Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20251228 - 2026 GREATER Sacrifice - Romans 12:1-2

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#20251228 - 2026 GREATER Sacrifice - Romans 12:1-2 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's Word with pastor and author Ed
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Taylor, recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora, Co.
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To learn more about the many resources available through
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Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream services,
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visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now.
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Here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Amen.
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Open your Bibles to Romans. Chapter 12 is where we are.
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We're going to finish our greater series today.
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We wrap up 2026 New Year's study and series that we're doing that
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I've entitled greater. It's been very, very encouraging
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for me and stirring even a few of the points have been very
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challenging for me personally as I look to the Lord for all that
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He wants to do in my life as I receive the word of God for me
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personally. And I hope it's been that way
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for you too. I hope the Holy Spirit has been
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taking the messages and shooting them right to your heart so that
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you might be stirred up. The Bible says in Hebrews
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chapter 10, verse 24. And let us consider one another
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in order to stir up love and good works.
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That's been my prayer, that He would stir up love among us and
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stir up good works. That you would notice, that you
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would notice that He's growing us and that He is molding and
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shaping us. That we're becoming more Christ
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like each and every time we present ourselves to Him.
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We obey Him in the fellowship. We study His word.
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Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.
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We persevere through another trial.
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We make it through. We endure.
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We patiently wait, even as we were reading today in the Psalm
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that God is going to do, He says he's going to bring it forth
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just at the Daybreak or at dawn. And that's a statement of in
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Psalm 46, that's a statement of the timing of the Lord, which
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was our first study, wasn't it? In this greater series,
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counterintuitive studies they are because you think, OK,
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greater, that means more of this and more of that and greater and
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it is greater. But God has taken us to these
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inward things. In the first study, you'll
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remember we learned that God does things in great ways,
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little by little. And we studied in depth what God
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did with the nation of Israel, leading them into taking the
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Promised land and all that they've waited for and all that
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they've wanted delivered from Egypt.
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And then God says, I'm going to take you in, but you won't get
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the land right away. It's going to be given to you
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little by little. And the main reason was, is they
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couldn't handle it all at once. God had to do that work of
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preparation. And we learned that God is
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always preparing us for what He has prepared for us.
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And we went from the topic of little by little to the topic of
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greater faith. Greater faith.
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Why? Because it's impossible to
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please God without faith. It's impossible to be in that
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joy filled relationship with God and enjoy Him without faith.
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And so God is calling us to greater faith.
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And we learned faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of
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God. We're going to press into the
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things of God, the work that he does through his Word.
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And then last time we learned about greater abiding.
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And on my way into service last night, I was listening to a
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Bible study from a pastor, a friend of mine.
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He's gone home to be with the Lord, but still very encouraging
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to me as I listened to him and he was sharing in Psalm 1,
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reminding me of how important it is to be planted, to be planted.
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Use that illustration of a tree planted by the rivers of water.
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It doesn't move. It stays in the place of
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nourishment and it's going. It went.
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When that tree stays in the place of nourishment, then it is
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going to bear its fruit in due season.
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And the timing of the Lord and how important it is for us to
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abide in Christ and he in us, because without him, what did he
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teach us? We can do nothing.
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But then Paul learned as we've learned, that I can do all
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things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us.
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Today the topic is greater sacrifice.
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What God has for us in a new year is greater sacrifice.
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Can I be very clear that these Bible studies are rooted in our
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worship of God? I'm not asking for greater
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sacrifice for the church and to give more to the church.
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The church always is a secondary place to live out your faith,
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your primary places in relationship with God through
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His Son Jesus Christ. That's where everything is lived
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out. It's your faith.
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Walk with Jesus, learning who you are in Christ, enjoying his
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grace, walking in obedience. The fruit of that, the benefit
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of that is certainly it's lived out in your church, but be
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careful not to take greater sacrifice.
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Well, you know, here is pastor asking for more.
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What I'm asking for more of is more of your intentional
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following of Christ because that will benefit the church the
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most. When you become the woman and
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the man that God wants you to be, the husband, the wife, the
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single, when you are the single parent, when, when you're the
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one that God, when you are the one in Christ living out your
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faith, then we all benefit. It's not greater sacrifice for
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the church, it's greater sacrifice for the Lord.
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Why? Because there is such a deep joy
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and amazing abundant fruit when we put our complete trust in
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God. I mean, that's where it's at,
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where we trust God, where it counts.
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It's a tremendous way of living your life, surrendering your
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will, surrendering your plans, your efforts to the wisdom of
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God by faith. But so many have difficulties
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right there. They don't want to surrender an
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area or two. They want to hold it in their
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back pocket that they're willing to give, but not all.
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They're willing to step forward, but not with everything.
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They're willing to obey, but perhaps holding back a little of
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their obedience. Or even worse, they're willing
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to move forward, but they trust God.
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But they also trust in man. And what a place of failure that
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is, trusting in man instead of trusting in God.
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How many times do you need to be let down by some man or some
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woman before you realize that God will never let you down and
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allowing somebody come with this fresh line, somebody's feeding
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you or something that you know you're able that the man and the
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woman that we trust in the most. So often ourselves.
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It's how we see things, our philosophy of life when all the
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while God is wanting all of our heart, mind and soul.
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You can rely on and trust in God this coming year who has a
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specific plan for our lives. It begins here.
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Notice in Romans chapter 12, one of those very familiar passages,
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but don't ignore the familiar passages.
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Actually pay attention to them because they're very important.
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Notice in verse one it says, I beseech you, therefore,
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brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present yourselves or
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your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which
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is your reasonable service. We're going to spend most of our
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time in verse one. But notice verse 2.
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And don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
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renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and
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acceptable and perfect will of God.
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Now I know many of you are already praying God, what is
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your will for me in the new year?
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And I know the new year is just symbolic.
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It's just another day, but it's a powerful day because the the
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year changes. We have a brand new calendar.
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It has this symbolism of a fresh, clean slate.
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We look back, as Ian and I were just discussing, we look back on
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2025, we see the UPS, we see the downs.
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We we watch the calendar year come and go.
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So take advantage of that fresh slate, new beginnings passes
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behind you, futures in front of you living out today.
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We can trust in God who has a specific divine plan for our
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lives and for your life that when the way to discover it is
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right here beginning in verse one, listening to the pleadings
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of Pastor Paul. Paul wrote this letter to
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believers in Rome and he begs them that word beseech.
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We don't use that word very much.
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You could write next to it. Beg, I beg you.
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You know how sometimes you come to someone and you really want
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to convince them, and you're just looking for words to try to
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convince them and just, well, please, please, I mean, I mean
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it. I'm serious about this.
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I beg you. I beg you to do this.
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I beg you to stop this. I beg you.
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That's where Paul is, I beseech you.
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But actually, it's also a familiar Greek word.
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You Bible students. When I say the word, it will
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immediately take you to another place in the Bible.
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This is the Greek word paracaleo.
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It is the same word that Jesus uses to describe the Holy
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Spirit. I will send another helper of
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paracletos. Well, this is the verb on
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paracaleo that it means to come alongside to help, to come
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alongside to help. Paul says I want I'm coming
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alongside of you as a pastor. I'm coming alongside of you as a
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friend. I'm coming alongside of you as a
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leader in God's church and how I can see that for myself today.
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I'm coming alongside of you as a friend, as a brother in the
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Lord, as a pastor, as a leader. I'm begging you, this is your
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future. If you want to hold on to it,
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you want to discover the will of God in your life.
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Do you want to know whether to go yes to the open door, closed
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door? Do you want to know if you go
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left or you go right? Then I'm begging you, listen to
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this passage and obey it. So what does he say?
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I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
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notice the basis of his plea. He comes alongside.
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Brothers and sisters, brethren, sister, and he comes alongside.
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But how does he plea? By the mercies of God.
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Consider the mercies of God. This is not a heavy-handed
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pastor. He's not using manipulation or
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guilt or trying to shame you into activity, said look, just
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take a step back for a second. If He was here today, perhaps
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you'd say just let's take a step back for a second as you look to
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a new year and consider how merciful God has been and how
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merciful He is. Now, if you're taking notes, I
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want to give you 3 words that you should know connected to the
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word mercy, Actually including mercy.
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For some of you, this will be a review, but for some of you,
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it's the very first time you put these 3 words together as it
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relates to how you view the character and nature of God,
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understand how He works with us. 3 words, judgment, mercy and
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grace. Judgment, mercy and grace.
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Let's define them so you understand them in their most
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simplest terms. First of all, judgement.
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Judgement is defined as getting what you deserve.
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That makes sense. That makes sense.
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If you have committed a crime and you've been found guilty and
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you're standing before the judge and the gavel comes down guilty
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and this is your sentence, you would be receiving what is just
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and right. You would be receiving
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judgement. This is the sentence.
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This is the penalty for that crime.
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Judgement. Judgement is you get what you
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deserve. Number 2 is the word mercy.
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When you think of mercy, I want you to think of it this way.
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Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
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When someone shows mercy or receives mercy, they do not
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receive what they deserve. For example, that same
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illustration in the courtroom. If you have been found guilty
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and the judgement is going to be set at a later date, when you
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come back for that later date, either you or your attorney will
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throw yourself on the mercy of the court.
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What does that mean? That means you're asking the
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judge. I know I did it.
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I am guilty, but please do not give me what I deserve.
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Give me a second chance. Allow me to work it out,
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whatever it may be. When you ask and receive mercy,
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you know, a little bit closer to home, if you grew up with
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siblings and you're wrestling and fighting and the whole deal
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is, hey, whoever wins gets punched, gets to punch the other
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one in the face, and there you are wrestling and you got them
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down and your arm is up like this when you're laying on the
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ground. You're not saying go ahead, I
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don't care. Hit me twice.
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Hit me No, your mercy, Mercy, Mercy.
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Why do? What are you asking for?
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I know I lost, but please don't hit me in the face.
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That's what you're saying. You cry out mercy.
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You don't ask for judgement. You don't ask for double
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judgement. You ask for mercy.
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Why? Because mercy is not getting
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what you deserve. And then the third word, grace
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is a beautiful word. In its most simplest terms, it
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means to receive something that you don't deserve.
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Judgement, getting what you deserve, Mercy.
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Not getting what you deserve grace, getting something that
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you don't deserve, the grace of God.
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Thinking of the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses us from all
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sin and our rebellious nature begins.
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God and our sins have separated us from God.
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What does he do? He shows forth not with
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judgment, with mercy and grace. When Paul writes this, he says,
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I want you to consider my plea is based upon the mercies of
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God. You are still alive.
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You still have today, and I'm asking you to consider how
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gracious and merciful God has been to you.
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There is no greater incentive to holy and righteous living.
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There's no greater as an incentive to godly living than
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remembering and thinking upon the mercies and the grace of
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God. They're all tied together with
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the love of God where God he speaks forth in lamentations in
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chapter 3 and verse 22. It says though the Lord through
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the Lord's mercies. We are not consumed because his
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compassions fail. Now they are new every morning.
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Great is your faithfulness when Paul the whole the Holy Spirit
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through Paul appeals to us. He he doesn't say get your life
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right. Clean everything up, live a
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perfect life, and then maybe you can go the next step.
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But instead he says, think of God's mercies and worship Him by
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offering your whole life. He is worthy of your whole life.
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Don't ever forget this. The motive of serving God and
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yielding yourself to God, the motive in surrendering is always
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His mercy and grace. It's not guilt, it's not
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manipulation, it's always love true, a true connection in
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sacrificing God is a response. It's a response to all that he
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has done. That's where he's at.
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Says OK church, you're looking forward and what the future is.
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I'm begging you, come alongside of you by the mercies of God.
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Notice that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.
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That word present is the verb in this sentence.
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He says, with all of this, I want you to consider, I want you
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to understand, but here's the action.
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I want you to present yourself to God.
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Present yourself to God. The love of God moves us in ways
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that no one and nothing else ever can.
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And when you understand God's grace in your life and God's
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goodness in your life, when you see his hand moving in your
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life, you naturally are drawn to him.
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And now Paul says, I want you to present yourself to him.
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That's a technical term, by the way.
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It's a technical term that will tie us back to the book of
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Leviticus. When the priests were being
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instructed on how to offer the sacrifices to God, they were to
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present the animal on the altar. They were to present the animal
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on the altar where the animal would be completely consumed,
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completely burned and consumed as an offering to the Lord.
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Now, aren't you glad that's not what God's requesting here in
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the new covenant? You don't need to bring an
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animal and you yourself don't need to get on the altar and be
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burned and consumed. The new covenant now is for you
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and I to bring ourselves, present ourselves on the altar
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of worship, the altar of service, the altar of adoration,
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the altar of surrender, and stay alive and to live out your life,
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live out your surrendered life of obedience.
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That's the request. If you want to see substantive
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change in a new year, in any situation, there's going to
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require greater sacrifice on your part.
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I can use the phrase holding nothing back.
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It doesn't mean that we're going to be able to address every
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single situation. But I do know this.
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When you think of nothing, you have to also think of something
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that you're not willing to offer, something that's holding
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you back. Why?
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You can't describe yourself as surrendering fully or yielding
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completely to the Lord. You see, the animal being
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brought for sacrifice didn't have a choice.
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It's just, oh man, why did he pick me?
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I don't know what the animals thinking, but remember there
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were two on the Day of Atonement.
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There was one that would be presented on the altar, but
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there was that other one that the priesthood lay his hands on
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his head and then let him go. And the scapegoat would be able
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to run away, symbolically carrying the sins of the people.
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They could all watch the goat run away.
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And I'm sure the goat got halfway and go see you later.
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You know, However, goats, we, I don't know how they speak, but
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I'm sorry for you, buddy. You're going to the altar, but
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I'm out of here and here you are at the altar.
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The animals didn't have a choice.
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They got picked, they got carried, That's their, that's
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the way life was for them. But for you and for me, I have a
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choice. It is my choice.
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God has reserved for me that make choices to either worship
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Him or not, to present myself to Him or not, to obey Him or not,
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to surrender to Him or not. And how often we miss out on
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wonderful things because we're not willing to completely,
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totally yield ourselves. Isn't that what Jesus said?
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He looks out at Jerusalem and he's emoting over them.
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He's emotionally seeing the city.
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There's a place up on the Mount of Olives where you can see the
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entire city coming down in the Dome of the Rock there in the
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city of and I picture Jesus overlooking the city and going
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how often I wanted to gather you.
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He says like like a mother hen, her chicks, but you were not
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willing. How much we miss out on simply
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because we are not willing. We have reduced this dynamic,
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glorious relationship with God to something so much smaller
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than God ever intended, some religious expression.
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We've made it so many other things than the dynamic,
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salvific, powerful, leading and guiding presence of God in our
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lives. And we just present ourselves to
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Him. Lord, whatever you have for us.
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What is it that you have for us? The person, the person that gets
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in the way the most is ourselves.
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I know we give a lot of attention to other people and
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what they've done to us and all the difficulties in life and all
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the trials in life. I get that, but they are not the
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problem, we are. I want to give you a tool as
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you're ministering to people. It's something that I've noticed
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in my life, maybe the last 5-10 years, I don't know exactly, but
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as I'm talking with people and I'm listening to them, this just
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happened. Not only a month or two ago, I
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was talking to someone after service.
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One of those conversations where I say, hey, we should go sit
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down. We're sitting down on one of the
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rows here and I'm listening. I'm open to the Holy Spirit.
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I'm listening to how they're describing the situation.
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And then I pause and here's the tool.
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You can use it too. It's a very powerful tool.
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I stop in the conversation. I see it's pretty heavy.
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And then I say something like this, Hey, can I share something
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really hard with you right now? And almost always somebody will
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give me their permission. So sure.
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And I want that permission because I want to be able to
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connect because it is going to be hard.
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And in this particular one, I'll let you in on exactly what I
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shared. I said it, it, it, it sounds
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like, it sounds like you're acting really selfish right now.
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Have you seen that in your life? And they they were talking to me
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about a very difficult, they were grieving and I could sense
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they're becoming very selfish in their grief.
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You go, pastor, how could you say I don't think I ever want to
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sit down with you? Like, how could you say that?
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Well, I'll tell you how I could say that.
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I know what it's like to be a grieving man who's incredibly
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selfish. I speak from experience.
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God has given me a sensitivity to this.
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And I wanted to draw them out faster than I got out because it
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is a very familiar when you're wounded, when you're hurt, when
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you're struggling, when you're, you know, you're living in this
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world, when you're dealing like maybe like Paul with the thorn
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in the flesh, It's a temptation to become very self focused.
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You're not anywhere near Romans chapter 12.
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You're not thinking about the mercies of God.
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You're thinking about how you've been wounded, how you've been
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hurt. You're thinking about all this
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isn't fair. This is wrong, especially if you
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have a high level of justice. And and then when that cycle of
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self, it just doesn't end, It doesn't end.
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And before you know it, you're either surrounded by no one
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because it's very hard to be around, that you're either
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surrounded by no one or only other people that are as bitter
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as you are. And that doesn't help.
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And perhaps even the Holy Spirit today is using hard words.
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I forgot to ask if it's OK for you.
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Is it OK? But I already did.
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So I'm sorry, I already shared the hard words.
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But this is the freedom day for you.
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You don't need to be in a place like you have to even sit back
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and go. Have you been considering the
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mercies of God? Because if you haven't, look
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where it's LED you, you're upset, you're bitter, it's not
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getting you where you you're, you're not experiencing the
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healing or the comfort of God. I don't know how long the
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journey is going to be, but I do know this.
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On the journey, there's more pain, more difficulty, more
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hardship. But on the journey, there can
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also be more in your relationship with God.
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Because when you think of Paul, when he had that thorn in his
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flesh, it we got this episode in his life, we don't know how long
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he dealt with it. We don't know.
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We don't know all the details. We just get this little moment
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recorded for us in Second Corinthians, this little moment
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where the Bible says he cried out three times for the thorn to
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be removed. And the answer was, my grace is
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sufficient for you because my strength is made perfect in
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weakness. Really the answer was no, I'm
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not removing it. But through this, Paul, through
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this, I want you to know something.
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You came to the right place through this.
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It's brought you to the end of yourself.
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Have you heard that phrase before?
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The end of yourself? You can understand now why you
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don't want to live in a cycle of self.
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You want to get out of yourself and to the Lord.
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That's where Paul is here. And I don't know if it's pain, I
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don't know if it's difficulty. I'm not quite sure, but for that
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brother that I was speaking with, that's where it was.
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And there's life. It was a point of turning a
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corner, receiving a dose of healing from the Holy Spirit and
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learning that it is hard and it is sad and great.
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Loss is just so overwhelming for sure.
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But God doesn't want you. He doesn't want me stuck in
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myself. He's the source of hope.
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He's the source of strength. I think of every broken marriage
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here, he's your help. I think of every prodigal kid
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here, he's your help. I think of in your singleness,
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wondering what the future. He's your help, He's your help.
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Therefore, by the mercies of God, brethren, present your
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bodies a living sacrifice. We don't die physically, but we
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die spiritually. We die to ourselves.
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We come back to a very simple lesson that Jesus said, if
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anybody wants to follow me, what did he say?
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Deny yourself. Listen again.
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In a short Bible study, it's easy to be a misunderstood, so I
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want to clarify the best that I can.
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You don't pretend you're hurt. You're not hurting.
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You don't just dismiss your feelings.
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Maybe somebody's giving you that counsel and just get over it,
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that's all. That's not from the Lord.
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And if any man or woman's giving you that counsel, that's just
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silly. Don't listen to them.
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But here is good counsel from the Lord.
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Present yourself, your body, a living sacrifice to the Lord.
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Go to him, carry yourself to him.
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Let somebody carry you. I wonder.
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So I met a brother in an earlier service who's here today because
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somebody brought you. Because it's time to heal, man.
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What a great friend to have. What a great mom to have.
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Or dad, it's going to bring you to a place of healing church for
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the new year. It's so important.
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You bring your hurts, you bring your pains, you bring your
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difficulties, you bring them to the Lord as a living sacrifice
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over and over. Notice what He says as well.
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He says that you present your bodies, your bodies.
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You notice that present your bodies.
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He doesn't say lives, even though I've said it a few times.
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He doesn't say minds or resources or money or
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possessions. He says present your bodies.
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Why? Well, your body, my body, the
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Bible declares, is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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Let me change it a little bit. Your body and my body is home
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base for the operation of the Holy Spirit through your life.
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That's why it's important to take care of our bodies, to be
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healthy, to eat well, to exercise, to take care of our
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bodies because it is home base. It's home base for the Lord to
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use. You present that body to the
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Lord. We already learned.
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Now we studied Romans many years ago, but turn back to chapter
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one. Let me show you because if you
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put the book, the one of the reasons you'd study through the
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Bible verse by verse is it becomes its own commentary and
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the Bible actually speaks to things.
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And already in chapter 1, Paul had talked about the using
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bodies sinfully. He says don't do that.
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And he used sexual sin as the example, but it could be
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anything idolatry, any type of sin.
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Chapter 1 Romans verse 24. Notice he says therefore, God
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also gave them up to uncleanness in the lusts of their hearts to
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dishonor. What does your Bible say?
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Their bodies. Your bodies can be used in a
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dishonouring way, and your bodies can be used in an
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honouring way before the Lord. In this case, it's sexual sin.
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If you're involved in sexual sin, it's unclean dishonouring
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to God, and it's not good for you either.
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It's not good for you either. That's a different Bible study
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altogether, he says in Romans 12.
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I want you to present your bodies to Lord living sacrifice
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over and over and over and over living sacrifice.
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You're the temple of the Holy Spirit.
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We've been redeemed, and our bodies are being used for great
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things on the earth. Feet that walk, hands that reach
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out, mouths that speak. I'm reminded in the Bible of
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many examples of God using the body, physically, the body to
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bring great blessing to others. I think of Moses, his mouth.
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When we were studying the life of Moses, we were introduced to
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Moses with he had a speech impediment.
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We don't quite know what it is. He, he, he said he was slow of
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speech. He could have had a stuttering
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issue. He could have had a difficulty
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finishing sentences. It was a very normal, very
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common speech impediment, but God used that mouth as it was to
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stand before Pharaoh and Purdue and and pronounce the judgement
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of God upon the nation for all that they have done to the
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children of Israel. He used that mouth.
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He can use your mouth too. I think at the hand of David.
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He was just a kid, just a kid, but a very important kid.
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He presented his hand to the Lord, and in his hand was a
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sling that he with a rock in it that he found with his hand, and
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he took down the Goliath, while all the people, the adults
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behind him stood in fear. David, God used David's hand to
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bring victory. I think of the feet of Paul.
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The feet of Paul, the body of Paul took the gospel throughout
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the entire region. The known world set a fire of
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the gospel just through his faithfulness of obeying the
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Lord. Now, of course, in the Bible
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there are examples of bodies that were not devoted to God.
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Cain used his hands to kill his brother.
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We read of that same David as he grew up.
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His eyes looked with adultery on them and with Bathsheba, and
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then he used his mouth to pronounce death upon her
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husband. Not good Moses.
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Moses slayed the Egyptian with his hands.
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So not we're not, we're not perfect in our bodies, but it's
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important that we obey the New Covenant and present ourselves
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to God. A living sacrifice, greater
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sacrifice. Notice what it says.
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This is holy and acceptable to God, and it's reasonable.
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It's your reasonable service. It's almost like this is the
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baseline, this is the bottom, this is the beginning.
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It's reasonable. God is reasonable.
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He's not asking for an unreasonable.
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I can't believe that's not fair. You can't say that with God.
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It's it's very fair. It's reasonable.
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He redeems, he forgives, he enlists us in ministry.
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He gifts us, helps us, strengthens us, lives in US,
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comes alongside of us. It's very reasonable that our
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response is here I am Lord. I'm here to serve, love, care,
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whatever you have for me. My life belongs to you no matter
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what comes my way. We don't have time to develop it
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today, but I want to give you one more thing that holds so
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many people. There's a lot of things that are
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held back, but one area in particular that holds so many
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back from giving themselves completely to the Lord.
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You ready? You might want to write it down.
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Fear. You're afraid.
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You're afraid of what might happen if you finally surrender.
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You're afraid, and that comes from a lot of different areas,
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maybe the home you were raised in or maybe you were wounded in
32:36
a church or by a leader or, you know, they've got all these
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little speed bumps along the way that stop you from getting all
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the way to the God who you can completely trust.
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I think of our sister Michelle, you know, as you, she's like, I
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have a Hartford, Guatemala. I think I'll go there.
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And she takes a step of faith and goes there for a small
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little commitment, quits her job here in the States, moves out
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just for a small little commitment and not quite sure
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what God's going to do and not sure if it's going to be
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complete. She will come back from those
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trips and I'm like, wow, what are you going to do?
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I think I'm going to go back. I'm not.
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I said we need to pray about you going back.
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That's what we need to pray about because this is the
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direction God's taking you. And we need to pray through this
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fear and we need to pray through these concerns and we need to
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have our eyes wide open. But let's just present our every
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time you say let's pray, you're presenting yourself to the Lord.
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Let's just pray about this. We need to pray.
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We need to see if God and so through the person.
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OK, I'll go back for another short time.
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I'll go back now. Now the shorter time is a longer
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time and you know what happens when you do a little, a little,
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a lot, a lot, a lot. You live a life that pleases
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God. You just keep coming back to the
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Lord obeying you keep coming back and obeying, but I know
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there's a lot of fear. Well, what would happen if well,
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how about this just step out in faith and then you could be
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fearful after the fact. It's like, oh, this is all
33:54
what's going on and the Lord goes I'm with you.
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Be anxious for nothing. Philippians chapter 4, but in
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all things by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving.
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I don't know about you, but whenever I I memorize that verse
34:07
years and years ago, but when I quoted only the last few years
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have I caught it. But the last few years I've
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really tried to train myself to quote it properly because I had
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always quoted it without a keyword in in involved, like
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there's a keyword there that I always skip.
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And now it's in my mind. I don't want to skip it anymore.
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And that's the word Thanksgiving.
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You know, when you come with your fears to the Lord, you come
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in prayer. That's kind of a general word to
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pray, talk to God. Supplication is, is like a, a
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word that describes praying for others and requests.
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So you're coming to God, just coming to him like Paul did.
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Look, you know, I have this word.
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I'm just coming to you. I don't want it.
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I don't like it, but I'm coming to you.
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And then you have the supplications.
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You're praying for yourself, but you're also praying for others.
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But then Thanksgiving, God, you've been so good to me.
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You've been so faithful. Prayer has to be a time where
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you look back on the mercies of God.
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Prayer has to include times where you truly express your
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appreciation for all that God has done.
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This supersedes all church hurt. This supersedes all issues with
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people. All the family drama that we
35:19
have in our lives. And I know family drama is fresh
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on our minds right now because we just finished the holidays.
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And I realize that's challenging, but church, you
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made it through another holiday. You made it through another
35:33
holiday and you represented the Lord.
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Well, at least most of you did. Most of you did.
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Some of you probably struggle, but God still now you, you're
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like you struggling, made a made a mistake, maybe said something.
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And then you don't have to beat yourself up.
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You just take it to the Lord and then go apologize.
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What? Yeah.
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Present yourself a living sacrifice and just apologize.
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So I let the most you know, I you took the last, you know,
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spoonful of potatoes that really ticked me off.
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But you always taking whatever could be more serious than that
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where you learn to walk in forgiveness, where you learn to
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receive all that God has for you so you can be a light in someone
36:14
else's life. You got a new year ahead Church.
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I know in my life I want I want more.
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I want more of what God has for me.
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I happen to be a little bit different situation than most in
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the sense that I have more years behind me than I have ahead of
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me. So I want those years to mean a
36:35
lot. I want more faithfulness, not
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less. I don't want to coast through
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because I've got years behind me.
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I want to be more of an example. I want to see more sacrifice in
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my life. I want to see more obedience.
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And I realize that it starts right here for me, but it also
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starts for you. This is the change right here, a
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greater appreciation of the mercies of God that's followed
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by greater sacrifice. And this is where I'm going to
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end. Would you turn over to
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Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy chapter 6?
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I want to read this so encouraging as we enter into a
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close the chapter on a previous year, but enter into a new year.
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I want to pick up with you in Deuteronomy chapter 6.
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In verse one we're going to read straight through.
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Part of this is the Shema, the prayer that would be prayed
37:29
every day. It's the great Shema.
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It's a beautiful prayer. But let's start in verse one.
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Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and the
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judgments which the Lord your God has commanded to teach you,
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that you may observe them in the land which you were crossing
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over to possess. That you may fear the Lord your
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God to keep all His statutes and His commandments, which I
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command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days
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of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
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Verse 3. Therefore hear, O Israel, and be
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careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that
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you may multiply greatly, as the Lord God of your Father's has
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promised you, a land flowing with milk and honey.
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Here's the Shema. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
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God, the Lord is 1 you shall love the Lord God with.
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And you might want to mark these words.
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Jesus quoted this in the New Testament.
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All your heart, with all your soul and with all your might,
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and these words which I command you today shall be in your
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heart. You shall teach them diligently
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to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your
38:53
house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and
38:56
when you rise up, you shall bind them as a sign on your hand.
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They shall be as front that's between your eyes, and you shall
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write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
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Father, our hearts desire is the all part that we would present
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ourselves a living sacrifice. All the animal, all would be
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placed on the altar. And I'm grateful that you sent
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Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the
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world to be on the altar for us. That you're not requiring a
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physical surrender, but a spiritual.
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That we would not hold anything back from you.
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And I know we can't give it all at once like because there's
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still things you're showing us in our hearts and in life and
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we're going from glory to glory. But like what's being held back?
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God, it's time to come to you with open hands to claim our
39:50
marriage before you. Our singleness, our kids, our
39:54
finances belong to you. Our houses, our homes, our
39:57
clothes, our lives, our friendships, they all belong to
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you, our parents, our in laws. Our step parents, you know, our
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boyfriends, girlfriends, fiancees, all of that, that all
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belongs to you, Lord. I don't know which area needs to
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be surrendered to you, but I pray that those that are
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fearful, those that are hesitant, those that maybe are
40:25
just still fighting, that you would release them or they've
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come to you and obey you, present themselves a living
40:32
sacrifice, present themselves committed to you.
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And as we're praying, I just want to encourage you before we
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leave for the last time, this service that if you've never
40:46
given your life to Jesus Christ, you need to do that.
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Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
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He died according to the Scriptures and he rose again
40:55
according to the scriptures. And because of our sin, we've
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separated ourselves from God. The wages of sin is death, but
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the gift of God is eternal life. Maybe there's someone here today
41:09
that would say I need Jesus. I have this big hole in my heart
41:14
I've tried to fill with all these other things.
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Everything has been going on, but today's the day.
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Today's the day you come. Listen, if you want your sin
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forgiven, if you want to know that when you die you'll go to
41:27
heaven, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life right
41:31
here, right now, wherever you are, would you just stand to
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your feet? I want to pray with you that
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today would be that day. Just stand.
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And then someone's going to come alongside of you.
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I'll explain the whole thing to you.
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Someone's going to come alongside of you.
41:45
One of our pastors or leaders, God bless you in the back and
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they're going to stand with you and you're going to feel their
41:50
presence because I want you to know you're not alone in this
41:55
large church. You're not alone.
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God bless you that you're part of the family of God.
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I see you in the back that today is that day the Bible actually
42:07
describes. And I know as you come to
42:09
Christ, you don't understand everything.
42:10
You don't need to understand everything.
42:12
You're going to learn right now God's just giving you life.
42:16
You're going to learn how to breathe, how to love God with
42:19
your life. But the Bible says that you get
42:22
adopted into the family. That's a pretty powerful thing.
42:27
It's not just a church here thing, it's a church everywhere
42:30
thing. You're a part of the family.
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Who else would say that's me? Just before we leave?
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It's important that I give you this chance and the reason
42:39
you're standing, that all that does is give you a public
42:44
proclamation. I guess it's a public choice, a
42:49
public response for a very public life you're going to
42:52
live. Anyone else?
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I realize you guys on the radio we don't see you, but God sees
42:57
you. Out online we don't see you, but
43:01
God does. Downstairs in our overflow room
43:04
or in the cafe area. There God sees you.
43:08
But in the room here, we get to see it and we get to be a part
43:12
of it. The Bible says if you confess
43:15
with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and you believe in your heart
43:18
that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
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God bless you in the back, you will be saved.
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This is a work of salvation, young and old, young and old,
43:36
doesn't matter the work of Jesus in your life.
43:40
So let me help you with the confession.
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You can ask God to forgive you of your sins.
43:45
You could say, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a Sinner, but I
43:51
also know that you are a Savior and I believe you live for me,
43:59
died for me. You died on the cross to forgive
44:03
me of my sins, and I choose to follow you today because you are
44:12
alive. You rose again from the dead.
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Thank you for your forgiveness and your help.
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I need your help and I want your help to turn away from my sin.
44:30
And Father, I know anyone anywhere that comes to you.
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The very first thing I think of is you don't cast them away.
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So those that came standing, those that came sitting, those
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that came driving, we don't know, laying down somewhere in a
44:45
hospital room or in a jail cell, those that came to you, you
44:49
don't turn them away. And our prayer is, is that
44:52
their, their prayer today was genuine, real and sincere and
44:57
the beginning of generational change in their lives.
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And to church together we pray in Jesus name, Amen.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study
45:11
delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
45:14
prayer. Call us at 87730 grace that's
45:19
877-304-7223. To listen to this message in its
45:25
integrity or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
45:29
online at Calvary Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
45:34
Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
45:37
this week.