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Living Worthy of the Kingdom pt 3 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Hi there. Welcome to NECF. We're excited to share
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today's message with you. Don't go anywhere.
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Stay with us till the end for some valuable resources
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to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon.
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Hallelujah. Thank God for the opportunity to
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be in church. living worthy of the kingdom, the
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kingdom of God. You know, we've been studying
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the book of Philippians for, this is the third
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time today. And the last time we stopped at,
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where did we stop? We stopped at chapter 2, verse
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what? All right, verse 2. Chapter 2, verse 11.
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Amen. So we, in case you are new here, we've
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been considering a topic, living worthy of the
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kingdom. And as a background, what we've been...
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we've been seeing or we've been studying together,
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as believers, we've established that we belong
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to the kingdom of God. Now, when you become born
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again or when you become a believer, what we
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mean by being a believer is someone that believes
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in Jesus Christ as his Lord and as Savior. We
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call you a believer because you believe in this
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truth that Jesus Christ is God who became man
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and came down on earth. And then he died for
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the forgiveness of the sins of men. This is what
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embodies the Christian faith. Without this foundational
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truth, then we cannot consider you a Christian.
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Because what makes you a Christian is the faith
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you have in this truth. But first of all, God
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became man. And in his humanity, he died. He
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suffered and then he died. He died on the cross.
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And the reason why he had to die... was for the
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sins of men. He became a substitution for men.
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So all who believe in this truth come into a
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union with God. They come into fellowship with
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God. And so we that believe are called Christians.
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In chapter 2 from verse 5 thereabout, we see
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where Paul was using the concept, was using the
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example of Jesus Christ to explain the humility
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that we often have as men. He says, let this
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mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.
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Who is this Christ Jesus? Verse 6, he said, who
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being in the form of God, rather we'll say, who
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is 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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This is what Jesus Christ went through. He made
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himself of no reputation, taking the form of
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a born servant and coming in the likeness of
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men. So Jesus Christ, was not created. Jesus
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Christ is not part of the creation, but he is
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God. Who decided to take the likeness of men,
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was it? And being found in the appearance of
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a man, he humbled himself and became obedient
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to the point of death. And this death is the
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death of a criminal, the death of someone that
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has committed an offense. that the consequences
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of that offense is death on the cross. Therefore,
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in this death, God also has highly exalted him
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and has given him the name, not a name, but specifically
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gave him the name, which is above every other
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name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should
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bow of those in the heaven and of those on the
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earth and of those under the earth. And that
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every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord
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to the glory of God the Father. So we pitched
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our tent here last time. And we established that
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as kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace
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and harmony with one another. This was one of
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the content of Paul's letter to the Philippians.
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As kingdom citizens, we have to live in peace
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with one another and harmony with one another.
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having the same mind and your full accord, because
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a kingdom that we belong to, when it is divided,
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when we are separated, when we are not in unity,
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when we are not living in harmony, there is no
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how we will fulfill the purpose of God for our
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lives. There is no how we will be able to do
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the biddings of God on earth, except we walk
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together, except we are united. Nobody can serve
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the purpose of God alone. Nobody has the ability
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to serve the purpose of God alone. So we saw
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how important it is for us to live in harmony.
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And we said also that the kingdom of God is a
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kingdom of honor. We live honoring one another
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regardless of status. Whether you are young,
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you're old, whether you are rich or you're poor,
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whether you are European or African, whatever
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country you're coming from, whether you're a
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leader or you're a worker, whatever your position
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is in society, we live. honoring one another.
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And honor is our culture as Christians. Honor
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is our lifestyle as Christians. We honor one
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another because God dwells in each and every
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believer. So we honor one another because God
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lives in us. And we said that this kingdom is
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a kingdom that is also defined by selflessness.
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Sacrificial living is what defines the culture
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of This kingdom of God we belong to. And we saw
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this exemplified in the early church where they
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lived their life sacrificially. They gave their
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all. They ensured that none among them was in
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lack. They sold their properties. They shared
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among themselves their resources. And none was
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in lack of anything. So selflessness is what
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also... describe the kind of kingdom that we
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belong to. So if we belong to the kingdom of
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God, then we must live worthy of our kingdom.
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We must be able to express this culture of our
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kingdom, which is sacrificial living. Hallelujah.
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So we also emphasize a point here last time about
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humility. And of course, we saw Paul use Jesus
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Christ as an example for us to learn from, to
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emulate always. Hallelujah. So from verse 12,
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he says, therefore, verse 12 to 18, he says,
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therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
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not as in my presence only, but how much more
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in my absence, work out your own salvation with
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fear and what? And trembling. For it is God who
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works in you both to will and to do for his good
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pleasure. Do all things without complaining and
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disputing, that you may become blameless and
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harmless children of God without fault in the
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midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among
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whom you shine as light in the world, following
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fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice
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in the day of Christ, that I have not run in
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vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a
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drink offering on the sacrifice and service of
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your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
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Verse 18. For the same reason, you also be glad
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and rejoice with me. Hallelujah. So from this
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part of the epistles, we see Paul here is writing
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to the church and is calling them. to shine as
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light in what? In a crooked generation. You know,
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the word crooked here is a metaphor. Amen? It's
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a metaphor for a generation that is perverse,
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a generation that is not acknowledging God, a
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generation that does not live to honor God. And
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if Paul can call his own generation crooked,
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then I don't know what Paul will say to our generation
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today. Twisted would be an understatement because
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I don't know how corrupt his generation was compared
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to our generation today. But despite the nature
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of the society as of then, Paul is calling them
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to what? To live as light, to be the light in
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their generation. So we must also go back, you
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know, and put ourselves in the position of the
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Philippian church and contextualize this text
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to our own generation. It's a calling upon the
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believer. To do what? To live as what? To shine
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as light in the world, in this world, in this
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world. Hallelujah. So from the first part of
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verse 12, let's take it a bit slowly. It says,
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Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
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not as in my presence only, but how much more
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in my absence. So here Paul is requiring their
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obedience. to God's word in his absence, even
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as they've always obeyed what in his presence.
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He says, as you have always obeyed, not as in
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my word, in my presence only, which means that
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they've always obeyed in his presence. And what
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he's calling them to do here is not only to obey
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as he was in their presence with them, but how
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much more in his absence he require them to continue.
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to live in the obedience of God's word. Their
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obedience to God's word must not be for eye service.
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Amen? For them to be able to shine as light in
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a crooked generation, for them to be able to
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live a life worthy of their calling as children
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of God, as members of God's family, they must
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be able to live in obedience even in this absence.
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while he is there with them and even in his absence.
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So also our obedience to God's word must be on
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sight and off sight. If I'm using the right word.
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We must be very intentional about our word, our
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living, to honor God with our lives. Their obedience
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must not be when Paul is with them because some
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people can want to be obedient, especially because
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the Apostle Paul is around. So they want to demonstrate,
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they want to live. In light of the word, when
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they come to church, everybody looks holy and
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spiritual. But when they travel to a new location,
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the dynamics of their life changes because they
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are out of sight. We see Jesus speaking similarly
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in his teaching. Matthew 6, verse 1 to 4. Matthew
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6, verse 1 to 4. Jesus speaking in a similar
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tone. He says, take heed that you do not do your
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charitable deeds before men. to be seen by men,
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otherwise you have no reward from your Father
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in heaven. Now, our Father is in heaven. Therefore,
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when you do charitable deeds, do not sound a
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trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the
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synagogues and the streets that they may have
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glory from men. So the focus of what they do
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here is for men to see. The goal of their...
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Good works of their righteousness. Some translations
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would translate the charity work as righteousness.
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Their righteousness, the things they do which
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are right before men, is for men to see. Their
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goodness is for men to see. Do not sound a trumpet
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before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
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and in the streets, that they may have glory
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from who? From men. So their focus is to please
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men. Their glory is from men. Of course, this
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language here, right? Verse 4. Hallelujah. So
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the focus of the righteous act here is what?
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It's for men to see their goodness. It's for
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men to see their goodness. I want us to read
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this in the NLT. Give me this text. It's in Matthew
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6 in the NLT. It says, Don't do as hypocrites
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do, blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets
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to call attention to their acts of charity. So
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what they do is for sure, is for men, for men
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to see that, oh, this person is charitable, this
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person is good, this person is righteous, this
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person is living right. I tell you the truth,
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they have received all their rewards, all the
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rewards they will ever get. But when you give
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to someone in need, which is the charitable,
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which is the goodness, the work of righteousness,
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don't let your left hand know what your right
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hand is doing. Verse 4. Give your gift in private,
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and your Father who sees everything will reward
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you. And also Matthew 23. Matthew 23 in the NLT,
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still in the NLT. Matthew 23, verse 1. Then Jesus
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said to the crowds and to his disciples, the
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teachers of the religious law and the Pharisees,
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are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.
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So, practice and obey whatever they tell you.
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Don't follow their example. Now, it's an example
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that is a focus here. For they don't practice
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what they teach. They crush people with impossible
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religious demands and never lift a finger to
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ease the burden. Look at verse 5. It says, everything
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they do is what? It's for show. On their arms,
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they wear... Extra white prayer boxes, you know,
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in the Jewish tradition. They write, you know,
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today we have armbands, right? They write prayers.
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They have, yes, prayer shows. In our generation
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today, we say you have t -shirts that have design
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of Jesus over it. You know, you have walking
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the light behind you. And I'm a child of God
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in the front of your shirt. And look at the way
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they dress. And they wear robes with extra long
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tassels. They look holy from their appearance.
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They look godly from their appearance. Full of
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sure. Just stop at verse 5. And everything they
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do, the Bible says is what? It's for sure. It's
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for sure. It's for sure. So that men will see
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and reckon them as what? As righteous people.
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As people that are holy and righteous. But that
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is not the intent for God. That's not the intent
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of God for us rather. The motive for doing good
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must be to honor God and not men. Hallelujah.
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The intent of living a righteous life is not
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for men to see. It's for God to be honored. So
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Paul would tell the church, even in my absence,
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which means that my absence doesn't matter. Whether
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I am present or I am absent, there's no difference.
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You have a responsibility in my absence and in
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my presence. Only one thing, that God must be
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glorified. That you must live worthy, that your
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life... must be in order of your professional
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faith. That your life must be an example of the
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kingdom you belong to. So the motive for living
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right is not for men to see. It's not for the
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leaders in the church to see that you are doing
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well. It's not for you to show to people that
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you are righteous. I said you or we will know
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your motive after you have done good. If no one
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appreciates or recognizes your efforts. We will
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know your motive in church as we relate with
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one another, as we serve each other, as we do
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good to each other. We will know what your motive
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is, right? When someone does not even recognize
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the good that you are doing, when you do good
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to somebody and the person, you know, the leaders
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don't even see, they don't even see, you know,
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in this church, nobody sees the things I do,
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the effort I'm putting, right? Nobody sees the
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good that you are doing. Nobody appreciates you.
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Nobody even recognizes, just recognize, you know,
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the help that you render to this person. Nobody
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even chooses to recognize and it becomes a big
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problem for you. It's a symptom that you need
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to check the motive to why you are doing that
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thing. It's a litmus test, right? To the motive
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behind what you do. Are you doing it so that
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men will applaud you? So that men will say, ah,
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well done, you've done it well. So that men will
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see and say, ah, this brother is a righteous
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man. This sister is a righteous person. Oh, you're
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doing it so that God, who sees in secret, will
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be honored by the life that you've lived, by
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the good conduct you've kept, by the things you
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do. Our motives must be right. So your good conduct
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must not be because leaders are seeing you, but
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you must be consistent inside and even when you're
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not on site. You must be consistent online and
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even when you're offline. You must be consistent
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regardless of... The location you find yourself,
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you know, thank God for Cyprus. Cyprus is a transitional
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place for all of us. People come and go. We've
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seen people transform. Immediately, they leave
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this environment. All of a sudden, we see their
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posts even on social media changes. All of a
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sudden, we see even their addresses begin to
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change. We begin to wonder. So this sister, no,
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not any CF sisters, in Jesus' name, but this
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sister, the way she was looking, the way she
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used to dress this way in Cyprus, the moment
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she leaves this environment, Is it that there's
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a transformation that happens immediately you
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leave this place? Or when you were in your country,
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in Nigeria, wherever country, you were looking
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so holy and righteous. And the moment you leave
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the comfort of your parents' house, or where
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you are known, and you land in a place where
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you are not known, then we see a manifestation
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of a new person. The rebirth of a new person.
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Actually, that is who you used to be. There's
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nothing that changes. So, if you are a believer,
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you must ensure, we must trust God, that our
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life is consistent. We call this integrity. Hallelujah.
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That we are consistent in our identity regardless
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of where and when. Hallelujah. That we are known
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same wherever we find ourselves. It's a responsibility
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upon us as believers. This is how we will truly,
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truly shine the light in this dark and crooked
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generation. This is how you and I will be able
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to reflect the nature of God in this generation.
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We must be consistent. Of course, there's room
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for us to grow. Hallelujah. There's room for
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us to keep growing. We keep getting better. But
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let it not be that you are known as A here. And
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on the other end, you are C or you are B. We
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must have a consistent identity. And our identity
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must be that we are God's children. And in our
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lifestyle, it's consistently growing from good
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to the best. Hallelujah. So Paul here is telling
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them to do what? to obey in His absence as they've
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always obeyed, even in His presence. In the second
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part of the verse, verse 12, it says, You know,
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this has usually been misinterpreted to mean
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that the Christian must work out their salvation
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with fear and trembling so as not to lose it.
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First and foremost, The context of the conversation
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here, as we have seen, right from chapter 1,
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right, into chapter 2, even from the first verses
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in chapter 2, is not about salvation per se,
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how to be saved or how to keep your salvation.
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The context is that believers who are already
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saved are asked to do what? To live a life worthy
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of their identity. to live an exemplary life
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of Christ as they already have in them. So in
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chapter 1, verse 6, we see categorically, in
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chapter 1, verse 6 of Philippians, we see Paul
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would say, being confident of this very thing,
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that he who has begun a good work in you, which
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means that these people, God has already did
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a work in them. He has already done a work in
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them. That he who has begun a good work in you,
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and this good work... is the salvation of their
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lives. So this God has begun a good work in them
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who completed until the day of Jesus Christ.
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So Paul has already articulated from this verse,
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from the beginning, clearly that God is faithful
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to keep the believers. So we cannot assert that
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the believer in this verse is walking out of
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salvation, is keeping himself, is keeping his
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salvation. God is the one that is faithful. To
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keep the believer. So Paul cannot come in chapter
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2, verse 12, and ask them to work to secure or
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to preserve their salvation. And that would be
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a contradiction. In verse 13, we see clearly,
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because, of course, it's the same conversation.
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It says, for it is God, because he didn't stop
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in verse 2. He says, for it is God who works
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in you, but to do what? But to will and to do
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for his good pleasure. So God is the one that
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is working in the believer. We must read the
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scripture not in phrases if we must understand
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the scriptures. To make meaning in order to interpret,
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we mustn't just read in phrases because reading
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in phrases will lead us to misinterpretation
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of a text. So I want us to read verse 6 concurrently
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together with verse 13 and we'll make sense of
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God's faithfulness in this conversation. Verse
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6, chapter 1, verse 6. It says, being confident
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of this very thing, maybe media can keep... Give
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us chapter 1, verse 6, and also chapter 2, verse
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13 together. I want to see the consistency of
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Paul's communication here. He says, And then
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he made a statement again in verse 13 of chapter
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2. He says, but to will and to do of his good
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pleasure. This in no way relinquish the responsibility
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of giving the believer to himself. Hallelujah.
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God himself is responsible for what? For giving
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the believer. So salvation is completely the
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work of God in the life of the believer and not
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the believer's effort. Ephesians 2, verse 8 to
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9, you can see that there. Ephesians 2, verse
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8 to 9 talks about, you know, by grace we've
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been saved and it's none of our works, but it
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is God's work in us for grace. By grace you've
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been saved through faith and that not of yourself,
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it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest anyone
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should boast. And God will finish what he has
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established in the believer. Hebrews 7, verse
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25. Hebrews 7, 25. He says, therefore, he is
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also able. Who is able? The Christian? Who is
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able? God is able to the autumns, to save to
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the autumns those who come to God through him
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since he always lives to make intercession for
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them. So God has the ability to keep the believer,
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to uphold the believer. Then what will Paul be
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referring to? Walk out your salvation with fear
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and trembling. It is the same conversation we've
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been making. It means to show forth the life,
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right, that the believer already has. In other
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words, to live worthy of your calling as one
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who has been saved, as members of God's kingdom.
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I want us to read Philippians 2, verse 12 and
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13 together in the NLT. It has a better rendition
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of this text. It says, Dear friends, You always
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follow my instructions when I was with you. And
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now that I am away, it is even more important.
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Now look at the way they walk out your salvation.
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It says, walk hard to do what? To show the result
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of your salvation, which means that you are saved
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and you have salvation. So what are you to do?
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You are to walk. What is the walk in there? To
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show the result. To show that you are saved.
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To show that you are a Christian. To show that
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you've been saved from sin. Obeying God with
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deep reverence and fear. Verse 13. For God is
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working in you. Who is doing the working? God
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is enabling the believer. Giving you what? The
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desire and the power to do what pleases him.
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Hallelujah. So God here has the ability, has
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given us the ability rather, He has implanted
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in the believer the ability to do what? To show
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forth the life that has been put in him. To express
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the God kind of life that is in the believer.
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To live worthy of his identity. To be able to
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live as a child of God. To be able to live as
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a Christian. In verse 14 to 18, we see that Paul
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further expresses how the believer will live
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worthy of the gospel they have received. Especially
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in verse 14, he says, What does verse 14? Yeah,
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give me verse 14. It says, do everything without
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what? Without complaining and arguing. So that
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no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent
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lives as children of God. Not that you are living
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this life so that you will be a child of God.
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Right? But because you are a child of God, you
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must live a clean, innocent life. shining like
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bright lights in the world full of crooked and
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perverse people. So there must be a difference
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between one that is born again and one that is
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not born again. There must be a distinction between
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a believer and a non -believer. There must be
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a distinction between those who are of the kingdom
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of light and those who are of the kingdom of
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darkness. It is not complaining and disputing.
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Complaining and disputing are manifestations
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of another identity. which must not be seen in
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the believer. Some translation translated this
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complaint as grumbling, murmuring, which refers
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to a secret debate in a man's heart. See, this
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happens in the heart. And then we see your actions
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representing, you know, what thoughts you have
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in your heart. Not disputing, questioning about
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what is true about God. Give me verse 15 in the
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Amplified. So that you may prove yourselves.
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to be blameless and guiltless, innocent and uncontaminated
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children of God without blemish in the midst
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of a morally what? Crooked and spiritually perverted
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generation among whom you have seen as bright
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lights, beacons shining out clearly in the world
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of darkness. So we live in a generation where...
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There must be a distinction between those who
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belong to the kingdom of God and those who belong
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to the kingdom of darkness. So now, in the King
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James, this verse 15, which seems as though it's
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in living right, then we what? That ye may be
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blameless. No, we are blameless. If we read it
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clearly, it's that we are blameless. We are righteous
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as we saw in the NLT. It is our identity. We
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are showing proof that we are the children of
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God. We are showing forward to people to see.
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And our intent is not people actually. It's to
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honor and glorify God. Hallelujah. It's to honor
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and glorify God. That our lifestyle must be that
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which brings glory and honor to God. So what
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characterizes our Christian service? What influences
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our service in the Christendom? Why do you do
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the things you do in the church? Why do you live
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the life you live? What influences your behavior
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as a believer? Do you serve God joyfully? Or
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you have, you know, the circumstance around you
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influences your service? To please people or
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to please God? It is important that God is the
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focus of our service. It's important that God
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is the focus. It's to honor God. It should be
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an expression of our love towards God because
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He has loved us. And he has given us a gift.
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And the gift is his life that lives in us. And
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we give expression to the life. So when we talk
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about loving people, when we talk about living
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sacrificially, when we talk about expressing
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the love of God one to another, it's because
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we have the life in us. And we are meant to give
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expression to this life that is in us. So I want
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us to read from verse 12 to verse 18 contextually
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from the NLT translation. It says, Dear friends,
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You always followed my instructions when I was
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with you. And now that I am away, it is even
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more important, work hard to show the result
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of your salvation. And how do we do it? Obeying
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God with what? With deep reverence and fear.
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For God is working in you. God is working in
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us. He's working in you. He's transforming us
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daily. Giving you the desire. We don't quench
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the desire of God in our hearts. Hallelujah.
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The fact that God puts a desire in your heart
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does not mean that the desire will manifest itself.
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You must give expression to the desire of God
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within you. There is a prompting of the Spirit
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of God in every believer that has the Spirit
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of God. To do good is your natural behavior because
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you are a man and a woman that has the Spirit
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of God in you. So do not silence the prompting
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of the Spirit of God to live righteously, to
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do good. For God is working in you. And what
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does he do? He put the desire in you. And he
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gives you the power. And what is the power that
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he has put in you? He lives in you, the believer,
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as a spirit. So that you do what pleases him.
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It should be a relief for you that you don't
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have to do it by your strength. The moment you
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allow the spirit and you try to please God by
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your methods, outside the prescribed word of
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God, which is by faith, then you go into activities.
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Then you go into law. You go into doing things
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just as a Pharisee. When you begin to describe
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your own methods of pleasing God, apart from
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what God has said, that you've pleased God by
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faith. In fact, you're already, God is pleased
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with you because you believe in Jesus Christ.
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Hallelujah. That should be a relief for us. So
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our lifestyle should not be, you know, an effort
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to make God happy. Every day we want to see,
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no, we are already perfected in Christ Jesus.
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God has accepted us. He's happy with us. Let
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me use that word, happy. He's pleased with us.
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He has accepted us in Christ Jesus. So we have
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to live as those who have been accepted, as those
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who have been forgiven, as those who have been
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cleansed, as those who have been made righteous.
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We have right standing with God. So we are not
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in a performance to make God happy with us. There's
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nothing you can do on your own to please God.
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But He... has created a way for us to please
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him, and it's through Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
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So, let's continue with the reading. It says,
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do everything without complaining and arguing,
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so that no one can criticize you. Live clean,
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innocent lives as children of God, shining like
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bright lights in a world full of crook and perverse
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people, meaning that our lives must be distinct,
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there must be a distinction in our lifestyle.
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Verse 16. All family to the word of life. And
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on the day of Christ. Christ's return. I will
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be proud that I did not ruin the race in vain.
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That my work was not useless. But I will rejoice
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even if I lose my life. Pouring it out like a
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liquid offering to God. Just like your faithful
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service is an offering to God. And I will all
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of you. To share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice
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and I will share your joy. Hallelujah. So that
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is the conversation of Paul all through. That
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a believer must live worthy. Continue in obedience.
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In obedience to what? To all the things that
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he has been saying from chapter 1 to chapter
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2. To continuously live distinctively. Showing
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that we are different, that we are men, that
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God has changed. We are men and women that God
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has transformed. And the Spirit of God lives
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in us to help us to live a life that will bring
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honor and glory to Him. Hallelujah. So when we
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begin to say that we are to manifest the kingdom,
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all we are saying is show your identity. Amen?
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Show who you are. Reveal to the world who truly
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you are. It's not a time to be showing a different
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identity of who we are. Our generation needs
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men and women. I will stand for God. That our
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lifestyle will show a different life apart from
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what is obtainable in the world. God is counting
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on you. Not that you only go out to preach. You
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know, we preach. We extend the kingdom of God
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in the hearts of men, right? We expand the kingdom
34:41
of God by willing souls. The kingdom is a spiritual
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kingdom and the expansion of this kingdom is
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in the heart of men. Not only that, we go out
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to preach. But we show the way we manifest this
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kingdom by our lifestyle. We allow the lifestyle
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to be seen. We are lights. And this light must
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be seen. People should not mistake your identity.
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People should not mistake our identity. People
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should not begin to question whether this person,
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are you a Christian? Do you go to church? But
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people should even see clearly who you are. They
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saw the Christians. They saw the disciples. The
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way they live their lives and they call them
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Christians because they saw something exceptional
35:18
about them. They say something distinctive about
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them. That they live like Christ. But rather,
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Christ lives in them. And he lives his life through
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them. And they are not different from us. Hallelujah.
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So the challenge for us this week, as we continue,
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is that I will ensure that I give expression
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to my identity. Hallelujah. That my lifestyle
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must match my profession of faith. That I will
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continue to live in obedience. Not influenced
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by people. but by my conviction or my profession
35:52
of faith in who I believe in, in Jesus Christ.
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Just begin to pray for yourself and ask God to
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help you. And the prayer is this, that in all
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circumstances, in all situations, in all locations,
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in the open and in the secret, that my life will
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bring glory to God. That my life will bring glory
36:14
to God. Perhaps you are here and then... There
36:17
is nothing of the Spirit of God in your heart
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that, oh, I've not been living worthy of my identity.
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I've not been living as who men should see me
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as. That my profession of faith is only something
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that is a show. I'm putting in a show. I'm acting.
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I want you to pray at this moment that God should
36:36
help you. That God should help us. That the world
36:40
would not mistake our identity. That we will
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not be reflecting a different identity apart
36:46
from who God has made us to be. It doesn't matter
36:49
whether you're a leader, whether you're a preacher,
36:52
whether you're a teacher. There's a tendency
36:54
for us to deny our identity. Circumstances will
36:58
provide themselves. Opportunities will come to
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test the genuineness of our profession of faith.
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As we go through this day, even today, as you're
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living in this place, for the account of the
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word you've received, you'll be tested. On the
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account of saying you are a believer, you will
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be tested. And the good news is that if you've
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fallen several times, of which we all have fallen,
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the good news is that in Christ, we have restoration.
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So today is a fresh opportunity. Tomorrow is
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a fresh opportunity. Going forward is a fresh
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opportunity for us to stand in our identity,
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depending on the ability of the Spirit of God.
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Not on our own making, not on our own power.
37:42
Not in our own strength, but in the strength
37:46
of the Lord. I can sense that somebody here is
37:49
having regrets and remorse. It doesn't just end
37:53
in regretting. It doesn't just end in having
37:54
remorse. But are you willing to allow God to
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express himself through you? Are you willing
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to allow God to express his life through you?
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Are you willing to allow the Spirit of God to
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transform your character? Perhaps you could have
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been more loving to the brother. Perhaps you
38:10
could have been more sacrificial to the sister.
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Perhaps you could have glorified God in that
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moment, in that hour. But then you did the contrary
38:19
to the word of God. And there's a word of comfort.
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There's a fresh opportunity to represent God.
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There's a fresh opportunity. See, you don't have
38:27
anything to prove to anybody. You're not living
38:31
to please men, but you're living to please God.
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And if God is saying, I'm pleased with you, then
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the testimony of men does not matter. First and
38:40
foremost, the testimony of God matters. And what
38:42
God has said about you in his word is what matters.
38:45
And what he's saying right now is that you are
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perfected. What God is saying right now is that
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you are righteous. What God is saying right now
38:51
is that you are forgiven. That's a word of hope
38:53
for somebody. What God is saying is that you
38:55
are cleansed and you are made righteous. Yes,
38:58
even you can live to represent God in this generation.
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Your conduct will glorify God. Your lifestyle
39:07
will honor God. Your speech will honor God. Your
39:12
conversation with men will honor God. Give God
39:15
a chance to walk through you. He has put the
39:18
desire in you. The reason why you are feeling
39:20
remorseful is because he is walking in you. He
39:23
is prompting you. He is like a light inside you.
39:26
Illuminating and shining and showing any dark
39:29
part in you. Allow the word of God to reflect
39:31
through your life. To illuminate through your
39:34
life. Allow men. To be drawn to the goodness
39:37
of God through your life. Don't hide your light
39:40
under the bushel. Allow the forgiveness of God
39:43
to be oozing out of your life. Somebody here
39:46
is holding on forgiveness. Oh, there's an offense.
39:49
A brother, a sister has offended you. And you
39:53
find it so difficult. It's an instruction for
39:56
you to forgive and let go. Father, help us that
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we will represent you here on earth. The kingdom
40:02
of God. is spiritual, the kingdom of God is heavenly,
40:07
but is seen in the activities of men on the face
40:10
of the earth. Father, that we will demonstrate
40:12
your kingdom on the earth, that we will show
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forth who we are on the earth, that we will show
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the difference on the earth, that there will
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be no complaining and grumbling in our hearts
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concerning your word, concerning what you've
40:26
called us to be and what to do. Share it with
40:52
a friend. Till next time, be blessed.