The Power of the Cross

WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:08.630 Let's stand together in here God's word. Read this morning from John Chapter Eighteen. 2 00:00:19.589 --> 00:00:24.739 This is the same passage that we read last time. I'll be focusing 3 00:00:24.859 --> 00:00:32.460 particularly on the events at the end here. This is the accounting of Jesus's 4 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:41.369 arrest before His crucifixion, Death and resurrection. When Jesus had spoken these words, 5 00:00:41.409 --> 00:00:45.210 he went out with his disciples across the Brook Kidron, where there was 6 00:00:45.289 --> 00:00:50.240 a garden which he and his disciples entered. Now Judas, who betrayed him, 7 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.719 also knew the place, for Jesus often met there with his disciples. 8 00:00:54.759 --> 00:00:59.200 So Judas, having procured a band of soldiers and some officers from the chief 9 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:03.909 priests and the Pharisees, went there with lanterns and torches and weapons. Then 10 00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:07.870 Jesus, knowing all that would happen to him, came forward and said to 11 00:01:07.909 --> 00:01:12.430 them, whom do you seek? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. 12 00:01:12.989 --> 00:01:17.989 Jesus said to them, I am he. Judas, who betrayed him, 13 00:01:17.989 --> 00:01:21.700 was standing with them. When Jesus said to them, I am he, 14 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:26.180 they drew back and fell to the ground. So he asked them again, 15 00:01:26.180 --> 00:01:32.500 whom do you seek, and they said Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus answered, 16 00:01:32.540 --> 00:01:36.290 I told you that I am he. So if you seek me, let 17 00:01:36.450 --> 00:01:40.569 these men go. This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken. 18 00:01:41.129 --> 00:01:46.569 Of those whom you gave me. I have lost not one. Then Simon, 19 00:01:46.689 --> 00:01:51.159 Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant 20 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:56.680 and cut off his right ear. The servants name was Malchus. So Jesus 21 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:00.670 said to Peter, put your sword into its Sheaf. Shall I not drink 22 00:02:00.750 --> 00:02:07.109 the cup that the father has given me? My God bless his word. 23 00:02:07.709 --> 00:02:24.740 You may be seated well here in these in these verses, we have one 24 00:02:24.780 --> 00:02:31.250 of the most dramatic stories of the world and of the scriptures, this amazing 25 00:02:31.969 --> 00:02:38.490 moment when Jesus gives himself over to those who would seek to arrest him, 26 00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:43.729 those who seek to harm him and eventually put him even on a cross. 27 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:50.000 And yet, as we explored and and heard last time, on Jesus's or 28 00:02:50.039 --> 00:02:53.400 sizing and showing a lot of power ear as well, he's showing that he 29 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:58.439 is not here by accident, he's not here because he doesn't know what's going 30 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:01.469 on, or that they have somehow overwhelmed him and he was not aware that 31 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:07.349 this would happen. But Jesus is entirely in control. Jesus is on a 32 00:03:07.469 --> 00:03:13.500 mission and has a very specific plan, a thing that he wants to accomplish. 33 00:03:15.180 --> 00:03:16.979 But the story, of course, is not just here to entertain us, 34 00:03:17.020 --> 00:03:22.099 though it may do that. The purpose it is here is to save 35 00:03:22.139 --> 00:03:27.689 us. God gives us the scripture so that we would understand more of WHO 36 00:03:27.770 --> 00:03:30.610 Jesus is, of why he came, of what he intends to do, 37 00:03:32.289 --> 00:03:36.090 and we see that in all kinds of ways. I want us to focus. 38 00:03:37.409 --> 00:03:42.439 I want to focus on the end on his interactions with Peter, I'm 39 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:47.400 his interactions with Peter here, before we move on from this passage, we 40 00:03:47.560 --> 00:03:52.199 read in verse ten that Simon, Peter, having a sword, drew it 41 00:03:52.759 --> 00:03:58.590 and he strikes. He strikes the high priests servant, cuts off his right 42 00:03:58.629 --> 00:04:06.110 ear or possibly his possibly his earlobe, and Jesus says to Peter, put 43 00:04:06.189 --> 00:04:11.819 your sword away, and he gives a very specific reason for that. He 44 00:04:11.979 --> 00:04:16.060 says, shall I not drink the cu up that the father has given me? 45 00:04:17.459 --> 00:04:20.980 Now, in these words, recorded not just for Peter or not just 46 00:04:21.100 --> 00:04:26.490 said to Peter, but recorded in scripture for us, Jesus wants us to 47 00:04:26.649 --> 00:04:32.209 understand something about his mission, something important about his kingdom, and it does 48 00:04:32.290 --> 00:04:38.410 have to do with that sword. If you think about the kingdoms of this 49 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:43.199 world, if you think about every kingdom you've ever heard of, the origin 50 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:47.120 story for that kingdom usually, maybe every time, we could talk about it 51 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:51.439 afterwards, involves a sword, or, if not a sword, some kind 52 00:04:51.480 --> 00:04:58.509 of weapon. Will Use Sword to represent strength and power and and military might, 53 00:04:59.709 --> 00:05:06.139 even justice. On the sword is the tool of God's magistrates to exercise 54 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:17.420 justice and to execute the law. The origin story for the most kingdoms begin 55 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:24.009 with the sword flashing, swinging, killing, executing, whether it's done for 56 00:05:24.250 --> 00:05:30.610 good or for evil. The establishment of kingdoms requires this kind of power and 57 00:05:30.970 --> 00:05:36.720 strength. But here, for the Kingdom of God, for the everlasting kingdom, 58 00:05:36.879 --> 00:05:41.800 for the strongest, most powerful, full, most stable kingdom that ever 59 00:05:42.040 --> 00:05:46.079 was and ever will be, Jesus explicitly says to put the sword away, 60 00:05:47.639 --> 00:05:55.230 put it away, and then says, shall I not drink the cup that 61 00:05:55.350 --> 00:06:00.470 the father has given me? Jesus refers to the Cup of Wrath that the 62 00:06:00.589 --> 00:06:04.100 father has given me. He's referring to the judgment for sin that he is 63 00:06:04.139 --> 00:06:10.660 about to take on. For this kingdom, for this everlasting kingdom, for 64 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:14.939 the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of fulfillment, the Kingdom of promise. 65 00:06:14.980 --> 00:06:19.689 It will not be established by the sword. Put It away. Why? 66 00:06:20.569 --> 00:06:28.449 Because this kingdom is going to be established by the Cross, by the Cross. 67 00:06:28.769 --> 00:06:35.439 Instead, instead of the king roaring victoriously into battle slang his enemies on 68 00:06:35.600 --> 00:06:43.800 every side, the king goes willingly to a cross and dies. This is 69 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:48.230 not like a kingdom anyone has ever seen before. This kingdom, you might 70 00:06:48.310 --> 00:06:55.949 say, is not of this world. It's different, it is of heaven. 71 00:06:57.750 --> 00:07:00.819 Now understand why this is important. It's helpful to know something about history, 72 00:07:02.060 --> 00:07:08.259 something to know about the history of recorded in the scriptures. So we 73 00:07:08.339 --> 00:07:12.699 need to go back in time and remember that ever since the fall men has 74 00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:17.730 have tried to establish their kingdoms by strength, and this is often according to 75 00:07:17.810 --> 00:07:24.889 sin. Wealth, power, money, influence, political maneuvering. This is 76 00:07:25.009 --> 00:07:31.040 how power is established, this is how kingdoms are established. But God would 77 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:35.759 have the Supreme Kingdom, the his kingdom, the Kingdom of God, and 78 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:42.519 which he resides with and among men, not on the basis of evil, 79 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:48.389 but on the basis of something else, on the basis of righteousness. God 80 00:07:48.470 --> 00:07:54.430 would never have evil and sin as the basis of his kingdom, or not 81 00:07:54.629 --> 00:07:58.470 just pure strength or anything like that. Now, his kingdom, in the 82 00:07:58.550 --> 00:08:05.939 basis of its rule, would be righteousness, and not just surface level righteousness 83 00:08:05.980 --> 00:08:13.410 or halfway smiling righteousness, but fullhearted, full throated, whole mind, whole 84 00:08:13.730 --> 00:08:22.089 body righteousness. This kingdom would be the best place that you would ever live, 85 00:08:22.370 --> 00:08:26.970 could ever live, because this kingdom, you could say, is not 86 00:08:26.089 --> 00:08:30.399 just a kingdom of righteousness, but it would be a kingdom of love. 87 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:37.320 And so God gives to his people, rescued out through the mighty power of 88 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:41.230 God, out of Egypt, out of slavery. He rescues them, he 89 00:08:41.389 --> 00:08:48.710 brings them out and he gives them his law. He tells them here is 90 00:08:48.870 --> 00:08:52.629 how you live. This is the basis of the Covenant, or this is 91 00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:58.659 the covenant for the basis of this kingdom. Love, God, Love Man. 92 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:03.539 What could go wrong? Right here, God has commanded a kingdom of 93 00:09:03.820 --> 00:09:11.370 love and he has given the most perfect requirements for it. He also promises, 94 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:15.610 he adds to it, that this kingdom of love would not be a 95 00:09:16.809 --> 00:09:20.610 would be a kind of kingdom of love that was enforced by the law. 96 00:09:22.610 --> 00:09:28.399 Love is required. You must love and if you don't love, you will 97 00:09:28.559 --> 00:09:35.519 face consequences. God is going to defend the those who are oppressed. He 98 00:09:35.720 --> 00:09:39.389 is going to put down wickedness. Why? Because this is a kingdom of 99 00:09:39.549 --> 00:09:45.629 righteousness. This is the kingdom that God would establish, a kingdom of love, 100 00:09:45.870 --> 00:09:50.230 a kingdom of law, and the sword here would be put to good 101 00:09:50.389 --> 00:09:58.860 use. You murder your neighbor and you will be put to death, and 102 00:09:58.059 --> 00:10:03.700 many other sins would require your life, and I for an eye, a 103 00:10:03.940 --> 00:10:07.610 tooth for the tooth. This kingdom would be a kingdom of fairness, of 104 00:10:07.769 --> 00:10:13.049 righteousness, of Justice, of love of law. God would protect the weak, 105 00:10:13.649 --> 00:10:20.600 he would judge the wicked. A perfect kingdom, except, of course, 106 00:10:20.600 --> 00:10:26.919 we all know that it wasn't right, or else it still be here. 107 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:35.000 The law was fine, the standard of Justice was fine, the commandments 108 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:39.750 to love, nothing was wrong. For Them, God and all that he 109 00:10:39.830 --> 00:10:45.909 gave nothing wrong there. Where was the problem? The problem was, of 110 00:10:45.950 --> 00:10:48.629 course, in the hearts of the people. The problem was, of course, 111 00:10:48.710 --> 00:10:54.460 that the people were born as sinners, is, people who did not 112 00:10:54.740 --> 00:10:58.860 love and did not like to love and did not like justice and would pervert 113 00:10:58.059 --> 00:11:03.929 justice. And what God teaches us throughout the Old Testament is that the law 114 00:11:05.850 --> 00:11:11.529 was unable, as Paul puts it, all I was unable to bring about 115 00:11:11.529 --> 00:11:16.570 the righteousness that was required for this kingdom. The law was unable to bring 116 00:11:16.730 --> 00:11:24.000 about the love that should have existed between God and man and brothers and sisters. 117 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:30.240 And we also know that, just as the law could not enforce the 118 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:35.750 love, the love could not enforce the law. In other words, people 119 00:11:35.750 --> 00:11:39.870 didn't just naturally obey. Well, we don't need justice here, because everyone 120 00:11:39.950 --> 00:11:45.669 just obeys from their heart willingly. It's a happy place. Know. As 121 00:11:45.710 --> 00:11:48.860 it turns out, there was all kinds of idolatry and murder and rate and 122 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:56.820 riots and evil of every kind that you can imagine. Terrible, terrible things 123 00:11:56.860 --> 00:12:05.529 happened in God's kingdom. Well, as it turns out, God had a 124 00:12:05.649 --> 00:12:13.490 plan. Of course he did, because God had promised to establish a Kingdom 125 00:12:13.529 --> 00:12:20.519 of righteousness, a kingdom of love, and he would do it by raising 126 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:30.629 up a king who would not abolish the law but fulfill it, a king 127 00:12:30.830 --> 00:12:35.350 who would be just and righteous and perfect in every way, not only for 128 00:12:35.509 --> 00:12:41.710 himself but also for his people. This king would fulfill the requirement of the 129 00:12:41.750 --> 00:12:48.940 law and would established the life that would follow. Because of obedience to that 130 00:12:48.100 --> 00:12:54.659 law. This king, this unminted one of God, was called the Messiah 131 00:12:58.100 --> 00:13:01.450 Christ in the New Testament, and this is, of course, Jesus of 132 00:13:01.490 --> 00:13:07.570 Nazareth who was sent and he would establish the Kingdom of righteousness, but he 133 00:13:07.610 --> 00:13:16.960 would do it not by enforcing the law, wielding the sword, executing judgment, 134 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:26.000 but by taking judgment on himself. Instead of using the sword to execute 135 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:35.110 judgment on others, he would allow himself to be executed for others. Jesus 136 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:41.019 not only fulfills the righteous requirements of the law, but he also endures the 137 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:48.379 curse and the penalty of the law for us, so that we can have 138 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:54.970 his righteousness, as well as our guilt, removed, so that we can 139 00:13:56.009 --> 00:14:01.289 be a people who stand in the Kingdom of God not as guilty people who 140 00:14:01.289 --> 00:14:07.330 are impostors, or guilty people who are in the dock about to be unjudged 141 00:14:07.370 --> 00:14:15.440 and then executed, but as righteous people who have been forgiven. We stand 142 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:20.519 in the Kingdom of God not fearing, as John pointed out in First John, 143 00:14:20.679 --> 00:14:26.710 not simply waiting the judgment, hoping that somehow something might happen where we're 144 00:14:26.750 --> 00:14:33.429 going to escape this. Now we stand as those who have already endured and 145 00:14:33.509 --> 00:14:39.139 judge, already gone through. Judgment Because of Christ went through it for us. 146 00:14:39.620 --> 00:14:45.419 This Messiah, this king, would establish a rule, but he would 147 00:14:45.419 --> 00:14:50.820 not establish it by the sword. He would establish it by the cross. 148 00:14:52.610 --> 00:14:56.490 Who could do this except for God alone? Right? What man, what 149 00:14:56.649 --> 00:15:01.769 King, could ever come and established this kind of kingdom? David didn't do 150 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:07.799 it, Solomnon didn't do it. These men were not even close to fulfilling 151 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:11.840 the righteous requirements of the law for living their lives perfectly and holy. The 152 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:18.279 scriptures themselves bear witness to this in many ways. But not only were there 153 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.350 not only close to fulfilling the obedience that was required for this kingdom, brothers 154 00:15:22.429 --> 00:15:28.350 and sisters, they never came close to removing the guilt that was due on 155 00:15:28.549 --> 00:15:37.059 us. Jesus did both. Jesus did both. God sends his only son 156 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:41.620 into this world to establish a Kingdom of righteousness, to fulfill the law, 157 00:15:43.779 --> 00:15:48.500 but he's not going to do it by executing justice, not yet. He's 158 00:15:48.539 --> 00:15:56.250 going to do it by taking justice on himself so that we can dwell and 159 00:15:56.409 --> 00:16:03.129 live in this kingdom forever. Peter, it's different this time. This kingdom 160 00:16:03.250 --> 00:16:08.200 is not like the kingdoms of the world put the sword away. This is 161 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:15.159 a kingdom that is going to be established on the Cross, by the Cross. 162 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:22.029 This is going to be a kingdom that is established with a covenant of 163 00:16:22.269 --> 00:16:29.389 grace that is going to be marked by forgiveness, the removal of sins, 164 00:16:29.789 --> 00:16:37.019 Everlasting Life in love and obedience that the world has never seen. The Lord 165 00:16:37.139 --> 00:16:45.620 Jesus obeyed the law and endured the wrath of God, and he did this 166 00:16:47.409 --> 00:16:55.649 for us and in doing this, beloved, he does establish a Kingdom of 167 00:16:55.809 --> 00:17:00.730 glory as well. Yes, there will be efferring involved, yes there will 168 00:17:00.730 --> 00:17:04.960 be persecution involved, but that is not the end. Jesus endured the cross, 169 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:11.680 the scriptures say, desbised the shame because of the glory that was set 170 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:15.910 before him. That's why he went, that's why he did it, that's 171 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:18.109 what he achieved, and we've confessed that this morning. Right he sits at 172 00:17:18.150 --> 00:17:25.430 the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, coming to judge the living 173 00:17:25.869 --> 00:17:34.299 and the dead. Jesus Accomplished Glory. Jesus is seated in glory, but 174 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:41.579 he did so through through the cross. This everlasting kingdom is, of course, 175 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:45.049 for us, and that means that we now, like Peter, are 176 00:17:45.009 --> 00:17:51.970 are given new lives to live. We are called to put away the sword, 177 00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:56.970 to shine forth in a new kind of way as citizens of this kingdom, 178 00:17:57.049 --> 00:18:03.720 of this heavenly kingdom. We testify to it by living very different kinds 179 00:18:03.759 --> 00:18:08.160 of lives. Let me read to you a little bit from Matthew Five. 180 00:18:19.509 --> 00:18:27.500 In Matthew Five, Jesus goes up on to the mount volives and he preaches 181 00:18:27.660 --> 00:18:32.740 the sermon, we call it sermon on the Mount. And there in chapter 182 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:34.539 thirty, or sorry, Chapter Five, verse Thirty Eight, he says to 183 00:18:34.660 --> 00:18:40.539 this. He says this. You have heard it said, and I for 184 00:18:40.619 --> 00:18:45.410 an eye a tooth for a tooth. That's Old Testament, that's the law, 185 00:18:47.369 --> 00:18:52.769 he says. But I say to you, do not resist the one 186 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:57.160 who is evil, but if anyone slaps you on the right cheet, turned 187 00:18:57.200 --> 00:19:02.680 to him the other. Also, if anyone would sue you and take your 188 00:19:02.759 --> 00:19:06.720 Tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you 189 00:19:06.839 --> 00:19:11.390 to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one 190 00:19:11.470 --> 00:19:14.670 who bags you and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 191 00:19:14.750 --> 00:19:18.190 You've heard it said, or that it was said, you shall love your 192 00:19:18.230 --> 00:19:22.349 neighbor and hate your enemy. Those enemies that were outside Israel, pressing in 193 00:19:22.549 --> 00:19:27.579 on them, trying to destroy the Kingdom of righteousness, destroy them, hate 194 00:19:27.660 --> 00:19:30.900 them, the scriptures say. But I say to you, Jesus says, 195 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:36.859 Love Your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may 196 00:19:36.900 --> 00:19:42.049 be sons of your father who is in heaven. This is all very different, 197 00:19:42.210 --> 00:19:48.410 isn't it? Jesus is saying we are going as citizens of this heavenly 198 00:19:48.450 --> 00:19:52.089 kingdom, not as a the law and not as part of a kingdom with 199 00:19:52.170 --> 00:19:53.880 the law has been abolished, but the king part of the Kingdom where the 200 00:19:53.920 --> 00:19:59.559 law has been fulfilled. We are now going to live in light of that 201 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:04.119 kingdom in a new way and we are going to be representatives of that kingdom 202 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:10.670 and that cross, and sometimes that means putting the sword of the way and 203 00:20:10.869 --> 00:20:15.509 boone getting hit on the other side and giving up your work and giving up 204 00:20:15.509 --> 00:20:22.579 your clothes and of loving those who persecute you. These would be seemed to 205 00:20:22.700 --> 00:20:30.539 be impossibly hard words to resist, had not our Lord himself gone this way, 206 00:20:30.099 --> 00:20:37.490 done this thing and established a kingdom in his name and now, having 207 00:20:37.490 --> 00:20:41.769 been brought and his into his kingdom, as those who did not have the 208 00:20:42.650 --> 00:20:48.210 the dagger of death plunged into our hearts because of our sin. But as 209 00:20:48.329 --> 00:20:55.279 those who have been forgiven, we now forgive others. As those who have 210 00:20:55.400 --> 00:21:00.400 been loved when we were not worthy to be loved, we love those who 211 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:06.829 are not worthy. We love our enemies, even as God loved us. 212 00:21:07.670 --> 00:21:11.829 Again, Matthew, Chapter Five, and light of this kingdom and light of 213 00:21:11.910 --> 00:21:15.710 this Messiah, our citizens it there, Jesus says in verse thirteen. You 214 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:18.859 are the salt of the earth, and if salt is lost its taste, 215 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:26.019 how shall it saltiness be restored? It's no longer good for anything except to 216 00:21:26.059 --> 00:21:30.259 be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You Are the light of the 217 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:33.250 world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people 218 00:21:33.289 --> 00:21:37.130 light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, 219 00:21:37.970 --> 00:21:41.490 and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, 220 00:21:41.289 --> 00:21:45.970 let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and give 221 00:21:47.009 --> 00:21:55.400 glory to your father who is in heaven. We live a different way, 222 00:21:56.119 --> 00:22:00.519 we shine a different light. Now this, of course, doesn't mean that 223 00:22:00.680 --> 00:22:06.990 we never use the sword, because we are also citizens of this common kingdom. 224 00:22:07.029 --> 00:22:11.630 Are we not citizens of a kingdom that we share in common with all 225 00:22:11.750 --> 00:22:17.099 men and God calls us to protect ourselves. He tells us to protect others. 226 00:22:17.579 --> 00:22:22.059 We are to be people that seek and promote praise justice and the prosecution 227 00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:26.420 of justice. This is life in our world. We are called to it. 228 00:22:27.619 --> 00:22:33.490 But when we do these things, when we seek justice in this world, 229 00:22:33.529 --> 00:22:37.690 when we seek can use a violence, even to protect ourselves or to 230 00:22:38.089 --> 00:22:45.559 teched others, we do so knowing that that power can never give eternal life. 231 00:22:47.119 --> 00:22:52.039 It's only provisional, it only accomplishes so much. And then, when 232 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:59.190 we are called to testify to our heavenly citizenship, to bear witness to our 233 00:22:59.349 --> 00:23:04.950 savior, we of course put down our swords and we bless those who persecute 234 00:23:04.950 --> 00:23:12.579 us and we endure the cross. Now, I don't want to pretend that 235 00:23:12.819 --> 00:23:18.579 knowing when to do which is easy, sometimes it is, sometimes it's not, 236 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:25.579 but what we do know is that because God has established this Kingdom of 237 00:23:25.700 --> 00:23:30.170 his, this Kingdom of Grace, this Kingdom of righteousness, and because he's 238 00:23:30.210 --> 00:23:36.170 established it by his spirit and by his word and by his work and not 239 00:23:36.369 --> 00:23:41.000 by our strength and our swords and our power, we know that God helps 240 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:47.680 us. We know that God is with us. We know that God forgives 241 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:53.480 us when we do it wrong, either on purpose or on accident. We 242 00:23:53.680 --> 00:23:59.630 know that the cross is sufficient to save us, and we're thankful for it. 243 00:24:00.509 --> 00:24:03.150 Let's live in light of it, let's pray