Let us remember that the wicked only ever temporarily succeed. The righteous only ever temporarily fail.

By placing the story of the lost sheep immediately before verse 15, Matthew shows us that one of the ways that Jesus “goes and gets the lost sheep” is through the church – by sending his people who are not presently straying to go and get those who are presently straying to bring them back into the fold.

There are deep desires and motives of the heart that drive sexual sin and that’s the ground that we need to come to. We need to fall on our face before God and 1) recognize it, and 2) repent of it.

Our worldview, if it is to be biblical, must allow for us to consider that the Spiritual forces in the World actually affect the world and oppose God’s church.

This week we will be considering what deviation, disobedience, and death looks like in the federal failure of Adam.

God had to tell Adam what to do and what not to do.  God had to show Adam what is and is not permissible.  God had to reveal to Adam that which is Good for Life and that which is Deadly to Life.  Adam did not have the ability to discern this through his own sensibilities.

Have you ever told someone that the world does not revolve around them?  It is natural for us to become self-absorbed in our own created false realities.  The point is we cannot trust our own derived reality.  So how do we know what reality is? 

This letter was written to encourage, affirm, and establish the church in orthodox theology, in steadfast faith, and in assurance of salvation.

There are a lot of last things.  Death row inmates get a last meal before execution.  Sometimes people get to say last words before their deaths, but in each of these times there is one thing in common: Usually what is said is very important.