Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10228 - Laws For Living Together - Exodus 21-22

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#10228 - Laws For Living Together - Exodus 21-22 · 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. Take your Bibles, open them.
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Exodus chapter 21 is where we are, Exodus chapter 21.
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And I'm I was here. I heard, I titled the message,
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but then I heard it today in our staff meeting because we go over
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the week and what the week's going to look like and the
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different services. And so the title was there on
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our minutes for our staff meeting today and I titled it
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Laws for Living Together. And I thought, hmm, that could
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go a lot of different ways. And it's not the idea of living
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together in your home, but rather these are laws where
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you're going to see God give the nation of Israel of how to
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relate to one another. It probably would have been
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better to name it laws to live among one another as they began
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to live their new lives. And if you're reading through
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the Bible, you noticed at about chapter 21, things change up to
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this point in chapter in in Genesis and Exodus, there's been
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a lot of interesting narrative, very easy to follow, compelling
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true stories about a great God interacting and leading men and
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women, even a nation looking to him, his miraculous hand, his
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faithfulness. The the chapters have been
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really easy to understand, even though there's a few things
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along the way, easy to process, very exciting, very interesting.
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And then chapter 21 comes on the scene and God, he shifts a
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little bit in chapters 2122 and 23.
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He begins to drill down for the nation through Moses, the social
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order or the boundaries that are to be lived within as a new
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nation. So we looking at different laws
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that are relatable to the nation of Israel, remember the context
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coming out of Egypt, coming out of the identity as slaves,
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answering to the heavy-handed taskmasters, but now moving in,
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moving in and moving toward the promised land.
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At this point, the nation doesn't know yet that they'll be
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wandering. They're in great anticipation of
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what God has up ahead, and these laws would be laws that would
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govern their daily lives. Remember, God has revealed
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himself in ways that are different than anything they've
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ever experienced. You could say that the following
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the nation of Israel coming out of Egypt mirrors a lot of how
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you and I as new believers live. We came out of a life of
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darkness and a slavery to sin and we're just it's just like
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learning all kinds of new things.
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I was praying for the men again and I'm always struck when I
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think of first Samuel, second Samuel, first Kings, second
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Kings, you know, David, Saul, Elijah, Elijah and I, I'm, I'm
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really taken back as I, as I am anticipating all that the men
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are going to be learning. Because when I was studying
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through Elijah and Elijah and really back into David and
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little Samuel and, and what God did through Hannah and all that
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section of the Bible for the very first time, It was like one
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thing after another. And the phrase that kept coming
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up in my life was I didn't know that was in the Bible.
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I didn't know that was in the Bible.
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I didn't know that that's how you're supposed to live.
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I didn't know God could. And it was amazing to think if
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you put yourself in the shoes or the sandals of the children of
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Israel, they're getting the same thing.
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I've never experienced this before, never heard this before,
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never lived this way before, never thought about that before.
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As God gives direction both to guide their lives and to guard
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their hearts, Why? Why would God give rules and
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regulations and laws to you and me?
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Why would He say yes to this and no to that?
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Why would He give direction for our lives?
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And it's a very simple answer. It's not as complicated as you
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might think. God has laid out for us His best
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for us, His will for our lives. Because of this singular
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problem, sin is so destructive. Some of you don't need a pastor
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to say that. You could describe it back to
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me. You could tell me of the nuclear
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bomb of sin that exploded in your life and the absolute
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destruction and long term consequences that come.
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And because sin is so destructive, God is so gracious
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to define this relationship with us.
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He tells us how to relate to Him.
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The 10 commandments were given. Now they'll be broken down into
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segments, different aspects of the 10 commandments here in
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chapter 2122 and 23. I want you to step back for a
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minute and I want you to consider this as you read
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through before God gets into the latter part of Exodus, which
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will be the Tabernacle. We'll spend a lot of time
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looking at this portable tent worship structure and how it
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points to Jesus Christ that's coming soon in Exodus.
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So before the Tabernacle, but after the glorious revelation on
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the mountaintop with all the thunderings and all the, the
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clouds and all the the light, all the activity up on the mount
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after that, but before the Tabernacle, we have a very
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ordinary set of laws. Just really ordinary living what
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we might call mundane, like much of our lives.
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Much of our lives are just pretty ordinary.
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We get up in the morning, brush our teeth, take a shower, get
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ready for the day, go to work, be upset, come home, get happy
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again, you know, eat, whatever. It's just a pretty same thing,
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different day, same thing, different day.
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And you'll read through this and it's like, OK, it's interesting.
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There's a few things to wrestle with when it comes to property
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and slavery, and we'll talk about that.
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But for the most part, just really ordinary laws governing
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daily life. I want you to consider something
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though, something that even in the new covenant as a pastor,
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I've been sharing over and over and over again, but it comes
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even from the old covenant, this principle of God, because
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apparently in the mind of God, he knows our tendency to
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separate things. So we have a tendency to
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separate the spiritual from the natural or the high and holy,
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you know, church and my relationship with God.
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But then work, you know what, what redeeming quality could
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work do or what, what could happen if I'm just driving or,
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you know, why should I follow this law or that law?
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We have that tendency to separate things that we think
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are really, really spiritual and things that we think are just
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ordinary that don't need that type of attention.
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But God wants us to see something here that His thoughts
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are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways.
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So while we may have a tendency to have these, this hierarchy of
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what's important and spiritual and what's normal and not
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mundane, God doesn't see it that way.
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Here's how God sees it. Ready.
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Everything is spiritual. Everything is significant.
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No matter what you're doing, it can be done as unto the Lord.
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It doesn't matter. Well, as much of the attention
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that you give to God here in Bible study is as much attention
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God would have from you at work or at home or shopping or
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driving through town. That everything is spiritual,
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that everything we do here. Now Fast forward to today.
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This is how you've heard it many, many times.
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Everything is spiritual because there'll be times where someone
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will come to me and go, you know, pastor, pastor, I'm called
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to great things. And, and so I want to be
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involved and, and I'd like to teach or I'd like to do this.
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I'd like to be on the stage and, and all that is good and fine if
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that's what God's called you to. But maybe we don't know you yet.
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Maybe you're brand new to the church and well, you don't
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really have a need to replace me yet right now.
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So I'm doing good. I don't know that you'll be here
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and we don't really have a need on, you know, on the worship
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team. You got to be here for a while.
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But you know what we do have a need.
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Do you do you really want to feel a need here?
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Yes, pastor, I really feel like God call me to this church and
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here I am. I'm ready to fill a need.
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Well, you know, can you go just go around and take out the
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trash. No, no, no, I don't take out the
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trash. You don't understand.
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And my last church and last church, I was a trash taker
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outer and then I graduated from that and I graduated.
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I don't take out the trash anymore because I have grown up
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from that and now I am in this realm of spirit, like teaching
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is more important than taking out the trash.
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Now, I have to say there is a sense where Bible study and
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teaching has a deep value and it's able to reach people
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differently than taking out trash.
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But I want you to consider something.
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What is unspiritual about taking out trash?
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I mean, what's so unspiritual about that?
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Somebody needs to do it, otherwise trash is going to
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somebody needs to do it. And if you do it with the right
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heart, with the right attitude, then what is taking out trash
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really do? I'll tell you, it puts you in
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proximity with people. Your relationship is not with
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the trash can in the trash bag. Your relationship is with all
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the people. Like, for example, well, you
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know, pastor, I come in here because there's always people
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arguing in their head. They don't argue out loud, but
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they're arguing in their head. Well, you know, I take out the
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trash and nobody's on the property.
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Yeah, but now you're serving the people that put their trash in
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the trash can and you can start praying for them and you can
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thank God for them. And you can say, hey, you know,
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maybe they threw it on the side, made a big mess.
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And instead of coming out, God believe all these bunch of trash
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people. They don't take like you're just
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cleaning up what's under the Lord and go, you know, Lord, we
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obviously have some people in our church that are careless.
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Maybe it's their kids. So I just pray for them.
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Maybe they're going through something where they were in a
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hurry or they weren't thinking about the House of God.
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And but I'm here to think about the House of God.
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So God, I do this unto you. I'm taking out the trash.
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And if there are people on the property because the trash can
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is on the way other end of the parking lot over here.
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So now you're going to wheel it out, you're going to carry it
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out. You got a long way to walk.
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But if you count the cars on the way out on either side as you're
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walking through the cars, there's thirty cars on the way
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out. And then maybe just one, one of
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them has somebody in it, or maybe just one of them has
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somebody come out. Or there's people on the other
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side across the street hanging out like they always do behind
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Safeway. Or people walking down the
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street and you see them. And now taking out the trash has
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put you close to people that may need you.
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But I mean, if you're copping an attitude and you think
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everything is, you know, one thing is spiritual and one thing
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is not. When in reality, here is the
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baseline issue when you're asked to take out the trash and you
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copping out some spiritual attitude.
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It's just like Christianese and let me interpret it for you.
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You ready? It's kind of like the same thing
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when you're asked to do something and your response is,
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well, I'll pray about it. That's speaking in tongues.
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Let me give you the interpretation.
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Let me pray about it is really I don't want to do it and I never
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will because I already know God's going to answer my prayer
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no instead of just being faithful.
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Do you think taking out the trash is unspiritual church yes
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or no? Have I convinced you?
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Everything is about proximity. It's one of the reasons why I
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believe God created church to be together.
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To be together as much as you possibly can.
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Not if you can, we shouldn't avoid it.
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If you can be together, you shouldn't avoid it.
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Why? Because of the people sitting
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around you. That's why.
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You just don't know what God wants to do and you'll never
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know if you're not around people.
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And that includes, you know, wanting to come in with a heart
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going, Lord, here I am. I'm ready.
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Right when you get into the car, right when you're thinking I'm
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ready, Lord, use me. I know I'm coming from Bible
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study. I know I'm coming to sing.
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I know I'm coming because it's midweek or it's the weekend and
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I need some time. I know that.
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But I want you to know God, I'm here for you as well.
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What we studied just recently. God, you can have it all.
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I'm coming to receive, but I'm also coming to give.
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My life is valuable. I want to pray with somebody.
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I want to encourage someone. I want to seek someone out.
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God. And you begin to pray for them.
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You watch what God does. God understands that we cop an
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attitude about what's spiritual, what's not spiritual based on
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what we want to do and what we don't want to do.
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It's how the world trained us. But you're not in the world
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anymore. This is the Church of Jesus
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Christ and he, the Bible says in Mark 10, he came to serve and
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not be served or he came to serve and give his life a ransom
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for many. Jesus said he came to serve, not
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to be served. He, he came to give of himself
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as an example for us. God's wanting to see that we
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want to learn to have his thoughts.
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The spiritual and the practical are one in the same in the eyes
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of God. The most average routine, daily
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mundane thing is something that he cares about because it's all
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spiritual, because you're spiritual and he's spirit.
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And this is where the spirit meets the world that lives in
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the now. Or somebody that's eternally
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minded comes to someone that's earthly minded and there's a,
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there is a clash of kingdoms, but there's also an opportunity
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to give someone a greater perspective of what the Kingdom
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of God is really like. It changes our whole
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perspective. So with that in mind, now just
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keeping that in mind in these chapters, verse 1, chapter 21,
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our goal is to finish two chapters.
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We'll get it, we'll make it watch.
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Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them.
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If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years and in the
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seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing.
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If he comes in by himself, he should go out by himself.
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If he comes in married, then his wife should go out with him.
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If his master's given him a wife, and she has borne him sons
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or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her masters,
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and he should go out by himself. But if the servant plainly says,
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I love my master, my wife, and my children, I will not go out
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free. Then his master shall bring him
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to the judges. He shall also bring him to the
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door or the doorpost, and his master shall Pierce his ear with
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an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
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Now let's just pause here in this challenging section and
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remember that when you're reading the Bible, you have to
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discipline yourself not to read it in your current cultural
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context first, because it wasn't written to you in your current
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cultural context first. We need in order to have proper
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Bible interpretation or what's known as hermeneutics, we need
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to remember not only what it says, what the original language
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says, but who was it written to, the time period, and how did
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they understand it. If we don't get that, then we
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won't understand it for today. The Bible is very relevant for
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today, but you'll never be able to use it for today until you
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understand. And this is the big word.
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You hear it all the time, the cultural context of when it was
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written. And we, we're looking at a group
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of people coming out slaves in Egypt to evil slave masters.
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And in order to understand it, we can't read something into it,
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immediately putting our 21st century Western mindset, which
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is where we've come from. Otherwise we'll make great
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errors. There is a relationship that
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existed among the Hebrews that was common.
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And the closest thing that we could relate to today would be
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the employer employee relationship.
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An additional way of looking at it would also be the sense of
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paying off a debt, working like an indentured servant, paying
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off a debt that you're unable to pay back money.
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This is their servant relationship.
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Much of them now, sometimes they were wicked slave, slave masters
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taking advantage of people. But here we have a new
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relationship being formed. For the Hebrew servant.
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There was a pattern 6:00 and 1:00.
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Six years of servant could work and then the last year they
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could gain their freedom and God reveals to them how masters
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would take advantage. And he demands that those who
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are working are treated well and cared for.
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Pick up within verse 7, If a man sells his daughter to be a
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maidservant, she shall not go out as the menservants do, if
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she does not please her Master who has betrothed her to
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himself, the keyword betrothed. Here you see a relationship and
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the selling would be a dowry, and you cannot jot that down in
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verse 7. If, if he does, she's not
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pleased her Master who betrothed her to himself, then he shall
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let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell
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her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with
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her. And if he has betrothed her to
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his son, he shall deal with her according to the customs of
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daughters. If he takes another wife, he
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shall not diminish her food or clothing, her marriage rights,
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and if he does not do so, do these three.
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And if he does not do these three for her, then she shall go
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out free without paying money. Now again, one way of this
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relationship of slavery was to pay off a debt or to work it
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off. Another type was voluntary.
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And you can see that if a slave decides he wants to stay and
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work with his master, he could be taken, as we read earlier,
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and he could be taken to the judges, and he would be have an
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earring put in his ear and that would show that he has
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voluntarily chosen to work in this home.
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This was a choice not out of poverty, but out of love.
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You would make a public commitment, have your ear
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pierced as a sign of your willingness to work.
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And I love again back in verse 6.
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I love that phrase in verse 6. And he shall serve him at the
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end there forever. It's a beautiful type of Jesus
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who came to earth as a man and voluntarily became a servant.
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He didn't have to go to the cross, but he wouldn't leave
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without his bride, the church willingly giving himself for our
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sins. Again, jot it down.
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Philippians chapter 2 in verse 5.
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Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who
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being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal
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with God, but made himself of no reputation.
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Can we just pause there for a second?
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Because when you and I choose this close as we can, as close
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as we can, we choose to follow Jesus in this in, in this
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pattern, this pathway of making ourselves with no reputation.
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Then we begin to let the the significance of titles, the
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significance of being insecure or finding our weight and our
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value and what other people think of us or what we do for a
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living in life. We begin to see it fade away.
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And we just recognize if we make ourselves of no reputation, then
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we're really untouchable by this world because our we're only
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seeking to please our master. That's it.
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That's all we want to do. And and this is an area where we
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have to fight it because reputation is so valuable,
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especially with the rise of social media and how somebody
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can just potshot you on social media, just write whatever they
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want anonymously and they just attack your reputation.
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And remember, I forget who it was.
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I can't remember the quote who quoted exactly, but someone once
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said, if you take care of your character, God will take care of
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your reputation. And you can't really take care
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of you can't really, really fight or do anything of what
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people say or how they say it. But you can do everything to
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take care of the inner man and the inner woman, though.
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You can put your head down on the pillow at 9 and go, I know
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what they said. I know what they, but hey, I'm
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right with the Lord and God will be your defender.
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And I love this. It just.
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Can I make myself of no reputation like Jesus?
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And how you say, well, how do you do that?
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Very next phrase taking the form of a bondservant.
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This is what a bondservant is. He could leave and he could be
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free and he's worked it off, but he has a family and he loves his
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master and he likes what he does and he loves the environment.
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And you know what? I'm staying.
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I am voluntarily committing myself.
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And you take the form of a bondservant and it for Jesus
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coming in the likeness of men, He humbled himself.
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Being found in appearance, He humbled himself, became obedient
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to the point of death, even the death of a cross.
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Then in verse 7, we read that the women, it's true, females
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did not enjoy as much freedom as males in the ancient Near East.
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The idea of patriarch, patriarchy was real.
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It existed. Daughters would be given in
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marriage for a dowry. That's the selling part of here.
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And to be clear, just in case you read into this, just in case
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anyone brings it up, to be clear, marriage was not slavery.
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He's like, oh man, I feel so. You're not enslaved in marriage.
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You said I do you remember that? You can't now say I don't
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because you said I do and this is God's will for you.
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But it's a new familial relationship.
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I recognize, even though we do chuckle a little, I do recognize
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at a time like this that not everyone's marriage is
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everything they thought it would be.
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And I'm sorry, it's can be very, very challenging.
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Can be very challenging to be in a loveless marriage.
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It can be very challenging to be in a difficult marriage.
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It can be very challenging to be in an unequally yoked marriage.
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But this is times where you, just like you're learning to
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look to the Lord, you're learning to trust him.
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You're learning not to try to change your spouse.
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You're learning how to change yourself, drawing near to him,
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growing in grace, learning how to love your spouse
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unconditionally. Just remember that word.
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Just just add it to your vocabulary that when you become
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upset and you become frustrated and you just know I'm loving
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conditionally because you're like, I would feel so much
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better if she that's a condition.
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And if he would just that's a condition and you go with the
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head, that's impossible. I could never love
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unconditionally. Exactly.
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Unconditional love is a gift that God gives through us, the
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agape love of God, He gives it to us so that we might serve and
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love and encourage and learn to live unconditionally.
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And so here we have these conditions of how to care for
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the ladies. Verse 12.
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He who strikes a man now changes the subject.
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He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to
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death. This section follows the
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commandment to not murder. We see God that gives a mandate
23:14
for capital punishment. Quite the debatable issue today,
23:18
but God gives the mandate for capital punishment.
23:21
It goes back. This goes back before the law.
23:24
You can jot it down. Genesis Chapter 9 verse six with
23:27
Noah. It is a foundational tenant for
23:30
society. Life is to be valued.
23:34
Verse 13. But if he did not lie in wait
23:37
premeditation, that's why you might hear it in culture today.
23:41
But God delivered him into his hand.
23:43
Then I will appoint for you a place where he may flee.
23:47
But if a man acts with premeditation against his
23:49
neighbor to kill him with guile, you shall take him from my
23:53
altar, that he may die. And he who strikes his father or
23:59
his mother so surely be put to death.
24:01
He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his
24:05
hand, sure surely be put to death.
24:08
And he who curses his father, his mother shall surely be put
24:12
to death. Wow, that would change a lot of
24:17
things in our current society. But again, we're pre crossed
24:21
right now. A group of people that lived
24:24
under the heavy hand of the Egyptians, which they were
24:27
treated with heavy hand life with their lives were not
24:31
valued, their lives were not cared for.
24:35
They were only seen as property. And now God is going, no, no,
24:38
listen, murder, there is a death penalty.
24:43
If the death was accidental, you could go to a sacred place to
24:47
seek safety until your case could be heard.
24:49
We'll learn about them later. They're known as cities of
24:52
refuge. Cities of refuge.
24:55
We'll learn more about them as the children of Israel get
24:59
settled. God removes this refuge, though,
25:02
in cases of murders, because God regarded the value of life
25:06
higher than the value of place. And all these crimes that are
25:10
mentioned worthy of death were absolutes in God's eyes.
25:13
They either violated a basic right of human being created in
25:18
God's image, or were expressions of rebellion against God's
25:22
revealed authority in the home, the basic unit of society.
25:27
Notice verse 18. If a man contended with each
25:30
other, and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his first,
25:34
but he does not die, but is confined to his bed, if he rises
25:38
again and walks about outside with his staff, then he who
25:41
struck him shall be acquitted. He shall only pay for the loss
25:45
of time, and shall provide for him to be thoroughly healed.
25:49
And if a man beats his servant or his maidservant with a rod so
25:52
that he dies under his hand, he shall be surely punished,
25:55
notwithstanding if he remains alive a day or two, he should
25:58
not be punished, for he is his property.
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If a man, if men fight and hurt a woman with a child so that she
26:04
gives birth prematurely, yet no lasting harm follows, he surely
26:08
shall surely be punished according to the woman's husband
26:11
opposes on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine.
26:16
If any lasting harm follows, then you shall give life for
26:19
life, right for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for
26:25
foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
26:31
If a man strikes the eye of a servant or the eye of his
26:34
maidservant and destroys it, he shall let him go free for the
26:36
sake of his eye. If he knocks out his servant's
26:39
tooth or his maidservant's tooth, he shall let him go free
26:41
for the sake of his tooth. If an ox gores a man or a woman
26:45
to death, then the ox shall surely be stoned, and its flesh
26:49
shall not be eaten, but the owner of the ox shall be
26:52
acquitted. Verse 29.
26:54
If the ox tended to thrust with his horns in times past, and it
26:59
has been made known to his owner and he hasn't kept it confined
27:02
so that it's killed a man or a woman, the ox shall be stoned
27:05
and its owner shall be put to death.
27:08
If there is imposed on him. Verse 30 a sum of money, then he
27:11
shall pay to redeem his life. Whatever is imposed on him,
27:14
whether it's gore to son or gore to daughter, according to this
27:18
judgement it shall be done to him.
27:20
If the ox gore is a manservant or a maidservant, he shall give
27:23
to their master 30 shekels of silver, and the ox shall be
27:27
stoned. Verse 33.
27:29
If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not
27:32
cover it, and an ox or a donkey falls in it, the owner of the
27:35
pit shall make it good. Mark that phrase, make it good.
27:40
It's the basic foundational principle of restitution.
27:44
And just let that sit in your own life.
27:46
Is there anything in your life that you need to make it good?
27:50
That's within your power to make it good?
27:53
Anything you need to clear up, anybody you need to speak to.
27:57
I like that phrase. They should make it good.
27:59
It's a good thing for the church to be a group of men and women
28:03
that have made things good, even equitable.
28:07
Notice the owner of the pitch shall make it good.
28:09
He shall give money to their owner, but the dead beast shall
28:11
be his. And if one man's ox hurts
28:14
another so that it dies, then there shall sell the live ox and
28:17
divide the money from it, and the dead ox shall also.
28:21
They should also divide, or if it was known that the ox tended
28:24
to thrust in times past and its owner has not kept it confined,
28:28
he shall surely pay ox for ox and the dead beast shall be his
28:33
own. So striking another person was
28:36
wrong, no matter the reason. And you notice God takes into
28:40
account the motive. And that's what's difficult
28:44
within ministering and serving with one another is that we
28:48
don't, we can't always get to the motive.
28:51
We don't always know. It's a matter of the heart.
28:55
We pray for wisdom. We pray that God will help get
28:58
to them. We pray that God would reveal to
29:00
you that you might, if, if you're the one that needs that
29:03
you would express what the motive was.
29:06
But the motive was very important.
29:08
Was it accidental? Was it premeditated?
29:10
All these things with your ox. Did you know you had a dangerous
29:14
animal? Because if you knew you had a
29:16
dangerous animal, you're responsible.
29:19
You're the responsible one, so you can't just let you know I
29:23
didn't know what. But if if we've already dealt
29:25
with something and you did it again, then you're going to be
29:28
held responsible for whatever. You're out of control.
29:31
Ox. Or these days, what do you hear?
29:33
Mostly you're out of control. Dog.
29:36
Cats. They are nothing but dogs for
29:38
sure. Cats don't do anything.
29:41
I don't even know why cats exist.
29:45
Let's see if you're awake because it's a tough chapter.
29:48
Like you can substitute Ox for cat if you'd like.
29:51
Now let me let me pause for a second and just speak to a few
29:54
important truths that are are you wrestle because this is a
29:58
difficult these are difficult things to read in the Bible.
30:01
And you wonder what what's going on?
30:03
Let me state first of all, a careful understanding and
30:07
reading of the scriptures. You will come to this conclusion
30:11
regarding slavery. Slavery is never condoned or
30:15
blessed in the Scriptures. God never in his laws
30:20
establishes the right of slavery.
30:24
It existed centuries before Moses gave the law.
30:28
When we come into the New Testament, we know in the New
30:31
Testament that Rome was filled with some 60 million slaves.
30:36
And the instruction to Roman slaves under the Roman
30:40
government in the Roman system was to be faithful in the place
30:45
you were to be faithful that the Kingdom of God is more important
30:51
than your current social status. So understand that slavery is
30:55
not condoned, blessed, or established in the Bible.
31:00
And because of the instruction, even in the New Testament, many
31:03
slaves were saved and those that they reached were also saved.
31:09
And it's interesting though, that Jesus Christ came to set
31:13
men free from slavery to sin, because that's the biggest issue
31:18
of slavery today in our modern day culture here now is not
31:22
human slavery, but slavery to send.
31:25
Far more men and women are slaves to send voluntarily than
31:30
just about anything else. And Jesus came to set you free,
31:34
free physically, free spiritually.
31:37
God doesn't condone slavery, but recognize it as a part of fallen
31:42
humanity and dresses it as such in the Word.
31:46
And yet he also includes laws that exist to protect and
31:50
promote human life. Even the early delivery you see
31:54
of a baby of a, of a woman, an early delivery, she is going to
31:57
be a delivering early, a human being, a baby already in the Old
32:03
Testament, the death penalty being imposed for a variety of
32:08
sinful behaviors. Again, a lot of debate here.
32:11
I'm not going to try to change your mind in relation to this,
32:15
but I believe the death penalty is both a valuable deterrent,
32:18
not just a consequence for sin. If there was a, a significant
32:22
understanding, if you take a life, your life will be taken
32:25
from you. It would deter a lot of taking
32:27
of life. It would be it would be a very
32:32
it would be used in a great way. And again, you can pray through
32:35
and understand different viewpoints of this, but
32:38
understand the deterrent and the consequence.
32:42
And before we leave, I want to before we leave this chapter, I
32:47
just want to draw your attention back to something that you
32:49
probably sounded familiar to you.
32:52
It says in verse 23, if any lasting harm follows, then you
32:56
shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand
33:00
for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound,
33:03
stripe for stripe. This is called the lex talionis
33:08
or the law of retribution. The punishment needs to match
33:13
the crime. That's what we learn here.
33:16
The punishment needs to match the crime.
33:19
And what's at stake here is the merciful limitation of
33:23
vengeance. Vengeance is like a nasty
33:27
feeling that we have to get back at someone to get revenge and
33:31
vengeance. Because again, if you think
33:34
through your initial response, if if indeed somebody knocked
33:37
your tooth out, you're going to want to get justice and
33:41
vengeance. And in your mind, you might
33:43
define justice and vengeance is they need to hurt as much as I
33:47
do. And you then are the the one
33:49
that defines how much they hurt. And so instead of one tooth, you
33:53
want both, you want both their front teeth that will do good.
33:57
That will be it. Let's take out.
33:58
You took one, but I'm taking two.
34:00
And then what happens when you take those two and they go, wait
34:03
a minute, that's not fair. I mean, it was just one for you
34:06
and now 2. So now I want 3 from you.
34:09
And then when does it end? I mean, listen, silly
34:14
illustration of losing a tooth, but isn't the question?
34:17
Doesn't the question need to be asked for you?
34:19
Those of you that are thinking vengeance and retribution, when
34:23
does it end for you? When do you think you'll be
34:26
satisfied? How do you think you'd be
34:29
satisfied to receive such great pain or such great hardship from
34:37
another person? Do you really think you wouldn't
34:41
be the arbiter of true vengeance or retribution?
34:46
The Bible tells us that vengeance is mine, sayeth the
34:50
Lord. Injustice.
34:54
It's hard to really define justice when you picture Jesus,
34:58
an innocent man, God in human flesh, dying on the cross for
35:03
sins He didn't commit Injustice. The greatest injustice is not
35:09
what happened to you and me. The greatest injustice is what
35:13
happened to our Savior, and there's no retribution to that.
35:20
He did it willingly. He invited injustice upon
35:24
Himself. He took the full weight and pain
35:28
of something we could never pay back.
35:30
We could never give to Him. We can never even the score.
35:34
We can never offer back to Jesus all that He's done for us.
35:38
So justice is found in Christ by faith that you can trust Him to
35:43
sort it all out, tooth for tooth, eye for eye.
35:47
But that belongs to the Lord, not to you.
35:50
You can't be taking people's eyes out or knocking people's
35:53
teeth out. You got to give it to the Lord.
35:58
And one of the ways, as we learned, that you give it to the
36:02
Lord, as you extend forgiveness, you give, say, Lord, I know this
36:08
is wrong. Like you can admit that
36:10
something's wrong without taking things into their own hands.
36:14
We can agree with you that man that was, he should have never
36:18
hit you, never should have knocked your tooth out.
36:20
Like you're right, but the way of the cross is the way of
36:25
humility of no reputation taking the form of a servant.
36:31
Well, notice now in verse 1 of chapter 22, if a man steals an
36:36
ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore 5
36:40
oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.
36:44
If the thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he
36:47
dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed.
36:51
If the sun has risen on him, there shall be guilt for his
36:53
bloodshed. He should make full restitution.
36:56
If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft.
37:00
If the theft is certainly found alive in his hand, whether it be
37:03
an ox or a donkey or a sheep, he shall restore double again.
37:07
Remember, they have already been told in chapter 20, Do not
37:10
steal. And now if stealing occurs,
37:13
these are the penalties. If they steal, there will be
37:17
consequences. But again, the emphasis that you
37:20
see over and over again is making things good and also
37:24
going above and beyond in your restitution.
37:27
We saw that with Zacchaeus, remember, in the New Testament,
37:30
just going above and beyond. It's one of the evidences that
37:33
God really has your heart where you just man, I just.
37:36
I don't want anything to hold me back.
37:41
Every time God reveals something, I want to take care
37:43
of it. Every time God reminds me, I
37:45
want to make sure it's right. As much as it's possible.
37:47
I want to live at peace with all men is the New Testament
37:50
principle verse 5. If a man causes a field or a
37:53
vineyard to be grazed let and lets loose his animal, and it
37:56
feeds on another man's field, he shall make restitution from the
38:00
best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.
38:04
If a fire breaks out and catches and thorns so that stacked
38:07
grain, standing grain, or the field is consumed, he who
38:10
kindled the fire shall surely make restitution.
38:13
If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to
38:16
keep and it's stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is
38:19
found, he shall pay double. If a thief is not found, then
38:23
the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see
38:26
whether he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods.
38:28
For any kind of trespass, whether it concerns an ox of
38:31
donkey, a sheep, or clothing, or any kind of lost thing which
38:34
another claims to be his, has the cause of both parties shall
38:40
come before the judges, and whoever the judges condemn shall
38:43
pay double to his neighbor. Again, there's equity.
38:47
What one of the principles that I see lived out continually here
38:50
coming out of Egypt is to respect one another.
38:54
You see that through the 10 commandments.
38:56
Remember the first 4 honor and respect and worship God.
38:59
The second six respect one another very very important that
39:03
we think of others more highly than ourselves.
39:05
That's what Paul would write to us in Philippians.
39:08
Now notice this verse 6 verse 10.
39:11
If a man delivers to his neighbor a donkey, an ox of
39:14
sheep, or any beast to keep, and it dies is herder is driven
39:17
away, no one's seeing it, then an oath of the Lord shall be
39:20
between them both, that he has not put his hand into his
39:24
neighbor's goods, and that the owner of it shall accept that,
39:27
and he shall not make it good. But if in fact it is stolen from
39:31
him, he shall make restitution to the owner.
39:34
If it's torn to pieces by an animal, then he shall bring it
39:37
as evidence, and he shall not make good what was torn.
39:41
And if a man borrows anything from his neighbor and it becomes
39:43
injured or dies, the owner of it not being with it, he shall
39:46
surely make it good. But if the owner was with it, he
39:50
shall not make it good. If it was hired, it came for its
39:54
hire. Verse 16.
39:58
If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her,
40:04
he shall surely pay the bride price for her to be his wife.
40:10
If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay
40:13
money according to the price bride pot price of virgins.
40:18
Now, according to Deuteronomy later on, this price is 50
40:22
shekels of silver. But I want you to notice sexual
40:25
sin already is being addressed very early on, very early on
40:29
among the nations. And this place is a heavy
40:32
responsibility of on the man for taking advantage of a woman or a
40:37
young girl here marriage age. In this casual sex environment
40:43
that we live in today, it's important to remember the value
40:46
of a human body that God created sex.
40:51
It is His gift to humanity and like fire, it's to be used in
40:56
its proper context. Fire in its proper context gives
41:00
heat and gives light. Very useful.
41:03
But fire, as we've seen recently outside of can go wild and be
41:06
very destructive. Sex is very similar within the
41:10
proper confines. Sex within marriage is a
41:14
beautiful, wonderful gift that God has given to men and women
41:17
outside of marriage. Extremely destructive and that
41:21
includes the even in your mind. It includes what you see on your
41:25
phone, Internet pornography and what you watch on your computer.
41:28
And when you, as Jesus said, when you lust after a woman or
41:31
after a man, you've already committed adultery in your heart
41:35
for them. Sexual sin carries with it such
41:38
heavy consequential toll. And he says, look, you need to
41:43
pay attention to this. It can't be overlooked.
41:46
The young woman is valuable. And if the dad says no, still
41:50
that young woman is to be valued, that even if dad says
41:55
no, you still you pay the dowry price for the great damage that
41:59
you have done to her. Look at verse 18.
42:02
Now you shall not permit a sorceress to live.
42:06
Sorcery is such an abomination that poison society, bringing in
42:10
idolatry, consulting the stars, bringing in the black arts, it's
42:14
forbidden in the old covenant as penalty of death.
42:19
Now today you might ask these, well, why isn't it a penalty of
42:22
death today? And I'll tell you why it's a
42:23
great question. Why is there not penalty of
42:25
death today? Because Jesus Christ took the
42:27
death for that sin upon himself. And the penalty today is the
42:33
consequence of UN repented sin if a person dies in the sin of
42:40
sorcery, the black arts. That's why, you know, we teach
42:44
you to stay away from the stuff that will lead you into idolatry
42:48
and darkness. Ouija boards, you know, stuff
42:51
that even Milton Bradley I think is the one that mates the Ouija
42:53
boards. Milton Bradley, probably the
42:56
same people, I don't know, I don't know exactly, but the same
42:58
people that make Monopoly also put Ouija boards in people's
43:01
houses to consult the like. This stuff is serious.
43:05
It's so serious that God says, you know what?
43:07
Don't even let her live. She can't live among them.
43:11
Notice this verse 19, Whoever lies with a beast, this is
43:15
bestiality. This is sexual activity with a
43:18
beast shall surely be put to death.
43:21
He who sacrifices to any God, verse 20, except to the Lord
43:24
only shall utterly be destroyed. Bestiality, death penalty,
43:31
Idolatry, death penalty, sorcery, death penalty that God
43:36
is saying, look, this is not to be allowed in an age of grace.
43:41
The death penalty, of course, doesn't exist for most except
43:45
for life for life. But the significance and
43:49
seriousness of these behaviors are eroding our society as it is
43:56
because of lives that have turned their backs on God.
43:58
This stuff has been with us throughout the history of
44:02
mankind. Notice verse 21.
44:07
You shall neither mistreat a stranger nor oppress him.
44:11
Why? Because you were strangers in
44:13
the land of Egypt. If you like to write in your
44:14
Bibles, just write verse 21. Maybe you could pray over it
44:17
this week. Meditate on it.
44:18
But he says why? Why do you treat the stranger
44:20
well? Because you were strangers.
44:22
And here's what I'd like you to write.
44:23
Don't forget where you came from.
44:26
Don't forget. It'll make you so much more
44:29
useful in in culture and society if you don't forget where you
44:31
came from. You don't forget what God has
44:34
brought, you know, don't, don't be mistreating strangers.
44:37
Why they're strangers. You know, we're the promised
44:39
land. We're the prom.
44:40
We are the people of God. Why no, no, no.
44:43
Don't you have a quick fruit? Don't you?
44:44
Don't you have a quick? Don't quickly forget.
44:48
Don't don't have a memory that slips away.
44:50
You are strangers, he says. Notice you shall not afflict the
44:57
in verse 22. You shall not afflict any widow
45:00
or fatherless child. If you afflict them in any way
45:03
and they cry out to me, I'll hear their cry and my wrath will
45:06
become hot and I will kill you with the sword.
45:09
Your wife shall be widows and your children fatherless.
45:14
If you lend money to any of my people who are poor among you,
45:17
you shall not be like the money lender to him.
45:20
You shall not charge him interest.
45:22
If you ever take your neighbor's garment as a pledge, you shall
45:25
return it to him before the sun goes down, for that's his only
45:29
covering. It's his garment for his skin.
45:32
What will he sleep in? It will be that when he cries to
45:37
me, I will hear, for I am gracious.
45:39
I want you to notice who Jesus is describing how you deal with
45:42
them. The poor, the weak, the needy,
45:45
the widow. God defends the underprivileged,
45:48
the disadvantaged, too weak to defend themselves, unable to
45:51
speak for themselves. God says, I'll stand in for
45:54
them, I'll watch. If you don't watch over them,
45:57
I'll watch over them and you'll pay the price.
46:00
And again, this is a heart issue, isn't it?
46:03
What is our heart toward the weak, toward the poor, toward
46:08
the needy, toward those that can't speak for themselves.
46:13
Do we take the role God does? I'll take care of them.
46:17
Stand in the gap for them. You know, it's interesting here
46:21
again, we're almost out of time and we're almost out of
46:23
chapters. So that's good.
46:24
But there's, there's this always this discussion like the God of
46:27
the Old Testament is not the God of the New Testament.
46:30
You might hear that, you might have even believed it once.
46:34
But you see here the heart of God there.
46:36
We we don't serve a God of an Old Testament who's different in
46:39
the New Testament we see the same grace of God from the very
46:43
opening of of Genesis in the Garden of Eden as he pursued
46:46
Adam and Eve in their sin. We see the grace of God.
46:49
But here it's very it's very obvious his heart is for those
46:53
that can't speak for themselves. The strong need to stand with
46:59
the weak. The Bible declares God in
47:04
Hebrews chapter 13. Remember, Jesus Christ is the
47:07
same yesterday, today and forever.
47:10
Psalm one O 2 verse 27. You are the same and your years
47:14
have no end. James chapter one verse 17 that
47:18
our Father of lights, there is no variation or shadow of
47:22
turning. And you see, you know, because
47:24
the difference that is pointed out is well, you know, God in
47:27
the Old Testament is such a God of judgement and the God of New
47:30
Testament is such a God of grace.
47:32
He's like, no, God is both a God of judgement and a God of grace
47:36
in the entirety of the Bible. And here in the midst of all
47:39
these penalties for crimes, he goes, oh, by the way, you better
47:42
treat the underprivileged very well.
47:47
You better take care of them. And notice it's not the
47:50
institution that Jesus says individually, you take care of
47:54
the people that are in need around you.
47:55
Church, as we come to the new test, we are the church.
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And it's not just the gathering, but it's we.
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We are the church in our neighborhood, in our work, like
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we are connected with people. Many times when a need arises in
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your life, you may be very tempted to tell that person,
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maybe a neighbor right next to you has a great need.
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You go, you know, I go to this great church.
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You should call the church. And I just want to suggest to
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you stop doing that. They don't need to call the
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church. You know why?
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The church is standing right in front of them.
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You're right there. Now, perhaps there's some need
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that we can have as pastors might serve them.
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I don't mean that, but I, I in your mind, it isn't something
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where you're like a mediator between the building and and the
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person you are the church. You're right there.
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You got to them way before we ever did.
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You know their name, you know where they live, you know their
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need. You get to pray with them.
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You get to minister to them and who knows how God, but see, it
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says God, if you mistreat them and you don't take care of them,
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God says, I'm going to stand in the gap and you're going to it's
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going to be painful for you. Generous, you know, and I, I was
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on the radio today answering a similar question and I just
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always reminded in my I'm abiding in Christ and he's
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leading me. I can't do everything and
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neither can you. I cannot do everything, but I
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can do something and I need to be.
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Faithful in the something that God.
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Has called me to do and if it's. More this week then I want.
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To be faithful. If it's less this week, I want
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to be faithful, but I also don't want to get overwhelmed.
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Well, I can't do everything. I can't meet everyone's need.
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None of us can. But don't let that become a, you
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know, I can't meet everyone's needs.
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So I'm not going to do anything. No, no, no, we can't do
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everything, but we must do something.
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And as the church, all of our all of us do our place and our
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part, you know, just thinking of some of you are hands and some
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of you are feet and some of your eyes and all the different roles
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you have in the body. When we're all doing the
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something that God's called us to do, then guess what?
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Everything gets taken care of. It's a beautiful thing when the
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church works together. Notice as we come down now to
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even lending, you know, when you're helping the poor, don't
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be charging interest. Take care of them.
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Minister to them. Notice verse 28.
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You shall not revile God nor curse a ruler of your people.
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That should be might want to mark that in our current
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political context today. You know, don't revile God and
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don't curse a ruler. Just what do you well, what do
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we do, Ed? You trust the Lord.
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That's what you do. You just trust the Lord with the
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rulers of God. And it may not be the president
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of the United States. You know, whatever
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administration it is, it might be your boss.
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Oh, that got quiet. Really.
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Even online. Everybody's quiet.
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Could be your landlord, it could be the officer that pulled you
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over. It's it's again, what?
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What are we learning? Respect for one another, respect
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for one another, especially in those places where we ourselves,
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if we have someone ruling over us, we have authority over us.
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What that means is, is some of our decisions are taken away.
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We become the weaker in that relationship, right?
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He just talked about how you deal with weak people.
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When we have someone over us, which we all do, then we take
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the position of the weaker position.
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We're we're in a weaker position.
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So what do we do? We respect and we honor, and we
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don't revile God or the rulers. He's put in place.
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Verse 29. You shall not delay to offer the
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first of your right produce and your juices.
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The first born of your sons shall be given to me.
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Likewise you shall do with your oxen, your sheep.
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It shall be with its mother seven days.
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On the 8th day give it to me, and you shall be holy men to me.
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You shall not eat any meat which is torn by the beast in the
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field. You shall throw it to the dogs.
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Respect the Lord, honor him first, for for most honor the
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leader God's put in your life. Romans 13.
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Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there
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is authority. There is no authority except
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from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
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Romans chapter 13 And you go, wait a minute, pastor, I hear
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all these people speaking. I even hear pastors do that.
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What am I supposed to do? Pray for them and just don't be
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one. The Bible tells us to live what
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a quiet, peaceable life, minding our own business, ministering to
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the person that's in front of us.
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Can you imagine what the church could become?
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Can you just dream that you just add that to your list of prayer?
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What the church could become if we just mind our own business
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and serve the people in front of us?
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Because God changes culture, one family at a time, one person at
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a. Time, That's how my family.
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Changed the direction of where my family was headed.
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And I bet you some of you have this testimony too.
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If something didn't change, it was going to end really, really
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poorly. Another family apart.
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From God. Another family that didn't care,
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another family lost, divided, crushed, broken.
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But God switched that all around.
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How my salvation, God changes by salvation.
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Now how do we interact in community and culture?
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Those are all decisions you can make.
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There's all kinds. When we live in a democracy, we
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live in a Republic. You, you get to participate in a
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lot of different ways, but watch your heart.
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That's what we learn here. We should participate in
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whatever God would have us, but you participate as the church.
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And as the church, you. Have a a servant relationship
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with your master and he calls the shots.
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In our lives. And we get to follow him.
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Amen. Lord, thank you for the time
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tonight and just learning went a little long, but I know that you
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want to teach us these things. Just kind of, you know, thinking
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about what it would be like to get all these this new
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direction. How do I operate?
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How do I live? How do I honor my neighbor?
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How do I love them? How do I take care of my family?
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Lord, and you have all these answers for us in a new covenant
53:54
way, and I'm thankful God, you have the foundations, the
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principles, and then you have the precepts or, and, and then
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we we learn what it really looks like in our lives.
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And so thank you God, for the entirety of your word in Jesus
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name, Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged. By this Bible study delivered
54:11
live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer.
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Call us at 87730 Grace that's 877-304-7223 to listen to this
54:24
message in its integrity or to join us for our live stream
54:28
services. Visit us online at Calvary Co
54:31
dot church Oregon. Download our free Calvary Church
54:35
app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
54:37
this week.