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1 Year Lectionary – Fourth Sunday in Advent – Sunday, December 19, 2021 | Pr. Chris Rosebrough

Welcome to the Teaching Ministry of Kongsvinger Lutheran Church. Kongsvinger is a beacon for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and is located on the plains of Northwestern Minnesota. We proclaim Christ and Him crucified for our sins and salvation by grace through faith alone, and now, here’s a message from Pastor Chris Rosebrough:

Time Stamp	Transcript
0:28	the holy gospel according to saint john
0:30	the first chapter
0:32	[Music]
0:34	[Applause]
0:35	[Music]
0:39	this is the testimony of john when the
0:41	jews sent priests and levites from
0:43	jerusalem to ask him who are you he
0:45	confessed and did not deny but confessed
0:48	i am not the Christ and they asked him
0:50	what then are you elijah he said i am
0:52	not are you the prophet he answered no
0:55	so they said to him who are you we need
0:58	to give an answer to those who sent us
1:00	what do you say about yourself he said i
1:02	am the voice of one crying in the
1:03	wilderness make straight the way of the
1:05	lord as the prophet isaiah said now they
1:08	had been sent from the pharisees so they
1:10	asked him then why are you baptizing if
1:13	you are not neither the Christ nor
1:15	elijah nor the prophet
1:17	john answered them i baptize with water
1:20	but one among you stands
1:22	but among you stands one you do not know
1:25	even he who comes after me the strap of
1:27	whose sandal i am not worthy to untie
1:30	these things took place in bethany
1:32	across the jordan where john was
1:34	baptizing this is the gospel of the lord
1:36	in the name of Jesus
1:39	oh come on come emmanuel and ransom
1:42	captive israel
1:43	that mourns in
1:45	lonely exile here have you noticed that
1:49	sin seems to separate us
1:51	have you noticed that sin really is this
1:53	awful thing it really truly does make
1:57	the world a lonely place even if we live
2:00	with other human beings have you noticed
2:01	that you put two human beings in close
2:03	proximity to each other they’ve made
2:06	vows before god and before their friends
2:08	and family and neighbors and well you
2:10	know things can get a little
2:13	volatile you know that’s a good way to
2:15	put it right and have you ever heard of
2:18	people who are lonely in their marriage
2:21	it happens right
2:23	it really truly happens and all of this
2:26	is because of sin and then you think
2:27	about how poorly we treat each other i
2:30	remember the news story from just this
2:32	week apparently there was a tick tock
2:35	a challenge put out and the challenge
2:38	went something like this grab a gun and
2:40	go and kill people at your high school
2:43	it was a tick-tock challenge
2:46	law enforcement authorities were on high
2:48	alert on friday and a bunch of kids just
2:51	didn’t even go to school because they
2:52	didn’t want to get dead
2:55	what kind of world do we live in
2:57	where you have to worry about being
3:00	gunned down
3:02	by schoolmates
3:04	because of a tick-tock challenge
3:06	you know i think about my mom back when
3:08	i was growing up she said if all your
3:10	friends told you to jump off a cliff
3:11	would you do it
3:13	right
3:15	yeah think about it the world we live in
3:17	is absolutely
3:19	horrifically
3:21	terribly
3:22	awful and here’s the thing i’m not
3:24	talking about out there i’m talking
3:26	about in here
3:27	and so as i was considering you know not
3:30	only the sermon hymn today the wonderful
3:32	him one of my favorites no come on come
3:34	emmanuel considering the world that we
3:36	live in and what we have to deal with
3:39	ourselves in considering our own
3:42	repentance in light of the imminent
3:45	celebration of the birth of our lord and
3:46	savior Jesus Christ
3:49	i had to think through these texts a
3:50	little bit
3:51	work with me here for a second
3:54	what am i supposed to do with this
3:55	gospel text because i was super tempted
3:58	to sit here and go well i could rail
4:00	against bureaucracy
4:02	and the need to not have to turn in tps
4:05	reports because i mean that’s literally
4:06	what’s going on here you got the
4:07	pharisees going interrogating john the
4:10	baptist who are you where’d you come
4:12	from why are you doing this if you’re
4:13	not this guy then why are you doing that
4:14	right that we’ve got to report all of
4:16	this information
4:18	oh bureaucracy at its best right
4:21	and then you have well
4:24	this text from our epistle text rejoice
4:27	in the lord always again i will say
4:29	rejoice
4:31	have you ever just wanted to punch
4:33	somebody in the face when they told you
4:34	to be happy
4:36	okay and you weren’t
4:38	i mean it’s just one of these things
4:39	where you tell me how i’m supposed to
4:42	feel and i’m not feeling it i’m probably
4:45	not going to be happy with you you know
4:47	i remember as a kid you know being
4:49	forced to take family photos or
4:52	classroom photos and there you are you
4:55	don’t want to be there you didn’t like
4:56	the fact that they combed your hair
4:58	because you don’t like having people
4:59	comb your hair and there you’re sitting
5:01	there and you’re supposed to look happy
5:03	and so what do they do say cheese jeez
5:07	right and no sooner do they click the
5:10	shutter you go back to looking mumpy
5:12	right that well that was me i hated
5:14	having to say cheese
5:16	don’t like it to this day because you’re
5:18	gonna basically photograph me looking
5:20	like i’m happy and in the moment i’m not
5:22	okay so rejoice in the lord always okay
5:25	so we got a command to be happy not
5:27	happy with this what am i supposed to do
5:29	with this text and then you got the and
5:31	if you i’m gonna send a prophet like
5:33	moses and if you don’t listen to him i’m
5:34	gonna require it of you
5:39	holy
5:41	okay
5:42	what do we do with this
5:44	well
5:45	there was a phrase
5:47	that john the baptist
5:49	said that kind of struck a note
5:50	especially in light of our
5:52	need my need to daily repent
5:56	and believe in the mercies of Christ
5:58	john the baptist Jesus was one of these
6:00	fellows who had a high opinion of john
6:02	the baptist in fact he said of all men
6:04	born of women and by that he means born
6:07	the natural way that none was greater
6:09	than john the baptist
6:11	i mean if you think about it if anybody
6:13	had something to brag about and not his
6:15	diet we won’t talk about that again okay
6:18	if anybody had anything to brag about
6:20	it’s john the baptist i mean he got this
6:23	the Jesus Christ seal of approval on
6:25	being the greatest human being in all of
6:28	humanity
6:29	and what did he say about himself you’ll
6:31	note that the most important thing that
6:33	john the baptist confessed in our text
6:35	was not that he wasn’t the Christ it was
6:38	not that he wasn’t elijah it was not
6:40	that he wasn’t the prophet you know the
6:41	most important thing he confessed
6:45	he who comes after me
6:47	the strap of whose sandals i am not
6:50	worthy to untie
6:53	that was the most important confession
6:55	in our gospel text
6:56	and that one preaches
6:59	if the greatest human being
7:02	born naturally descended from adam and
7:04	eve
7:05	is still unworthy
7:08	to untie the sandals of Christ
7:11	you know what surely i’m not either
7:13	and neither are you
7:15	and that’s the thing when we think about
7:16	this worthiness oftentimes we think
7:18	about god he’s in such terms like you
7:21	know you know he’s he’s just going to be
7:23	so unhappy with us because we’re just
7:24	not measuring up and indeed sin
7:28	is well you persistent sin and unbelief
7:30	there is an eternity of hell awaiting
7:32	you but god his default setting if you
7:36	would
7:37	is not anger wrath or explosive
7:41	wrath or anything like that it’s love
7:43	and mercy and grace and kindness
7:45	and so when we hear god saying whoever
7:48	will not listen to the prophet that i
7:50	will send i will require it of him
7:53	let’s consider a few things here and so
7:55	i’m going to kind of tidy up things a
7:57	little bit if you were to look in
7:59	scripture i think one could easily see
8:01	Christ says john the baptist is the best
8:04	but when we look at candidates for
8:06	potentially the worst
8:10	i think the apostle paul kind of
8:11	qualifies
8:13	all right this is a fellow who at the
8:15	end of his life still was talking about
8:17	how he was the chief of sinners and when
8:20	we consider what was going on with the
8:22	apostle paul before he became the
8:24	apostle paul one that we can all agree
8:26	on was definitely not worthy to untie
8:29	Christ’s sandals when we see how Christ
8:32	dealt with him
8:33	i think we can have a little bit of hope
8:36	in the book of acts chapter 7
8:39	starting at verse 54 we’re at the tail
8:42	end
8:42	of well a kangaroo court you know mob
8:46	justice is being served against a fellow
8:49	by the name of stephen who’s about to
8:50	become the very first Christian martyr
8:53	and for what
8:55	for confessing that Jesus is the Christ
8:58	and in him is the forgiveness of sins
9:00	and here’s the thing he was able to
9:02	prove it from the scriptures and the
9:04	jews who refused to believe in Jesus
9:06	were annoyed beyond reason that this
9:10	mere
9:11	layman
9:13	is able to outdo them with the
9:15	scriptures as it relates to the messiah
9:17	and so they put him on kangaroo court
9:20	right there and he gives his great
9:22	confession and doesn’t even really point
9:24	out the fact you guys really don’t have
9:25	the authority to do what you’re doing to
9:26	me he doesn’t even point out the
9:28	injustice of it he just preaches
9:31	Christ and he preaches him from the old
9:33	testament he preaches them all the way
9:35	up to his his death his burial his
9:38	resurrection his ascension and when well
9:41	the jews heard this thing the text says
9:44	they
9:45	were in
9:46	raged
9:48	have you noticed that your confession
9:51	of Christ can get you in a wee bit of
9:53	trouble
9:54	right
9:55	they were enraged and they ground their
9:57	teeth at him now this is something weird
9:59	i’m not quite sure i’ve ever seen this
10:01	happen how does somebody get so mad that
10:04	their response and anger is that they
10:07	grind their teeth at you do they go
10:11	what does this look like right it’s just
10:13	weird if you ask me it’s like go see a
10:16	dentist you can get that fixed right so
10:19	he stephen full of the holy spirit he
10:21	gazed into heaven and he saw the glory
10:24	of god and Jesus standing at the right
10:26	hand of god and here’s an interesting
10:28	thing we confess in the creed
10:30	that Christ ascended into heaven and he
10:33	sits at the right hand of the father a
10:36	little bit of a detail here and that is
10:38	is that with the very first Christian
10:40	martyr the first Christian martyr can
10:42	see into heaven
10:44	sees Christ and Christ is not sitting
10:46	down he’s standing up
10:49	it’s an interesting little thing it’s as
10:51	if Christ says i can’t sit for this
10:54	i’m going to watch this standing
10:56	Christ standing
10:58	watching as the very first Christian
11:01	will lose his life for believing in him
11:04	and then stephen says behold i see the
11:06	heavens open son of man standing at the
11:08	right hand of god but they cried out
11:10	with a loud voice and they stopped their
11:12	ears and they rushed together at him now
11:14	stopping their ears i get this i used to
11:16	do this as a kid
11:18	can’t hear you right that’s what they’re
11:21	doing they don’t want to hear any of
11:22	this anymore so they cast them out of
11:24	the city
11:25	rushed together at him then they cast
11:28	him out of the city and stone him and
11:29	the witnesses laid down their garments
11:31	at the feet of a young man by the name
11:33	of shaol
11:34	saul of tarsus
11:36	and as they were stoning stephen stephen
11:39	called out
11:40	and notice what he doesn’t say
11:42	lord
11:44	you get him
11:45	you avenge my death no here’s what he
11:47	says lord Jesus received my spirit and
11:49	falling on his knees he cried out with a
11:51	loud voice do not hold this sin against
11:54	them and when they had said this he fell
11:56	asleep
11:59	that means he died
12:03	rather than crying out for justice
12:06	he begs god to have mercy on them and to
12:08	not hold the sin murder
12:11	against these fellows
12:13	it’s interesting
12:16	in the case of saul of tarsus Christ
12:18	heard that prayer of stephen
12:21	he really did now the text goes on to
12:23	say that saul approved of stephen’s
12:26	execution that would kind of add
12:28	legitimacy to us this was a murder this
12:30	wasn’t an actual
12:32	court case where he committed a capital
12:34	crime this was a murder and there arose
12:36	on that day a great persecution against
12:38	the church in jerusalem and they were
12:39	all scattered throughout the regions of
12:41	judea and samaria except for the
12:42	apostles devout men buried stephen and
12:45	made great lamentation over him but saul
12:48	was ravaging the church entering house
12:51	after house he dragged off men and women
12:54	and committed them to prison
12:57	four
12:58	what
13:00	what great danger are they posing to
13:03	society
13:06	they’re not and you can see it if this
13:08	was like in a movie form
13:10	this part right here would be like a
13:12	movie montage and you would see police
13:15	in front of a house with one of those
13:16	battering rams bashing down the door
13:19	rushing in with guns at the ready and
13:22	then them grabbing up men and women
13:24	putting on the handcuffs leading them
13:27	out and saul sitting there going good
13:29	job guys good job
13:31	him leading the charge so rather than
13:34	loving his neighbor
13:36	he’s hating his neighbor
13:39	he’s imprisoning his neighbors
13:42	he’s taking the life of his neighbors
13:44	how many commandments are being broken
13:46	here oh and by the way he’s doing this
13:49	in the name of yahweh
13:53	which tells us he doesn’t know a thing
13:56	about yahweh
13:59	but remember stephen’s prayer
14:02	lord do not hold the sin against them
14:06	Christ heard that prayer and in chapter
14:08	9 of acts
14:09	saul still breathing out threats and
14:11	murder against the disciples of yahweh
14:14	the lord went to the high priest he
14:16	asked for him for letters to the
14:18	synagogues at damascus so that if he
14:20	found any belonging to the way that’s
14:22	the first name for Christianity men or
14:24	women he might bring them bound
14:27	to jerusalem what kind of church is that
14:31	a church that has authority to arrest
14:33	people
14:34	and drag them from damascus down to
14:37	jerusalem i’m sure that trip was fun
14:39	right
14:40	what kind of church is this well i think
14:42	Jesus describes it best in the book of
14:44	revelation this is what we call the
14:46	synagogue of satan
14:48	right
14:48	so as he went on his way he approached
14:51	damascus and suddenly a light from
14:52	heaven shone around him falling to the
14:55	ground he heard a voice saying to him
14:57	saul
14:58	saul why are you persecuting me
15:01	ah the light of heaven the light shines
15:03	in the darkness and the darkness has not
15:06	overcome it
15:07	who are you lord he said i am Jesus whom
15:09	you are persecuting
15:11	rise under the city you will be told
15:13	what you were to do and the men who were
15:15	traveling with them stood speechless
15:16	hearing the voice but seeing no one saul
15:18	rose from the ground and although his
15:20	eyes were open he saw nothing so they
15:22	led him by the hand and brought him into
15:24	damascus and for three days he was
15:26	without sight
15:28	neither ate
15:29	nor drank
15:32	yeah three days he gets to consider his
15:34	life choices at this point thinking that
15:37	maybe just maybe
15:38	he was betting on the wrong horse
15:40	rooting for the wrong team
15:42	something’s amiss here but the thing is
15:44	had he understood the love of god even
15:46	in the old testament he could have
15:48	easily seen
15:49	that he was guilty of breaking
15:52	those two commandments idolatry as well
15:54	as refusing to love his neighbor as
15:57	himself and then shrouding it in
15:59	religious activity and a pious veneer
16:03	so there was a disciple at damascus
16:05	named ananias and the lord said to him
16:07	in a vision ananias and he said here i
16:10	am lord i will point this out that
16:12	you’re going to know ananias did not
16:14	graduate from jennifer leclaire’s
16:17	prophecy school he never had a prophetic
16:19	activation he heard Jesus’s voice say
16:22	one word and he knew exactly who it was
16:25	just saying
16:26	if Jesus is talking to you
16:29	you know it
16:31	here i am lord
16:33	rise and go to the street called
16:34	straight at the house of judas look for
16:36	a man of tarsus named saul
16:38	he’s praying
16:40	he has seen in the vision a man named
16:41	ananias come in and lay his hands on him
16:44	so that he might regain his sight
16:46	but ananias answered lord i have heard
16:49	from many about this man how much evil
16:51	he has done to your saints at jerusalem
16:53	and here he has authority from the chief
16:55	priests to bind all who call on your
16:58	name
16:59	but the lord said to him go he is a
17:01	chosen instrument of mine to carry my
17:03	name before the gentiles and kings and
17:06	the children of israel i will show him
17:09	how much he must suffer for the sake of
17:11	my name
17:12	so ananias departed and entered the
17:14	house and laying his hands on him he
17:17	said brother saul
17:18	the lord Jesus who appeared to you on
17:20	the road by which you came and sent me
17:22	to you that you may regain your sight
17:24	and be filled with the holy spirit
17:27	now you got to think about this there
17:29	are people
17:30	at that moment who are still in prison
17:34	because saul put them there
17:37	and what is Christ doing
17:39	forgiving him
17:41	having mercy on him
17:44	when you think about outrageous
17:46	high-handed sins against god saul of
17:50	tarsus is a guy whose sins stack up
17:54	all right they stand out i mean even
17:57	ananias when the lord is talking to him
17:59	says okay i’ve heard about this guy
18:02	right
18:03	but
18:04	Jesus says i’ve chosen him how does one
18:07	choose sinners like that
18:10	that’s the only thing that Jesus has
18:14	to choose from
18:16	and you’ll note
18:18	that many of us
18:21	many of us think that we are far outside
18:23	the grace of god we struggle we fear
18:25	that god is that that god is not going
18:28	to forgive us that there is no mercy for
18:30	us
18:31	but you’ll note there’s mercy for saul
18:33	of tarsus
18:35	rank sinner
18:38	there’s mercy
18:39	for john the baptist the greatest of us
18:43	still needs mercy you and i we need
18:46	mercy as well
18:47	and it’s this type
18:50	of story this historical account
18:54	that should give us some hope
18:56	maybe just maybe Christ truly did die
18:59	for you
19:00	i mean after all does scripture ever lie
19:03	Christ died for the sins of the world i
19:05	know the calvinist would tell you that
19:06	means the elect it’s not true he died
19:08	for the sins of the whole world every
19:10	one of us
19:11	whoever believes in him will not perish
19:13	but have eternal life
19:16	including saul of tarsus so brother saul
19:18	the lord Jesus who appeared to you on
19:20	the road by which you came sent me that
19:21	you may regain your sight and be filled
19:23	the holy spirit
19:24	immediately something like scales fell
19:26	from his eyes he regained his sight and
19:27	then he rose he was baptized and taking
19:30	food he was strengthened and for some
19:33	days he was with the disciples at
19:34	damascus
19:38	amazing grace
19:40	how sweet the sound save a wretch like
19:42	me
19:43	once was lost
19:44	now i’m fine found was blind
19:47	now i see
19:48	isn’t that all of our stories
19:52	and if you don’t think this is your
19:53	story then we gotta we need to have a
19:54	chat
19:56	because Christ only died for the ungodly
19:57	he did not die for the righteous
20:00	in fact the righteous don’t need a
20:01	savior you and i do
20:04	from john the baptist to saul of tarsus
20:06	we all need
20:08	to be forgiven none of us are worthy
20:11	it’s in this context and we consider
20:13	some of the words that paul wrote later
20:15	much later
20:17	than his conversion
20:19	he wrote a letter to the church at
20:20	colossae a church that he planted so
20:23	from the day we heard we oh sorry he did
20:24	not plant he he this is a church that he
20:27	had heard about their faith somebody
20:28	else had planted so from the day we
20:30	heard about your faith we’ve not ceased
20:32	to pray for you asking that you may be
20:34	filled with the knowledge of his will
20:36	and all spiritual wisdom and
20:37	understanding so as to walk in a manner
20:40	that is worthy of the lord fully
20:41	pleasing to him bearing fruit in every
20:43	good work and increasing in the
20:45	knowledge of god being strengthened with
20:47	all power according to his glorious
20:49	might for all endurance and patience
20:51	with joy and then listen to these words
20:54	giving thanks to the father who has
20:56	qualified you
20:59	to share in the inheritance of the
21:01	saints in light
21:04	the apostle paul
21:06	clearly wasn’t worthy to receive god’s
21:08	grace john the baptist did not consider
21:11	himself even worthy to untie the sandals
21:14	of Christ none of us
21:18	are either
21:19	but listen to these comforters
21:20	comforting words written by that former
21:22	persecutor of Christians we give thanks
21:25	to the father because he the father he
21:28	has qualified you to share in the
21:29	inheritance of the saints in light he
21:32	the father has delivered us from the
21:34	dominion of darkness he has transferred
21:36	us to the kingdom of his beloved son in
21:38	whom we have
21:39	redemption
21:41	and the forgiveness of our sins
21:47	so in hearing john the baptist confess
21:49	that he’s not worthy
21:52	we recognize that we’re not worthy
21:54	but god has qualified us and how has he
21:57	done that
21:58	through Christ this Jesus Christ the one
22:01	that john the baptist bore witness about
22:03	this Jesus Christ the one that john the
22:05	baptist prepared the way for as a voice
22:08	in the wilderness this Jesus Christ has
22:11	borne your sin and mine on the cross
22:14	so that we can be forgiven pardoned
22:16	reconciled adopted into the family of
22:19	god taken from under the dominion of
22:21	darkness into the freedom
22:23	of the kingdom of his beloved son the
22:25	glorious kingdom of light all as a gift
22:29	you couldn’t earn it if you tried and
22:31	this is why it’s so important that we
22:33	recognize again and again that it’s only
22:36	in Jesus that we have redemption and the
22:38	forgiveness of our sins and he is not
22:40	cheap or chintzy in doling out that
22:43	forgiveness
22:45	in that context then consider then what
22:47	moses said
22:49	god through the prophet moses said that
22:51	i will raise up for them a prophet like
22:54	you from among their brothers i will put
22:56	my words in his mouth and he shall speak
22:59	to them all that i command him and
23:01	whoever will not listen to my words that
23:03	he Jesus will speak in my name i myself
23:07	were required of him
23:09	and we hear something like that and
23:10	we’re thinking uh oh we’re going to have
23:12	a pretty serious meeting here
23:14	but i would remind you what is it that
23:16	Jesus said
23:19	listen to Jesus’s words hear these words
23:22	take them to heart
23:23	Jesus said just as moses lifted up the
23:25	serpent in the wilderness
23:27	so must the son of man be lifted up so
23:30	that whoever believes in him may have
23:32	eternal life and that’s you
23:34	that’s me listen to these words Jesus
23:37	goes on to say god did not send his son
23:39	into the world in order to condemn the
23:41	world but in order that the world might
23:43	be saved through him whoever believes in
23:46	him is not condemned but whoever does
23:49	not believe is condemned already
23:52	because he has not believed in the name
23:53	of the only son of god
23:55	so god will required of you hear his
23:57	words listen to them
23:59	take it to heart
24:01	Jesus has arrived and he speaks words of
24:04	peace
24:05	not condemnation he speaks words of
24:08	forgiveness mercy and life not death
24:13	listen to Jesus as moses has commanded
24:17	us
24:19	that same apostle paul
24:22	as he was
24:23	finishing his course wrote a couple
24:26	letters to a young pastor by the name of
24:28	timothy who was pastoring a congregation
24:30	in the city of ephesus
24:33	that apostle paul
24:35	just like john the baptist
24:37	affirmed that he was unworthy and listen
24:40	to what he says in first timothy i thank
24:42	him who has given me strength
24:44	Christ Jesus our lord because he judged
24:46	me faithful all appointing me to his
24:49	service though formerly i was a
24:50	blasphemer formerly i was a persecutor
24:53	an insolent opponent but i received
24:55	mercy because i had acted ignorantly in
24:57	unbelief and the grace of our lord
25:00	overflowed for me with faith and love
25:02	that are in Christ Jesus so the saying
25:05	is trustworthy and it’s deserving of
25:07	full acceptance
25:08	that Christ Jesus came into the world to
25:10	save sinners of whom i am the chief
25:14	sometimes when i look at my own sin
25:17	i wonder if this is the only error in
25:19	scripture
25:22	scripture is clear well the scripture is
25:25	without error
25:27	but when i look at my own sin and all
25:29	the ways in which i have woefully fallen
25:31	short
25:33	sometimes i feel like saying to the
25:34	apostle paul
25:36	that was then
25:37	but this is now
25:40	i think you’re wrong paul
25:43	i think i got that title locked up now
25:46	chief of sinners
25:49	but that’s the work of god’s law
25:53	hear it
25:54	and that’s the thing
25:58	maybe just maybe
26:00	we’ve got it wrong if we don’t think
26:02	that this is an error
26:05	john the baptist recognized his own
26:08	unworthiness even paul at the end of his
26:11	life recognized his
26:14	so it’s a trustworthy saying it’s
26:15	deserving of full acceptance in fact
26:18	what paul says here shows that he heard
26:21	the prophet whom god sent who would be
26:23	like moses he heard the words of Christ
26:26	so this truck the saying is trustworthy
26:28	it’s true Christ Jesus came in the world
26:31	to save
26:32	sinners of whom i am the chief
26:36	but i received mercy for this reason so
26:39	that in me
26:40	as the chief of sinners Christ Jesus
26:42	might display his perfect patience as an
26:45	example to those who were to believe in
26:47	him for eternal life
26:50	Christ has come to us in the loneliness
26:52	of our sin and the loneliness of our
26:54	exile
26:55	and our exile and loneliness we’ve
26:57	brought it upon ourselves by our sin
26:59	against god
27:01	it’s the reason why we don’t get along
27:03	with each other and it’s the reason why
27:04	we hate god and we disobey his commands
27:06	but Christ didn’t come into the world to
27:08	condemn us he came to forgive sinners
27:10	like you and me
27:11	it’s in that context then
27:14	that maybe just maybe
27:16	when i hear paul’s words here in our
27:18	epistle text rejoice
27:21	not just to rejoice but rejoice in the
27:23	lord always
27:25	hearing his voice and knowing that he
27:27	didn’t come to condemn me or you
27:29	that gives me something to rejoice about
27:32	it takes the loneliness
27:35	the bitterness of sin
27:39	and the bad days that come because of it
27:43	and gives me something truly to rejoice
27:45	in to be happy for to have joy in so
27:48	rejoice in the Lord always
27:51	oh come on come Emmanuel
27:54	ransom captive Israel
27:56	that mourns in lonely exile here until
27:59	the Son of God appear
28:01	rejoice
28:02	rejoice
28:04	Emmanuel
28:06	amen

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