Finding Fulfillment

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Introduction- Helping Young People Find Fulfillment

"Fulfillingness' First Finale"

is the seventeenth studio album by Stevie Wonder, released on July 22, 1974 by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. It is the fourth (Music of My Mind, Talking Book, & Innervisions) of five albums (Songs in the Key of Life being the 5th one) from what is considered Wonder's "classic period".
According to Quora.com, someone has written:
“Fulfillingness’ First Finale deals with various themes, including love, social issues, and personal struggles. The title itself suggests a sense of completion and accomplishment, and the songs on the album explore the complexities of life and relationships. It's open to interpretation, but overall, the album seems to reflect a sense of fulfillment and the culmination of a journey.”
Most us out to have a sense or be moving towards a sense of fulfillment and purpose in our lives, something that motivates us, gets us up in the morning……

According to Maurice J. Elias

a professor in the Psychology Department at Rutgers University, director of the Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab, and co-director of the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools,
in his article
“Guide Your Students Toward Positive Fulfillment:”
The 5 signs of fulfillment in young people are:
1. CONTENTMENT AND JOY
How much do you experience both joy and satisfaction in your life?
2. HOPE
To what extent do you look ahead in your life with optimism, positive expectation, and anticipation of accomplishment?
3. AWE
How often do you experience a sense of wonder, amazement, and astonishment?
Psalm 8:1–4 ESV
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
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4. MEANING/PURPOSE IN LIFE
Can you point to things in your life that give you positive meaning and purpose?
5. DEEP CONNECTION
When do you have a sense that you are connected to something, or someone, bigger than yourself?
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/guide-your-students-toward-positive-fulfillment-maurice-elias
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According to Matthew Jones @ Inc.com

If you desire to acquire success and discover or find fulfillment then:
1. Challenge yourself to grow.
Happiness is a byproduct of action. Take steps towards fulfillment by engaging in the never-ending process of self-improvement.
Remain open to new thoughts and ideas, stay hungry for knowledge, and practice what you preach. You can always become a better professional and a better person.
2. Contribute to others.
Authentic fulfillment comes from contributing to others. People enjoy engaging in charity work because it both helps others and feels good.
Prosocial actions make us feel more connected and increases our compassion for people's unique experiences. Facing the existential reality of our own finitude aids our ability to make meaningful connections to others, which opens our hearts and changes our perspective on life.
3. Live in the present moment.
Let go of your never-ending self-talk. Take a short break without scrolling through the endless entertainment of your iPhone. Pause, and just be present.
When an old computer has too many programs running at the same time, it slows down. The more that you can connect to the stillness of the here-and-now, the lower your anxiety and frustration, and the greater your focus.
When you're immersed in the present moment, your productivity and happiness will skyrocket.
Matthew 6:34 ESV
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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4. End your sense of entitlement.
Most of us feel like we "should have" certain things happen. We "should have" gotten that promotion; we "should have" felt appreciated for our good deed; we "should have" had more time to meet a deadline.
The truth is, we construct the small room to which we're imprisoned. When we set expectations for what should happen, we contribute to feeling frustrated, anxious, and depressed.
We need to shift our focus to what is and start being grateful for what we have instead of brooding over what we don't.
Luke 17:10 ESV
So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ”
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5. Connect to something larger than yourself.
Just as giving helps us feel more empathetic with others and appreciative of what we have, sometimes it's important to feel how small our problems really are.
When you immerse yourself in the mountains or swim in the vastness of the ocean, you realize how meaningless your complaints are in the long run. We often give power to our problems and make them larger than they need to be.
If success and fulfillment is what makes our lives worthwhile, then we need to put problems back in their proper place.
Suffering is part of the human condition. Looking for happiness outside of yourself contributes to unhappiness and leads to regret at the end of life.
https://www.inc.com/matthew-jones/5-ways-extremely-successful-people-find-fulfillment.html

Transition To Body- Greatness of God’s Word (Jesus fulfills it)

Isaiah 55:10–11 ESV
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Fulfill in the Opening Chapters of the Gospel of Matthew

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us).

This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

18  “A voice was heard in Ramah,

weeping and loud lamentation,

Rachel weeping for her children;

she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

23 And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

14 so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15  “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

16  the people dwelling in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,

on them a light has dawned.”

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Fulfil- to give the true or complete meaning to something—‘to give the true meaning to, to provide the real significance of
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From that Time On

Matthew 4:17 ESV
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
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Body- We Find Fulfillment (in Jesus Christ) with a

Elevated Appreciation of the WORD

(So Jesus, not fallen humanity, fulfills the law’s high demands)
Matthew 5:17–18 MSG
17 “Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. 18 God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.
John 1:1–2 ESV
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
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Matthew 5:17 (IVPBBC NT): Jewish teachers said that one “abolished” the law by disobeying it (cf. Deut 27:26), because one thereby rejected its authority.
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Matthew 5:18 (IVPBBC NT): Jesus refers here to the yod, the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Later rabbis told the story that when God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, the yod that was removed complained to God for generations till he reinserted it, this time in Joshua’s name. Jewish teachers used illustrations like this to make the point that the law was sacred and one could not regard any part as too small to be worth keeping.
Abolish- to completely invalidate something which has been in force—‘to do away with, to invalidate, to make invalid
Law or the Prophets- all of the sacred writings of the OT, including the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings
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Accomplished- to happen, with the implication that what happens is different from a previous state—‘to happen, to occur, to come to be
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A Scripture is Breathed Out by God & Profitable

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
2 Timothy 3:17 ESV
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
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{
We Find Fulfillment (in Jesus Christ) with a
Elevated Appreciation of the WORD and when we become a
}

Faithful Practitioner of the WORD

Magnitude of all God’s commands
practitioner- one who practices : CARRY OUT, APPLY practice what you preach : to do or perform often, customarily, or habitually practice politeness : to be professionally engaged in practice medicine : to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient practice the act
Matthew 5:19 MSG
19 “Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom.
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Relaxes- to do away with, destroy, bring to an end, abolish
Relaxes (Sets aside)- the failure to conform to a law or regulation, with a possible implication of regarding it as invalid
Does them- to do, to perform, to practice, to make
Teaches- to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting, teach
Matthew 5:19 (IVPBBC NT): Later rabbis decided that the greatest commandment was honoring one’s father and mother, and the least, respecting a mother bird; they reasoned that both merited the same reward, eternal life (based on “life” in Ex 20:12; Deut 22:7). A modern reader might ask, What happens to the person who breaks one and keeps another? But such a question misses the point of this hyperbolic language which other Jewish teachers also typically used to say, “God will hold accountable anyone who disregards even the smallest commandment.”
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Moses taught
Deuteronomy 6:4–8 ESV
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
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Paul taught
1 Corinthians 9:9–12 ESV
9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
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Jesus Taught!
Jesus Christ fulfilled the Law in at least two ways: as a teacher and as a doer. He taught people to obey the Law (Matthew 22:35–40; Mark 1:44), and He obeyed the Law Himself (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22).
Jesus taught people to obey the Law
Matthew 22:35–40 ESV
35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
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Jesus obeyed the Law Himself
John 8:46 ESV
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
1 Peter 2:22 ESV
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
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{
We Find Fulfillment (in Jesus Christ) with a
Elevated Appreciation of the WORD, when we become a
Faithful Practitioner of the WORD, and we embody a
}

Righteous Application of the WORD

(Realize/know the inadequacy Of Our Own Righteousness)
Matthew 5:20 MSG
20 Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.
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Incarnate- to give bodily form and substance to
invested with bodily and especially human nature and form
made manifest or comprehensible : EMBODIED
Incarnate means "invested with flesh or bodily nature and form, especially with human nature and form," and is applicable in many different religions in which a god takes on an animal or a human form. In Christianity the word Incarnation(which is usually capitalized) is used in the sense "the union of divinity with humanity in Jesus Christ."
According to gotquestions.org
Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness.
The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness.
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Righteousness- the act of doing what God requires—‘righteousness, doing what God requires, doing what is right

the quality or characteristic of upright behavior, uprightness, righteousness

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Surpasses- a degree which is considerably in excess of some point on an implied or explicit scale of extent—‘very great, excessive, extremely, emphatic, surpassing, all the more, much greater.’
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Warning Concerning Viper Christians

Matthew 3:7–11 ESV
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham. 10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

that which has been produced or born of a living creature—‘offspring, brood, child

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 4.53 ἀσπίς, ίδος; ἔχιδνα, ης

species of poisonous snakes—‘asp, cobra, viper.’

Poisonous Snakes Are Everywhere- even within the Church

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 4.53 ἀσπίς, ίδος; ἔχιδνα, ης

and since at least some type of poisonous snake occurs in practically all parts of the world, there is usually little difficulty involved in finding an appropriate term.

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Out of the Abundance of the Heart……

Matthew 12:33–37 ESV
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The LORD Search the Heart & Test the Mind……

Jeremiah 17:9–10 ESV
9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? 10 “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
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The scribes & Pharisees outwardly appear righteous to others,

but inwardly (within) are full of hypocrisy & lawlessness
Matthew 23:13–16 ESV
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
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Matthew 23:25–28 ESV
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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How does Exceeding the righteousness of scribes & pharisees look?

Isaiah 64:4–9 ESV
4 From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him. 5 You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. 8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.
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Perfect as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect

Evident by our Attitude
Matthew 5:21–48 ESV
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. 31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil. 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you. 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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Evident by our Desires
Matthew 6:1–18 ESV
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. 16 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
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Evident by our Ambitions
Matthew 6:30–33 ESV
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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Evident by our Relationships
Matthew 7:1 ESV
1 “Judge not, that you be not judged.
Matthew 7:2–5 ESV
2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
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Our Options Are Limited!
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We must have a righteousness that extends beyond externals and legal conformity. And such an exceeding righteousness is only possible by God's gift of a new heart.
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Platt, David. Exalting Jesus in Matthew (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary Book 2) . B&H Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
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Matthew 7:13–14 ESV
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
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One must be born of water & spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God
John 3:3–5 ESV
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
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The LORD will give us a new heart an a new spirit within us
Removing & replacing the heart of stone with heart of flesh
Ezekiel 36:24–28 ESV
24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
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The LORD will put the law within us & write it on our hearts
Jeremiah 31:31–34 ESV
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
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We Can Not Do It- The LORD Works It & We Can See It!
John 3:8 ESV
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
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The Gift of Salvation
Romans 3:23 ESV
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 ESV
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Romans 12:1–2 ESV
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
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Transition To Close

Law, fulfilled in Christ The Little Flower A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers ‘the Little Flower’ because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids.
One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. “It’s a real bad neighborhood, your Honor,” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.”
LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions—ten dollars or ten days in jail.” But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous sombrero saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. ‘Mr. Baliff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.’”
So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.

Close- Christ Fulfilled Our Debt in Full!

Jesus did what the law was unable to do

Romans 8:3 ESV
3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
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Christ is the end of the Law

Romans 10:4 ESV
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
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We Were Dead in Your Sins- Jesus nailed to the Cross!

Colossians 2:13–14 ESV
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.

what a person has done in transgressing the will and law of God by some false step or failure—‘transgression, sin.

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2nd stanza or verse to At the Cross (Alas, And Did My Savior Bleed)

Was it for crimes that I have done, He crawled up on the tree? Amazing pity, grace unknown and love beyond degree
At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light And the burden of my heart rolled away, rolled away It was there by faith, I received my sight And now, and now, and now I am happy all the day All the day
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Seek the things that are above!

Colossians 3:1–11 ESV
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
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We Are God’s Workmanship!

Ephesians 2:4–10 ESV
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
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Come To Jesus!

Matthew 11:28–30 ESV
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
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