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Jun 29, 2014

The Canaanization of America | Part 5

Passage: Judges 16:22-31

Preacher: Jonathan Schuster

Series:Samson

Detail:

I would say, “Top of the morning,” to you but in ten years in Ireland I have never said that once so I’m not sure why I would start now. It’s good to be here. During my time in Ireland I made a very good friend by the name of Corey. Corey will probably be one of my best friends for life. Corey is a pilot who came over to work for a company called City Jet which was a subsidiary of Air France. He has returned to the states now and lives in Oregon with his wife and family. He is a very funny guy. Another pilot named Don also came over around that time. Corey and Don were relocated to Skerries, which is the town where we were living and church planting. Being very solid Christians and great guys they ended up helping us with our church plant in Skerries.

One day Corey was flying a typical route from Dublin to London. It was a few years ago when the United Kingdom—especially England—had a very severe blizzard and London was hit really hard. As Corey was flying into London they were rerouting planes to outlying airports until they could get the runways cleared. So Corey ended up in a nearby airport sitting in the parking area in his plane with his passengers waiting to get clearance to finally land in London. Then he heard over the radio that Don was coming in and being rerouted to the same airport due to the weather in London. So when Don landed and parked his plane, Corey got on the radio and said, ”Don! Wassup?”

Don said, “Corey! Wasssuuup?”

They did this back and forth a few times until the air traffic controller in the tower said, “This is an emergency channel. Who is this? Get off the channel.” They almost got in big trouble but they had a lot of fun.

1. “Wassup” with America?

In case you’re wondering where that comes from, it’s from an old Superbowl commercial. Maybe some of you remember it.

That’s the question that I want to ask today, “’Wassup’ with America?” I’ve come back from Ireland and noticed that there are some differences. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been living here for a while but I see some changes. They’re probably more pronounced to me than they are to you.

This time especially we’ve come back and we’re asking ourselves, “’Wassup’ with America? What’s going on?” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that America is getting worse. If you’re concerned about our country as I am then you’ve noticed.

This week we’re going to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th. I’m sure some of you will have cookouts, have friends and family over, put out your American flags and go see fireworks. It’ll be fun. It should be fun. But here’s the real question: how is the American experiment really doing 238 years later? Where is America?

Economically We’re a Mess

It doesn’t take an economist to tell us that we’re a mess economically. Just in case you recently woke up from being comatose, let me inform you that the U.S. GDP now stands at 16.2 trillion dollars and the gross national debt exceeds that at 17.5 trillion dollars. We’re in trouble.

Politically We’re a Mess

Let’s look at congress as an example. One political analyst said, “The collapse of Congress’s committee system, the frantic pace of media coverage, the increasing complexity of legislation, the rise of massive, catch-all, continuing resolutions, the time spent on raising campaign cash, for all of those reasons and others a shocking number of law makers don’t even know anymore what they’re debating, denouncing or even voting on.” That can’t be good.

Culturally We’re a Mess

Columnist Byron Williams said, “From Columbine, to Virginia Tech, to Sandy Hook, and to the present we are temporarily shocked by the sensational aspects of senseless shootings only to return to business as usual.” There is no doubt that we are a violent nation. All you have to do is go through a local video game store or a cinema to see that we love violence.

Spiritually We’re a Mess

Last year the Center for Disease Control released a report revealing that there were 19.7 million new venereal infections in the United States in 2008 bringing the total number of sexually transmitted infections in the U.S. to over 110 million. According to the CDC 50% of the new infections in 2008 occurred among people in the 15-24 years of age bracket. If you do your math that means one in three Americans have a sexually transmitted disease.

Let’s talk about homosexuality. It appears to me that our culture has pretty much accepted homosexuality. You can hardly watch the news without hearing about same-sex marriage at some point. In general our immorality is reaching epic Canaanite proportions.

I have a newspaper here from the last time I was in Ireland. The front page of the newspaper says, “Sugar Daddies fund college for 4,500 girls.” Let me read some of the article to you:

Nearly 4,500 hard up Irish students have signed up to a Sugar Daddy dating service to pay their way through college. Some 4,464 female undergraduates across Ireland have joined seekingarrangement.com—a U.S.-based online dating website which pairs off attractive young women with wealthy and usually much older international businessmen. The agency says its latest figures show a sharp increase in the number of so-called “college sugar babies” in Ireland over the past year. Although critics have pinned the website as a seedy playground for aging adulterers, spokeswoman Angela Jacob insists that they’re creating relationships which are mutually beneficial.

I think we call that prostitution. The article goes on to say:

A survey conducted last year by the website found that about 80% of all relationships conducted through this service involve sex. However company Chief Executive Officer Brandon Wade describes his clients as “intelligent and goal-oriented ladies” while sugar daddies are “respectful gentlemen”. He recently wrote on his website, “Because the relationship between a sugar daddy and a sugar baby is romantic in nature most sugar relationships will likely involve sex. And because a sugar daddy is expected to be the generous gentleman, money will always be spent on the sugar baby. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

When I read this article I was shocked. I didn’t even notice until I reread it later that it was a U.S.-based company. Now I rather expect this sort of post-Christian pagan behavior in Ireland, but to find that this was being exported from the United States was very concerning. I went to the website, followed some of the news articles and discovered that—according to one of their reports—there are over 2.5 million sugar babies in the United States of which over 1 million are college students. So in order to pay for their college education our college students are committing prostitution.

How did America get so far away from God? Well perhaps we can get a clue from our text as we look at the life of Samson.

2. “Wassup” with Samson?

So “wassup” with Samson? In order to find out what’s going on with Samson we need to look at the context of this passage. The context is the Book of Judges.

The Context: In the Days of the Judges – The Canaanization of Israel

When we study Judges we find out that these are really troubling times in Israel’s history. These are Israel’s dark ages. As we look at Judges, we find something called “the Judges cycle.” This is a vicious cycle that occurs throughout the book from narrative to narrative. During this time Israel has peace in the land and they’re very, very comfortable. They’re enjoying life and eventually they start worshipping the Canaanite gods instead of the true and living God. They turn away from the Lord and do evil.

So God has to punish them. Usually that means bringing in an enemy who will subdue them. Then they become slaves and they cry out to God for deliverance. So then God raises a judge who will deliver Israel. Then they’ll have peace in the land again for a period of time.

During the time of peace they get comfortable and lazy. Then they start worshipping other gods. They do evil again so God punishes them again. Then they cry out again and God raises a judge to deliver them again. Then they serve the Lord until they get lazy again. The cycle goes on and on from the beginning of the book to the end.

Let me read from Judges 3:7-11 to illustrate this. We are beginning with the very first judge, Othniel. It says:

7 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia. And the people of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years. 9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the people of Israel, who saved them, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 So the land had rest forty years. Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

That’s the best passage in Judges for demonstrating “the Judges cycle.” What happens after Othniel dies? We see this very interesting Benjamite named Ehud as the next judge. Look at verses 12 and 15:

12 And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done what was evil in the sight of the Lord… 15 Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, Ehud.

Ehud rescues the people of Israel from the Moabites in a very gruesome way. Then when Ehud dies we read in Judges 4:1, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord after Ehud died.” And the cycle goes on and on throughout the book. The Lord raises up Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Jephthah and then finally Samson. In Judges 13:1 we read, “And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.”

Now this is what’s troubling: when we get to Samson the cycle breaks in a very, very sad way. The Israelites start serving Baal, Asheroth and the Canaanite gods so God punishes Israel. He has the Philistines enslave them and rule over them.

Here’s where the cycle breaks. This time Israel does not cry out to the Lord. They don’t say, “Lord, rescue us! We’re being subdued by the Philistines.” There’s no hint that they’re unhappy with the situation. There’s no crying out or seeking the Lord. Maybe they actually like the Philistines now. Maybe they’re happy with what’s going on around them. So they don’t cry out. In fact the first time we hear anything from God’s people in the Samson narrative doesn’t occur until chapter 15.

In chapter 15 Samson went and killed some Philistines. So what did they do? They retaliated by raiding a Judean town called Lehi. When the men of Judah found out this happened because of Samson they went to Samson and said, “Samson, at last! We’re behind you. Let’s beat these Philistines. Let’s run them back to the sea. Let’s take back our land.”

No, that’s not at all what they said. In verses 11-12 they actually said, “’[Samson,] do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us? We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.’” I’m sure Samson was thinking, “Yeah sure, go ahead. You can bind me.” What’s concerning is that at least in the past they would have supported the judge that God had raised up but now they’re upset at the judge because he’s interfering with the status quo.

I think the author of Judges has done a great job of describing this time in history. Judges 17:6 says, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” That is how God’s people are described at the end of this book in Judges 21:25, “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” When we look at Samson we see a failed leader: someone who has done some really bad things and seems to have messed up everything. We should realize he’s really just acting like everyone else and doing what was right in his own eyes.

The problem is that Samson was dedicated from birth to be a Nazirite. He was dedicated from birth to be a leader for Israel and he’s doing anything but leading Israel. In fact in our text we will discover that he is a prisoner in the camp of enemies.

Samson Had a Superficial Relationship with God

So we must ask the question, “’Wassup’ with Samson?” Let me suggest to you that Samson had a superficial relationship with God. If you look back to Judges 16:20 we read, “And she [Delilah] said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’ And he awoke from his sleep and said, ‘I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.’ But he did not know that the Lord had left him.” Wow! How could Samson not be aware that the Lord had left him? How’s that possible?

I think the answer’s obvious. Samson didn’t have much of a relationship with the Lord in the first place. Samson was supposed to be a leader and filled with the Spirit but he didn’t live that way. When the Lord left him he didn’t even know it. He didn’t actually achieve his greatness until he was first laid low. His eyes were gouged out, he was working at grinding a mill, he had reached rock bottom and it’s not until then that he really did something for the Lord.

It is a shame when God’s people ignore, waste or abuse the gifts God has given them. Samson could have been an amazing leader at this time in Israel, specifically at a time when they needed good leadership. But instead he was mostly a failure. He’s the quintessential example of what could have been.

Now I want to ask you an uncomfortable question: are you a could-be? Has God given you an amazing talent or gift that you can use for His kingdom and for His glory but instead you’re not using it at all?

I think it’s likely that there’s a little of Samson in all of us. C.S. Lewis in his essay entitled The Weight of Glory said it well, “We are all half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea.”

Let’s learn a lesson from Samson. Let’s not settle with being could-bes.

Samson’s Failure Caused Others to Sin

What else do we learn from Samson? Samson’s failure caused others to sin. Judges 16:23 says, “Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, ’Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.’ And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, ’Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.’”

Wow. Instead of bringing glory to God, Samson gave the enemy the opportunity to glorify their god and God hates that. God hates that with a passion. He’s a jealous God. He does not like it when people worship other gods before Him. The first and greatest commandment Jesus said was that we should love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our mind. Samson failed to do that and as a result the Philistines sang praises to their god when it should have been the Israelites singing praises to Yahweh.

Samson Is Mocked and God’s Name Is Tarnished

Judges 16:25-27 says:

And when their hearts were merry, they said, “Call Samson, that he may entertain us.” So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, “Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.” Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained.

Have you noticed that the world loves it when God’s people fail? The world loves when God’s name is dragged through the mud. Think of these names: Jim Bakker, Ted Haggard and Jimmy Swaggart. These men were Christian leaders—television evangelists and personalities—and like Samson they fell into sin. Boy did the media have a heyday!

There will always be people like Samson. Some will repent and some will be restored. But God’s reputation and His honor are always at stake.

Samson Is Humbled, Prays and God’s Name Is Restored

Fortunately for us the story is not over. Samson is humbled, prays and God’s name is restored. The wonderful thing about God is that He truly does forgive. Look at verses 28-31:

Then Samson called to the Lord and said, “O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years.

Samson’s prayer is answered but let’s make no mistake—this is certainly not the Lord’s Prayer. There’s no hallowing of God’s name. There’s no seeking of God’s will. There’s no remorse that Samson had failed to lead God’s people into kingdom living. But fortunately this is not a story about Samson.

The Bible is theocentric—it’s God-centered—and like all the others, this story is ultimately a story about God. God is going to get what God wants in the end. It is unfortunate for Samson how it turned out for him but God is always going to get what God wants.

Paul tells us in Galatians 6:7 that God is not to be mocked. His plan at the very beginning of the Samson narrative was to judge the Philistines. If you go to the very beginning you’ll see it right there. He’s going to do that one way or the other. So at the end of the day He judges them because He’s the real Judge—not Samson—and He gives Samson his strength back at the opportune moment to destroy the enemy.

I wish we had a lot of time to explore some of the interesting parallels between Samson and our Lord Jesus because it would be an interesting study, but I’m just going to share one with you. Both Samson and Jesus died with their arms outstretched—Samson between two pillars and Jesus on the cross. Samson died with his arms outstretched because he failed. He fell into sin and was captured. On the other hand Jesus went voluntarily to the cross for you and for me. Jesus did more than defeat Dagon; Jesus defeated death itself. Whether it’s the Old Testament, the New Testament or an episode in your life… know this: God always wins.

3. Application

Now let’s look at some application. Let’s just start with the big picture and then we’re going to look at some details.

It Is Not the Economists, Politicians or Sociologists Who Will Save America; Only God Can Save America

America needs a revival. It needs another Great Awakening. God hates sin. He cannot be happy when He looks at what is going on in our country. But the Bible also tells us that He is full of grace and mercy and He desires that none should perish.

Just look at the Book of Jonah. The city of Nineveh was one of the most evil cities in all of human history and yet even Nineveh found God’s mercy when they repented.

Allow me to paraphrase a little from Jonah 4:11, “And should not I pity [America], that great [nation], in which there are more than [100 million] persons who do not know their right hand from their left?” God is slow to dish out judgment because He desires that none should perish.

So that means there is still hope for our country. But it isn’t going to be the politicians who save this country. Now is the time for us to remember God’s promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

God wants to do revival in this country. God wants to restore this country. But we have a part in that—in His great plan and great will. He includes us in this. The time is now for us to do something about it.

The Canaanization of America Is the Consequence of the Canaanization of the Church and the Family

I am totally convinced of this. The very fact that churches in this country are arguing about homosexuality is proof that the church in America is struggling with Canaanization. Would you agree? The influence of the world is winning over the influence of the church—which is exactly what happened in the days of the judges. The Canaanite culture won over the Israelites.

We were only back from Ireland less than a couple of weeks when I discovered that the new cliché that everybody was saying—at least new to me—was “living the dream.” People would say, “I’m living the dream.”

I went to get my car washed. I pulled up to the car wash, rolled down my window, pulled out my money and the guy came over and I said, “Hey, what’s up?”

He said, “Living the dream, man. Living the dream.”

My first thought was, “How sad is that! Your dream is to wash a car?” But then I realized he didn’t really mean it. It’s just that everyone’s talking about living the dream.

I even heard it in church. The last time we visited one of our churches—this is unusual—I walked up to a guy, gave him a big hug, and I said, “Hey I’ll probably see you in a year.”

He said, “Okay.” And then he added, “Living the dream.” It didn’t even fit the context. It was just weird.

When someone says “living the dream” what exactly do they mean? Is it the American Dream? Is that what we mean when we say “living the dream?” Do we mean that we’re living the American Dream? I don’t know about you but when I was a kid the American Dream could be summed up with a good job, a house, a two-car garage and a pool. That was the American Dream. Really? Is this what we’re teaching our kids, that materialism—the American Dream—is our dream? If that’s the case then I’m not convinced that our dream is God’s dream.

So I have a couple of challenges. First I have a challenge for the dads. If you’re a dad please listen carefully. There is no time like the present to sit down together with your wife and ask yourselves some very serious questions:

  • What is our dream?

  • What is the dream for our children?

  • What is the dream for our family?

  • Does our dream match God’s dream?

It’s time to break the cycle because if we don’t the church is heading for disaster.

Now I have a challenge to you as the church—to all of us. How would you describe your relationship with God? Is it growing? Is it on fire? Or is it more like Samson’s and can best be described as superficial? If we’re going to have a dynamic and intimate relationship with our Lord Jesus then we need to spend time with Him. Relationships require time. So are we doing that? Are we spending time with the Lord? Are we reading the Word and spending time in Scripture? Are we praying and spending quality time with the Lord? Are we seeking Him? Are we memorizing Scripture and having our hearts and minds as an arsenal of truth? What about fasting, meditating and all of the things we call “spiritual disciplines?” Are you practicing spiritual disciplines in your life?

If the Apostle Paul were here today he would say, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” (Philippians 1:27). Would he say that about us?

Do Not Be Defeated by Your Failure—God’s Power Is Made Perfect in Your Weakness

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.  Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I am absolutely convinced that one of Satan’s strategies for crippling the work of the church is to influence us to just give up and be defeated by our failures. We’re going to fail! Is there anyone here who has never failed? If any of you had raised your hand I would have said, “You just did,” so good thing you didn’t.

I want to share a story that I found recently about the British Navy. It goes like this:

A number of years ago the British Navy was involved in some peacetime maneuvers at sea involving a column of cruisers. They were steaming along in formation when a signal was given to execute a 90 degree turn. The maneuver went off flawlessly except for one cruiser whose captain missed the signal. The ship almost collided with the one in front and when it swerved to avoid a collision, the whole convoy was thrown into confusion. Only some very skillful seamanship by the other captains prevented a serious accident. When some order had been regained, the admiral sent a message to the captain who had caused all the trouble and he said, “Captain, what are your intentions?” Immediately the Captain replied, “Sir, I intend to buy a farm.”

That captain knew without being told that his failure had cost him his naval career. Is the Christian life like serving in the British navy? Is it one failure and you’re out? No. Thank goodness because if it was I think most of us here would be in big trouble.

Some would also have us believe that we can live as we please without concern for any consequences. Of course that is not true either. God’s grace and mercy are greater than our failures. So do not be defeated by your failure.

We read earlier that when Samson was captured he did not know that the Lord had left him. That is something that you and I never have to worry about. If you’re here this morning and have put your faith, trust and life in Christ, then the Bible tells us that we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit. He will never leave us. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

You don’t have to worry about losing the Holy Spirit. That means that when we fail we can fall back on the promise that God is merciful, gracious and He can restore you.

As I conclude I want to share with you about a professor from England named Andrew Walls. He is actually Scottish in background. He studied both missiology and church history and is a very interesting man. He’s done some great research. I’m going to share with you a few paragraphs from an interview he had with Christianity Today. Andrew Walls said:

If you consider the expansion of Islam or Buddhism, the pattern is one of the steady expansion. And in general, the lands that have been Islamic have stayed Islamic, and the lands that have been Buddhist have stayed Buddhist. Christian history is quite different. The original center, Jerusalem, is no longer a center of Christianity—not the kind of center that Mecca is, for example. And if you consider other places that at different times have been centers of Christianity—such as North Africa, Egypt, Serbia, Asian Minor, Great Britain—it’s evident that these are no longer centers of the faith. My own country, Scotland, is full of churches that have been turned into garages or nightclubs.

That’s true in Ireland too. One of the most famous churches in the country was in the very center of Dublin. It was the church where the Guinness family raised their children, were married and baptized. That Anglican church in the middle of Dublin is now a pub.

Walls continues:

What happened in each case was decay in the heartland that appeared to be at the center of the faith. At the same time, through the missionary effort, Christianity moved to or beyond the periphery, and established a new center. When the Jerusalem church was scattered to the winds, Hellenistic Christianity arose as a result of the mission to the gentiles. And when Hellenistic society collapsed, the faith was seized by the barbarians of northern and western Europe. By the time Christianity was receding in Europe, the churches of Africa, Asia and Latin America were coming into their own.

Now Walls stops there but I will continue. We know from history that because of such extraordinary people as the Wesleys, the Whitfields, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney and D.L. Moody—among many others—the missionary movement spread to America and eventually America became the center of Christianity.

Professor Wall’s insights into the geographical movement of the center of Christianity is enlightening but it’s also concerning. When the center moves from one place to another it creates a vacuum. When Jerusalem ceased to be the center of the Christian faith because it moved to Asia Minor, it created a vacuum. History tells us the rest. Jerusalem, Egypt, North Africa, Asia Minor—all of these became Muslim. Europe filled the vacuum with enlightenment thinking and now it is entirely a post-Christian continent. If the center of Christianity is moving out of America—and believe me the signs are there that it is beginning to do so—will it create a vacuum? If so, what will fill it?

Our country is in trouble but we can do something about it. The Bible says we should be humble, seek the Lord and pray. There’s no better time than the present so let’s do this right now. Let’s humble ourselves and seek the Lord. Let’s intercede for our country.

Father, we thank You that You love us. Thank You that You are a patient God. We pray for our country. This week many people will be celebrating the 4th of July. As we look around and enjoy the celebration, we recognize that it is great to live in a free country. But I pray that Your people will humble themselves, seek You and intercede for our country that it might come back to You. “Now Father to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). God bless you.

 

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All Scriptures quoted directly from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

Note: This transcription has been provided by Sermon Transcribers (www.sermontranscribers.net).