:19:58.16
where the gospel is encapsulated
in this simple statement,
00:19:58.26\00:20:02.53
"We love God
because He first loved us."
00:20:02.56\00:20:06.33
In other words, in that
text there are two usages
00:20:06.60\00:20:09.60
of the word, love.
00:20:09.64\00:20:10.97
There is God's love
that is primary and active
00:20:11.01\00:20:14.64
toward me
regardless of my condition.
00:20:14.68\00:20:17.38
It doesn't matter if I'm
doing good, bad, or otherwise,
00:20:17.68\00:20:20.62
God's love is a constant,
covenantal, faithfulness to me.
00:20:20.65\00:20:25.02
The Bible says in another
place that if we are unfaithful,
00:20:25.05\00:20:30.69
God is or remains faithful,
because He cannot deny Himself.
00:20:30.79\00:20:36.36
In other words, God
cannot go contrary to who He is.
00:20:36.50\00:20:40.74
He can't be
other than what He is.
00:20:40.77\00:20:42.67
And what is He? He's faithful.
00:20:42.70\00:20:44.31
Whether I am or
not, whether I am or not.
00:20:44.34\00:20:47.54
And that faithful love
then initiates a response in me.
00:20:47.78\00:20:53.48
One author says,
"Love begets love."
00:20:53.72\00:20:57.59
In other words, God's
love is a creative force.
00:20:57.85\00:21:00.92
It produces after its own kind.
00:21:00.96\00:21:05.23
And so the apostle Paul
says, "Love does no harm
00:21:05.93\00:21:13.03
to its neighbor."
00:21:13.44\00:21:14.77
In other words, there is an
absence of relational violation
00:21:14.80\00:21:20.98
where love is occurring.
00:21:21.01\00:21:22.64
Love is not a silly sentimental
cotton candy sweet kind of
00:21:23.35\00:21:27.95
sentimentalism.
00:21:28.15\00:21:29.52
It's not just a
warm fuzzy feeling.
00:21:29.98\00:21:32.75
Love is a powerful principle.
00:21:33.52\00:21:37.83
It is a force to
be reckoned with.
00:21:37.86\00:21:41.63
And the force to be
reckoned with in the love of God
00:21:42.03\00:21:46.07
is that He will be good
and faithful to you and me
00:21:46.43\00:21:50.17
no matter what we do to Him.
00:21:50.21\00:21:51.97
And that's why we see God's love
reaching its pinnacle expression
00:21:52.21\00:21:56.28
at Calvary.
00:21:56.41\00:21:57.85
John chapter 13 verse 1,
as Jesus is coming to the
00:21:58.71\00:22:02.15
end of His ministry,
this is such a powerful line,
00:22:02.18\00:22:06.22
He's coming to the
end of His ministry.
00:22:06.25\00:22:07.72
He's about to wash
the disciples feet.
00:22:07.76\00:22:09.76
He's about to celebrate
the Passover with them.
00:22:09.79\00:22:11.76
He's about to go to Calvary.
00:22:11.79\00:22:13.33
And John 13:1 says,
"...having loved His own
00:22:13.36\00:22:18.30
who were in the world,
He loved them to the end."
00:22:18.33\00:22:22.77
He loved them to the end.
00:22:23.41\00:22:25.57
That is to say, He loved
them to the end of Himself.
00:22:25.61\00:22:29.74
When Jesus died at the cross,
Jesus perfected, personified,
00:22:30.21\00:22:35.12
revealed, and put on
living display the love of God
00:22:35.15\00:22:39.92
in its most
beautiful possible expression.
00:22:39.95\00:22:43.89
He loved all others
above and before Himself.
00:22:44.36\00:22:48.56
And He wasn't feeling super
sentimentally or emotionally
00:22:48.86\00:22:54.00
high while He was
hanging on the cross.
00:22:54.04\00:22:57.01
He was
experiencing excruciating pain
00:22:57.31\00:23:00.98
and the pain of self denial
to keep loving, loving, loving
00:23:01.01\00:23:06.08
you and me above Himself to the
Nth degree of self-sacrifice.
00:23:06.11\00:23:11.49
That's what love
looks like in action.
00:23:11.52\00:23:13.62
Now for you and me, God
envelopes us with this love.
00:23:13.99\00:23:19.89
Again to quote an
author that really gets this.
00:23:19.93\00:23:24.83
We're surrounded with
an atmosphere of grace,
00:23:25.07\00:23:28.00
the whole human race,
00:23:28.04\00:23:29.37
we're surrounded with
an atmosphere of grace
00:23:29.54\00:23:32.07
as real as the air we breathe.
00:23:32.11\00:23:34.91
In other words, whether you turn
to the left or to the right,
00:23:35.34\00:23:38.08
up or down, any direction
you look within the parameters
00:23:38.11\00:23:42.62
of the gospel, you realize that,
to use the language of John
00:23:42.65\00:23:47.52
in John chapter 1,
God has heaped upon us
00:23:47.56\00:23:50.63
grace upon grace.
00:23:50.66\00:23:52.83
He's always
good, no matter what.
00:23:54.30\00:23:57.00
And the only
question is, do we see it?
00:23:57.03\00:24:00.47
And once we see it and it
really rivets our attention,
00:24:00.70\00:24:03.97
we begin to voluntarily
of our own free will,
00:24:04.01\00:24:07.44
spontaneously we
begin to return to Him
00:24:07.48\00:24:10.58
from the inside out.
00:24:10.61\00:24:12.55
It's not merely an
outward demand or compliance
00:24:12.58\00:24:17.92
that God's looking for.
00:24:17.95\00:24:19.29
He's not looking for
robots or machines or slaves.
00:24:19.32\00:24:22.56
He's looking for
living, volitional, emotional,
00:24:22.92\00:24:26.73
rational friends.
00:24:26.76\00:24:29.86
He's looking for
people who will know Him
00:24:30.07\00:24:32.57
in the interior of His
heart and like what they see,
00:24:33.00\00:24:37.87
and reciprocate
and love Him back.
00:24:38.54\00:24:42.54
So here we have Paul telling
us, "Do you want to know what
00:24:42.64\00:24:48.12
the law is all
about?" Paul says.
00:24:48.15\00:24:50.29
It's about no harm.
00:24:51.22\00:24:52.75
It's about relational integrity.
00:24:53.12\00:24:55.12
When a man comes
to me and he says,
00:24:55.82\00:24:59.79
"I just can't
sustain this marriage.
00:24:59.83\00:25:02.36
I'm going to leave.
00:25:03.47\00:25:04.87
I don't love her anymore.
00:25:04.90\00:25:07.14
I don't love her anymore."
00:25:07.60\00:25:10.57
What he's
describing is the breakdown
00:25:10.77\00:25:15.91
of what the Bible calls, love.
00:25:16.18\00:25:18.15
Relational
disintegration is occurring.
00:25:18.18\00:25:21.08
And essentially what
he's saying is that he refuses
00:25:21.18\00:25:24.19
to continue to keep his vow.
00:25:24.22\00:25:26.35
He refuses to be faithful.
00:25:26.39\00:25:28.96
When the Bible
says, "God is love,"
00:25:29.06\00:25:31.73
it doesn't simply mean
that God has warm sentimental
00:25:32.89\00:25:36.50
feelings toward you.
00:25:36.53\00:25:37.87
It means God is faithful to you.
00:25:38.00\00:25:40.57
God will follow through.
00:25:41.00\00:25:42.50
If you want to
summarize the whole Bible,
00:25:42.60\00:25:44.67
here it is, here's the Bible.
00:25:44.87\00:25:47.48
There's the Old Testament and
the New Testament; here it is.
00:25:47.84\00:25:49.68
The Old Testament
is a promise made,
00:25:49.88\00:25:52.91
and the New
Testament is a promise kept.
00:25:52.95\00:25:55.45
That's what it is.
00:25:55.58\00:25:56.92
That's why it's called the
old covenant, or testament,
00:25:56.95\00:26:00.32
and the new covenant.
00:26:00.36\00:26:01.69
It's God saying, "I love
you. I'll keep loving you.
00:26:01.72\00:26:05.93
And I will give My Son."
00:26:05.96\00:26:07.70
And the whole
testament is one Messianic
00:26:07.73\00:26:09.80
prophecy after another.
00:26:09.83\00:26:11.17
Jesus is coming.
00:26:11.20\00:26:12.53
"I will give Him as a
covenant to the people,"
00:26:12.57\00:26:15.90
the Old Testament says.
00:26:16.27\00:26:17.64
Jesus will come and He
will fulfill the covenant.
00:26:17.67\00:26:21.91
He will confirm the
covenant with many for one week.
00:26:22.01\00:26:25.78
And in the midst of the
week He will be cut off.
00:26:25.81\00:26:28.38
He will go to Calvary to
ratify relational faithfulness.
00:26:28.42\00:26:33.05
That's Daniel chapter 9.
00:26:33.09\00:26:35.02
So the whole Bible is
God saying, "I love you.
00:26:35.19\00:26:39.03
And I'll prove it."
00:26:39.23\00:26:40.56
And the New Testament is, in
Jesus Christ, God proving it.
00:26:40.60\00:26:44.40
God following through to
keep covenant with you and me
00:26:44.87\00:26:48.10
regardless of
our unfaithfulness.
00:26:48.14\00:26:50.47
The love of God is nothing less
than relational faithfulness.
00:26:50.64\00:26:57.21
It is faithfulness at
any cost to one's self.
00:26:57.78\00:27:03.89
And so this "no harm"
idea, let's unpack it further.
00:27:04.25\00:27:07.72
What in the world does
Paul mean when he says there's
00:27:07.76\00:27:12.23
no harm done when
love is being exercised?
00:27:12.26\00:27:17.33
When love is in
play, there's no harm.
00:27:17.37\00:27:19.97
That means that in
any given relationship,
00:27:20.20\00:27:23.74
I am, you are, God is,
whoever the participants are,
00:27:24.07\00:27:27.98
in any given
relationship the individuals are
00:27:28.01\00:27:30.95
choosing what is best
and right for the other,
00:27:30.98\00:27:35.08
for the other, first
and foremost above self.
00:27:35.38\00:27:39.92
So there's no
violation occurring.
00:27:40.82\00:27:43.39
Now God has chosen to
create human beings to operate
00:27:44.66\00:27:50.80
in precisely this manner.
00:27:50.83\00:27:52.27
I want you to look with
me at Genesis real quick.
00:27:52.47\00:27:54.90
We're going to do a
little tour de force here
00:27:54.94\00:27:57.87
of the Bible.
00:27:57.91\00:27:59.24
And we're going to begin
at the beginning with Genesis.
00:27:59.34\00:28:01.88
I want you to notice
something here, a pattern
00:28:01.91\00:28:04.15
in Genesis chapters 1 and 2.
00:28:04.18\00:28:07.52
For the sake of time, I'm just
going to tell you some things
00:28:07.55\00:28:10.45
you already know, and
then focus on some parts that
00:28:10.49\00:28:12.45
we need to have
really emphasized for us
00:28:12.49\00:28:15.72
and brought to our attention.
00:28:15.76\00:28:17.23
Each day of creation,
watch this, God comes to the end
00:28:18.06\00:28:22.36
of that particular
segment of what He made,
00:28:22.40\00:28:25.17
and He says, "It's good."
00:28:25.20\00:28:26.53
Right? You know this part.
00:28:26.57\00:28:27.90
It's good.
00:28:28.10\00:28:29.44
Comes to the end
of the second day,
00:28:29.47\00:28:30.81
He looks at everything He
made and He says, "It's good."
00:28:30.84\00:28:33.21
Third day; it's good.
00:28:33.94\00:28:35.48
Fourth day; it's
good. Fifth day; good.
00:28:35.51\00:28:37.35
End of the sixth day God
says something, He modifies
00:28:37.38\00:28:40.32
His declaration.
00:28:40.35\00:28:41.68
He says, "Behold,
now it is very good."
00:28:41.72\00:28:46.02
Now the difference between,
"good," and, "very good,"
00:28:46.09\00:28:48.62
in the development
of the narrative is that
00:28:48.66\00:28:52.23
"good" is descriptive of the
constituent parts of creation
00:28:52.26\00:28:57.97
under development.
00:28:58.00\00:28:59.53
In other words, good for what
it is on that day at that level
00:29:00.04\00:29:04.81
at that stage of
the creation venture.
00:29:04.84\00:29:07.58
Okay?
00:29:07.61\00:29:08.94
The difference between,
"good," and, "very good,"
00:29:08.98\00:29:11.28
is creation in process...
00:29:11.31\00:29:13.45
"Yep, that's
good. Good, good, good."
00:29:13.48\00:29:15.32
...and creation complete.
00:29:15.35\00:29:17.69
Now what makes
creation complete?
00:29:18.19\00:29:21.59
The creation of
the man and the woman
00:29:21.82\00:29:24.56
on the latter
part of the sixth day.
00:29:24.79\00:29:27.13
Once the man and
the woman are created,
00:29:27.33\00:29:30.57
they are placed, as it
were, in this incredible
00:29:30.60\00:29:35.00
material
environment that surrounds them.
00:29:35.04\00:29:38.11
And it says in chapter 2
that God put them in a garden.
00:29:38.14\00:29:44.61
And God actually
gave the garden a name.
00:29:45.11\00:29:47.98
He gave the garden a name.
00:29:48.02\00:29:49.35
He said the garden that He
put them in would be called,
00:29:49.38\00:29:52.52
chapter 2 verse 8, Eden.
00:29:52.55\00:29:54.99
Now develop this with me.
00:29:56.36\00:29:58.46
When we read the word, "Eden,"
we think, "Oh that's just
00:29:58.93\00:30:03.63
the name that God came
up with for the garden."
00:30:03.67\00:30:07.50
And it is the name
that God came up with.
00:30:07.54\00:30:09.47
But it's not just a collection
of letters to create a certain
00:30:09.50\00:30:14.11
phonetic sound.
00:30:14.14\00:30:15.74
Every name in the
Bible means something.
00:30:16.04\00:30:20.72
It all has definition.
00:30:21.08\00:30:22.82
Whether it's
the name of a person
00:30:22.85\00:30:24.69
or it's the name of a place.
00:30:24.89\00:30:26.96
Every place and thing and
person is named according to
00:30:27.16\00:30:34.63
its function, according
to its intrinsic value,
00:30:34.73\00:30:39.03
what it's for, what it does.
00:30:39.07\00:30:41.07
The word, "Eden,"
isn't just a nice name
00:30:41.40\00:30:45.54
to refer to a place.
00:30:45.57\00:30:47.21
It literally has a meaning.
00:30:47.24\00:30:49.21
Eden is the
Hebrew word for pleasure.
00:30:49.78\00:30:54.18
So literally, here's
what we see taking place.
00:30:54.22\00:30:57.49
God creates this
incredible material environment.
00:30:57.52\00:31:02.66
Okay, He creates landscapes.
00:31:02.86\00:31:06.29
He creates a
profusion of colors;
00:31:06.59\00:31:10.33
from the flowers and
the trees and the skyline.
00:31:10.37\00:31:13.84
He creates flowing brooks with
gentle water that fills the ear.
00:31:13.87\00:31:20.94
He fills the sky with birds.
00:31:20.98\00:31:23.65
And He says, "You know what?
00:31:24.15\00:31:25.48
Not only are these going
to be visually beautiful,
00:31:25.81\00:31:28.82
I'm going to make them sing."
00:31:29.12\00:31:30.89
And so God
creates birds that sing.
00:31:30.92\00:31:33.56
They fill the sky
with their visual beauty
00:31:33.59\00:31:38.83
and the beauty of
the song that they sing.
00:31:38.86\00:31:42.76
God surrounds the man
and the woman with what?
00:31:42.80\00:31:46.97
With beauty of every kind.
00:31:47.00\00:31:48.40
He says, "I'm going to create
tasty stuff for you to eat."
00:31:48.44\00:31:52.01
So He creates various
different trees that bear fruit.
00:31:52.94\00:31:56.71
They're not all the same.
00:31:56.75\00:31:58.21
They're different.
00:31:58.71\00:32:00.05
This one tastes like that and
the other like something else.
00:32:00.08\00:32:04.25
And these flavors are
engineered by God to just dance
00:32:04.29\00:32:08.39
all over their taste
buds so that with every bite
00:32:08.42\00:32:11.56
there's delight.
00:32:11.59\00:32:13.19
This is all intentional.
00:32:13.40\00:32:15.26
This is telling us something
about the character of God.
00:32:15.43\00:32:18.30
God could have said, "I'm
going to create the man and
00:32:18.33\00:32:21.07
the woman, and I'm
going to have one tree.
00:32:21.10\00:32:23.84
And it's going to have
a tube hanging from it.
00:32:24.11\00:32:27.41
And every day for one
hour I'll have them hook up
00:32:27.44\00:32:29.41
to an IV machine and
get some nourishment."
00:32:29.44\00:32:32.18
He could have said,
"No, I'll have one tree.
00:32:33.15\00:32:35.58
And the fruit will be
brown in color and it will
00:32:35.62\00:32:39.49
taste like cardboard."
00:32:39.52\00:32:41.32
No.
00:32:42.39\00:32:43.73
God, out of the beauty and
abundance of His creativity,
00:32:43.76\00:32:47.96
says, "I'm going to
create lots of different trees.
00:32:48.00\00:32:50.57
And man oh man,
they're going to taste good.
00:32:50.60\00:32:53.13
They're going to
love this stuff."
00:32:53.80\00:32:55.70
This is the kind of
God we're dealing with.
00:32:55.87\00:32:57.91
He surrounds them
with visual beauty,
00:32:58.11\00:33:01.88
auditory beauty, flavors.
00:33:01.98\00:33:05.81
He creates them and puts
them in the garden of pleasure,
00:33:07.02\00:33:12.02
the garden of pleasure.
00:33:12.12\00:33:13.52
Now here we are post fall
in the world in which we live.
00:33:13.56\00:33:18.53
And it's natural for
us as believers in Christ
00:33:19.09\00:33:24.17
to sometimes have a
negative view of the word
00:33:24.27\00:33:27.07
or the concept of pleasure.
00:33:27.10\00:33:29.20
But biblically speaking,
pleasure is the invention
00:33:29.60\00:33:35.08
of Almighty God.
00:33:35.11\00:33:36.44
God is the author of pleasure.
00:33:36.75\00:33:39.85
God is the one who created
the human machine, if you will,
00:33:40.08\00:33:44.05
this thing that we
are, to intellectually
00:33:44.09\00:33:47.69
enjoy the process
of problem solving.
00:33:47.72\00:33:51.13
To scientifically investigate
the mysteries of the universe
00:33:52.29\00:33:55.50
and just be delighted
to discover new things.
00:33:55.53\00:33:58.63
God is the one that
created the emotional component
00:33:58.80\00:34:02.74
in the human being.
00:34:03.74\00:34:05.07
To walk up and to develop
a relationship with somebody
00:34:05.34\00:34:09.44
and have them look
back into your eyes,
00:34:09.48\00:34:11.85
and you get the feeling that,
00:34:11.88\00:34:13.21
"Wow, I like you
and you like me,"
00:34:13.25\00:34:15.52
and that feeling of
emotional satisfaction.
00:34:15.55\00:34:18.02
God's the author of that.
00:34:18.05\00:34:19.52
God is the one who created
the body with its ability
00:34:20.09\00:34:25.69
to feel pleasure.
00:34:25.73\00:34:27.93
God is the one who said, "Not
only am I going to create a man,
00:34:27.96\00:34:31.47
I'm going to
create a man and a woman.
00:34:31.50\00:34:33.54
And I'm going to
let them fall in love
00:34:33.57\00:34:36.40
and enjoy one
another's friendship."
00:34:36.60\00:34:38.74
God's the author of all of this.
00:34:39.27\00:34:41.24
Now having created
this kind of environment,
00:34:41.28\00:34:43.98
this kind of world,
this garden of pleasure,
00:34:44.01\00:34:47.85
God put the man
and the woman there.
00:34:47.88\00:34:49.78
And He basically said,
"Hey, have a great time.
00:34:49.82\00:34:53.49
Be fruitful,
multiply, and expand the garden
00:34:54.16\00:34:57.49
to encompass the whole earth."
00:34:57.53\00:34:59.89
Steward all of this
beauty in such a way that the
00:35:00.16\00:35:04.50
garden of pleasure grows
to take in the whole planet.
00:35:04.53\00:35:08.44
And multiply.
00:35:08.47\00:35:09.80
Procreate all kinds
of other human beings
00:35:09.90\00:35:12.37
who themselves will join
in all the fun of existence.
00:35:12.41\00:35:17.51
This is God.
00:35:17.95\00:35:19.28
Now, having created that kind
of environment and that kind of
00:35:20.05\00:35:26.59
world, sin enters
the picture in chapter 3.
00:35:26.62\00:35:31.86
But I want you to
notice now a contrast.
00:35:32.16\00:35:35.13
Because this is the
first time that we encounter
00:35:35.16\00:35:38.43
the principle of God's law
and what sin is by contrast.
00:35:38.47\00:35:45.21
Again, this is the first
time we encounter in Scripture
00:35:45.24\00:35:48.84
the principle of God's law.
00:35:48.94\00:35:50.75
I say, the principle of
God's law, because we don't
00:35:50.78\00:35:52.75
find in Genesis 1 and
2 the Ten Commandments;
00:35:52.78\00:35:55.08
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10;
00:35:55.12\00:35:56.75
"Thou shalt..."
"Thou shalt not..."
00:35:56.79\00:35:58.12
We don't find that
in Genesis 1 and 2.
00:35:58.15\00:35:59.52
But we find the essence
of the law in Genesis 1 and 2
00:35:59.79\00:36:05.99
in that God created
the man and the woman
00:36:06.03\00:36:08.46
to live in relational integrity.
00:36:08.50\00:36:11.73
Each one living
wholly for the other,
00:36:12.63\00:36:15.54
and both of them living for
God, and God living for them.
00:36:15.57\00:36:18.47
That's the law
of God, in essence.
00:36:19.24\00:36:21.48
It's right there in principle.
00:36:21.64\00:36:23.11
Now God did
something very interesting
00:36:23.55\00:36:26.38
when He created
this environment.
00:36:26.41\00:36:27.75
Chapter 2, notice
carefully verse 16.
00:36:27.78\00:36:31.19
"And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying..."
00:36:33.15\00:36:37.06
Notice the language.
00:36:37.09\00:36:38.59
"Of every tree of the garden..."
00:36:38.63\00:36:42.06
What are the next three words?
00:36:42.10\00:36:44.33
"...you may freely..."
00:36:44.37\00:36:46.87
"...you may..." "...you may..."
00:36:47.50\00:36:51.21
"...you may freely eat..."
00:36:51.31\00:36:55.01
Okay, grammatically, as God
is speaking, He is formulating
00:36:55.04\00:37:01.18
a positive
grammatical structure.
00:37:01.22\00:37:04.09
He's telling
them what they may do.
00:37:05.39\00:37:08.36
And it's a vast
horizon of freedom.
00:37:08.72\00:37:11.46
He says, "Of every tree of
the garden you may freely eat."
00:37:11.49\00:37:15.53
But then notice verse 17.
00:37:15.56\00:37:18.10
"But," qualification, "of
the tree of the knowledge of
00:37:18.13\00:37:21.70
good and evil you shall not
eat, for in the day that you eat
00:37:21.74\00:37:27.34
of it you will surely die."
00:37:27.38\00:37:28.81
Notice this.
00:37:28.84\00:37:30.18
God presents a huge, a vast
horizon of liberty and freedom.
00:37:30.21\00:37:37.25
"Of every tree
you may freely eat.
00:37:37.42\00:37:40.76
But not this one."
00:37:40.79\00:37:43.73
And the one qualification
embedded in God's language
00:37:43.76\00:37:49.90
is a protective language.
00:37:49.93\00:37:53.10
"Because I don't
want you to be hurt.
00:37:53.13\00:37:56.14
I don't want you to die."
00:37:56.54\00:37:59.31
Now two things we need
to see here from the get go.
00:37:59.34\00:38:02.01
Number one, the
Scripture does not say,
00:38:02.04\00:38:05.95
"Of every tree of the
garden you may freely eat;
00:38:06.35\00:38:08.35
but not this one, because
if you do I'll kill you."
00:38:08.38\00:38:10.79
It doesn't say, "Don't eat
of that one or I'll kill you."
00:38:11.89\00:38:16.83
It's not, "Don't,
or I'll kill you."
00:38:16.86\00:38:18.86
It's, "Don't, or you'll die."
00:38:18.89\00:38:21.16
God is describing
the nature of reality
00:38:21.50\00:38:25.87
as God created
reality to function.
00:38:25.90\00:38:28.64
He's describing a
state of affairs in which
00:38:28.67\00:38:33.74
relational
breakdown, relational violation,
00:38:33.78\00:38:38.01
causes pain and
hurt and disintegration.
00:38:38.05\00:38:42.52
He's not giving a threat.
00:38:43.59\00:38:45.45
He's describing the
cause and effect relationship
00:38:45.92\00:38:49.62
that is involved in
either love or selfishness.
00:38:49.86\00:38:54.56
It's very interesting
though, because when the devil
00:38:54.96\00:38:57.97
comes to tempt
the man and the woman,
00:38:58.00\00:39:01.34
beginning with the
woman, notice chapter 3 verse 1.
00:39:01.37\00:39:04.24
And you will immediately...
This is just going to click on.
00:39:04.27\00:39:06.21
The lights are
going to come shining.
00:39:06.24\00:39:08.08
If your lasagna
can get out of the way,
00:39:08.11\00:39:10.45
you're about to realize
something very profound.
00:39:10.48\00:39:13.05
Notice chapter 3 verse 1.
00:39:13.08\00:39:15.38
"Now the serpent
was more cunning..."
00:39:15.42\00:39:18.19
Notice, "cunning."
00:39:18.22\00:39:19.99
Another version says, "subtle."
00:39:20.29\00:39:22.22
He's coming with
an intent to what?
00:39:23.36\00:39:26.03
To deceive.
00:39:26.29\00:39:27.63
He's not coming with truth.
00:39:27.70\00:39:29.76
He's coming with a
skewed view of things.
00:39:29.80\00:39:34.24
"Now the serpent was
more cunning than any beast
00:39:35.37\00:39:38.07
of the field which
the Lord God had made.
00:39:38.11\00:39:39.77
And he said..."
00:39:39.81\00:39:41.14
And what are you going to
expect out of this guys mouth?
00:39:41.18\00:39:43.71
Some kind of tweak.
00:39:44.65\00:39:47.85
Some kind of...
00:39:47.95\00:39:49.28
He's going to twist it.
00:39:49.88\00:39:51.29
"And he said to the
woman, 'Has God indeed said,
00:39:52.12\00:39:56.46
"You shall not eat of
every tree of the garden."'"
00:39:56.49\00:40:01.50
Do you hear the difference?
00:40:02.56\00:40:04.20
Do you catch the subtlety?
00:40:05.47\00:40:07.14
Notice that God presented
the matter as big freedom,
00:40:07.90\00:40:13.98
minor
restriction, for your good.
00:40:14.48\00:40:16.78
The devil comes along and
he flips it, and he presents
00:40:18.28\00:40:22.55
vast restriction.
00:40:22.92\00:40:25.05
And he doesn't even
mention any freedom.
00:40:25.45\00:40:27.86
He essentially says, "Has
God told you that you can't eat
00:40:28.86\00:40:32.29
of everything?"
00:40:32.39\00:40:33.73
He's trying to arouse in
humanity a sense of restriction.
00:40:33.86\00:40:39.70
"You can't..."
00:40:39.73\00:40:41.07
Notice, if you
compare verse 16 of chapter 2,
00:40:41.10\00:40:44.91
underline or circle, if
you do that in your Bible,
00:40:44.94\00:40:47.41
or take notes.
00:40:47.44\00:40:48.78
God says, "You may."
00:40:49.28\00:40:51.81
Circle the words, "You may."
00:40:52.08\00:40:54.12
The devil, down in chapter 3
verse 1, says, "You shall not."
00:40:54.75\00:40:59.85
This is the difference between
the biblical true view of
00:41:00.79\00:41:06.66
God's law and the
demonic tweaking of God's law.
00:41:06.70\00:41:14.34
God is not a God
of, He's not primarily,
00:41:14.54\00:41:18.07
He is not fundamentally
a God of restriction.
00:41:18.11\00:41:20.41
He's a God of
pleasure and liberty.
00:41:20.44\00:41:22.24
In fact, the New
Testament calls God's law a
00:41:22.88\00:41:25.05
perfect law of liberty.
00:41:25.08\00:41:26.58
It's all about freedom,
it's not about restriction.
00:41:26.92\00:41:29.32
And the only thing
that God ever forbids
00:41:30.49\00:41:34.69
it that which would hurt
us, that which would bring harm,
00:41:34.72\00:41:39.39
that which would break
down the quality of our lives
00:41:39.43\00:41:43.80
and our capacity for
pleasure and enjoyment in life.
00:41:43.83\00:41:48.94
Look now with me, if
you don't mind, go quickly
00:41:49.20\00:41:53.61
over to Deuteronomy chapter 5.
00:41:53.64\00:41:57.38
And notice how God frames His
law in chapter 5 of Deuteronomy.
00:41:57.58\00:42:02.52
You're going to love this.
00:42:02.55\00:42:03.89
This is just so
important to understand
00:42:03.92\00:42:06.55
when we're dealing
with the law of God.
00:42:06.59\00:42:08.52
And that's what this
five part series is about.
00:42:08.56\00:42:10.66
Deuteronomy chapter 5 verse 29.
00:42:11.63\00:42:14.56
This should be foremost in our
notes regarding the law of God.
00:42:14.86\00:42:20.10
And this is in
quote marks in mine.
00:42:20.54\00:42:22.10
I'm using the New
King James Version.
00:42:22.14\00:42:23.81
So Moses is
literally quoting the Lord.
00:42:23.84\00:42:26.54
This is God talking directly.
00:42:26.84\00:42:28.74
And God says, verse 29, "Oh,
that they had such a..." What?
00:42:28.94\00:42:35.12
"...such a heart in them
that they would fear Me..."
00:42:35.38\00:42:39.95
That is, "with awe,
reverence, and really understand
00:42:39.99\00:42:42.96
who I am to them."
00:42:42.99\00:42:44.33
"...that they would
fear Me and always keep
00:42:44.49\00:42:48.76
My commandments..." Comma.
00:42:48.80\00:42:51.73
And what follows is brilliant.
00:42:51.87\00:42:53.37
God doesn't say, "Oh,
that they would always
00:42:54.70\00:42:58.51
keep My commandments.
00:42:58.54\00:42:59.87
Because I'm God and they're not.
00:42:59.91\00:43:01.24
And by golly, they
better do what I say."
00:43:01.28\00:43:02.81
It's not God framing
our existence in terms of
00:43:04.71\00:43:09.18
restrictions for
restrictions sake.
00:43:09.22\00:43:12.15
Do you hear my words?
00:43:12.42\00:43:13.76
He's not restrictive
for restrictions sake.
00:43:13.86\00:43:18.43
No.
00:43:18.46\00:43:19.79
Here, God is saying, "Oh, I wish
that they had a heart in them
00:43:19.83\00:43:25.07
that would keep
all My commandments.
00:43:25.10\00:43:27.10
Not because I'm a
micro-managing control freak."
00:43:27.14\00:43:30.01
Do you see the
words after the comma?
00:43:31.47\00:43:33.41
"...that it
might be well with them
00:43:35.44\00:43:40.72
and with their
children forever."
00:43:40.75\00:43:43.45
What is God describing here?
00:43:44.19\00:43:46.05
God is saying, "Oh, how I wish
that they had a heart in them."
00:43:46.25\00:43:52.46
Not just behavioral compliance.
00:43:52.79\00:43:54.86
Where is God trying to get?
00:43:54.90\00:43:56.26
Into our hearts.
00:43:56.53\00:43:57.90
"Oh that they had a
heart in them to keep
00:43:58.57\00:44:00.87
all My commandments."
00:44:00.90\00:44:02.24
Why? What's God's motive?
00:44:02.27\00:44:03.67
"So that things would
go really well for them,
00:44:04.77\00:44:07.08
and for their children.
00:44:07.54\00:44:08.91
Forever."
00:44:09.28\00:44:10.61
In other words, God is
describing in the word,
00:44:10.71\00:44:13.62
"forever," the only way that
life is ultimately sustainable.
00:44:13.65\00:44:19.02
With joy and
pleasure and happiness.
00:44:19.05\00:44:21.09
Within the parameters of
God's law there is vast freedom.
00:44:21.49\00:44:25.89
Let me give a simple example.
00:44:26.49\00:44:27.90
Our popular culture is
obsessed with sexuality,
00:44:28.63\00:44:32.17
if you haven't noticed.
00:44:32.20\00:44:34.04
Billboards, magazines,
television shows, music.
00:44:34.07\00:44:37.14
We live in a society
that is just saturated
00:44:37.34\00:44:41.24
with smutty sexuality.
00:44:41.28\00:44:44.18
Now watch this.
00:44:44.58\00:44:45.91
The impression that's
out there is that God's ways
00:44:45.95\00:44:50.79
with regards to
sexuality are restrictive.
00:44:50.82\00:44:53.82
God says, "You shall
not commit adultery."
00:44:55.22\00:44:58.59
And the world tilts their
head and crosses their arms
00:44:58.76\00:45:02.63
and says, "Wow,
that is so narrow minded.
00:45:02.66\00:45:08.04
Is God a party pooper or what?"
00:45:08.24\00:45:10.77
But here's the
truth of the matter.
00:45:11.44\00:45:12.91
Listen to this.
00:45:13.17\00:45:14.51
When God says, "Here are
the parameters for sexuality,"
00:45:14.74\00:45:21.62
right, do you know
what He's actually doing?
00:45:22.72\00:45:25.35
He's describing the
parameters within which
00:45:25.82\00:45:30.66
great freedom can occur.
00:45:31.49\00:45:35.00
Because within a
monogamous relationship for life
00:45:35.66\00:45:40.14
between one man and one woman...
00:45:40.17\00:45:42.24
Watch this. Here's what happens.
00:45:42.27\00:45:44.51
When a man and a woman
mutually commit to one another,
00:45:44.54\00:45:48.44
they'll have some hard times.
00:45:48.48\00:45:49.81
After all, we're sinners.
00:45:49.84\00:45:51.18
We're messed from the word, go.
00:45:51.21\00:45:52.55
Look in the mirror,
you're dysfunctional.
00:45:52.58\00:45:54.32
The fact is, that if God were
to back up one little baby step
00:45:55.05\00:45:59.29
from you and me, you
would lose it, and so would I.
00:45:59.32\00:46:01.72
We are one step away from
insanity at any given moment.
00:46:02.16\00:46:06.09
But for the grace of
God, there go I, there go you.
00:46:06.43\00:46:09.83
But when two people
come together and they
00:46:10.17\00:46:11.70
make a commitment,
here's what happens.
00:46:11.73\00:46:13.47
The commitment itself, that is,
the relational faithfulness...
00:46:14.47\00:46:19.51
That's what we're
talking about here.
00:46:19.54\00:46:20.88
That commitment
itself will be tried.
00:46:21.01\00:46:23.68
But if they continue to
be committed to one another,
00:46:23.71\00:46:26.95
and at the point of
stress don't give up,
00:46:26.98\00:46:30.19
there are levels of
trust and security right around
00:46:30.82\00:46:36.62
the corner that
would never be possible
00:46:36.66\00:46:39.86
if you throw in the
towel at the two year point
00:46:39.89\00:46:43.63
or the three year
point or the seven year point
00:46:43.67\00:46:46.00
where you just
can't stand him anymore.
00:46:46.03\00:46:48.44
Well, if you keep
working through it...
00:46:49.97\00:46:53.38
And there are exceptions
of abuse and just on going
00:46:53.41\00:46:57.88
terrible, terrible treatment.
00:46:58.21\00:46:59.71
There is the
exception of adultery.
00:46:59.75\00:47:02.78
But even that is a question
that we could explore further.
00:47:02.82\00:47:05.15
But listen carefully to me.
00:47:05.19\00:47:06.86
People who give
up in a relationship
00:47:07.96\00:47:10.66
never know what it's like
to have the level of security
00:47:11.43\00:47:16.10
and trust and relational
bliss that is only for those
00:47:16.36\00:47:21.80
who stay committed
to one another for life.
00:47:22.00\00:47:24.31
Verses those who
enter into one relationship,
00:47:24.64\00:47:27.68
and when it gets tough
they give up and they move on.
00:47:27.71\00:47:29.58
And they have
another relationship,
00:47:29.61\00:47:30.95
and it gets
tough and they give up.
00:47:30.98\00:47:32.31
And they're
called, serial daters.
00:47:32.35\00:47:34.08
I don't know what it
has to do with cereal.
00:47:34.12\00:47:35.78
No, that's serial with an "s".
00:47:35.88\00:47:37.22
Okay, so they get
together and they break up,
00:47:37.25\00:47:40.02
and get together and break up,
and get together and break up.
00:47:40.06\00:47:41.92
And what are they never,
ever, ever, ever experiencing
00:47:41.96\00:47:44.89
psychologically,
emotionally, relationally?
00:47:44.93\00:47:46.96
Where do they never go?
00:47:47.16\00:47:49.13
They never go to the
point where they bond
00:47:49.56\00:47:53.20
at the deepest possible
level where you know security
00:47:53.23\00:47:56.67
and trust in ways that
you never thought possible.
00:47:56.71\00:48:00.94
So when God says, "Here are
the parameters for sexuality,"
00:48:01.34\00:48:05.51
He's not trying to make
life hard and miserable.
00:48:05.55\00:48:08.82
He's saying, "No, no, no,
no. Listen to Me, listen to Me.
00:48:08.92\00:48:11.89
Faithful committed
love will pay dividends."
00:48:12.52\00:48:17.56
There is nothing more beautiful,
this couple that I met
00:48:19.06\00:48:22.40
not long ago,
there's nothing more...
00:48:22.43\00:48:23.93
This man, this woman,
they have been married
00:48:24.03\00:48:26.67
approximately forever.
00:48:26.70\00:48:28.07
These guys are so old, I have
never seen in close proximity
00:48:29.04\00:48:33.07
people this old before.
00:48:33.11\00:48:34.54
These people informed
me, this man and woman,
00:48:34.88\00:48:38.41
that they had been
married, married for 60 years.
00:48:38.45\00:48:42.82
If you can even imagine that.
00:48:42.85\00:48:44.32
And this brother is
still holding her hand.
00:48:45.42\00:48:47.26
And I'll tell you what.
00:48:47.29\00:48:48.62
One of the most beautiful
things you will ever witness
00:48:48.66\00:48:50.46
is elderly people who
are still head over heels
00:48:50.66\00:48:54.10
in love with one another.
00:48:54.13\00:48:55.46
And if you will ask and you
will explore, you will find out
00:48:55.53\00:48:57.87
they had some hard times.
00:48:57.90\00:48:59.50
Most men are jerks
and need to be educated
00:48:59.53\00:49:03.67
by their wife in order
to overcome some things
00:49:03.77\00:49:07.08
that are embedded in malehood.
00:49:07.11\00:49:09.14
And if she's patient, and
if he is able to be taught,
00:49:09.34\00:49:14.95
it's amazing the beauty that
develops as they age together.
00:49:15.15\00:49:20.36
Now nobody has that outside
the parameters of God's law.
00:49:20.49\00:49:24.19
When God says, "This is My
will for you," He's saying,
00:49:24.53\00:49:27.76
"It's so that it
will go well for you.
00:49:28.26\00:49:30.37
I want things to go
really great for you.
00:49:30.67\00:49:32.93
That's My goal for you."
00:49:32.97\00:49:34.54
This is one of my favorite
verses on the law of God,
00:49:34.74\00:49:37.51
go to Psalm 119.
00:49:37.54\00:49:39.27
This is going to, this
is just going to take it
00:49:39.31\00:49:41.24
to a whole new level.
00:49:41.28\00:49:42.74
Look at Psalm
119, and wow, verse 32.
00:49:43.11\00:49:50.75
Astounding.
00:49:51.02\00:49:52.49
Don't forget this one.
00:49:53.96\00:49:55.29
If you forget all the
others that we've explored,
00:49:55.32\00:49:57.29
don't miss Psalm
119 and verse 32.
00:49:57.33\00:50:02.26
Look at this, wow.
00:50:02.30\00:50:03.83
Okay, I'm going to begin
with the New King James Version.
00:50:04.80\00:50:08.30
Alright, here's what it says
in the New King James Version.
00:50:08.60\00:50:11.17
David is contemplating
God's law, and he says,
00:50:12.14\00:50:15.58
"I will run in the
course of Your commandments,
00:50:15.61\00:50:21.45
for You have enlarged my heart."
00:50:22.05\00:50:26.22
Do you like that language?
00:50:26.72\00:50:28.06
"I will run in the
course of Your commandments,
00:50:28.19\00:50:32.63
because You have
enlarged my heart."
00:50:32.73\00:50:34.86
Let's just unpack
that for a minute.
00:50:34.90\00:50:36.26
Think this through carefully.
00:50:36.30\00:50:37.63
If you were in a room
that is ten feet by ten feet,
00:50:38.07\00:50:41.84
or even twelve by twelve,
or even fourteen by fourteen,
00:50:41.87\00:50:45.27
can you run?
00:50:46.24\00:50:47.58
No, you can't run.
00:50:49.78\00:50:51.11
Even if there's no furniture.
00:50:51.15\00:50:52.65
Go against the back wall,
and right over there is the
00:50:52.68\00:50:55.88
next wall ten feet
ahead, twelve feet ahead.
00:50:55.92\00:50:58.39
Just go ahead, just sprint.
00:50:58.42\00:51:00.49
Boom, you're
going to hit the wall.
00:51:01.19\00:51:03.22
You can't work up momentum.
00:51:03.46\00:51:05.79
You can't get your
legs moving underneath you.
00:51:05.83\00:51:08.73
You can't run in
a restricted area.
00:51:08.76\00:51:12.33
You have to have
space in which to run.
00:51:13.10\00:51:16.94
Am I right? Yeah.
00:51:16.97\00:51:18.77
So David says
here, this is remarkable,
00:51:18.97\00:51:22.04
He says, "I will run in the
course of Your commandments."
00:51:22.08\00:51:27.62
David perceives the commandments
of God as a large horizon
00:51:27.65\00:51:33.69
of freedom, not a restricted
small area to deal in.
00:51:33.72\00:51:40.36
It's big, God's law.
00:51:40.80\00:51:43.33
When God says, "You
shall not bear false witness
00:51:44.07\00:51:47.60
against your neighbor,"
you know what He's doing?
00:51:47.64\00:51:49.87
He's saying, "If you
always tell the truth
00:51:50.07\00:51:52.87
and you deal with integrity
with everyone around you,
00:51:52.91\00:51:56.98
that will open them
up relationally to you,
00:51:57.01\00:52:00.85
and your parameters
for trust will expand.
00:52:00.88\00:52:06.12
If you'll do business that way."
00:52:06.92\00:52:08.96
Stephen Covey, the late Stephen
Covey who wrote one of the
00:52:09.49\00:52:14.23
best selling
business books of all time,
00:52:14.26\00:52:16.00
The Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People,
00:52:16.03\00:52:18.53
one of the seven habits is what
he calls, the win-win principle.
00:52:18.77\00:52:23.14
He basically says...
00:52:23.17\00:52:24.64
I don't know if he
knows he's tapping into
00:52:24.67\00:52:26.91
Scripture on this or not.
00:52:26.94\00:52:28.28
I don't know
what he was thinking.
00:52:28.31\00:52:29.64
But he basically says,
every single business deal
00:52:29.68\00:52:33.28
that you conduct in life
should be a win-win situation.
00:52:33.31\00:52:37.65
A win for you, but
you deliberately make sure
00:52:37.69\00:52:41.92
the other person wins too.
00:52:41.96\00:52:44.63
Don't ever take
advantage of anybody.
00:52:44.76\00:52:46.73
Don't ever cut a deal where
there is a lack of integrity.
00:52:46.76\00:52:52.00
And you know what
he goes on to describe?
00:52:52.80\00:52:54.50
Your business will boom.
00:52:55.20\00:52:56.81
It will expand.
00:52:57.31\00:52:58.64
People will want to
do business with you.
00:52:58.67\00:53:01.04
Because they know that you will
not violate them relationally.
00:53:01.24\00:53:05.18
They will know that
you're the kind of person
00:53:05.21\00:53:07.68
who has their
best interest at heart.
00:53:07.72\00:53:10.35
Isn't that amazing?
00:53:10.69\00:53:12.02
So God's law is this huge vast
expansive horizon of liberty
00:53:12.12\00:53:20.00
that involves
security and trust and fidelity
00:53:20.03\00:53:23.83
and loyalty in relationships.
00:53:23.87\00:53:26.13
You know how your life
ends up restricted and small?
00:53:26.23\00:53:29.60
By violating people.
00:53:30.74\00:53:32.27
One after another
they will back up from you.
00:53:33.01\00:53:37.01
And sin always incrementally
leads to isolation.
00:53:38.05\00:53:43.92
People pull back from
people who violate them.
00:53:44.35\00:53:48.79
And you do it as well.
00:53:48.99\00:53:50.66
There's restriction in sin.
00:53:51.46\00:53:53.40
There is freedom in
God's love, in God's law.
00:53:53.43\00:53:58.33
He says, "I will run in the
course of Your commandments."
00:53:58.37\00:54:01.40
And this is amazing, he says,
00:54:01.57\00:54:03.17
"For You shall
enlarge my heart."
00:54:03.20\00:54:06.71
Isn't that something?
00:54:06.84\00:54:08.18
How many of you want
to have a larger heart?
00:54:08.21\00:54:09.58
I was in an airport recently.
00:54:09.61\00:54:11.31
Because I'm always
recently in an airport.
00:54:11.35\00:54:13.82
And while I was there,
I saw a man speaking very
00:54:13.85\00:54:19.02
disrespectfully to what
appeared to have been his wife.
00:54:19.05\00:54:22.82
Just right in public
being rude and mean to her.
00:54:23.29\00:54:27.96
And then I noticed a
little boy with his mom.
00:54:28.36\00:54:31.47
And they were
completely unrelated.
00:54:31.50\00:54:33.07
But the little
boy was just watching,
00:54:33.10\00:54:35.10
and I'm over here on this side.
00:54:35.14\00:54:36.74
So there's me, there's
the mom and little boy,
00:54:36.77\00:54:38.94
and then there's this going on.
00:54:38.97\00:54:40.51
And the little
boy says to his mom,
00:54:40.68\00:54:43.51
"Mommy, I think he
needs to get a bigger heart."
00:54:43.55\00:54:47.62
What does it mean when
God says that within His law
00:54:50.09\00:54:55.22
He will enlarge our hearts?
00:54:55.26\00:54:57.89
We began our time together
in this particular message
00:54:58.36\00:55:03.73
by pointing out that we
cringe at pain and suffering
00:55:03.77\00:55:07.70
and relational breakdown.
00:55:07.74\00:55:09.44
But we also pointed out
that if you continue doing
00:55:10.51\00:55:13.94
those things that
violate others in order to
00:55:14.68\00:55:17.65
justify self, we put up
all kinds of psychological
00:55:17.68\00:55:22.15
survival mechanisms to shield
ourselves from our own guilt.
00:55:22.25\00:55:25.79
And we become
increasingly insensitive.
00:55:25.95\00:55:28.49
Part of the new
covenant, part of the writing of
00:55:30.66\00:55:33.53
God's law in the deep interior
of our hearts and minds,
00:55:33.56\00:55:38.23
it that it makes
us sensitive again.
00:55:38.63\00:55:40.67
The stony heart is
replaced with a heart of flesh.
00:55:41.90\00:55:47.21
We become sensitive again.
00:55:47.61\00:55:49.34
Empathy begins to develop.
00:55:49.58\00:55:52.71
We begin to feel
what other people feel
00:55:52.75\00:55:57.29
within God's law.
00:55:57.62\00:56:00.06
I want you to
imagine, in closing, a society,
00:56:00.66\00:56:05.83
a city maybe the size
of St. Louis, in which
00:56:05.86\00:56:10.40
every husband and wife
are head over heels in love,
00:56:10.53\00:56:16.57
and enjoy one another's company.
00:56:16.67\00:56:18.54
A city in which every
parent/child relationship
00:56:19.44\00:56:23.45
is one in which the
parents and the children
00:56:23.48\00:56:28.45
enjoy one another and
never violate one another.
00:56:28.98\00:56:32.22
A society in which
nobody ever lies, or steals,
00:56:32.79\00:56:37.23
or even wants
anybody else's stuff.
00:56:37.26\00:56:39.83
"That's you stuff. Cool.
00:56:39.93\00:56:41.36
I'm happy with my stuff,
perfectly contend with my stuff.
00:56:41.46\00:56:44.13
Don't want your stuff."
00:56:44.17\00:56:45.50
Imagine a society like that.
00:56:46.03\00:56:49.80
And ask yourself the question,
"Would I want to live there?"
00:56:50.11\00:56:53.17
And of course, anybody in
their right mind would say,
00:56:53.21\00:56:55.38
"Yeah, bring it on."
00:56:55.41\00:56:56.75
But what the world
doesn't realize is,
00:56:57.15\00:56:58.85
all we've just
described is the law of God
00:56:58.88\00:57:04.45
in action in a human society.
00:57:05.55\00:57:08.79
Is it any wonder
that the Bible says
00:57:09.32\00:57:12.29
that, "The law of the Lord is
perfect, converting the soul."
00:57:12.59\00:57:17.73
It's a good law.
00:57:17.97\00:57:19.30
And it's a law in
which there is no harm.
00:57:19.63\00:57:23.27
Would you pray with me.
00:57:23.47\00:57:24.81
Father in heaven, thank You
for loving us the way You do.
00:57:24.84\00:57:29.51