Dale Partridge - September 09, 2024


Romans 11_7-10 Covenant Judgements of Blindness with Dale Partridge


Episode Stats


Length

43 minutes

Words per minute

110.40647

Word count

4,805

Sentence count

307

Harmful content

Toxicity

12

sentences flagged

Hate speech

69

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Good morning, Saints.
00:00:03.780 It's a blessing to be with you all here.
00:00:06.280 Would you open up your Bibles to Romans chapter 11?
00:00:11.160 I'll be reading verses 7 through 10,
00:00:13.800 and this will be this morning's sermon text
00:00:16.800 that they will be preaching out of.
00:00:19.260 Again, that's Romans 11, verses 7 through 10.
00:00:27.740 Hear the word of the Lord.
00:00:30.000 What then?
00:00:33.660 Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking.
00:00:37.060 The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written. 0.90
00:00:43.440 God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear,
00:00:50.360 down to this very day.
00:00:51.640 And David says, let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution for them.
00:01:03.500 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.
00:01:10.520 This is the word of the Lord.
00:01:12.520 Praise God.
00:01:13.300 Well, praise God, we are still going through this wonderful book of Romans, and we are
00:01:24.480 in chapter 11, 7 through 10.
00:01:28.840 Now, last week, if you were here, we saw how Romans 8.28, if you want to turn back there
00:01:36.800 just for a second Romans 8 28 was the thesis for the content of chapter 9 10
00:01:44.360 and 11 it's the total thesis of what we're talking about it claimed God
00:01:50.960 causes all things to work together for good for those who love him and are
00:02:00.080 called according to His purpose." That statement is the thesis for the following three chapters.
00:02:10.640 In other words, that passage claimed that God is ultimately in control of the salvation of His
00:02:19.520 people. This is extremely offensive in an individualistic culture
00:02:25.440 that is autonomy-focused, that has a spirit of independence
00:02:31.620 that says, no, I have free will and I chose.
00:02:39.040 The immediate question, though, that comes to mind
00:02:42.700 when you read something like that,
00:02:44.280 if you're a first-century Christian and you read
00:02:47.460 that God causes all things to work together for good
00:02:49.500 for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose,
00:02:51.260 you're going, wait, wait a second.
00:02:53.220 If God is sovereign over his people, then why did the vast majority of the Jews reject the Messiah?
00:03:02.480 It seems like God failed there.
00:03:05.800 Seems like God didn't keep the sovereignty that is claimed in this passage over those people.
00:03:16.840 Why?
00:03:19.000 Why?
00:03:20.520 How does that work?
00:03:22.420 Well, Paul spent all of chapter 9.
00:03:26.680 As much as I wish I could re-preach those sermons, I can't.
00:03:30.860 Chapter 9, answering that question.
00:03:34.940 And in chapter 10, he explained that answer further.
00:03:39.100 And in chapter 11, we're getting clarifying thoughts of the remaining realities of this claim.
00:03:47.440 now last week we saw Paul anticipated another question if God is an electing
00:03:53.980 God if he's an electing God which is the conclusion of chapter 9 and the Jews
00:04:02.740 have rejected Christ because they pursued a right or a works righteousness a 0.74
00:04:07.780 a legalism which is the conclusion of chapter 10.
00:04:15.140 And if those things have happened, God elected a certain amount of people 0.91
00:04:20.580 and then in addition to that the Jews have basically wholesale rejected the gospel, tried 0.90
00:04:26.100 to pursue righteousness by other means through the law and not through faith, then has God just
00:04:31.940 categorically abandoned Israel that's a legitimate question if you read chapter
00:04:38.860 eight nine and ten in a row you would probably arrive at a similar question
00:04:44.080 has God just totally abandoned the Jews because that's kind of what it sounds
00:04:49.720 like and Paul's answer as we saw last week was certainly not
00:04:58.240 certainly not Paul's answer was focusing on really two realities and I'm gonna
00:05:06.480 give that to you if I can get this pulpit to stop shaking that's even worse
00:05:12.900 there we go so the first answer was Paul himself the Apostle himself he said hey
00:05:21.320 You want to see exactly how God has not totally abandoned his people?
00:05:28.820 Look at me.
00:05:30.100 Look at me. 1.00
00:05:32.240 Paul was a pure-blood Jew, a Pharisee among Pharisees. 0.77
00:05:36.100 Acts 23, 6, Paul says, I am a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee. 0.68
00:05:41.000 Philippians 3, 5, he says, I was circumcised on the eighth day of the stock of Israel,
00:05:46.700 of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews. 0.77
00:05:51.320 As touching the law, a Pharisee. 0.99
00:05:55.280 Okay, so Paul's saying, hey, I know it looks like God has abandoned Israel, but I'm an example.
00:06:02.160 He hasn't abandoned everybody.
00:06:04.460 I'm here.
00:06:06.600 And second, we saw Paul reference 1 Kings 19, where Elijah is living during one of Israel's most apostate generations. 0.73
00:06:19.460 It is a very dark time that Elijah lived through. 0.54
00:06:24.740 And it's kind of a similar circumstance to maybe a first century redeemed Jew who believes
00:06:31.520 in the Messiah, but feels like 99% of everybody else in your nation totally rejected him.
00:06:38.000 It can feel very isolating.
00:06:41.220 And Paul takes a parallel between the time of Elijah and the time of a first century
00:06:47.920 redeemed you and if you know the story of Elijah he essentially felt as if he
00:06:54.220 was the last one am I the last one remaining faithful and if you guys
00:07:01.240 remember Paul's response or the response in the scriptures God said to him that
00:07:09.280 he was not the last one but he had reserved 7,000 men who have not bowed
00:07:15.940 the knee to bail in other words external measures external measures are not reliable indicators of
00:07:25.780 the state of the church we can see the outside god looks upon the heart it's easy especially at times
00:07:34.420 in certain places in our nation certain places in the world to go is the gospel not working anymore
00:07:40.260 And God would say, I have reserved millions that you don't know about.
00:07:51.000 And this reference is important because it showed election at work.
00:07:58.760 If you go back, just go back a couple of verses.
00:08:01.120 I think it's, I don't know, verse five or six.
00:08:05.220 That God is the one who reserved the 7,000 men.
00:08:10.260 Who reserved? They didn't reserve themselves.
00:08:13.460 No, God did it.
00:08:14.600 I have reserved for myself 7,000 men.
00:08:22.380 It's not people remaining faithful by their own will.
00:08:26.240 No, it's God's reserving them and preserving them from apostasy.
00:08:31.840 He is the one who keeps you. 0.93
00:08:33.880 second it revealed what Paul claimed in Romans 9 6 through 7 the not all of Israel is Israel
00:08:44.620 this is very important if you want to get some basic fundamental theological understanding
00:08:49.780 very important ethnic Israel is not the same as elect Israel
00:08:56.500 the whole covenant you're going everybody has abandoned and God says not
00:09:05.120 the 7,000 there is a group with inside of a group there is ethnic Israel the
00:09:14.260 nation the covenant people of God and then there are true Israel the elect of
00:09:20.560 god paul is trying to get both the jews and the gentiles in first century
00:09:34.000 christianity to see that it's not biological lineage 0.91
00:09:39.440 it's not works or signs or even seals that were indicators of salvation great you're circumcised
00:09:46.240 great you're in the covenant just because you're in the covenant does mean you're of the covenant
00:09:54.660 this is shocking information to a jew who thought that their salvation rested solely upon
00:10:02.020 their physical lineage they would trace back their lineage i am a true blue blood of abraham
00:10:08.820 I've been circumcised. I have kept the law. I'm a Pharisee. Aren't these the means by which I'm 0.77
00:10:16.040 saved? Paul says, no. Paul says, no. True Israel is defined by God's sovereign election, the gift
00:10:30.240 of faith rather than ethnicity or works this is again shocking information paul has spent chapter
00:10:39.840 8 chapter 9 chapter 10 defending the reality that god is the one who saves
00:10:49.840 now if we just look really quick at the outline of chapter 11 i think this is important to break
00:10:53.520 it down just so you have some context verses 1 through 10 we're still in this section
00:10:59.200 focus on the fact that ethnic Israel's rejection is not total.
00:11:04.120 It's not total, but God has preserved a remnant by election.
00:11:13.300 There's a remnant in ethnic Israel by election.
00:11:20.920 Verses 11 to 32, which we'll start next week,
00:11:24.520 focus on the fact that ethnic Israel's rejection is not final.
00:11:31.540 The first was not total.
00:11:33.780 The second section is not final.
00:11:37.040 We're going to see that God has given a temporary hardening.
00:11:44.580 He's saving billions of Gentiles. 0.76
00:11:48.140 It's going to provoke Israel to jealousy. 0.76
00:11:50.220 ultimately at some point in the future will lead to some form of revival of ethnic Israel. 0.64
00:11:57.600 We don't know the particulars, but there will be some revival of ethnic Israel at the end of time.
00:12:05.820 When the fullness of the Gentiles come in is the language that the scriptures use.
00:12:10.020 and then the last section
00:12:13.600 33-36 is a doxology
00:12:15.720 that Paul
00:12:17.660 basically
00:12:19.380 just bursts out in praise
00:12:21.560 for God's sovereignty
00:12:23.720 in salvation it's basically
00:12:25.860 the culmination of
00:12:27.900 8, 9, 10 and 11
00:12:29.780 oh Lord
00:12:31.260 for from him and through him and to him are all
00:12:34.020 things for him be the glory forever and ever
00:12:36.040 amen
00:12:36.340 and you'll see that at the end
00:12:39.300 So today, we're going to close out this first section, which highlights the conclusion of
00:12:48.680 the six verses that we went through last week.
00:12:52.540 And it's going to show the extent of God's sovereignty over the salvation of true Israel.
00:13:01.560 This is important because you are part of true Israel.
00:13:08.800 This isn't talking about some Old Testament group.
00:13:12.600 This is talking about you.
00:13:16.100 Now, just like Paul used two examples in last week's text,
00:13:19.320 you're going to notice that he uses two examples in this week's text.
00:13:22.020 One from Moses, one from David.
00:13:24.020 But in this text, he's not giving us the evidence for the remnant of Israel.
00:13:30.960 He's giving us the reason why only a remnant.
00:13:36.560 And so I want you to understand this.
00:13:37.540 We are smart Bible interpreters, right?
00:13:39.200 That's what we're aiming to be.
00:13:40.900 Okay, I'm tired.
00:13:41.980 I know you say this all the time.
00:13:43.980 We cannot be okay with being 10 years in the faith
00:13:48.180 and not knowing how to interpret our own Bibles.
00:13:51.640 Again, there is nowhere that you spend 10 years
00:13:54.980 and you are still an amateur.
00:13:58.700 We should, and especially the men,
00:14:03.220 need to learn how to interpret well
00:14:05.060 so that you can raise godly families, lead your wives. 0.77
00:14:11.260 That is the only way that change is going to occur
00:14:14.340 in this town or anywhere
00:14:18.480 is we must be able to faithfully interpret our Bibles. 0.99
00:14:23.640 Biblical amateurism must stop. 0.96
00:14:28.120 Now, you're going to see the reason 1.00
00:14:33.840 for the remnant.
00:14:36.620 Why did God only save some?
00:14:40.140 Like a whole nation,
00:14:41.520 and he saves this tiny remnant.
00:14:45.060 It's because it's a covenantal judgment.
00:14:50.480 It's a covenantal lawsuit
00:14:53.420 that Israel lost.
00:14:56.680 It is a judicial consequence 0.75
00:14:59.080 for their unfaithfulness.
00:15:01.620 us. Verses seven and eight, let's follow along with me. What then? Israel failed to obtain
00:15:13.780 what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened. Okay, that's just,
00:15:21.520 you want to underline that, you can put judgment. The rest were hardened. Judgment. As it is
00:15:27.620 As it's written, God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that
00:15:35.760 would not hear, down to this very day.
00:15:40.580 Okay.
00:15:43.180 What then?
00:15:44.800 That's a conclusion clause.
00:15:46.900 It signals that this is the concluding thought to the previous argument.
00:15:52.620 We got to know basic grammar.
00:15:54.880 Basic grammar.
00:15:55.880 Okay. 0.71
00:15:56.880 Ethnic Israel, as a whole, failed to obtain what it was seeking.
00:16:05.000 But again, the failure was not total.
00:16:09.480 And as we're going to learn next week, it's not final.
00:16:18.160 But I want you to look at this verse real quick.
00:16:22.880 Paul says, the elect obtained it.
00:16:26.880 but the rest were hardened. In this verse, I don't know how this verse cannot convince a person
00:16:35.800 of the sovereignty of God over salvation. You want to call it Calvinism? You want to call the
00:16:41.080 doctrines of grace? I don't care. What I'm saying is that this verse shows you God's sovereignty
00:16:47.580 over salvation. Not only does one group of people receive salvation only because they were elected,
00:16:55.940 They were preserved.
00:16:57.160 They were chosen.
00:16:59.700 But the other group does not receive it.
00:17:03.140 Why?
00:17:04.640 Because of divine hardening.
00:17:10.360 God hardened their hearts.
00:17:15.660 This shouldn't shock us.
00:17:17.580 Turn your Bibles to Romans 9, 18.
00:17:22.760 This should not shock us.
00:17:25.940 Because Romans 9.18 already told us, so then, he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he
00:17:40.900 hardens whomever he wills.
00:17:46.840 It's up to God who he will give mercy to and whom he will harden.
00:17:55.940 In the next verse, Paul substantiates this claim with the authority of scripture.
00:18:01.480 He says, as it is written.
00:18:04.140 Anytime you see that term, as it is written, it's the apostle using or leveraging the authority of the Old Testament.
00:18:17.340 It says, as it is written, God gave them a spirit of stupor.
00:18:23.060 eyes that would not see
00:18:26.900 and ears that would not hear
00:18:29.560 down to this very day
00:18:32.260 the apostle is quoting and synthesizing
00:18:37.780 several Old Testament passages
00:18:40.000 Deuteronomy 29.4, Isaiah 29.10, Ezekiel 12.2
00:18:45.820 that describe God's judgment
00:18:50.520 by preventing spiritual comprehension
00:18:53.980 through spiritual blindness and deafness.
00:19:01.760 As you know from the previous chapter,
00:19:05.740 Paul says what?
00:19:07.100 Faith comes by hearing
00:19:10.020 and hearing by the word of Christ.
00:19:15.180 It's not talking about an audible recollection
00:19:18.700 of the gospel message.
00:19:20.520 It's not talking about an intellectual hearing.
00:19:24.480 It's about spiritual comprehension.
00:19:28.220 It's about spiritual ears.
00:19:31.500 I can't tell you the number of academic geniuses that I've talked to over the years.
00:19:42.420 I've explained the gospel so clearly.
00:19:47.420 And it's like throwing a seed on concrete.
00:19:52.580 It just has no root.
00:19:55.640 Think about how many people heard the gospel from Jesus.
00:20:02.520 It's not about persuasion.
00:20:05.500 It's not about persuasion.
00:20:09.680 There are people that can't hear, that can't see.
00:20:17.420 And you might be asking me, does God really blind and prevent people from
00:20:24.680 hearing the gospel? Is that how God works today? Yes. And it's why Jesus would say,
00:20:34.060 he who has ears to hear, let him hear. Those that have ears, that have been
00:20:42.420 given ears to hear, hear.
00:20:47.420 John 12, 40, the apostle quotes Isaiah 61,
00:20:52.000 or sorry, 6, 1, or 6, 10, goodness.
00:20:55.820 And the reason why, even in the face of the message of Christ,
00:21:01.860 the miracles of Christ, the signs and wonders of Christ,
00:21:05.140 people are still not believing.
00:21:07.700 Like you think that your rock band and your smoke machine
00:21:11.460 and your TED Talk is going to somehow do a better job.
00:21:17.420 At presenting the gospel, Jesus' miracles didn't even persuade people.
00:21:27.440 It shows that it's not about information.
00:21:32.700 Yes, you need to proclaim the gospel, truly.
00:21:35.280 It's about transformation.
00:21:37.420 It's about the Holy Spirit coming in and awakening a dead soul.
00:21:42.760 It says here in John 12, 40,
00:21:44.540 He has blinded their eyes
00:21:48.980 and hardened their heart
00:21:51.560 lest they see with their eyes
00:21:53.720 and understand with their heart
00:21:55.360 and turn and I would heal them.
00:22:01.520 God has blinded their eyes
00:22:03.480 and hardened their hearts.
00:22:08.500 And when people struggle
00:22:09.860 with the idea that God
00:22:13.520 permits some
00:22:16.540 and prevents others
00:22:19.320 from redemption.
00:22:21.900 When they struggle with that,
00:22:25.140 I want to remind them
00:22:28.660 that there is no injustice here.
00:22:33.540 There's no injustice here.
00:22:37.040 Is it unjust
00:22:38.620 for God to prevent
00:22:41.180 your sister or your brother
00:22:43.240 from hearing the gospel but save you or prevent your mother from the gospel and
00:22:52.060 save your daughter is there any injustice there
00:23:02.600 no there's just justice and mercy let me explain all of us are born in Adam and
00:23:13.240 As sinners, loving sin and committing sin.
00:23:17.060 All of us are guilty before the law. 1.00
00:23:21.860 And we deserve death. 1.00
00:23:24.060 All of us. 1.00
00:23:25.600 What do we deserve? 0.99
00:23:27.360 Hell. 1.00
00:23:29.000 You don't deserve anything else. 1.00
00:23:31.180 You deserve hell. 1.00
00:23:35.400 You deserve eternal punishments for your sins against an eternal God. 0.99
00:23:43.240 You've broken the law of God, and you are eternally unrighteous.
00:23:50.500 You need an alien righteousness that can come only from Christ through faith.
00:23:59.340 So when God, according to his mercy and his wisdom, decides to save some,
00:24:05.980 to save some by gifting them faith and repentance.
00:24:15.660 But he decides to leave others to justice.
00:24:21.300 There's no injustice here.
00:24:23.740 There's just mercy and justice.
00:24:29.860 God has no obligation to save anyone.
00:24:34.080 He doesn't owe us salvation.
00:24:36.820 You don't deserve salvation.
00:24:41.060 In fact, if you're shocked by the idea that God saves some,
00:24:46.520 you should be more shocked by the idea that God saves any.
00:24:51.160 Why does God save any?
00:24:56.160 That's the correct posture to have.
00:25:01.300 Why me?
00:25:03.020 Why me?
00:25:03.600 why not them
00:25:06.280 why me
00:25:07.240 why did God save you
00:25:11.240 out of drunkenness
00:25:14.040 out of debauchery
00:25:15.020 and out of religion
00:25:16.820 and out of death 0.99
00:25:18.600 you're wicked 1.00
00:25:23.300 you deserve hell 1.00
00:25:24.860 you deserve wrath 1.00
00:25:26.300 but God saved you
00:25:28.440 that
00:25:31.980 should be the comprehension and focus of our worship.
00:25:38.280 Paul offers a second example in the Old Testament,
00:25:41.900 covenant judgment,
00:25:43.400 where he hardens the people of the covenant
00:25:50.120 for their unfaithfulness.
00:25:54.980 If you read verses 9 through 10, it says,
00:25:57.100 and David says, let their table become a snare and a trap.
00:26:01.980 a stumbling block, and a retribution for them.
00:26:07.940 Let their eyes be darkened so they cannot see
00:26:10.400 and bend their backs forever.
00:26:15.980 A table is a place where we receive blessings.
00:26:22.200 That's the place.
00:26:24.180 But the nation of Israel's table, which was God, 0.74
00:26:28.240 served up Christ, and it was a snare
00:26:31.040 and a trap and a stumbling block 0.56
00:26:33.980 and retribution to them.
00:26:38.580 Not only did they not receive redemption,
00:26:41.640 I'm talking the vast majority.
00:26:46.420 The way is wide that leads to destruction, 0.84
00:26:50.040 Jesus says to the Jews.
00:26:53.420 And the way is narrow and few will find it. 0.74
00:26:57.700 He's not talking about the Gentile,
00:26:59.420 billions of people.
00:27:00.320 that he's talking about Israel.
00:27:05.540 The way is wide and the road is narrow
00:27:08.040 and very few will find it.
00:27:15.940 So not only did they get judged
00:27:18.460 in the fact that they didn't receive redemption,
00:27:20.380 but as Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24
00:27:22.560 and in Revelation, the temple was destroyed.
00:27:25.940 The holy city was destroyed in 70 AD.
00:27:29.400 These are the judicial consequences for their unfaithfulness.
00:27:35.100 Why did God destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD? 0.97
00:27:38.080 Because the Jews rejected the Messiah. 0.98
00:27:42.720 And why did they have only a remnant to receive the Messiah? 0.99
00:27:46.560 Because the Jews have been unfaithful before then. 1.00
00:27:52.280 Today, if you ever see any, raise your hand if you've been to Israel. 1.00
00:27:56.440 Anybody been to Israel?
00:27:57.080 A couple people.
00:27:59.240 So Israel, I just watched an 18-part miniseries on Israel.
00:28:04.600 It was really wonderful.
00:28:08.580 If you see the foundation of Solomon's temple,
00:28:14.440 you know that the Dome of the Rock is built on the foundation of Israel's old temple. 0.97
00:28:20.960 Now, the Dome of the Rock is essentially a Muslim shrine
00:28:25.440 that marks the site where they believe
00:28:27.840 that Muhammad ascended to heaven.
00:28:32.480 Okay? 1.00
00:28:33.660 In other words, for the Jews 1.00
00:28:35.340 and their covenant unfaithfulness, 1.00
00:28:39.020 God turned ethnic Israel's home 0.93
00:28:41.320 into a place of spiritual harlotry. 0.82
00:28:45.960 Talk about an extreme judgment. 1.00
00:28:48.900 The temple is now replaced with a Muslim shrine.
00:28:55.440 he's left this massive reminder
00:29:02.540 of what the rejection of Christ
00:29:05.700 will do as a consequence to a people.
00:29:10.900 Now, why is this important?
00:29:12.220 Because the harshness of a consequence
00:29:14.320 informs us of the severity of a crime.
00:29:19.480 The harshness of a consequence
00:29:21.400 informs us of the severity of a crime.
00:29:25.440 To reject Christ, to reject Christ is the most vile and evil thing that you could do.
00:29:40.040 It will not go unpunished.
00:29:42.780 Not only will your soul be punished, but God throughout the scriptures
00:29:50.520 will even offer further curses to generations.
00:30:00.440 In verse 10, if you look down at your Bible,
00:30:04.680 he's citing David.
00:30:05.580 He says, let their eyes be darkened
00:30:07.420 so they cannot see. 0.90
00:30:12.760 Spiritual blindness is God's central way
00:30:14.820 of covenant judgment. 0.73
00:30:16.760 Spiritual blindness.
00:30:18.540 To believe this doesn't apply today would be a total mistake. 0.60
00:30:23.900 I've met spiritually blind people, have you? 1.00
00:30:31.640 Again, I don't believe that God is speaking to the Gentile world 1.00
00:30:40.020 when we're talking about the concept of a remnant. 0.99
00:30:42.760 I don't think there's going to be a tiny amount of Gentiles that are saved. 0.79
00:30:45.780 No, I think there's going to be a mass amount of Gentiles saved. 0.98
00:30:50.700 But I think that the spiritual blindness is very evident in the modern Israel, 0.68
00:30:56.620 the modern church, the people of God.
00:30:59.480 In fact, I know a few pastors in town who I have shared the imputed righteousness of Christ
00:31:07.720 to fight against the doctrines of legalism, that salvation is by faith alone.
00:31:15.780 And they just can't see it.
00:31:19.940 They just can't see it.
00:31:22.060 It's like shocking to me.
00:31:25.300 It's right there.
00:31:29.100 Scripture after scripture after scripture.
00:31:31.820 And they can't see it. 0.90
00:31:36.260 It's like showing a blind man a rainbow. 0.98
00:31:40.100 Just doesn't register. 1.00
00:31:43.960 I'm like, it's right there.
00:31:45.780 Now, spiritual blindness doesn't really have to do with the eyes, but the heart.
00:31:56.540 Ephesians 1.18 actually says, Paul's praying, he says, he prays that the eyes of their hearts
00:32:03.500 would be enlightened.
00:32:06.700 Romans 1, speaking of the Gentile world, says that the Gentiles have been essentially cursed
00:32:13.920 and that their hearts have been darkened 0.66
00:32:16.380 and they traded the creation for the creator.
00:32:23.460 Ultimately, God's judgment through spiritual blindness
00:32:26.240 is not some historical method of the past.
00:32:28.460 It's something that happens today.
00:32:32.480 It's why John Newton penned those amazing words,
00:32:36.500 amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
00:32:39.340 who saved a wretch like me.
00:32:41.500 I was blind, but now I'm found.
00:32:44.260 Or sorry, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see.
00:32:48.720 Was blind, but now I see.
00:32:53.780 I don't know about you,
00:32:56.340 but my own conversion felt like all of a sudden
00:33:00.020 the Bible worked.
00:33:03.600 I was a false convert for a long time,
00:33:05.920 in the church, not saved.
00:33:07.800 I was teaching Bible studies.
00:33:13.520 I was serving.
00:33:16.960 I thought I was saved.
00:33:20.520 Just nothing clicked.
00:33:22.860 All of a sudden, the Lord, boom.
00:33:26.400 And I was reading the Bible like I had new eyes.
00:33:29.780 Everything made sense.
00:33:32.260 It was the outcome of America's pragmatism,
00:33:35.360 where we go to a church and you have some sort of pageantry going on
00:33:38.780 and I'm trying to persuade you,
00:33:40.600 you don't actually preach a bad news, good news gospel.
00:33:44.480 It calls for repentance and faith.
00:33:50.440 Another thing I think about, it's disheartening, 0.99
00:33:53.600 how often Pentecostals or Charismatics,
00:33:56.900 they've misunderstood the deeper meaning of Jesus' miracles.
00:34:00.280 For example, John 14, 12.
00:34:06.380 I can't tell you how many times I've heard this passage.
00:34:08.560 Why don't you guys turn there?
00:34:09.940 John 14, 12.
00:34:18.400 John 14, 12.
00:34:30.280 It says, truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that
00:34:38.840 I do, and greater works than these he will do, because I'm going to the Father.
00:34:47.140 Now, the charismatic says, ha, look, that's why we can believe that I'm going to give
00:34:53.820 sight to the blind, and I'm going to go and heal people from cancer, and I'm going to 0.79
00:34:58.040 go you know make the lame walk and we should expect these things it's right
00:35:02.360 there the greater works that Jesus is referring to are not physical miracles
00:35:10.160 not that God does not do miracles he can but rather it's through the
00:35:15.560 proclamation of the gospel by the power of the Holy Spirit we're gonna see what
00:35:18.740 the dead raised the spiritually blind will see the spiritually deaf will hear
00:35:28.700 The spiritually sick will be healed.
00:35:31.180 That's what it's talking about.
00:35:33.360 Do you know how many times I've seen that miracle?
00:35:35.060 Many.
00:35:37.480 You know how many times I've seen a guy step out of a wheelchair? 0.99
00:35:40.920 Never. 1.00
00:35:43.840 The purpose of the eight recorded times of Jesus healing a blind person 0.93
00:35:53.440 blind person is because he's showing that without Christ, you cannot see. Without divine 0.68
00:36:05.900 intervention, you will remain blind. That's the purpose of the miracles. Yes, it verifies
00:36:13.980 his divinity. Sure. But there is a spiritual truth tied to each one of these miracles.
00:36:23.440 don't think that turning water into wine is about drinks
00:36:28.280 don't think that having the sick man healed
00:36:32.580 is about physical well-being
00:36:34.900 don't think that raising Lazarus from the dead
00:36:37.960 is just about helping the guy out
00:36:40.240 it's so much deeper than that
00:36:43.000 do you have eyes to see
00:36:47.120 pray that you have eyes to see
00:36:54.080 Pray that the Lord would illuminate you. 0.99
00:36:57.560 That you would not remain in immature Christianity forever. 1.00
00:37:04.340 Passing down a river of amateurism to your children. 0.95
00:37:10.820 Get before the Lord in devotion and prayer.
00:37:16.320 Open my eyes to this stuff, Lord.
00:37:19.640 Wider and wider and wider.
00:37:23.100 So again, the error would be to think that God no longer operates this way
00:37:37.380 or through covenantal judgments with his people.
00:37:40.680 And I'll close here in a second.
00:37:43.420 We are the church.
00:37:44.800 We're the true Israel of God.
00:37:47.480 We're the people of God.
00:37:48.940 We're the elect of God.
00:37:51.680 Doesn't make me special.
00:37:53.100 I had no involvement in it.
00:38:01.220 But we are subject to God's covenantal judgments.
00:38:06.220 We're in covenant.
00:38:08.500 We can be covenantally unfaithful.
00:38:10.900 We can lack faith and obedience.
00:38:16.860 In the church of God, which again, 0.95
00:38:18.280 like the Old Testament is real,
00:38:20.100 it's made up of the faithful and the faithless.
00:38:23.740 In the church, you have people that are saved
00:38:26.440 and people who have been baptized and are not saved.
00:38:30.080 You have wheat and you have tares mixed together.
00:38:36.560 That's what the scripture says of the state of the church.
00:38:42.680 We should expect that when the covenant people of God,
00:38:48.320 the people that have been baptized,
00:38:50.520 the people that are in the covenant,
00:38:53.100 are unfaithful, that there will be covenantal judgments,
00:38:58.240 which is the explanation for the state of the church
00:39:01.840 and the state of this nation.
00:39:06.820 We should expect, if we're covenantally unfaithful,
00:39:10.240 what will happen?
00:39:11.060 God will appoint evil rulers over us.
00:39:15.600 If we're covenantally unfaithful, 0.80
00:39:18.500 we should expect that a generation of his flock
00:39:21.480 will be thinned.
00:39:28.360 If we want to see true revival
00:39:30.280 in Yavapai County,
00:39:33.880 in America,
00:39:36.440 if we want to see a spiritual harvest,
00:39:38.940 covenant blessings,
00:39:40.240 we have to be faithful.
00:39:45.600 Faithful as a church.
00:39:46.980 we have to repent of our spiritual laziness
00:39:51.560 we have to take responsibility for the state of our homes
00:39:54.380 we have to speak against the wickedness in the world
00:39:58.420 we actually have to have faith
00:40:02.240 if you want to see this city
00:40:06.460 blessed in a hundred years
00:40:08.460 it requires faithfulness now
00:40:12.700 now
00:40:14.880 I don't know about you. I'm in it for the long game here. I'm thinking about my great
00:40:19.740 grandchildren living here in this town that has been Christianized by three generations of
00:40:27.420 faithful believers. That this church has multiplied into 10 churches and that many of the businesses
00:40:36.420 are owned by Christians here and that the politicians and the police officers and the
00:40:41.580 judges and the lawyers are Christian and the people come to this town to witness a little piece of 0.59
00:40:49.140 heaven. I want to bless my generations and that happens here. That happens by young people getting
00:41:03.160 married and having children and by the people that are already married raising those kids in
00:41:07.460 the nurture and admonition of the Lord covenant faithfulness long-standing
00:41:17.400 decades-long faithfulness that's what we're here that's what we're doing this
00:41:23.520 isn't just check in check out Christianity I went to church on Sunday
00:41:28.120 this is war and we're here fighting the wickedness of the world with the gospel 0.63
00:41:35.700 Jesus Christ second Chronicles and I'll close with this verse says in 714 if my
00:41:45.420 people okay who's my people in this verse well all of the people in Israel
00:41:51.300 not just the elect if my people who are called by my name humble themselves and
00:41:56.200 pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then I will hear from
00:42:02.640 heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land if you want this land
00:42:10.400 to be healed it starts with faithfulness in your own life in the life of your
00:42:16.460 family and then in your public life amen amen let's pray father we thank you
00:42:23.640 Lord, that we are children who are disciplined, that you discipline those you love, and Lord,
00:42:35.820 that you will not allow us to be unfaithful, but Lord, that you will teach us through covenant
00:42:43.340 judgments, that you harden, that you spiritually blind people.
00:42:48.800 Lord, we ask, Father, that you would have mercy upon our families, that you would not
00:42:52.980 harden or blind any of our children, but Father, because of our faithfulness, that you would
00:43:00.720 bless us, not because we deserve it, but because of your mercy.
00:43:06.500 And Father, we ask that you would take these lessons from the remnant of Israel and the
00:43:11.960 bringing in of the Gentiles, Lord, that you would apply it to our heart in some way. 0.77
00:43:14.980 and father that you would show us 0.96
00:43:18.540 how we ought to behave
00:43:21.860 and that you would strengthen this congregation
00:43:23.980 and that we would be used in a mighty way in this town
00:43:28.620 in Jesus name
00:43:30.240 Amen