Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20230122 - Digging Ditches - 2 Kings 3:16

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#20230122 - Digging Ditches - 2 Kings 3:16 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace, Media, or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary,
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co.'s Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app. Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us
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into our study. Hey man, take your Bibles, open
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them to 2nd Kings chapter 3, second Kings chapter 3 and I've
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entitled our Bible study today, digging ditches digging ditches.
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Now I realize that it's hard to remember Bible studies.
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And sermons, some of you have already forgotten what I said
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last week or two weeks ago or three weeks ago.
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So one of the tools that we as pastors use as we try to use
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phrases and even titles of mess, Just to be a hook, so that if
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you can remember the hook, then that will then lead you to other
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memories. So today, you will for sure,
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remember, digging ditches, but if you just go a few weeks
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prior, you'll remember the first study in this series was The
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Battle Belongs to the Lord, and that's easy to remember, we can
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remember that, no matter what we Face large or small, The Battle
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Belongs to him. Walking in faith, we can trust
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him. And you'll then Remember The
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Battle Belongs to the Lord will tie you to a verse Verse that
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specifically shared by David as he's fighting Goliath.
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So sometimes we have huge giants in our life to fight and that's
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how we're entering into this new year, just understanding that
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the Lord is going to fight our battles and we can trust him
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number two. We remember we learned about who
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we are and we had a few words that were very easy to remember.
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And that next study. We remember we learned that the
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vision of our church is what, when disciple and send, we can
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remember that. That's not hard to.
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That's not hard to remember. And it ties us into our history
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and to the passage of scripture in John chapter 12 verse 21,
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where we're just responding to people that know, and maybe
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don't even know that they wish to see Jesus.
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That's our responsibility. Our responsibility is to see
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people, 14 Christ built up in Christ, sent out for Christ, so
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that he might be preeminent in our lives.
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And that's a foundation of this church.
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A pillar of this church. And then the next week, which
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was last week, we We learned about the impossibility that a
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man by the name of zerubbabel faced apathy and indifference
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among the people of God. But God sent him a word through
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the prophet Zechariah. And he told zerubbabel you're
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standing there in front of him a possibility, but it's not going
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to be by your might and not by your powers or above, but by my
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spirit, saith the Lord. And not only that in the power
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of the spirit, remember he's going to look at the mountain
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and he can speak to the mountain.
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Say, who are you? Oh, mountain.
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And we learned That represented the significance of the problems
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that were Beyond his ability and many times, that's exactly what
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God does. He either sends us into or
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allows us to be involved in something that's beyond our
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ability, which leads us to today and walking into a new year. 90
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walking into New Year. Really?
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Just starts with a change in your calendar.
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You know, we buy we get rid of the old calendar, we get a new
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calendar but we can't let the significance of a new year.
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Pass Us by because it represents everything that hasn't happened
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yet. It's like a blank slate.
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It's filled with opportunities, and it's filled with
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possibilities. But if we don't walk into a new
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year, expecting new, things wanting new things striving
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toward new things by faith abiding in Christ.
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Well, then we're going to miss out and it'll just be another
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year that passes by. And would just like, whoop,
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another year another year. And before, you know, it life's
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over, and none of us really want to live that way.
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None of us want to waste our lives.
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None of us want to squander the days and the weeks and the
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months and the years of God, I mean at the heart of every True
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born-again Believer but also every human being you want to
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make a difference with your life, an eternal difference.
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You want to be able to timestamp in someone's life, the image of
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Christ and his love. But if you don't choose and I
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don't choose to make conscious choices.
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Daily. I mean repetitive Bailey
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conscious choices and decisions to press forward in him, to look
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up to him, to be expected for a fresh work of this spirit and
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will miss out once again. And so today, one of the ways
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you can walk into a new year is to learn how to dig ditches.
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And from our text today, we're going to learn exactly what that
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means and apply it in our lives. Now I have I've already taught
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we're not going to do a verse by verse study today.
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It's more of a topical study where we're going to take a
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couple of verses and really highlight them.
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However, I have taught through this book of the Bible, verse by
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verse. So if you want to go back in and
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get context before and after and I think we just started again on
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our radio Ministry, we just started airing first, Samuel
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second, Samuel First Kings, and second Kings.
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So that's where we're headed in the radio if you want to go back
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and listen to those I would suggest you start with first
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Samuel. And then go first and second
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Samuel first, king S Kings and we went through verse by verse
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many years ago on those books and by the way it was a study
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with for me personally it was a study through 1st, Samuel 2nd,
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Samuel and first and second Kings with Pastor Chuck Smith
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listening to him on cassette tape that caused me to fall in
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love with the Old Testament. So I'd already love the New
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Testament. That's where my pastor was
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teaching when I was born again, but when I started listening to
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the Bible from Um, beginning, I Genesis Exodus and went all the
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way through. By the time we got to First
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salmon with Pastor Chuck. I mean, I was just blown away,
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like it's one of those experiences like this stuff's in
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the Bible. The day.
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This David guy is amazing. Oh he's also makes amazing
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failures but the god of David is amazing or King, Saul, or King
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Solomon, or the divided Kingdom. It's fascinating stuff.
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Great to study and learn. And we're just going to look at
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this highlight in Second Kings, three.
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And we're going to learn in 2023 that God wants us to be digging.
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Ditches. Look at verse 1 with me, Second
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Kings. Now, jehoram the son of Ahab
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became king over Israel at Samaria, in the 18th year of
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Jehoshaphat king of Judah and he reigned 12 years.
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So by the time we're in Second Kings the kingdom after Solomon,
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the kingdom divided. And any division.
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It's not dealt with. It's going to get bigger and
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bigger and bigger. And here.
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There we Have divided Kingdom, Israel and Judah, two different
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Kings and notice jehoram is described in verse 2, as he did,
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evil in the sight of the Lord. But he wasn't like his mother
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and father because he put away the sacred pillar of by all
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that. His father had made verse 3.
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Nevertheless, he persisted in the sins of jeroboam The son of
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nebat who had made Israel sin and he didn't depart from them.
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So as the Bible opens up in chapter 3, jehoram, he's a
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horrible King, but he's not as bad as his dad who was also a
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horrible King. But he's still pretty bad
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because he persistence in, he's rebellious toward God, he's
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hard-hearted and it says here, he didn't depart from sin and I
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think before we even get into the rest of the text, there's a
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word from God for some Among Us. Today and not is it's not God's
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will for you to persist in your sin.
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That is not God's will. It's not God's will for you to
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be satisfied. Well, you know, I'm doing a
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little bit better than my dad or my mom.
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God doesn't want you to compare yourself to Mom or Dad and
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praise God. None of us had a hat on none of
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us had Ahab or Jezebel was Mom and Dad.
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Amen. Yes and praise God for that.
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However, not everybody had the best upbringing.
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Not everybody was raised in the best home.
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And the work that God wants to do in your life, through being
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born. Again, is not merely a
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comparison to your parents. He wants to do a brand new thing
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in. You generational change starts
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with you and what he's doing, fresh in your life, even in
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your. In, This Moment.
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Now, change can be made among change, but you don't want this
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to describe you. You did evil in the sight of the
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Lord. All he wasn't as bad as Ahab and
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Jezebel, but he persisted, I mean, that's, here's the word
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that Is your problem. Your problem is you don't
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repent. Your problem is is you aren't
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ready for God to do a new work. The problem is your persisting
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and persisting and persisting in your sin.
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And it's not good and receive the word of the Lord.
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Today, notice verse 4. Now, Mischa the king of Moab was
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a sheep breeder and he regularly played the king of Israel.
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That would have been Ahab, one hundred thousand lambs and a
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wool of 100,000 Rams. Basically verse 4 says he was
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overtaxed and he was paying it getting along with it.
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But when Ahab died verse 5, the king of Moab rebelled against
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the king of Israel. So King johar Areum went out of
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Samaria at that time. Any mustard all Israel and he
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went and sent to Jehoshaphat king of Judah saying the king of
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Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight
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against Moab? And he said, I'll go up.
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I am as you are my people as your people, my horses is your
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horses and now Jehoshaphat is going to get in trouble because
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of this. You know why?
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Because the Bible says evil company corrupts good habits.
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So now jehoram gets in trouble. He go Unrighteous King.
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He now seeks out an alliance with a righteous King and
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Jehoshaphat is going to get in trouble again because this is
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his pattern, he conducts himself with, you could say if you want
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to use the language today, an unbeliever and he's going to pay
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the price of hanging out with an unbeliever.
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So notice it says in verse 8, which way shall we go?
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And he answered by the way, of the Wilderness of Edom where
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they pick up another king to join the alliance.
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And so the king of you went with the king of Judah and the king
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of Edom and they marched on that roundabout Route 7 days.
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And there was no water for the Army.
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So, just Mark that this is about 37 miles of of marching.
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The, it's a military. This is a battle scene.
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These are hardened men down in the Judean Wilderness.
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It's hot. It's hard.
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And after seven days, they finally figure out.
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There's no water. There's no water for Or the
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Army. There's no water for the
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animals. And then, the king of Israel.
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He freaks out. And he says, alas for the Lord
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has called these three kings together to deliver them into
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the hand of Moab. So remember, the king of Israel
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jehoram. He's not connected to God.
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He does evil in the sight of God.
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He's persisting in his sin and he sees the situation and he's
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in a position where He's given up we're toast.
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We're not going to make it. Look what God has done to us
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now. God didn't that, this isn't the
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work of God at this point. Somebody didn't plan.
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Well, they didn't have water. If they knew they were going to
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battle, they should have brought the supplies.
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Jesus taught us that he taught us about counting the cost and
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which person going to battle. He even uses the illustration
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isn't going to first figure out what he needs to win.
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So there's now a lack of preparation and Joe Jehoram is
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quick to blame God. And so Jehoshaphat says, the
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good King is there. No prophet of the Lord here.
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So in the difficulty of the situation, the king separated,
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from God, freaks out about it. But the king connected to God
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understands, we need a word from God, we're in a tough spot.
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He's in the exact same spot and he says, isn't there a profit
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around here? We need a word from the Lord.
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That's what it says, but we might Inquire the Lord, we need
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to ask God. What?
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What's going on? We need a prophet says in verse
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11. One of the Servants of the king
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of Israel answered. And said, Elisha the son of
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shaphat is here who poured water on the hands of Elijah and
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Jehoshaphat said the word of the Lord is with him.
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And so the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom
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went down to him. So attacked by Moab you have
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this Confederacy of Nations. They head out, they get to a
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place. Where they're in desperation,
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and you can see faith and unbelief active here.
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Unbelief through jehoram. He just, what are we going to do
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alas? What are we going to do?
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What's happening here and then Jehoshaphat representing Faith?
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He says, hey, you know what, I don't know what we're supposed
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to do but I do know this. We need to hear from God, that's
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what we need. We need a word from God and then
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one of the servants, hey Elijah's around here and they
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all choose to go. Down to Elijah.
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Now, let me just say this may describe you today, we're after
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7 days or after seven weeks are after seven months or after
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seven years, you find yourself in a place of service or a place
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of battle or a place in your life or a place in your
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singleness or in your place, with your family, with your
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kids, with your job, where you are in a place of drought.
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And you're weary and tired after marching and then coming to find
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out that there's no provision and you're in a place of drought
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and tiredness because there are those times in all of our lives
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where we're not as strong as we were or we're not as confident
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as we were Seasons. We could say of dryness seasons
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of drought seasons of lack seasons of great needs and is
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wonderful to and joyful in his glorious.
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It It is living for Jesus Christ.
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It also comes with trials and difficulties and challenges
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every single, one of us. As a matter of fact, Paul would
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put it this way and when he's writing to the Believers in the
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region of galatia and Galatians 6:9, he says that this way he
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says, let us not grow weary in well-doing.
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For in due season, we shall reap.
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If we don't lose heart life and difficulties go hand-in-hand and
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of course do New Year's going to have challenges and of course
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the new year is going to be difficult and of course the New
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Year's going to take the challenges of the old year and
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you're going to bring them into the new year and you're going to
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have more difficulties and more challenges.
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I mean it's the 22nd where only 22 days into the new year and
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some of you are already done with the New Year, it's already
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done. Like that's I've had enough.
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Give us a give me another year. Give me another number because
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2023 is already been hard and it's already been challenging
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and it's already been difficult. And you have a choice to respond
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as a man or a woman of faith. Or to respond as a man or a
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woman of unbelief. One of our greatest problems as
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one author, put it one of our greatest problems in life.
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Is that we are unbelieving believers.
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We're not living according to the promises of God and trusting
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God with our lives born again. Yes.
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Living for the Lord no living by faith.
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No. And so, God has brought you to a
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place where, hey, even if you're like drawer I'm and go Alas and
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I like how the New Living Translation translated that one
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word alas. They basically just said, what
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should we do? You need to ask the question out
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loud. What should you do?
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And the answer will always be. You need a word from the Lord.
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You need to hear from God. This is not the time to hear
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about all the opinions of men. It is not the Time to start
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thinking back in your history of how you dealt with in and what
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can I do and trying to figure it out?
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It is a time. We are living in a time.
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We are in a culture and a time in human history, what the Bible
16:46
describes, as the last days church, we need a fresh word
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from the Lord, that's what you need.
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And that's what I need. And that's what we need.
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We are not interested in whatever religion has to offer.
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We're not interested in whatever people are figuring out and
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trying to feed us from Seminary. Or we don't need we need to hear
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from God. You don't even hear from a pal.
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You don't need to hear from me. You need to hear from the Lord.
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If God happens to use me. Fantastic, but he doesn't need
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me to give you a word. He has direct access to you.
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If you'll just have ears to hear what the spirit of God is saying
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to you, that's what you need in the new year, a conscious
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decision. I need the Lord, I need a word
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from the Lord. And that is when you get to that
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place that is always the beginning of Glorious change
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when you recognize your present condition and desire to change.
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That's amazing that that is the place to be from Glory as we
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read in the Psalms today from strength to strength and glory,
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to glory, is what God has for you, not to settle in some place
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of complacency and apathy. As we saw zerubbabel had to deal
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with dealing with a bunch of apathetic people that were
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taking the things about, Belong to God and spinning it on
18:05
themselves. So, how we don't need the
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temple, we don't need a place of worship.
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God doesn't need that. I need that stuff more.
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No, no, God needs to speak and we need to hear now.
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Here's the scenario as it unfolds, this is amazing.
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So it says, when Elijah, they go down to Elijah verse 13, Elijah
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said to the king of Israel. What have I to do with you go to
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the profits of your father, in the profits of your mother and
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the king of Israel said to him know the Lord's called these
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three kings together to deliver them into the hand of Moab.
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Okay? So Elijah comes down and he's
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kind of a smart. Aleck is a sarcastic.
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You got to allow the Bible to say what it says he comes down.
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He's kind of an interesting prophet.
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He learned. His disciple by Elijah.
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He receives a double portion of Elijah and Elijah was like this
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as well. So Elijah is more than what
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Elijah was and he comes. And look as the wicked King, the
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rebellious King and he says, what are you calling me for?
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You? Don't even care about God.
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Why are you calling me? Why don't you call on the false
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gods of your mom and dad and the false gods that you have in your
19:12
life right now? And he's basically looking at me
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go. What is it is the only time
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you're going to call on? God is when you're in a crunch
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and when you're in a difficulty, And when your back is up against
19:22
the wall, that's basically what he's saying.
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But then he sees Jehoshaphat there.
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And what does he say when he sees Jehoshaphat?
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He says, in verse 14, but as the Lord of hosts lives before whom
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I stand surely. Would it not that?
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I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah that I
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would not look at you nor see you say, hey man, if it wasn't
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for the good King here, I wouldn't pay any attention to
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you. I would completely ignore you.
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If it wasn't for Jehoshaphat, which leads me to a beautiful
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reminders for The jehoshaphat's in our lives, we should thank
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God because of the jehoshaphat's.
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We experience blessings for the people that are walking with
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God. You know, we often talk about if
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you're the jehoram today and your persistence in, you know,
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people are going to pay the price for your sin.
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Do you know that, right? People that are close to you,
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people that love you, people that are connected to you,
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people that are watching you people will pay the price for
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your sin jehoram. But you know what, the other
20:24
side they if you're Jehoshaphat and your heart is loyal to God.
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Are going to benefit from you. Two people are going to get the
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benefit of your faith and your faith walk and your life.
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And so that's what's happening right here.
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You know, what? If it was, just you, I'd let you
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go and you guys could just be thirsty and die of thirst.
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But because of Jehoshaphat, I'm here and I'm willing to serve
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you. And then the next thing he says,
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which is so interesting in verse 15 is now bring me a musician.
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Start some music. Here, we need some music in the
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midst of a dry, arid desert with military men that are thirsty
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and probably a little angry and frustrated.
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I think I would be if I was Marching for seven days and
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there's no water. I'm like, immediate, I'm going
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to think whose responsibility was that.
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And then, let's find that guy and take care of him and get mad
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at him. And so there's all kinds of
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emotion and there's time Goodness, and there's weariness
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and it's just a recipe for disaster, and here's the word of
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the Lord from Elijah. Give me a musician, which
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probably means a harpist. That's something that they would
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take with them and a military campaign to soothe like David
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did with King Saul to sue the Motions.
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But let me tell you this, this call for a musician, reminds us
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today. That music is powerful in the
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hands of the Lord. It's also powerful in the hands
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of the devil. Music can be used for good, and
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it can also be used for bad. Why?
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Because music sets the atmosphere and it creates an
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environment. And if you want to hear a word
22:08
from the Lord, you need to set the stage and prepare yourself
22:13
to receive. And one way to do that, is bring
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me the musician. You need to put some music on in
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your life, you know, here's the thing.
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Put some music on in your life that glorifies God because so
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much about the music you take in.
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You don't control you don't control what they're playing and
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Safeway, you don't control what's happening in Walmart on
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the music, they choose you don't control, especially the guy that
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pulls up to you on Hampton that has his music.
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So loud that you get to enjoy his car music as well.
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Like, you don't control any of that.
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Excuse me. Sir, can you please change the
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channel on your? You can't do that.
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Go to the manager. Would you please change the
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music? No, it's not your radio, you
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can't change it. I don't know about you but In
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our home, when we're driving Marie says, whoever's driving
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gets to control the radios out how you guys and and then that's
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why I don't let her drive. I don't want her controlling
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likes. Like it's like like you have to
23:07
be in a position church where you are in an environment to
23:12
receive the Lord. And let me just say being here
23:15
today, for 90 minutes is a great choice but you don't live here.
23:21
This isn't the environment that you're in, you're going to
23:24
leave. Leave and be in the culture of
23:26
our world. That's the environment and then
23:29
if you allow that into your home and you allow that into your car
23:32
and you allow that into your ears.
23:34
No wonder things are harder for you.
23:37
No wonder, no wonder, there's no atmosphere for you, none of
23:41
that. None of those songs are that
23:42
they're not saying, Hey listen for the Lord.
23:44
Glorify the Lord many times. The music of this world is the
23:47
exact opposite. Even some of the things that
23:50
might be benign, they may not be helping you.
23:55
They may not be pressing you forward.
23:58
This would be a time right here in my notes insert joke about
24:01
country music anxiety, but it's not there, it's not there.
24:06
But even in our preferences, you want to know, one way.
24:10
Another way that I could say to you that music and Christian
24:14
music. I mean, I guess you can call
24:15
Chris and I don't call Christian music.
24:17
Non-Christian you just music that glorifies God.
24:19
That's probably a better way to put it.
24:21
You know why? It's so powerful because there
24:24
are so many people arguing about it in the church.
24:28
I just don't understand it. Like I'm telling you like that,
24:32
you pay attention to the things that Christians argue about and
24:36
you We'll learn very much, that's very valuable to God.
24:39
So give us get everybody. Are you?
24:40
I don't like that song. I don't like them.
24:42
You know? I don't like that.
24:43
I don't like that and all the while while you're living in
24:45
your own world are not liking anything.
24:47
You're not being used by the Lord, why I'm being used by.
24:50
The Lord said, I'm arguing about music and I'm fighting a fight
24:54
that really doesn't matter, and I'll get to the end of my life
24:56
and find out. I wasted my life.
24:58
That was a good song. After all.
25:01
Listen, we we have and have had almost from the Beginning of
25:06
this church, a very gifted and anointed, man of God who leads
25:14
us in worship every week week after week after week after week
25:19
for years surrounding himself with a group of men and women,
25:24
many teams that support that also share that musical gifting
25:28
and the anointing of God to help support that.
25:31
And this is our philosophy here, Pastor, Ian, and this season is
25:35
the worship leader. You and we trust him and we will
25:38
follow him wherever he goes and we, if he takes us in a
25:42
different direction, then we'll deal with that.
25:44
But he hasn't and all these years that he served here, we
25:47
trust him and I'm just saying like if you are in a place where
25:51
you know I don't like that music and I wish we saying that you're
25:53
just in the wrong environment man.
25:55
You are not in the right head space when you're like that.
25:58
I'm not saying you can't have preferences of course but your
26:01
preference is if they hinder you from hearing from the Lord and
26:04
all you can hear is your preference.
26:06
You're in the wrong space and even last night, I said this, I
26:09
said it when I like, and what did I wake up to this morning?
26:12
An email complaining about songs that we sing here.
26:16
Ah delete spam, you're out of here, man.
26:19
I don't, I don't need that we've already made the decision.
26:22
We Trust our worship leader and even if our worship leader makes
26:26
a mistake and we even if he and I make a mistake together, we
26:29
will repent, ask for forgiveness and we'll move on.
26:32
We will not argue about it and invite you.
26:35
Listen, we It you to create the environment, find some find some
26:40
music that glorifies God that hits with your preferences and
26:43
play it on repeat, but stop arguing about it and that's not
26:47
even the message right now. But I thought it was important
26:50
that you realize. And again, it doesn't have to be
26:52
this topic. Like You could argue about all
26:54
kinds of stuff as we like you just get it, whatever, just stop
26:57
it. How's that?
26:58
There's a counsel of the Lord. It's right here and third
27:02
Thessalonians or whatever. Like I hear, it is just stop it.
27:06
It's not helping the kingdom of God.
27:07
It's not helping you and it's okay.
27:09
You can have preferences and a sea of course, have preference
27:12
is all you want. I'm sure there's at least one
27:14
song out there in the country music genre that glorifies God
27:23
Fine. Play it or two or three, some of
27:26
you going go ahead. There's a don't send them to me.
27:28
Just save them, save them, it doesn't matter.
27:31
See the whole point, it doesn't matter.
27:33
I got music. I like you got music.
27:35
You like, I want to listen to music that glorifies God, it'll
27:37
change you. That's what Elijah does.
27:40
Because notice music? Is often connected to anointing
27:45
that is often connected to hearing the voice of God.
27:48
That's what it says right here. Notice bring me a musician.
27:52
That doesn't make sense. Which, by the way in, there's
27:54
another Point here, this doesn't make sense and many times, God's
27:58
answer to you will be counterintuitive of what you
28:00
expect because if you try to figure it out and you try to see
28:04
how this is going to work and you use that, you're limited by
28:07
your resources and maybe as you're out on the battlefield,
28:11
Marching for seven days for 80 miles in the hot Judean
28:14
Wilderness, you don't have any water, it's essential to life.
28:17
One of your kings is freaking out and you he's demoralizing
28:20
the whole troops, one of the solutions that you probably
28:24
wouldn't come up with is, hey, can you bring me a musician?
28:28
I think we need to sing right now.
28:30
That's probably not on the list of things, but it is on God's.
28:36
It reminds us of the battle plans that God gave to Joshua in
28:39
Jericho, March, March March. March, March yell.
28:46
That was his instruction. March could be quiet, March,
28:49
March, March. The quite Six Days on the
28:51
seventh day, scream, and yell and I'll give you the victory.
28:54
Was it all about the activity? Or was it about the faith?
28:58
Trust me, I'll take care of Jericho.
29:02
You just do what I say. And so, here he is, give me a
29:06
musician. Give send the musician and It
29:10
happened when the musician played that the hand of the Lord
29:14
came upon him, the hand of the Lord comes upon Elijah and he
29:18
said thus saith the Lord. So in music singing it changes
29:24
the atmosphere just in a church service, ready in a church
29:26
service it changes the atmosphere.
29:28
It's not something to come in late for leave early or, you
29:31
know, I don't want to listen to that or I need that.
29:33
That's not the time. It's changing the atmosphere.
29:35
It's taking a room now, fill with the church and we're all
29:38
getting our minds and unity. On the Lord, it changes the
29:42
atmosphere. Why?
29:43
So you can hear thus, saith the Lord.
29:46
You can hear a word from God, not just the word of God, which
29:51
we teach every week, verse by verse chapter by chapter, not
29:54
just the word of God, but what the Bible would declare in the
29:58
original language. As a Rhema word of God, rhe.
30:03
Ma when you hear that, that refers to a word from God,
30:07
that's directly to you. Specifically which happens all
30:11
the time so you're in a room filled with thousand plus
30:15
people, you're in a room filled with a thousand plus people and
30:19
the word of God goes out and hits. 1000 people, 1000
30:22
different ways. How is that even possible?
30:24
I mean, you're driving home after service, you saying, would
30:26
you give him the message, you get through the message you like
30:28
I got, I got this word, and then you're saying over here, I got
30:32
that word. And then at the end, you're
30:33
like, where we in the st. Bible study because I didn't
30:35
hear that. Exactly.
30:38
Because God had that word. For you, it's a Rhema word, not
30:41
just the low, God's word, the logos word is the general word
30:44
of God. Again, the word logos also
30:46
referred to Jesus Christ incarnate, but it's the Rhema
30:50
word when the music played the anointing came and when the
30:54
anointing came the word of God came.
30:57
And again listen to the word of God.
30:59
Thus saith the Lord here is the word of God in your great
31:03
difficulty. Make this Valley full of
31:07
ditches. That's the word of the Lord, to,
31:11
which if you haven't been ready for the word of God, sometimes
31:14
his word, you'll just walk away. I'm not digging ditches, like,
31:17
what is God's problem? Dig ditches, we need water.
31:22
And already before God says anything, he says, here's the
31:26
word go, dig ditches or canals, that's another way word for
31:30
ditches could be canals here or even cisterns.
31:33
Deep deep Wells where water can collect the water, basically,
31:37
just in the desert when you have no water anywhere, here's the
31:42
word of God. Go dig some ditches.
31:47
And of course he follows up with that.
31:49
In the next verse he says, Make the valley full of ditches for
31:53
thus says the Lord. You shall not.
31:55
See wind. Nor, shall you see rain yet?
31:58
The valley shall be filled with water, so that your cattle and
32:01
your animals May drink water's coming.
32:05
You're not going to know when very similar to what the early
32:08
church was. Told stay in Jerusalem to the
32:10
baptism of Holy Spirit, like, you'll know when power comes on,
32:13
but you just stay in Jerusalem, so it happens and then he like
32:15
ones are going to happen. You'll know, when, you know,
32:18
well, it's very similar, all this Valley, go ahead and look
32:20
at all the valley. It's going to be filled with
32:22
water, but you won't know when you're not.
32:25
It's not going to be the typical way.
32:26
You're not going to feel Storm come in like we do here in
32:28
Colorado. You're not going to be able to
32:30
see the storm clouds. You're not going to feel the
32:32
water come down from heaven, you're not going to be able.
32:34
This isn't something you're going to be able to go out with
32:36
your hands and just cup your hands for the rain water and
32:39
drink it. This is the way the water is
32:41
going to come. You won't know when it is, but
32:43
I'm telling you this God says, I'm going to fill this Valley
32:46
with water and if you want to enjoy it, you need to dig
32:50
ditches. So what you have, you have God's
32:53
promise God's part and then you has man's responsibility.
32:58
Man's part. God is going to fill the valley
33:02
with water. You don't know when but the
33:05
valley is going to be full. So until then go dig ditches in
33:09
the dry Valley, you don't wait for water drops or anything.
33:14
You just go and obey, God, take the step and do it.
33:18
It's a very similar to the instruction that was given to
33:21
Noah build a boat for what a worldwide flood?
33:25
What is that? Oh, you'll know it when it comes
33:28
just build the boat, man. Just and again, no hesitation.
33:31
He's building building building. Building and boom, then that
33:34
first drop of water, then you'll know that first drop of water.
33:39
Dig ditches, that's God's word for us.
33:42
He wants us to dig some ditches to be prepared for all that, God
33:46
has for us to be ready for it. The valley, the area, the Front
33:51
Range, the state, the country, the world be filled with water
33:55
water is essential for life for us.
33:59
But also, in the Bible water often speaks of the Bible.
34:02
The word of God. Remember, husbands are told to
34:04
wash their own. Husbands are told to wash their
34:07
wives with the water of the word.
34:09
Third. But also water refers to the
34:11
Holy Spirit. Many times.
34:12
Remember, Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, talking
34:15
about thirst and he says very practically.
34:18
If you drink this water, the physical water you're going to
34:20
be thirsty forever, but I've got a water for you.
34:24
That when you drink of it, you will never be thirsty.
34:27
Again, the spirit of God to fill you in flood.
34:31
You and baptize you and so here's the word.
34:34
God has a fresh work in his word.
34:36
He has a fresh work with the Holy Spirit.
34:38
It you're Life is going to be filled with it but you won't
34:41
enjoy it unless you dig the ditches and prepare for it.
34:46
Digging ditches. Speak to us today of expectation
34:48
and preparation. If you go into this year, the
34:52
same way you always have, you're going to miss it because if you
34:54
don't dig the ditches of water so it's going to go into the
34:56
ground, you won't have it. You're not going to suck dirt.
34:58
It's not going to be though. You could, I guess you could
35:00
suck dirt but it's not going to be the same.
35:02
If you had a ditch ready for it, like you can go about your own
35:05
way. You want to suck, dirt, just to
35:07
get every ounce of water out of that.
35:08
You can do that. It's like, if that's the way you
35:10
want to go. God says, go the way you want to
35:12
go. You want to be jehoram.
35:13
You want to live in unbelief. Go ahead.
35:15
But I'm telling you this, if you obey me and dig the ditch, you
35:19
will enjoy the water. Water and you'll have as much as
35:21
you need. You'll have as much as you need.
35:25
How about this, you'll have as much as you want.
35:30
Because I think about this this instruction to dig ditches,
35:33
think about how the different responses would be even in a
35:35
room like this. Some of you, you go dig some of
35:37
you gone, I ain't digging no ditch.
35:42
Don't have any water then. And that's just your response on
35:45
it doing that's dumb. It doesn't make any sense.
35:48
I'll just wait it out, I'll just wait for someone else whatever
35:51
and you won't dig others of you, you might say okay, I'll dig a
35:54
ditch. Okay.
35:54
Okay. I can do that and you take a
35:56
little little shovel and you hide everybody and you're just
35:58
digging your own little ditch here.
36:00
Nobody can get. It's just for you.
36:01
You're a little ditch. A lot of the body of Christ is
36:04
like that today, just thinking of yourself.
36:07
Just a little bit for yourself. God's going to fill the valley,
36:10
just have a little bit of us. All I need is a little bit for
36:12
myself, but that's not the way of Christ.
36:15
That's not the way of Jesus. What God calls the church to do,
36:19
you're going to dig a ditch, dig the best one that you can and
36:22
don't just dig one for yourself. You think of others more, highly
36:25
than yourself, you dig a ditch for your neighbor.
36:28
You dig a ditch for your friend, you dig a ditch for your Femme.
36:31
You dig ditches until you can't dig ditches anymore not just for
36:34
yourself. Yeah, even so Jesus would even
36:37
say Say you're thinking about digging ditches.
36:38
Yes Lord. That's what I want.
36:39
Will you did one for your enemy to what ya think of your
36:43
enemies? Think about this world?
36:46
That's also going to suffer the same thing.
36:48
It's not just for you. I mean, you got to think about
36:51
the gift that God gave us in the spiritual realm over the last
36:54
few years. I mean for almost two years
36:57
straight every single service there was a slide up on the
37:00
screen behind me that had three words on it.
37:03
God was trying to teach us something patience.
37:07
Preference and humility that is what God desires from his church
37:13
among many other things. But what the world in chaos and
37:16
what the world in confusion, and what the world that doesn't have
37:19
their head on straight and doesn't know how to do things.
37:21
The world that's oppressive. The world is filled with
37:24
Injustice, the world, that's hurtful and harmful and takes
37:27
advantage of one another. What does the world need the
37:29
world? That is selfish.
37:33
Needs to meet a believer that shows preference. the world that
37:38
is impatient and controlling needs to meet a follower of
37:41
Christ that's long-suffering Patient in a world that is so
37:49
puffed, up with pride and arrogance.
37:53
Needs a believer in a church that's humble and broken and
37:58
dependent upon God. You see what, what we've
38:02
experienced in the last few years.
38:05
As a culture, the pandemic, the worldwide, chaos, and confusion,
38:10
God was using to wake his church up.
38:15
The God was using to wake his church up but not to what most
38:18
people think. He was wanting to wake you up to
38:21
righteousness. To humility.
38:26
To Faith. To live out your faith.
38:30
I know when things get out of our control, we try to control
38:33
everything but God decide I don't want you to control.
38:35
You don't control anything because that's what God does
38:38
have. You noticed in all the chaos of
38:40
life and so many things outside of our control, isn't God, so
38:43
gracious to give a give us a few things that we can control.
38:47
For example, you want to dig a ditch, you can do that, he gives
38:51
you something you can do. There's a lot of things you
38:53
can't do, but God gives us some things along the way that you
38:56
can do. It's just go dig a ditch.
38:59
This is the word of the lord. It's a Word of Faith.
39:03
It's a word to trust him. Just hate the water hasn't come
39:06
yet. You're not even know when it's
39:08
going to come. This guy.
39:08
Like shh, he's a smart aleck, he's sarcastic.
39:10
He comes and he's standing there.
39:12
We're going to listen to him. Well he says the word of the
39:14
Lord Testin, go dig some ditches.
39:18
What's It Gonna Hurt? What's It Gonna harm the step
39:22
out by faith? They needed a word from the
39:25
Lord. The environment was changed and
39:28
the Word was go dig ditches because God is ready to work.
39:31
It's gonna come be ready for it. Expectant prepared.
39:37
And not only that he says in verse 18, this is just a trivial
39:41
thing. He says in the sight of the
39:43
Lord, or in the new in another translation, this is Is just a
39:46
simple thing and it reminds us of what we learn with jerubbaal.
39:50
Remember, he was given the word zaraba boy.
39:52
He's got this. Great difficulty, he came back
39:55
to rebuild the Temple, but the people don't want to help and
39:57
they've gone their own way. And so, what does God come to?
39:59
It's not going to be your power is not going to be, your might
40:01
sort of a bell. But by my spirit, says the Lord.
40:04
And then on top of that, he says, and you see the mountain,
40:07
the one that you can't move. You don't know what to do the
40:09
mountain. You can talk to that mountain
40:12
and I'll move it. You can say, oh, you Mountain,
40:15
who are you? Who are you?
40:17
And this is it, you know, you're so thirsty.
40:19
You're so dry, it's so impossible.
40:22
You don't know what the new year will bring your over your head.
40:25
It's there's there's just so difficult so hard.
40:29
So challenging it is a simple thing for God to act on your
40:32
behalf. It is not as hard.
40:35
God is Not fretting over your problem.
40:36
He's not worried. He's not pacing in heaven.
40:39
I don't know what to do. Will Peter, what are we gonna
40:41
do? I don't know.
40:43
They got under self and such a mess, I don't know.
40:46
No, he's not, he's not, he's not jehoram.
40:51
God is Not Jehoshaphat the Bible says, God is not a man.
40:56
He's almighty God. All power and authority, and
41:02
strength has been given to Jesus Christ.
41:05
And you can cast your cares upon Him and He cares for you.
41:09
It's a simple thing Church. It is a simple thing.
41:14
Dig the ditches because it's in the ditches that you're going to
41:16
learn, how to trust me with every scoop of dirt.
41:22
You're responding and God is going to be faithful.
41:25
He wants to see our faith at work.
41:28
He wants us to live with our eyes on him, and he's only going
41:31
to fill the amount of stitches that you dig.
41:36
You're only going to enjoy what you have claimed and taken for
41:39
yourself through obedience, you know, God invites us to
41:45
participate with him to cooperate with him.
41:49
And that's a beautiful thing to cooperate with him.
41:52
Don't you want to cooperate with God?
41:54
Say yes or no. Yes, no, cooperate, does not a
41:56
great soft word. Let's all cooperate with God
41:59
church, and you can smile with that.
42:01
You just like, oh so say, amen after this, if you agree with
42:04
me, let's all cooperate. Right with God Church.
42:07
Okay, cooperation is a great word.
42:10
We all agree. It's a nice word, want to adopt
42:12
it into your life. Yes, yes, yes.
42:14
Okay, let me give you the Bible word in this.
42:16
See if you're so excited. Cooperation.
42:21
According to God, is your obedience.
42:26
Oh, not so many. Amen.
42:27
There's a few but obedience, you want to experience the fullness
42:33
of God has for you obey him. Jesus says much Denis, he says,
42:39
if you love me. Keep my Commandments.
42:45
That's a manifestation of Love is obedience.
42:48
That's true. Agape.
42:49
Love is when we receive the agape love of God.
42:52
Our responses obedience Maybe you're like jehoram where your
42:56
persisting in your sin which could also say your persisting
43:00
in your Disobedience and no, Matt.
43:02
No wonder digging. Ditches isn't apply.
43:05
Isn't really attractive to you me.
43:07
No wonder the environment around you.
43:10
You don't want an environment that glorifies God because it
43:13
reminds you of your distance from God.
43:15
Like, no wonder you're in the condition that you are right
43:18
now. You want, you say you want to
43:19
cooperate with him, then obey him, Listen, I'm not telling you
43:23
to obey me, I'm not telling you to obey some church doctrine or
43:27
was some man-made up or what? I'm.
43:29
Not I'm not God has dust saith. The Lord, you will be his word.
43:35
He would lead you and guide you obey him.
43:38
He will give you the direction. You need your spirit will bear
43:41
witness. If I'm teaching, if I'm
43:43
exercising, the gift of Pastor teacher from the Bible that I
43:46
have open here, let me and you're born again.
43:48
I'll tell you right now, your spirit will bear witness with my
43:51
spirit. That bears wisdom with the Holy
43:54
Spirit and you can obey that word.
43:57
You don't need to follow man. You don't, you don't need a
44:00
pastor in your life or a priest to tell you what to do.
44:03
You're born again. You have the spirit of God
44:05
inside of you obey him. And I don't know why it is the
44:10
word. Nevertheless.
44:12
Listen this is what it sounds like in your life.
44:14
God has told you what to do. Nevertheless you chose not to do
44:18
it. Take responsibility, repent.
44:22
Repent, God is wanting to work in you, in large ways, small
44:28
ways. She got to dig the ditch, his
44:31
church, do your part. Repentance obedience, dig the
44:36
ditch of repentance. Dig the ditch of obedience.
44:42
Dig the ditch of reading your Bible, dig the ditch of Prayer.
44:47
Dig the ditch of partaking in communion dig the ditch of being
44:53
in Fellowship. Dig the ditch of walking in
44:56
humility, dig the ditch of admitting when you're wrong, dig
45:00
the ditch of dismissing your opinions.
45:02
I mean, you can see that there are many things that you can
45:06
develop in your life to be ready to be replaced with the Living
45:10
Water of God. The days are short and the
45:15
coming of the Lord is at hand. I mean, just yesterday morning.
45:20
I received news of yet another very well used, man of God
45:27
worldwide, was his impact, pastor Who was dismissed and
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fired from his church because of rampant sexual immorality.
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And my response is, people ask me what my response was.
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I'm mad. I'm angry, but maybe not the way
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you think. I'm not mad at him.
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I'm mad at the Devil, taking another strong, man, and it
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doesn't matter how he got there. We'll get to that later.
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Like, the woman in that was caught in the midst of adultery
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like like will deal with the details later.
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Right now she needs to be ministered to this guy's
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marriage is dissolved. He's got kids and he's literally
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got thousands and thousands of people.
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No doubt even you have been connected to this man through
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singing of songs that he wrote And now he has thrown it all
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away, and it makes me mad that. The enemy took another strong
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man away from the kingdom, it would make me equally mad if God
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took a, the enemy took another strong woman away.
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Like we've got to be able to remember that our enemy.
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He's real, we're not ignorant of his devices.
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You don't know, none of us. Are sinless.
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You know that? Maybe it's something you need to
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admit. I wasn't sure, you know, to
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share this, not share this because it's it's just
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embarrassing to obey the command that James gives to confess your
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sins to one another. And I felt burned to do it last
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night and I'm just feeling it again now.
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So I'll just share it. I got an email yesterday
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morning. It's my own life right now.
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Just me, mr. Pastor and the pulpit.
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And, you know, God, I get to be used of him.
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That's really what it amounts to.
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But I got an email yesterday from a man that I haven't heard
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from in years. Takes us back, takes me back 30
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years ago to a home Bible study, I taught in California, that's
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how I met him served at the church with him.
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And he wanted to let me know that a family that I knew and
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haven't spoken to in 25 years that their son passed away,
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tragically on Friday. Could I reach out to him?
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And so, you know, I responded to it and I saw pray and I'll reach
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out to him. But I had one thought. that it's
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embarrassing to share, but I had this thought, like I was upset
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and I kind and then so I told the Lord, I said in my, the guy
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now that everybody calls when their son dies, and then, I just
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kind of prayed it through and waited through the day and, and
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eventually in the evening, like I repented, like, what am I
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thinking? Of course, I'm that guy.
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That's what God is doing in my life.
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Of course, I'm that guy and by the time I made the call in the
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evening, there was an apology. I'm sorry I called you.
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Like I finally called the brother that lost his son and
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prayed with him as his tragic. Like so.
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And I also called the brother that I knew which is his in-law
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and I was ministering to him and and and he said and he didn't
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apologize. I'm sorry that I that I involved
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you. I'm sorry but you just came to
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mind and it's amazing. Cause I don't check my email on
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the weekends, but I felt a burden to check it yesterday
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morning. And I'm just like, dealing.
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What am I thinking? What kind Person.
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Am I like, of course, I'm not guy but by the time that morning
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that dumb thought like that, get that thought, let's just put it
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in the right contact. That was a sinful thought that
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was not from the Lord. That was a demonic attack upon
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my mind that I said it, I thought it myself By the time in
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that evening. The Lord so gracious.
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Not only did he use me. But for my brother that I spoke
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to I could say, you know what he saw.
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I'm so sorry, whatever he said, exactly I said, look, bro, I was
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put on the planet to read your email and to reach out to my
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friend, that I haven't talked to in 20 years.
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You know, sin is embarrassing. You might think all the head,
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you know, he's a pastor, he never know, we have all sinned
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and fallen short of the glory of God.
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And so of course, what you're going through God is going to
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send you people of course, but if you're not careful, you'll
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believe the lies of the enemy. And you can't blame it on the
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devil and I'm not involved at all.
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It's all the devil's fault. No.
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I didn't reject that thought right away.
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I played around in my mind, I go, oh, you know, who would
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want, who would want to be in the club that I'm in?
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I know some of you are, but who wants to be in that group?
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Nobody wants to be in it. But you know what, where we are,
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we are by the grace of God. So Church, listen.
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You've got to dig ditches or the enemy will take you out.
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And he will wipe you out. He can also restore you very
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quickly. If you just repent, it can
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change your heart in a heartbeat.
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Maybe you've been upset with God, maybe you've been upset
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with your place in life. Maybe you've been upset with
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this. Maybe you've been upset and even
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out of your mouth, maybe, maybe you've even been disillusioned
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with God. You know, a lot of that people
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will become very disillusioned with God, to be upset because,
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you know, how it works. You have these expectations of
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God and then these expectations become prayer of God.
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And then when God doesn't answer the prayer, according to your
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expectations, Guess who gets blamed god?
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Well, it's all God's fault. He didn't do this for me and he
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didn't do that for me. Well, wait a minute, wait a
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minute. When we come to God, we come and
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surrender. We don't tell him what to do,
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and then get mad at him when he doesn't do what we tell him what
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to do. But that's a real motion.
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And so I asked, I remember last night the, this book that we
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have downstairs, that will really help you if this is you
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right now. If you're disillusioned, you're
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upset with God, you're blaming God.
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You're disappointed with God, everything about that.
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That's your place. There's a book called The
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Prisoner in the third cell. We have it downstairs prisoner
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in the third cell and it goes through is a very easy read.
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He kind of read. He writes it like a play by with
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acts and things. It's very easy to read reading
51:52
in fact, but it's the true story of John.
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The Baptist remember, sitting in prison about ready to get his
51:57
head cut off and what is he thinking?
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Are you really Messiah? Because if you were Messiah I
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wouldn't be if you're my cousin and my Messiah, I wouldn't be in
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prison about ready to get my head cut off and he's dealing
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with those emotions. So it's the same author by the
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way that wrote the book A Tale of Three Kings.
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So if you ever been hurt in a church, you've ever been hurt by
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a pastor or spiritual leader. Taylor, 3 Kings is a great
52:20
resource to have to learn you to get your eyes back on the Lord,
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because we're all going to be hurt.
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We're all going to make mistakes that happens even really
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purposeful things, you know. So each either one of these
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would be helpful for you, but here's the thing church, God is
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calling you to dig ditches. You can admit that you've
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sinned. You could take the step because
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there's Freedom. There is freedom freedom
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available to you. Your hearts dry.
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Thirsty. Your week.
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It's you got some weird thought you got some weird thing going.
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Look just come to the Lord. Maybe you first put on some
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music, fill your house with the worship of the Lord, and then
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make sure your car is filled with the worship of the Lord.
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Because I know some of you, you fill your cars filled with stuff
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that ain't taking you anywhere near Jesus.
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No wonder you're so angst and upset.
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And I can't believe this world Heaven and Earth will pass away,
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but my word by one. No means pass away.
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Jesus said, it's like whatever the new thing is that are going
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to talk about. You can set it aside set the
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atmosphere in the environment for the Holy Spirit to speak to,
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you want a new year and enter into a new way.
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And let the Lord do a fresh work in your heart, amen.
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Father, thank you for the privilege of being a part of
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this church family. And and even being able to be
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honest and open about things that happen in our hearts and
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our minds. That we might walk in the
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newness of life. and that we wouldn't doubt or be upset, or
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We just trust you with our lives.
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And we now have the privilege of following our worship Shepherd
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here. To respond. so that you might
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increase and we might decrease, And give us the shovel or we
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might dig the ditches and anticipation of all the you want
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to do this year. Jesus name.
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We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
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Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
54:27
prayer, call us at 877, 30 Grace.
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That's eight 77304, 2:53 to listen to this message in its
54:38
entirety or to join us for our live stream Services.
54:42
Visit us online at Avery Co dot church or download our free
54:47
Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.
54:44
Avery Co dot church or download our free Calvary Church app be
54:49
blessed as you worship Jesus this week.