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[Silence] [Music] I am redeemed, bought with a price. Jesus has changed my whole life.

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Oh, anybody, if anybody asks you-- Just who I am. Just who I am. Tell them.

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Tell them. I am. I am redeemed. I am redeemed.

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Bought with a price. Jesus has changed my whole life. Oh, anybody, anybody asks you, just who I am.

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Tell them I am with thee. Where there was hate, love now abides. Where there was confusion, peace now reigns. ♪ I'm walking with Jesus ♪

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♪ I'm a child of the king ♪ ♪ Oh, because I've been redeemed ♪ ♪ Oh, I am redeemed ♪ ♪ Oh, I've been bought with a price ♪

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♪ Jesus has changed ♪ ♪ Has changed my whole life ♪ ♪ If anybody should ask me ♪ ♪ If anybody asks ♪

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♪ Just who I am ♪ ♪ Just who I am ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪

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♪ I am ♪ ♪ I am redeemed ♪ ♪ I can tell off his favor ♪ ♪ I can run on and tell of his love ♪

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♪ I can tell of his goodness to me ♪ This is what he did for me. - All right. ♪ He purchased my redemption ♪

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- Yes, sir. ♪ With his own precious blood ♪ ♪ And from sin I've been set free ♪ ♪ Oh, I am ♪

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♪ I am redeemed ♪ ♪ I've been bought ♪ ♪ Bought with the price ♪ ♪ The precious price ♪

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♪ Jesus has changed ♪ ♪ Jesus has changed my whole life ♪ ♪ Oh, anybody should ask you ♪ ♪ Anybody ask you ♪

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♪ Just who is that man ♪ ♪ Just who I am ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪

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♪ That I am ♪ ♪ I am redeemed ♪ ♪ Oh, I can tell of his favor ♪ ♪ I have to tell of his love ♪

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♪ Yes, sir ♪ ♪ Tell of his goodness to me ♪ ♪ I'm so blessed ♪ ♪ He purchased my redemption ♪

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♪ It is all precious blood ♪ ♪ And from sin I've been set free ♪ ♪ Oh, I can say I ♪ ♪ I am redeemed ♪

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♪ I've been bought ♪ ♪ Bought with a price ♪ ♪ Christ Jesus has changed my whole life ♪ ♪ Oh, anybody should ask me ♪

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♪ Just who I am ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪ ♪ Tell them ♪ ♪ Tell them that I ♪

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♪ Tell them I am ♪ ♪ I am, I am redeemed ♪ - The word of the Lord according to Matthew, The eighth chapter, the 17th through the 20th verse.

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Reading from the New International Version. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law of the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

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I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, nor the least stroke of a pen will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished.

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Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands

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will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Let us bow. Most gracious Lord, open our hearts to the word you have prepared for us today. allow understanding to dwell within us.

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We praise you for sending us Jesus Christ, that we may be saved, and for giving us the gospel that we may be wise. We humbly ask now that you send your spirit

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to fill this place, that your name might be glorified. Amen. Evangelist Billy Graham went to Australia for a campaign, and among his strongest supporters

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was a group of very conservative evangelical women who believed that it was a sign of worldliness to wear makeup. Putting Dr. Graham on the spot,

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they confronted him with this question. "What do you think about women wearing makeup?" Well, Dr. Graham replied, I think any old bar needs a coat of paint now and then.

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Religious tradition is a dangerous thing. It tends to make what is popular resemble what is commanded. Tradition safely sets aside love and grace

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for the sake of what is considered to be considered to be accurate interpretation of God's law. Jesus announced that he would come to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. But what is Jesus talking about?

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What is the role of the law in the life of a Christian? See we feel uneasy about ascribing a positive role to the law in our lives because as Christians we live by grace. And the law is precious because it's one way that God restrains evil in the world, but

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it is also a way in which God graciously orders his creation. The Pharisees knew the law and they wanted to get better and better about keeping the commandments. In fact, they made their own laws about keeping the laws.

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So they became experts on the law. The problem is that in the process of becoming more and more familiar with the law, they missed getting to know God better. In their attempt to follow the law perfectly, they seemed to care little for the greater

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principle that stood behind God's commandments. They were more interested in keeping rules than in loving God. On the other hand, Jesus was not as concerned about the outer displays of law keeping. He was about the depth of the law.

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Jesus criticized the scribes and Pharisees for the fact that even though they paid their tithes, they neglected the heavier matters of law, such as justice, mercy, and love. Now Jesus did not deny that the scribes and Pharisees were usually righteous, but they were inadequately moral.

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Jesus did not waste time arguing over who was to blame for the misuse of Old Testament law. What Jesus wanted was for his disciples to grasp that these were distortions of the true meaning of the law.

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In Jesus' day, the Pharisees were highly respected for their righteous attention to the law. They set the world record for law keeping. They were the standard by which the Jews judged law keeping. At the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus had just approved of people just like

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you and me. He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, the mourners, the meek, those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake." Well, I can just imagine that the disciples were thinking, "Man, now Jesus is going to

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do away with all those laws that are so hard to keep. He's going to create some new rules." Now imagine what the disciples must have felt when Jesus went on to say that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it.

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And Jesus told his disciples that if they broke even the smallest commandment, that they would be the least in the kingdom of heaven. And that's nothing to look forward to. Then Jesus said something far more radical

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than the disciples could have imagined. Jesus told his disciples they needed to be better law keepers than even the Pharisees were. And like I said, the Pharisees were record holders

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for law keeping. Our scripture lesson makes it clear what Jesus is about when it comes to the kingdom of heaven and the law and the prophets.

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Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to uphold its reliability and its truth. Jesus demands that we go beyond merely obeying the law to seeking a deeper understanding that leads to the purpose

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for which the law was formulated, and that is to be perfect as God is perfect. God's law is authoritative. Man's interpretation of God's law is not.

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Jesus fulfilled every prophecy about the coming Messiah. He fulfilled the doctoral teachings of the Old Testament about the nature of God. He fulfilled the ethical precepts of the law

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because he was without sin. He fulfilled the Old Testament sacrificial system when he died on the cross. And therefore, Jesus commanded total devotion to God's law

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because he fulfilled them all. Matthew records Jesus as saying, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, "the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing

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"and forceful men lay hold of it. "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. until John. Jesus came to fulfill Old Testament prophecy.

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Jesus came to finish what the law started. He endured pain and suffering in order that the scripture be made complete. The Gospel of Luke tells us that indeed,

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everything had to be fulfilled that was written about Christ and the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms. scriptures testify about Messiah, Jesus fulfilled the entire Old Testament, the

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law and the prophets in every way. And many times in the New Testament we will find these words, "All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophets." And since the Old Testament pointed toward Jesus, Jesus certainly did come to abolish it. Rather, Christ has come to fulfill the law in a rich

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variety of ways. And so the law must be understood in terms of its fulfillment, Jesus Christ. Jesus is coming, ushered in a new era in the kingdom of God. Christ takes the contents of the law, wraps them in love, and covers them with his grace. Love transcends the demands of the law to include the qualities of the kingdom of heaven.

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Jesus' concern is that the law directs us as disciples to Jesus himself, and through him, he will fulfill its meaning and purpose. And to fulfill means to set forth the highest meaning of the law, the perfect meaning of the law, and to bring the law to its intended end. We are commanded to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

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Jesus says that not a single item of the law or the prophets shall fail, not ever, until heaven and earth disappear, till the end of time, until everything is accomplished. Jesus takes nothing from the law but filters it through the lens of love so that it is brought to its fullness. Jesus fills the law full of grace, mercy, and

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love. Therefore, the law cannot be divorced from Christ, nor Christ from the law. Jesus is love and love is the fulfillment of the law. Love makes the law effective. Jesus fills the law full with its highest interpretation, takes it from strictly literal understanding to its original intent. Jesus takes us from "Thou

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shall not steal" to sell all that you have and give it to the poor. By infusing the law with love, Christ takes the law in our head and transplants it into our hearts. Christ makes the law so penetrating that it takes the trip from our minds to our souls. That is what makes God's kingdom

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come on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus says that the law is binding right down to the smallest letter or down to the least stroke of a pen. Now who could know the will of God better than Jesus himself could? To abolish the law is to abolish Christ. God had been speaking to Israel for 4,000 years. God was not about

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I'm about to say, oops, forget those first commandments I gave you. My son Jesus has convinced me that they really stink and we need some new and improved laws. Think about it. Jesus fulfills the law in terms of higher righteousness and obedience.

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Therefore, it would be foolish not to listen to God's command regarding the kingdom of heaven. purpose of the law is to reveal what is right or what is wrong. The law cannot make us righteous. Righteousness is a gift. It is God who satisfies our hunger

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and thirst for righteousness. If in our hearts we do not accept the gift of righteousness from God, then our acts are merely outward performances of good Paul calls the person who is bound by religious rules a person of weak faith. Such a person has not discovered the meaning of Christian liberty.

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That person is still a legalist at heart and sees Christianity simply as another set of rules and regulations. That person is not free from a belief in works salvation. And that person's heart, he or she believes that being a Christian is a matter of doing

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certain things or abstaining from other things or by doing things in a certain way or by doing the right thing often enough. The person is basically trying to earn a relationship with God and has not yet accepted Christ as a fulfillment of the law.

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does not mean to do, it means to be. Only a good tree can produce good fruit. Only a healthy eye can have precise vision. Only from a clean heart can we have clean thoughts.

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And since law has failed to save anyone, then our only hope is in Christ's fulfillment of the law. Jesus fulfilled the law, he did what Israel as a nation could not do, they never could, and what we cannot do.

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Christ teaches us to live in the law, not by the law. A middle class father in the big city had one son, an only child, and he was proud of his boy. He wanted to do everything to help his son be successful in life.

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He took him to Little League baseball practices. They read books together. The father enrolled him in the best private schools. But the dad was still worried about bringing his son up

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into big cities. There was so much violence there, so he moved his family to the suburbs. To make sure that his son was safe, he left all that behind.

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But one day, the child was visiting some of his old friends back in the city when he was caught in a cross of gunfire and was killed. Friends tried to comfort the grieving father.

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They said to him, "You did everything you could "to keep your son safe and to make him successful in life." But the father replied, "No, I didn't. "I didn't pay enough attention to other people's children."

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This man followed all the rules about being a good father. However, had he checked with Jesus, he might have gone past the rules to include other less fortunate boys and girls

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in his activities. He might have been a substitute father for a child who had no father to take him to Little League. He might have read books to children

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whose own parents did not have the time or take the time to read to them. Being a Christian father requires a higher righteousness than merely being a good father to your own children.

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God wants us to do more than follow the rules. Jesus knew the law, Jesus followed the rules. He was a good son and a good brother and a good rabbi. He did everything the law required,

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but Jesus didn't stop there. Jesus went on actually to love his neighbor as he did himself and his own family and to do unto others as he would have others do unto him,

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just as he commands us to do. I am so glad today that he cared enough to pay attention to other people's children. We confess a Lord who is both of this world

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and of the other. The law sometimes can reflect the demands of our culture. The law demands that we do this or we don't do that. When we live as Christ would have us live, however,

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we consent to having the mind of Christ, the commandments of Christ to sell everything for the sake of following him, to give up judging others,

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to turn the other cheek to those who would harm us, to humble ourselves and become servants to all, to abandon family if necessary. These things hardly fit with the requirements

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of civilized human life in society today. As a matter of fact, it appears to be downright irresponsible. We must abide by civil laws

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as well as obey the commandments of Christ. As H. Richard Niebuhr puts it, "We cannot say either Christ or culture. "Just as Christ did and Christ walked this earth,

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"we have to interact with all kinds of people "and in all manner of situations." And in addition, we react to injustices and unfairness on many different levels, just as Christ did.

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Thus, we know that Christ is not against society, but Christ does use society as an instrument in God's work. The Holy Spirit counsels us to accomplish great works by bestowing upon us the vision of what

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it means to be Christ-like, something that we cannot achieve on our own efforts. The law convinces us of our need for a savior. We cannot keep the law on our own.

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We need for Christ to bring us salvation, power, and strength. Knowing that we have been made full and complete in Christ, we may view the commandments not as a way of salvation, but as a means to show the way to salvation

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through the work of Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ invites us to attain perfection even greater than that of the fundamental command keeper. It is a life where we love God for who God is,

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without desire of reward, without fear of punishment. This is what sparks spontaneous goodness, the kind where enemies become friends and neighbors, the kind that will end the conflict

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between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The world despises the Christian faith because the ungodly feels that Christianity takes away their choices and by God they are right.

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Serious, radical Christianity demands that we commit to God's purposes for our lives. We may strive for universal peace and goodwill toward all humans,

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but the fact is no matter how much we desire perfection, only God is perfect. Perfect peace and happiness are not within the range of human possibilities,

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but we are truly blessed that God, through Jesus Christ, bestows it on us. We do not find happiness because we don't look for it as the world does.

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We have become as little children looking for Christ for direction. Christ can give to us the strength to walk away from a conflict even when we would love to stand there and have the last word.

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Christ can give us a song to sing even when others would take away our joy. Christ would give us a testimony even when people criticize our efforts. Christ can make us stand up for right even when we're faced with losing everything. Christ gives us the ability to live beyond

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a merely moral life. Christ wants us to have abundant life. A young boy was praying with his mother by the foot of his bed,

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if I should die before I wake, if I should die before I wake, go on Danny, his mother said, finish your prayer. But young Danny jumped up and said, wait a minute, mom,

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I'll be right back. And with that, he ran out of the room. In a short time, he was back, dropping to his knees again, and he took up his prayer where he had left off.

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When he finished, his mother asked him, "Danny, what was so urgent that you would interrupt your prayer?" "Well, Mom," Danny said, "I thought about what I was saying,

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so I had to stop. Because before I went to bed, I took all my little sister's dolls and stood them on their heads in her toy box just to see if she would get mad

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when she saw them like that. And mom, if I should die before I wake, I wouldn't want that to be the last thing she remembered about me.

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See, lots of things seem fun if we're gonna keep on living, but we don't want to do them if we should die before we wake.

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As Christians, when we are born again, we die to the old way of life, and when we die, we awake to life eternal. Christ wants us to die before we wait,

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to die to the wrongs that we would do, and to awake to a higher consciousness. As stated in the Beatitudes, life can be unjust in this world for the poor.

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In the history of Israel, the prophets spoke out about injustice. What Christ demands is that we not just speak out against injustice, but we also stand

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on the side of the powerless. and that is the fulfillment of the law. However, we must be careful. You see, it is dangerous to speak with authority for God.

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One of our favorite statements as a Baptist is, well, it says in the Bible this or that or whatever, and that settles it for me. But have you talked lately with Jesus

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about the fulfillment of scripture? I propose to you that until we have checked with the authority on the law, We may not want to be so quick to assert the superiority of our interpretation.

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Jesus does not want us to be Christian Pharisees. He wants us to enjoy a righteousness that far exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees. Christ was no mere moral philosopher. Christ is Redeemer and teacher of righteousness of the kingdom of heaven.

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Jesus does not present a neat set of ethical rules for us to follow. This would put us in the same boat as the Pharisees. C.S. Lewis put it this way,

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really great moral teachers never do produce new moralities. It is quacks and cranks who do that. So Jesus did not lay down new rules for right and wrong, but a new principle of action,

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examples of the way in which the professing Christian is to behave. The spirit of Jesus is love. Love directs us to the character of God, the ultimate lawgiver. We have a tendency to want to tie up our good works in neat little packages and present

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it without any strings attached. Jesus, however, applies morality to the inward motive as well as to the outward act. It keeps, it always requires more moral effort to keep the spirit of the law

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than it does to keep the letter of the law itself. Christianity is not a technique or a method. It is a spirit, and those who live in the Christian spirit live as children of the family of God

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and seek to demonstrate that we are citizens of the kingdom of heaven. See, because of our sinful nature, We fall short of the glory of God.

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The unbridgeable gulf between the kingdom of heaven and the realities of this world is a consistent theme in scripture. We live in the already and the not yet. We seek to transform the world with kingdom values.

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The challenge is that some of the world refuses to grab hold of God's gift of grace, and many who cry Lord, Lord are not bound for the kingdom. A church member named John says to another church member named David, I go to church, I'm basically a good person.

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That's not the point, David insists. There is within every person the desire to do what we want to do instead of what God would have us to do. And this is what leads to the sin of disobedience.

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Well, John Huff, I'm a lot better than most of the so-called Christians I know. Let me ask you this, David Counters, have you ever told a little white lie? Of course, John replies, everybody does that.

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Well David responds, how many lies do you think it takes to make you a liar? You see, we can't fudge on the law. What we as Christians need is a way to relate positively to the law. Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me."

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Jesus speaks as one who has authority. He does not simply recite the law. He makes the yoke of the law easier to bear. And my friends, that's grace.

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There's a person out there who claims to love humanity but can't stand Ms. So-and-so who lives right down the street. There's a reformer out there

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to change the whole penal system but who has never visited an inmate in the city jail. There is a Christian who prays long and earnestly for church unity, but who hasn't spoken

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to a fellow church member in years because of something that happened a long time ago. There is an activist who is loud in Washington, lobbying to help the hungry and homeless,

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but who drives right past hungry people every day and doesn't know a single homeless person in his city. You see, the law helps us recognize wrong when we see it, but Jesus helps us do something about it.

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And Jesus can teach us how the law can be fulfilled in everyday life. Jesus can open our eyes to look past the details to see the large picture.

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So Jesus says to us, "Don't be like the Pharisees. "I want you to display your righteousness even higher." Faith in Jesus Christ frees us from going about establish our own garden variety righteousness. Paul called his

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righteousness filthy rags. That's how much our righteousness is worth on its own. Jesus died on the cross that we would receive righteousness of the highest quality. In the Gospel of John records Jesus is saying, "If you love me, Obey my commands. You see, respect and fear will only take us so far. It is love

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that carries us the rest of the trip to the fulfillment that is ordained by God. Jesus goes on to tell his disciples in his Sermon on the Mount, "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you You will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

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Stop trying to be the center of attention, wanting to be in the spotlight, looking around for approval and recognition from others. Doing God's will and following God's commandments

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are not designed for us to be elevated, but rather for God to be exalted. Our shining life and good deeds should point the way to Christ

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and praise our Father in heaven. Christ wants us to know he's not changing the rules, but thanks to God we have power to do some hard things because Christ strengthens us. And once we have tasted the sweet fulfillment of Jesus Christ, total devotion is our only

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option and only Christ can give us that kind of righteousness. is a family here at Ebenezer, operate on a relationship with God, not rules. As part of that relationship, however, and because we so dearly love God, we want to keep God's commandments. Right now, Christ wants to give you his righteousness, the

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kind that makes you truly love God. Accept God's grace and God's love. God God wants you to go beyond mere rules to enjoy a closer relationship with our Lord, with the Holy Spirit as our guide.

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If you're willing to accept that righteousness as we sing our hymn of invitation, won't you please come forward and receive the wonderful gift Christ offers?

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Is there anyone who will join us today? [music] [Pastor] When we come, the offer stands. [music]

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[Pastor] Will you join the family of God at Ebenezer Baptist Church. [music] [ Music ] ♪ There's I a way, Lord ♪

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♪ There's I a way ♪ ♪ Out of the water ♪ ♪ I am to live ♪ ♪ Hold me and raise me ♪

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♪ And girl I'm living ♪ ♪ For I am waiting ♪ ♪ Here in that state ♪ ♪ Where my own way goes ♪

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♪ Where my own way goes ♪ ♪ Search me and try me ♪ ♪ Master of day ♪ ♪ Wider than snow, Lord ♪

00:37:29.540 - 00:37:49.120

♪ Why she has come ♪ ♪ As in the legends ♪ ♪ Lonely and numb ♪ ♪ Have thy own way, Lord ♪

00:37:49.120 - 00:38:08.300

♪ Have thy own way ♪ ♪ Know it and clearly ♪ ♪ Help me, I pray ♪ ♪ Father, O Father ♪

00:38:08.300 - 00:38:27.940

♪ Truly is love ♪ ♪ Touch me and heal me ♪ ♪ Savior divine ♪ ♪ Have Thine away, Lord ♪

00:38:27.940 - 00:38:47.120

♪ Have Thine away ♪ ♪ All of my fears ♪ ♪ The blue spring ♪ ♪ And it has taken ♪

00:38:47.120 - 00:39:06.780

♪ Till Austria's day ♪ ♪ Christ's come with all grace ♪ ♪ Living in me ♪ - Amen, amen.

00:39:06.780 - 00:39:19.220

(indistinct) - Let's all say amen. - Amen. - We are grateful to God for having spoken to us

00:39:19.220 - 00:39:25.740

through his messenger in such a meaningful and powerful and persuasive manner. - Amen. - Amen.

00:39:25.740 - 00:39:44.200

Brother Turner, would you come forward with me? You have a word for our guests that we didn't get. [BLANK_AUDIO]