1234.
Welcome to the Cornerstone Podcast.
Thanks for tuning in to another episode.
As usual cornerstonechurchkingston.
org is, a place to find all kinds of resources that we produce from sermons, to live streams of services, to blogs, another podcast series that we've done.
This is a 1 off 1 that we're doing today.
I'm Tom.
I'm 1 of the ministers here at the church, and I'm here with Pete.
Hello? Rory.
Hello? Ben.
All pastors have description here at the church as well.
And, Pete's gonna you're gonna introduce what we're gonna do.
Well, this isn't where so we do seminars, before the morning service on Sundays, and we're doing, evangelism tool kit.
So these are just, little gospel sentence is that you can put in your toolkit.
So they're not the massive big spanner that you wanna, you know, all the big wrench when you got to do some heavyweight theological, evangelism.
They're they're just little sentences.
They don't say everything but to have these as a nice little pack of, sort of screwdrivers of different sizes is just a helpful thing in your toolbox.
So gospel sentences.
The 1 I'm just gonna read out is called do done.
Do done.
Do All forms of religion, formal and informal are spelled d o because they tell us we have to perform good work and obey moral and religious laws in order to find god to achieve forgiveness, nirvana, or peace.
But you can never be sure that you've done enough Dun.
Christianity is spelled d0ne because god sent his son to earth to live the life we should live and die on the cross to pay the debt we should pay for wrongs we've done.
Budder said, strive without ceasing.
Jesus said it is finished.
So Buddha is saying do, Jesus is saying done.
To become a Christian is to turn from do, to done by asking god to accept you for Christ's sake and to commit to live for him.
It's a lovely little you know, very simple, thing to remember, very useful, particularly for sort of religiously, moral people, very good for Muslims, really, because it really shows very, very clearly the difference.
You've gotta do, you've gotta achieve, you've gotta strive, You've gotta say your prayers.
You've gotta go to Mecca.
You've gotta go to pilgrimages.
You've gotta, you know, do do do do do.
But this beautiful sense of what the gospel really is that the lord Jesus Christ has come and died on the cross.
It is finished done it for us.
It's a lovely thing, isn't it? And I think very useful when you talk it.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
And and done in all sorts of ways as well.
Done in terms of paid for your sin, all of that's done, but also done in terms of lived the perfect life for you as well.
Yeah.
So so so done your righteous? Yes.
Done sin paid for.
Yeah.
And it's not just a clean slate.
Yes.
But now, you are righteous forever and ever in god's sight because Christ has lived the perfect life, and that's that's that's accredited to you.
So I mean, the old illustration always used to be the video.
Right.
But when we don't have videos anymore, so I don't call it how you do it.
Yeah.
But, you know, if if if if if god was to show your life on a big video screen, you know, on the tele, there would be all this sin and stuff you'd be embarrassed about.
Shocked about.
And if you compare that to to god, you know, you are clearly a sinner.
And then Christ has done.
He's cleansed it, but now you've got a video that's just boring because there's nothing on it.
Yeah.
But now he's done a right life for you.
Yeah.
And so now you see a video of your life in Christ.
Which is more than we would ever have been able to do even living a perfect life.
Yes.
Because this the son of god has lived a life in a sense for us, and we are we are receiving the benefits of his righteousness and his goodness.
And and so he shares all the blessings he has from the father with us, in incredible.
It's it's way better than do as best as you can.
Yeah.
It's it's, yeah, amazing.
Yeah.
And, I mean, I don't know how long we wanna spend on each.
Oh, 1 of these.
Yeah.
I mean, this really is a unique thing in Christianity in all world religions.
And in all human philosophy, this idea that we are made right with god, by what Jesus Christ has done for us alone and that that is a gift.
You know, it's a gift to us to be received.
Another old illustration is Christmas morning, you know, when someone's you've you've wrapped up a present, or you've been given a present.
And, no 1 expects you in that moment to get out your checkbook Yeah.
And to offer to pay for the gift.
You know, There's something in the occasion, which says, no, you just need with open hands to receive the gift given to you.
You don't need to try to pay me back for it, or you don't say, okay, can I do some chores to to to to sort of pay you back for this gift? Now, what what delights the giver is just open handed receiving.
They don't want you to offer to pay them back.
They just want you to cheerfully receive it.
And that's the gift of eternal life in Christ, isn't it? Just given to us.
And, you know, this is this is good for all good.
It's not just good for religious people, isn't it? That's what I was gonna say.
I think we could just focus on world religions and say they say do all the time.
But the the the thing is every human being in the world is trying to achieve righteousness with god on their own back aren't they? So it's all about doing things that they think is right.
And it's 1 of the classic lines in the old testament and judges is everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
So they're all trying to be right with guards on their own back.
And so this is quite an I think this is quite offensive, actually, because the gospel message says you can't do.
You can't do it.
And, when you hear that as verses and you don't trust in Jesus, that's quite offensive because it's like, surely I can do something, but there's nothing you can do.
There's nothing good about you to get yourself right with god.
But once you get to the end of yourself, I suppose, and you realize that I can't do anything and you realize you're desperate situation, then to hear that Christ has done it is quite an amazing, amazing news.
And you you probably won't accept verdun until you realize you can't do.
So that's an important part of becoming a Christian, isn't because you do do do or try try try until you realize that no matter how much you do, it will never be done.
That's when you look at Christ who has said it.
And that's the story Jesus tells about the Faricy and the tax collector, isn't it? You know, he's standing up in the temple praising god for his own self righteousness that he's not like other people.
He gives the right amount of money.
He doesn't commit adultery, and he's not like a tax collector, whereas tax collector has come to realize that he's got nothing to offer god.
He can bring nothing to justify himself.
He's just in need of mercy and sacrifice and he says, have mercy on me a sinner.
And Jesus says, which of these do you think went home justified before god? You know, and it's the 1 who takes the gift, not the 1 who bow in what they can offer.
But you get this in the, you you get this in the secular world as well.
I mean, people are just doing, do it.
They worn out, aren't they? You know, they're they're they're exhausted and broken by by these burdens that are either put on them gotta do gotta do gotta do or put on them by themselves, isn't it? Gotta do gotta become, gotta achieve.
It's it's it's all it's all that sort of thing that we hear today.
You know, you've gotta find yourself.
You've gotta whereas done is being found, isn't it? And done is is It's not it's it's not the lazy thing, but it's the it's the the wonderful joy of god coming to us to to find us, isn't it? Yeah.
So the the this is helpful.
I I think we probably all use these do done.
I always think it's like the old song to do done, done, done, done, to do, done, done.
Should we have to know that 1? No.
Anyway, you could you could probably apply that to any song.
Can you? I don't know.
Well, give me a song that you could play that to.
To do, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done, done.
Yeah.
So we'll see the next 1.
I will open it.
So this is this 1 is undone.
This is Sin Salvation.
So this is another uh-uh way of telling the telling the gospel.
Sin is us substituting ourselves for god.
Putting ourselves where only god deserves to be in charge of our lives.
Salvation is god substituting himself for us, putting himself where only we deserve to be dying on a cross.
And this 2 Corinthians 521 god made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that in him, we might become the righteousness of god.
To become a Christian is first to admit the problem that you have been substituting yourself for god either by religion trying to be your own savior by obedience to moral standards or by ill religion, trying to be your own lords by disobedience to moral standards, and second to accept the solution asking god to accept you for Jesus' sake and know that you are loved and accepted because of his record, not yours.
And that ties into what you were saying earlier, Ben, about, the the beauty of the good news is that when we trust Jesus Christ, as our savior.
He doesn't just wipe the record clean, but rather he transfers to us or credits to us, his own perfect record.
So his perfections are given to us, and our sin is given to him.
And that's why this language of substitution is is used here because our sin and our rebellion is placed upon the shoulders of 1 who's perfect and his perfections are placed upon our shoulders so that we can stand right before god, forever.
And the description of sin here is, is is interesting, isn't it? And and slight different.
It's it's, yes, us wanting to be what only god can be.
So, really, we should acknowledge that he is the creator and the king of our lives and that we should freely submit ourselves to his rule.
And yet we try to rip the crown off his own head and put it on ours.
So we try to play god.
We try to run our own lives, control the world in our own way.
And that's substa.
So that's a sort of trying to substitute us for him.
Salvation is him substituting himself for us.
So, I mean, I don't know, but in any sort of political world, I guess, if you had such a rebel living within your realm, trying to throw off your leadership and lead an insurrection and rule your country themselves, you would bring a swift and terrible justice upon them.
And that's what we deserve for us in, you know, the Bible says that we deserve to go to hell forever.
This is such a such a dreadful substitution to try and make.
But instead of giving a slack, god comes and gives us the opposite, substitute himself, who is the rightful ruler of Heaven And Earth for the Wicked rebel, so that by faith alone, we can, we can have all the all the joys and benefits of of salvation.
So this is the language of substitution, isn't it? Since salvation? Yeah.
It's another easy 1, isn't it? Do done since salvation.
It's just another tool, slightly different size, you know, screwdriver if you like in the pack that you could use for this.
I I think what I think I I like what you you you said that the the description of sin in this, the substituting ourselves is because you can get very wrapped up in sin, isn't it? You, can't you? I mean, like, lying and, yes, I lied, but is god such a, you know, nasty person that he'd be so worried about a little tiny lie.
Or, now, of course, lying is sin or, you know, I stole from the sweet shop, but I was only a little kid and I didn't quite know what I was doing and the implications of it.
Is it fair to judge me on that? But I I think this idea of of sin is is actually, you know, it's it's it's it's very clear rebellion and and it's it's the language of breaking a relationship I will not have you as my god.
I will I will I will rule Yeah.
Like myself.
And you get that, don't you in in the prodigal son story that Jesus tells, you know, Jesus Jesus there, shows, that sin is a a breaking of a relationship as much as it is as as breaking rules, but it's more breaking of the relationship, isn't it? So the son says to the father in Jesus story in Luke 15.
Basically, I wish you were dead because when you're dead, I'll have the money for the inheritance, because I want what you give, because only you can give it, but I don't want you And that's the picture here, isn't it? I will take the gifts you give me and be my own ruler, my own substituting god.
I mean, of course, goes wrong for him, but that's what I like about this.
Yeah.
It's a it's a usurping, isn't it? Yeah.
Yeah.
And there's high treason.
So It's a very severe, crisis and much, much worse, as you say, than just wrong things that I do.
It's a heart state heart set against god and saying that I'm gonna take the position of god.
And I think that actually is interesting because it does link, actually, to your do done.
So as you think about the toolbox, you use 1 tool and then in that might need another tool to help with that other thing that you're doing.
And this is quite similar.
Because when you're saying I'm gonna do stuff, will that sin? Because you're saying that I decide what is right, so I'm ruling my life.
So I I I sin because I've decided to set myself up as the king, not god.
And as and and that means I decide what to do Yes.
And so actually, that's why we need god to come in and say, actually, you're not the ruler.
You what you try to do is wrong.
It's sinful.
I am 1 who can now do it for you.
And so salvation then says, I will substitute myself for your sinful actions and do it.
And then we have done again.
And having a a big, understanding and picture of sin is essential, isn't it? We're we're living in an age where sin is not really a word that people know.
And even in Christian circles, that people are embarrassed by, but Jesus said he who has been forgiven much love so much, and the bigger understanding you have of sin, the the greater you'll understand the salvation here, you won't really understand Jesus' sacrifice unless you understand sin, and you won't understand the enormity of what he does unless you understand the enormity of sin.
So this is a is a key 1, isn't it? Yeah.
And 1 that's, I think, quite easy to to prove.
So people may disagree with you about how serious this is, but you can even put it this way, you know, you know, of all the decisions that you've made in the last week.
How many did you consult god? How how many did you talk to him about? Did did you seek his perspective on on any of these decisions? Or the little ones or the big ones.
And I think most of us would have to say, yeah.
No.
Either not at all or not as much as I should have.
And it shows that basically we can we do think that we can run our lives without god most of the time and and make the right decisions.
And Well, you need even worry that Jesus talked about, doesn't he? Yeah.
As as can can be a proof that I'm trying to act as god because I'm I'm taking on all of the world and worrying about it.
He's he says, you know, who can add an hour to life or whatever it is, by by worrying you know, whereas you can pray, you can speak.
It's it's interesting.
There's this idea that we are god in all kinds of things.
Yeah.
And the wonder we feel anxious because we were never meant to do that.
Yeah.
So we're trying to Barry.
You don't need to be going to be carried.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So that's an easy 1, isn't it? I I I've been, but these are just easy tools.
And if we if we memorize these, which isn't odd.
Mhmm.
Sense salvation? Yep.
Since salvation.
Should you go on? Yep.
Slavery freedom.
Slavery.
We were built to live for god's supremely, but instead we live for love, work, achievements, or morality, to give us meaning and worth.
Therefore, every person religious or unreligious is work worshiping something to get their worth.
But these things enslave us with guilt if we fail to attain them or anger if someone blocks them from us or fear if they are threatened or drivenness since we must have them.
Sin is worshiping anything but Jesus, and the wages of sin is slavery.
Freedom.
As a fish is only free in water, we are only free when serving Jesus supremely.
For he is the only source of meaning that we cannot lose freeing us from fear and anger, and that is a free gift freeing us from guilt and drivenness.
So Matthew 11 28 to 30 says, come to me.
All who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
So you see his yoke is the only 1 that doesn't enslave.
I think it's massively helpful.
Thing like we so many people in our world believe that they are free to do whatever they want to do I'm free to live however I want to live.
But actually, when you examine their lives, they're so enslaved by the things that they think they're free to live for.
I used to love like you can see those pictures where, like, even even the technology that we use, we think we are so free we were so, liberal that we have these, like, technological things, but you have those pictures that show like an, an iPhone or like a type of smartphone that has you chained up because we're just enslaved by all of these things around.
The people who are going for a career absolutely can't not work And so then they sacrifice time with the the families and the friends, and so they they they might lose everything.
So the things of this world so easily enslaved And actually, you see that they're they're they're trying to achieve happiness and rest and all of the things that they want, but very very, very actually easy just become enslaved and don't achieve those things.
And then on the other hand, it's so good that Jesus actually gives us freedom.
We don't need to work our our absolute guts out to try and achieve something because Christ has achieved everything for us.
And, and so to live for him is real and true for you.
Yeah.
And, I mean, today, peep people hate the idea that they would be slaves, wouldn't they? And freedom, is such a is such a big concept, isn't it? I want to be free to do what I want to do as as if that very term is free.
And, and and not, you know, why why don't you wanna serve god? Because you're a sinner, actually.
You're free to sin.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And so I I think this is quite a quite a quite a big 1 for our age, isn't it? Free freedom is the big thing that we we really want.
I want to be free to be me and what are me, well, I'll find out if I look inside me, and it's it becomes that whole sort of circular thing of trying to find freedom.
And then if you dare, even hint or your eyes slightly flickers, disagreement with what I think I'm free on, then then I'm angry at you.
And I'm gonna count counsel cancel you.
And you know, I'm viciously angry at you because because you're getting in the way of my freedom that we see this all the time, don't we? Yeah.
And I mean, I think it's just it's a surprising sentence in some ways, isn't it? Every person religious or unreligious is worshiping something.
To get their worth.
And that is true because we are we are all worshipers, aren't we? So even a a complete the secular minded person who would say they don't worship anything or believe in anything higher than this world.
Actually, fundamentally, the human heart is a worshiping organ, isn't it? That we are, we are all, trying to construct a story into which we fit.
We are all giving our our energy and our passion towards something.
We all lay our lives down for something, some goal we wanna obtain, some life that we wanna achieve.
And all of that is worshiping language.
And the question the Bible puts to us is not are you a worshiper, but what are you worshiping? Not are you a slave, but who's masked, you know, who who rules you? And, is it Satan and sin, 1 who is only going to demand more and more and deliver insecurity in death, or is it the lord Jesus? I just love, you know, Matthew 11 28 is 1 of my favorite verses.
I just love, love it as a description of the life that Jesus his offers.
It is a yoke, which means there is a there is a life that comes with it.
There are new commands and new way to live, but it's always light and freeing.
And, Jesus is trying to say here, look, your your problem is you're enslaved to something, and you're trying to bear burdens that you were never made to carry.
You can't get yourself right with me.
These other gods that you try and serve are gonna kill you.
Come and submit to my teaching.
Trust me as your savior.
Take me as your lord, and you'll know a life of lightness and, and peace You know, and so that's 1 of my favorite verses.
Love that.
I mean, we've said yoke, but might be worth saying what that means.
Yeah.
No cause it's it's just sort of a thing in the edge, is it? Well, yes, but not spelled that way.
Yeah.
That's y o l k.
Oh.
Yeah.
This is Yote.
Oh.
Yoke is like a a bar, and it was something that was used to sort of drive cattle, I think, initially.
And you would have it sort of upon you.
And, and you would get people to share it, wouldn't you? Or No.
You you would put it So it's a it's a beam of wood and you'd have 1 sort of, you know, ogs here, and then the other ox next to it, then you tie them together.
Yeah.
I mean, so that they 1 doesn't go in front of the other too too far.
No.
And then they pull, pull the weight.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So you're yoked together with another Yes.
Beast.
Yeah.
And he's saying you but now you're yoked to me.
Yeah.
So it looks like slavery.
Yeah.
But in fact, my yoking is freedom.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That's important.
Like, I mean, the Augustine thing is the Augustine quote our hearts, arrest us until they find rest in god is so true, isn't it? Because as soon as you because that's who we're ultimately created to live for and find our resting and find our our contentment in.
And so if you go away from the the only 1 that is able to fill that rest, then, of course, you're gonna be enslaved and you're never gonna achieve the thing that you're meant to you were designed for.
So you need to come to Christ to to find that freedom.
Yeah.
I think 1 of the biggest issues is that we constantly we're constantly optimistic, aren't we, as people, that next year will be better.
Or the goal that we're aiming for will satisfies when we get there.
There's just a kind of perennial carrot that that is above us.
That we can never munch.
And even when people do arrive there and then look back and tell us it's not as good up here as I thought it was, we don't believe them, do we? So there's always that there's always the promise of tomorrow, which is 1 of god's kindnesses in giving us the scriptures because in the scriptures, we see constantly god's people enslaved and constantly him saving them from slavery.
So we need to not think that life will be different for us, and look around this and see the dissatisfaction of everyone, really, but then look at the scriptures and say, I know God is the 1 who saves us.
This thing that I've that I have in my mind which I think will bring me freedom will not.
I will never get rest by achieving the things I want to achieve.
I will always be burdened and enslaved.
But god has shown me in his word that he's the 1 he will give me rest.
And what yeah.
It's what a beautiful verse that is.
And, like, Mammothly significant in biblical language, when Jesus says, I will give you rest.
That's just when you understand the the what we were made for and what god doing and where everything is going.
That's just so that's such an incredible statement for Jesus to make.
I think if you look at our culture at the moment and and with a a lot that is going on with with, you know, younger people.
I mean, not not all of them obviously, but I reckon, you know, if you came away from a 100 years ago and and said, hey, look at us.
We're free.
I'm not sure if there's not much difference in being putting young people down a coal mine to dig coal in the dark for some kind of reward than actually sort of staring at a screen in a darkened room trying to prove themselves.
It's a very similar slavery.
And, and and and yet all of that all of that media and all of that stuff.
It it's all telling us that we're free.
Isn't it? But it's it's it's a it's a sad thing, isn't it? Didn't I think? And that's why Jesus is is really something we we need to get people to hear or just exactly what he is saying.
The scary thing is about today's world is that the there's an implosion that's going in that's going further and further in.
So take the child in the room in the dark by themselves.
They are lost.
And because they're looking inward, and society says, I will keep looking in.
You're obviously not happy with who you are, So find yourself, or, or, you know, be there's just there's there's a further turning inwards, isn't there? That's the only answer the world can give is if, oh, if you are unhappy, it's because you're not being your authentic self to look further in.
And start living out who you are inwardly.
Yeah.
Whereas whereas the authentic self is only only found by you admitting that you are, in fact, a creature.
Yeah.
And the god is the creator, and he created you for the purpose as we were hearing to worship him.
And as you worship him, then you are free because that's what you were made for.
Yeah.
Okay.
So another, you know, do done sin salvation, slavery, freedom, nice little toolkit isn't it? Got 1 more? Yeah.
Last 1.
Law love.
Law love.
Law, some see god as simply judge who demands we be moral and if god is not a judge, there is no hope for the world.
How else will wrong be punished? Love.
Some see god as simply a father who loves us and doesn't want to punish.
If god is not a father, there is no hope for us.
How else can we be forgiven? Problem, god is both.
If a father was also a judge and a guilty child was bought before him, he could not just acquit, how can god's law and love be reconciled.
Solution.
When god sent his son to Dinaar place, the judge was judged.
On the cross, god's justice and his love were satisfied at once.
That god might be both just and justifier of those who believe.
Let's paraphrase from Romans 326.
So here we've got this sort of false dichotomy.
How can god be a judge and a father who loves? And then there's this example, if if a father was confronted by the son and the son was guilty, how could he both be a loving father and a faithful judge, and the solution is that god himself becomes the 1 who's punished.
He he he does uphold the law, but he brings the punishment upon himself, and that's, how god can both be lawful and loving.
Dealing with all of these things at once.
Yeah.
We run before, the morning services, the seminar seminar series, 1 of the ones that we, have been through twice now, I think, yeah, is wrote Romans 1 to 5.
And, you, you, you've been leading that Rory haven't you? And there's there's a great question that comes at the end of following session 4 or something.
We're basically over 3 or 4 weeks you've been establishing, that all have fallen short of the glory of god, all have sinned, and there is no 1 righteous before him.
And we are lawbreakers There's no doubt about it.
And then there's a great question.
Isn't there? Do you just wanna do you remember it? Cause it's Well, how it is how can god be better just Yeah.
Or isn't it, do you want to be treated? Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Something like that, isn't it? Do you want god to treat you just clearly? Yes.
And, of course, it traps you that question, isn't it? Do you wanna do you want do you want god to treat you in drugs? Do you want god to Do you want to and it's so good because if you say, well, I don't want god to treat me with justice, then you're like, well, that means he's not a just god.
Yeah.
So therefore, he's a horrible god that no 1 wants.
Yeah.
And if he's gonna let you off Yeah.
Why shouldn't he let Exactly.
Some other monster or 4.
Yeah.
But then if I say I wanted to I wanted to to act in justice, that means I've gotta be judged.
And so that's a real and and you can't get away from that when you look through Romans want to 3, you're like, well, no 1 is righteous, no 1 is good, no 1 is seek sort of god, no 1 has, kept his law.
And so it's amazing in in Romans, it says, we'll we'll we'll stand before god, there will be asylum when he asks it causes to an account.
We won't be going out, actually.
I I was able to keep this law here.
There will be asylum.
And so we must feel the way that we are total lawbreakers, unrighteous, deserving of of the wrath of god, And then in and then and then comes the really good news of Raymond's and it starts with but now a righteousness apart from the law has been made known.
Christ is the 1 who was both righteous, and so was able to take our sins from the cross.
So god can punish sin, punish law breaking so that I may go free, that I may be seen as innocent as right.
And so god can both be just and a justifier.
And actually, again, this is just the uniqueness, isn't it, of the gospel, which is so compelling that because when you 1 of the very interesting things, talking to Muslims, that they just cannot speak with this kind of assurance about forgiveness.
Because they rely on Allah for mercy.
That's a big part of what they say, well, I'll need Allah's mercy, but when you ask yes, but what about your sin? You know, the the answer really is that god is going to kind of shelve it and forget about here.
But in order to do that, he's gotta compromise his holiness, isn't it? Because how can a Holy god who seriously hates in, just shelve it and give mercy.
There's got to be some punish thing.
There's gotta be some vindication of what is right and dealing with what is wrong.
And only the cross provides that solution because god doesn't have to compromise on his holiness, you know, he can still be the just god who punishes sin, and yet can be the justifier of those who believe, which is what he wants to be because he so loves the world and he wants to save the world, but he's not gonna surrender his holiness.
And so Christ on the cross, is the only answer, isn't it? He he is the just god who punishes Jesus in our place.
And through that, can justify those of us who don't deserve it, and he doesn't have to give up anything that he is in order to do that.
If you've been really hurt in life, I think this is a really helpful doctrine, isn't it? Because you you you have a desperate, you you say that wasn't right, and that's not okay.
I don't want to just sweep that under the carpet.
I don't want, and and especially if you if you've been hurt by someone you love, then this is brilliant because you you say I that mattered and that was wrong.
And yet, I I don't want to hold it against you.
I wanna be reconciled to you.
And god does all of that.
He deals with it.
He acknowledges the the wrongness of it and punishes it.
And yet makes a way for us to be reconciled with people who've hurt us.
And and you you don't just say, oh, it wasn't that bad.
I'm gonna forget about it.
Forgive and forget's not quite right, is it? Because it's forgive, and and Christ will bear the mark for that forever.
But yet we are reconciled with each other because of love.
So it just deals with everything thinking about the the Muslim.
It it deals with the the the justice and the love.
Both better than Allah can ever do.
Yeah.
Well, well, we live in a world that just cries out for justice than we.
And and we we live in a world.
I mean, you just think about what's happened in the last couple of months and what's come out in our society, where there's so much corruption and people seem to get away with so much.
And there's not justice in this world.
Even in the best government societies, there's not justice.
Yet this this here says actually all sin will be will be dealt with.
Yep.
But if you realize your predicament then you can be justified.
But the thing I love about this sentence actually as well, though it shows us 1 step further because it caused godfather And I think that's 1 of the most incredible things about the gospel is that god doesn't just justify us.
I mean, it's funny you say just justified, which is that is incredible on its own that me, a sinful person, a law breaker, can be seen as innocent in the eyes of god, but he goes, the next step further, and he says, I will adopt you as my son.
And that that then blows your mind even further because it's not just I'm innocent.
I'm now a child of of the living gods.
We we get this dilemma, don't we? 1, I think, in all of us, but it's sort of almost like the right and the left that sort of go to extremes and then hate it other.
You know, you it's 1 of the what I find extremely shocking when you when you see like a murderer who's, you know, pretty pretty ugly and revolting thing that he's done to someone, is gonna be executed in America something.
And then you get all of the people outside, you know, you know, clapping and cheering when he's actually been executed.
Do you think SFS is strawnery, isn't it? Mhmm.
But that desire for the law to be done against the law breaker, and that is in us.
And yet then there's a sort of the other side where, people are saying, oh, you know, he's gonna he was doing what he wanted to do and, you know, let them off and it's a sort of weak love, but I think as we've been saying that in the gospel message, you've got absolute strength of the anger of god against sin and and the judgment that should come upon a person.
And in 1 sense, there is a hooray for that, for for for justice to be done with longing.
It's the hallelujah, isn't it? There is a hallelujah in the in the bible, but then this sense that that, the love of god would would be able to, come into the world and and that justice is is slammed on Jesus on the cross.
Both these things, law and love are not weakened in the gospel or they're strengthened as as 1 of you were saying.
And and and and it's what we sort of cry out for in the different sides of of of of of of of of of people's, you know, crying out, but also sometimes we want both these things at the same time only in the gospel.
Yeah.
So it's a good 1.
So there they go.
There's, do done since salvation slavery freedom, law love.
They're very helpful tools, aren't they? And you may not use them for the same person.
But you wanna whip this tool out.
If you know this stuff, they're very, very helpful for for, using for different types people that you're gonna meet.
They are.
Yeah.
I mean, I just remember sort of briefly on this last 1.
We did a series, on the 10 commandments at the university, Kingston University.
And in order to kind of attract people to the meetings, we we did this survey the 10 commandments that the law of god, and we we we went through we went through them with people and asked them, do you think that these are generally good lords by which people should live? A room.
Yeah.
I think it's, but, you know, do you know who wrote them now? You know, do you know where you'd find them? No.
Well, these are these are god pills in viable.
And then we would go through and saying, have you kept have you kept this 1? You know, you've just acknowledged it.
It's a really good law.
Have you kept it? I do remember, you know, the lying 1.
Have you ever told a lie? No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Yeah.
Oh, or have you ever stolen something? No.
You ever downloaded something that didn't belong to you? Oh, yeah.
I've done that.
You know? And so again, these don't these don't take long to prove sometimes.
You know, these aren't concepts that only religious people are gonna understand.
Actually, if we think about it, these are doors in with with people.
So, yeah, really helpful.
.