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A Pattern For Life · Sermon Podcast at Cartersville1st

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If you have your Bible, and I hope you do, go and make your
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way to Genesis chapter 12. Genesis chapter 12 versus one
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through 3 will be our text this morning.
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We're diving back into our normal rhythm of walking through
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a book of the Bible we left off with Genesis about 3 years ago.
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And not that I expect you to remember everything from
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chapters one through 11. I'll give you a little recap
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here in a second, but we're going back to this beginning
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book of the Bible. It has so many foundational
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things about God, about life, about the way he's designed us
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to walk by faith with him. And so as we walk through the
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story of Genesis, we're going to be unpacking this idea of
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answering the call, answering the call of God.
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We're going to see this displayed in the life of Abram
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and others. But I'm also inviting you in to
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see how God has a call on your life and you're answering that
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call somehow, someway, even this morning.
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And of course, the only the only answer really that's that
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satisfies that's that, that that is right is yes, yes, by faith.
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We're going to see that. And I'm praying that whatever
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way in whatever direction God is calling you through the word of
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God, you will too. I will too say say yes.
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Well, Genesis one through 11 has been compared to a baseball
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game. This is a little
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oversimplification, but if it helps, just get a little running
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start. Basically, you know mankind is
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given the opportunity by God to step up to the plate to hit the
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pitch of the will of God with their lives and their choices
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and their living. Adam and Eve have the first step
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back and perhaps things go OK there for a little while, but
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soon enough the pitch comes of hitting the will of God, obeying
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His instructions, and Adam and Eve swing and miss as they
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choose to do life their own way and rebel and disobey God.
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Strike one. Fast forward a little bit to
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about Genesis 7. Humanity is back up to the plate
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of God's will in general. Mankind has been given the
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opportunity by God to place faith in Him, to walk in
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obedience to Him or not. And guess what?
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It was or not, with the sole exception of Noah and his wife
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and his three sons and their wives, no one on the planets
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really choosing to honor and obey God.
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And God says I'm going to start over.
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They, they, they've missed again the pitch of doing my will for
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my glory. And with the exception of Noah
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and his family, God starts over. Strike two for humanity.
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Fast forward a little bit to Genesis 11.
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There's a story there of how mankind had been given
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instructions by God after the flood to start over and multiply
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and spread out and disperse over the earth and multiply and
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fulfill the Commission God had given mankind to do.
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But what did mankind decide to do?
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Did they follow God's instructions?
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Nope, they gathered together, said we like it right here.
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We're going to do what we want. We're going to build a tower for
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our name and our fame against the against God's direction.
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And God of course, does something pretty unique.
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He scrambles their languages to force them to disperse, to form
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the nations of the world and God forces them to according to his
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plan, right. Humanity had opportunity, but
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strike three. Really the question is when you
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get to the end of Genesis one through 11 is what's going to
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what's God going to do for man who has struck out when it comes
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to doing the will of God. God made us a perfect world.
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We've messed it up. The curse of sin has come in
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Surely the umpire of life's about to call strike three-year,
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but do you remember a promise that God made back in Genesis 3
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right after strike one? Remember a promise God made
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Genesis 315, where God said from the woman will come one day, and
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I'm paraphrasing one born of woman, the seed of one would
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come one day who will crush the head of the serpent.
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In other words, God was prophesying, God was
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foretelling, God was promising the fact that one day one would
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come to do for us what we had failed to do, that He would live
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without sin, that He would fulfill all righteousness, that
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He would live out the perfect will of God in our place.
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So how is Genesis 315 going to come true?
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How is God going to bless sinners that keep striking out
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when it comes to His will? With Genesis 12?
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One through 3 is really the beginning of the answer.
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What's God going to do to bat for us?
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What's God going to do to win for us?
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This is how God is going to begin to fulfill the promise He
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made back in chapter 3, verse 15.
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Listen to the Word of God from Genesis 12, verse one through 3.
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Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your
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kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show
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you, and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and
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make your name great so that you will be a blessing.
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I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you I will
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curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be
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blessed. Father, I ask that as we open up
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your word today that you'd make it clear to us that you would
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Pierce our hearts, that you would draw us to obey, Father,
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to put our faith in you and trust you and your will and your
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promises for our lives. We pray in Jesus name.
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All God's people said, Amen. How is God going to rescue
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sinners who have struck out? How's God going to bat for us?
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How is God going to win for us? What God, what is God going to
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do for Genesis 315 to unfold? And by the way, what pattern?
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This is what I really want to unpack for us this morning.
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What pattern do we see in these verses of the pattern that God
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invites us to embrace for our lives?
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What pattern does God want you to embrace in your life when it
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comes to saying yes to Him by faith?
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This is the pattern of life we're going to see here in this
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pattern that God uses and shows us in His Word through Abraham.
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And here's the first part of it. You ready in your notes #1 God
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calls us. We see in verse one that God
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calls us. You see, Abraham here receives
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God's invitation to participate in God's plan for his life.
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I want to say that one more time, because this is, this is
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true for you too. All right.
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Here Abraham receives God's invitation to participate in
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God's plan for his life. All right.
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This is how God, by his own mercy and grace and love,
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relates to us as sinners who struck out.
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He invites us to join His team. He invites us to participate in
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His plan by His power with him. This is amazing, right?
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God calls us. God invites us.
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He doesn't force us, He doesn't pressure us.
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He calls us. And of course, Abraham's call
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that we just read about here is incredibly unique, by the way.
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That's true for all of us. In other words, no two of us
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have the exact same call of God on our lives.
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I want you to think about that God has a unique only for you
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plan and purpose for you that's different than mine.
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Now it all relates to knowing His Son and making His Son
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known. It all is connected with being
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made like Christ and fulfilling the Great Commission.
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It all involves glorifying Jesus.
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But God has No2 plans that are exactly alike for any two
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people. Abraham's call was unique.
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Your call is unique. And of course, here Abraham's
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call was to pack, load, move and leave house, home, family,
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country, kindred, loved ones, inheritance, everything he knew.
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Here's I want you want something I want you to realize true about
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Abraham's call, true about your call.
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God's call always involves an element of leaving.
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God's call always will involve an element of leaving, you say
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Kyle. What do you mean?
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It may not mean having to leave house, homeland, loved ones, and
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everything you know, but it might to 1° or another.
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You see, God's call will always involve leaving something,
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somehow, someone. God's call will always involve
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leaving to some degree, you say Kyle.
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Why is that? Because you can't join God's
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plan unless you abandoned your plan.
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You can't participate in God's will until you say no to whose
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will? Your will.
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Embracing God's will for your life is always going to involve
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an element of leaving behind something that you perhaps would
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have chosen, that you would have kept, that you would allowed to
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have stayed the same. God's call on your life is
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always going to involve a matter of leaving, right?
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In other words, to put it in mathematical terms, the math of
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God's will for your life is always going to involve
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subtraction. But this is where we as
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Christians often go wrong. Why is that?
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Because this is where we often refuse to let go of something
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God caused us to let go of. In other words, lots of people
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love addition, and I'll take Jesus in addition to everything
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else I know and love. I'll take Jesus and add him to
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my plan. I'll take Jesus and make him the
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icing on my cake. I'll take Jesus and place him
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between the bread of the sandwich I'm already making.
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I love addition. We all love addition, don't we?
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But God's will for your life always, always, always involves
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some level of subtraction. But this is where we often go
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wrong because we refuse. We often refuse to let go of
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what God is calling us to leave behind.
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God's call to Abraham was to leave house, to leave home, to
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leave country, to leave kindred and go, go where did you notice
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what God says to the land? I will show you now if you're in
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Abraham's shoes, you're like, wow, God, that's real clear.
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Not y'all awake this morning. Come on now, I know it's cold.
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I know it's early. I mean God, don't you at least
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want to give me a pin? Don't you want to give me an
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address like drop me somewhere so I know like where I'm headed?
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That's like, I'm going to show you man.
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Just pack, just load, just leave, just go.
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Unbelievable. How am I supposed to get there?
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How am I supposed to know where I'm going?
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How am I supposed to know the final destination?
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Let me give you another little truth about God's call.
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The call of God never comes with all the answers.
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The call of God in your life will always require some level
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of subtraction. And y'all, the call of God will
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never immediately come with all the answers.
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You can mark it down. You see here, the call of God
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never starts with the final destination.
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It always requires faith. The call of God does come with
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the promise of God. I will show you.
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And the call of God always comes with all we need to know to
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follow. Let me say that one more time.
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The call of God always comes with all that we need to know in
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order to follow. In other words, God will always
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give you the step you need when you need it, but God is not
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interested in beginning to show you the final destination.
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If he did, it'd probably mess us up.
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If y'all were here for the FCA banquet on Thursday night, we
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got to hear a man by the name of Ned Yost share his story.
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It was an amazing story. Of course, you know, a very
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successful baseball player and manager and of course it took
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him a long time. He didn't come to faith till
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later in life and then he realized God was calling him to
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be a faith leader in the baseball community.
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But it took him a while to realize that final destination
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that God had in mind. This is what God does.
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God calls us. Let me just stop and ask you,
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have you heard the call of God to participate in His plan for
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your life? Have you responded to the call
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of God to be on His team and live His will and His path, His
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plan, His purpose for your life? And have you said yes?
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Have you been willing to let go of whatever it is God wants you
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to let go of in order to embrace whatever it is God wants you to
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embrace? And if not, I, I pray that you
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hear God inviting you to His plan even now as I speak, that
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you would say yes to God's plan on your life.
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You say, Kyle, why do I need to say yes to God's plan?
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Let me just kind of go back to the square one beginning and
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remind us, right? Maybe this is for you if you've
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yet to really understand the situation you're in spiritually,
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That we all as human beings are sinners that have struck out of
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the will of God and deserved to be called out forever.
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We deserve God's separation from God, condemnation from God,
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judgment from God because of our unrighteousness, breaking the
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law of God, having sinned against God.
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And yet God in his mercy, love and grace sent salvation for you
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and for me. And if I could put it in the
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words of Genesis, God didn't send salvation for us in a
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wooden boat, but in a wooden cross.
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And where we should have been, Jesus hung for us, paying our
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sin debt, paying the wrath of God we deserve, so that we could
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escape the coming flood of the judgment of God against the sin
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of mankind, which is coming. And only those that are covered
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by the blood of Jesus, having said yes to Him by faith, will
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escape the flood of the judgment of God against the sin of
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mankind. We've struck out, but God says
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there's a way out. His name is Jesus.
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If you'll place your faith and call on Him for salvation.
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Have you done that? This is where the call of God
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begins. This is where the invitation to
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be on God's team begins. We don't deserve it.
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God invites us. He won't pressure you.
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He won't force you. He won't shout at you.
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He lovingly invites you. Have you said yes?
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God calls. Can you hear Him calling?
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This is God's pattern #2 God calls second, God calls us to
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bless us. God calls us to bless us.
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Y'all. Abram was asked to do a ton of
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subtraction in his life in order to say yes to God's call.
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But here's another little truth about the call of God in our
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lives. But God's addition.
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God's addition always makes any subtraction he asked of us
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totally worth it. God's addition always makes
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whatever subtraction He asked of us totally worth it.
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And I just want you to check out the math of edition that God was
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calling Abram into. Notice this land, Abram, I'm
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going to give you a land. I'm going to leave a home and a
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home forever, a place that is particularly yours and your
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offspring. I'm going to make you a nation.
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I'm going to give you offspring and descendants more than people
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can count. I'm going to give you a name and
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identity. I'm going to give you blessing
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and impact on the lives of others.
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Abraham, I'm going to give you protection in My presence to go
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with you. I'm going to invite you in to
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fulfill My plan and purpose, not just for you, but for all of
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mankind, for all the families of the earth.
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Are you kidding me? Right?
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I mean, unbelievable. Yes, Abram is asked to subtract,
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but look at the addition that God is asking and inviting Abram
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into. Listen, I want you to mark down
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a couple things in your notes about this right here.
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Number one, the blessings of God's call are infinitely
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bigger, better, and beyond anything we leave behind.
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The blessings of God's call are infinitely bigger, better, and
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beyond anything and everything we could possibly leave behind.
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You see, what I mean is the blessings of saying yes to God
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always outweigh whatever earthly sacrifices God calls us to make.
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You might say, well, Kyle, my goodness, if I if I knew the
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call of God on my life was as big and bright and beautiful as
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Abrams sounded like, I might be more excited too.
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I might be willing to do some subtraction if I knew all that
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was in store. And perhaps it's in that moment
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we need to be reminded, right, that the very second we have
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Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are infinitely better
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and beyond anything and everything we could ever
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deserve. Our sins have been washed clean.
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We've been given new life. We've been given the hope of
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heaven. We've been given the promise of
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the Holy Spirit, the promise that Jesus will never leave us
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nor forsake us, that he's going to guide us to our last breath.
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We're going to see him face to face that Jesus is returning for
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us. The very moment, the very moment
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you have Jesus, you're always infinitely better than you could
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ever deserve. Not to mention the truth that
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now that we have Jesus, right, and that's bigger, better, and
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beyond anything we could leave behind.
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And then we can live life through the ups and downs and
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the trials and tribulations, knowing that to live is Christ
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and to die is. And then this light, momentary
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affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory
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beyond anything we could ever ask or imagine.
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That what's coming for the people of God cannot even be
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compared to whatever you might be asked to subtract in life to
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follow Jesus. Listen, it's a joke compared to
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what God has in store for you and for me.
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It doesn't compare. Second thing to write down under
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how God calls us to bless us is this.
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The blessings of God's call are impossible.
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Outside the supernatural power of God, the blessings of God's
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call are impossible. We need to recognize that
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outside the supernatural power of God.
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You see, as wonderful as all these blessings sound, as we
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read them and as Abraham heard them, it appears obviously
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they're all not just improbable, they're humanly impossible.
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Let's just break this down. Abraham is 75 when he hears this
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call from God. Sarah is 65.
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And remember some of these blessings, God said he was going
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to give them land, name, nation, blessing, offspring, y'all?
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They've been trying for years to have offspring to no avail.
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They tried for decades. They've long given up hope.
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Now that Sarah's had the hot flashes years ago, they've
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really given up hope. All right.
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This is a dead end. There is no physical offspring.
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God, how in the world you going to do any of that?
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This situation? God, you've promised me
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something. This isn't just improbable, it's
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actually absolutely impossible outside the supernatural divine
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intervention of God. I'm just going to tell you to
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receive the call of God and say, yes, God is always going to
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require faith because God always wants to do and you only can be
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accomplished by his supernatural power.
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And you know what's so ironic? It's so funny how we often lose
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faith that God could ever use us or do anything in our lives or
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have a plan for us or do anything of eternal significance
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with us. And it's like we forget.
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It's like we forget that our salvation was impossible without
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God. We're only alive and in Christ
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because God has not just overcome the improbable, He's
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done the impossible. Here's what I mean.
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I don't think we appreciate this.
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No one, the Bible says, can just say yes to Jesus when they want
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to say yes to Jesus. Did you know that the Holy
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Spirit has to draw them? Did you know the Holy Spirit has
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to open your eyes? Did you know the Bible says
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you're blind until God removes the scales from your eyes and as
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of your heart can see the truth from the lies.
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Then you realize your need for Jesus.
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You if you're saved, that is a miracle of God.
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And then why, if we're alive and a believer as a result of a
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miracle of God, why would we doubt the plan of God only
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possible by other miracles of God?
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Wouldn't we just say, hey, if God did it once, God could do it
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again? But nowhere like the Israelites
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who got to see like 10 amazing plagues.
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Then they get to the Red Sea and they're like, Oh my goodness,
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what are we going to do? What, what where you been?
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Where you been? What's God been doing right?
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But that's how we live, is it not?
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We like, we're like, where's God, you know, comes through
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again, comes through again. Why would we doubt God has
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powerful supernatural, not just improbable, but infinitely
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better than we could imagine, plans for us when we're alive in
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Jesus by the supernatural power of God.
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You know, God calls us, God calls us to bless us.
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Thirdly, God calls us to bless us to bless others.
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God calls us to bless us to bless others.
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Listen to verse two and three again.
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God says, and I will make you a great nation and I will bless
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you and make your name great. Watch this so that you will be a
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blessing. I will bless those who bless you
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and then who dishonors you, I will curse.
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And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
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The call of, of God on Abraham's life was never just about Abram.
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You see that it was a small part of something much, much bigger.
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Let me just tell you again, God's call on your life is never
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just about you. This is something we take for
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granted. We, we often think, well, my
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choices about whether I embrace God's call on my life, that that
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just affects me, that that's personal to me.
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No, no, it's not. It's always going to ripple
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effect in somebody else's life. God's call on your life is never
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just about you. It is always about the plan and
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purpose of God that He has for you in the lives of others.
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What if Abram would have said no to God's call on his life to be
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a blessing to all the families of the earth?
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What if you were to say no to God's plan and purpose for your
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life? How many people would it affect?
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You can't even imagine. God's call on your life is
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always a small slice of something much bigger.
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And your response to God impacts the lives of not just your life,
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but the lives of countless others.
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Countless others are impacted on your response.
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And by the way, your yes, can I put it like this?
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Your yes to God's call on your life is God's invitation to
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eternal significance beyond your wildest imagination Your yes the
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God's goal in your life is God's invitation to countless to
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eternal significance beyond your beyond your imagination.
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Y'all, as soon as God tells Abraham that he's going to bless
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him, he tells him. Why?
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So that, so that you, Abraham will be a blessing.
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Y'all, in order not to assume anything, let's just define what
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it means to be a blessing. What is it to be blessed?
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To be blessed right is to experience the favor of God.
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It is to experience the favor of God.
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What is the favor of God is being invited into a personal
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relationship with God be to be blessed is to know God.
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To be blessed is to experience God, to know his person, his
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power, his presence, his protection, his provision, his
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plan, his purpose. To be blessed is to be used by
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God, to be accomplishing the will of God by his power,
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spreading the knowledge of God, glorifying God.
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All these things are ways, right, that the blessing of God
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has experienced in our lives. And the greatest way, the
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ultimate and greatest way that this promise would be fulfilled
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to Abram is that through the line of Abram, a son would be
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born. Not just any son, but the Son of
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God, the promise, the promised offspring of the woman that
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would crush the head of the serpent promised in Genesis 315
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would come through the line of Abram, born a savior of the
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world, bringing the message of the good news of the gospel.
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That is that Jesus has done for us what we could not do for
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ourselves to save us. Offered to the Jew 1st and also
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to the Gentile. The way we put it in the
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Christmas story, it's going to be good news of great joy for
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all people. The way it's put here in
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Genesis, in you, all the families of the earth will be
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blessed. You want to jump to the New
24:28
Testament to see how it's stated in Galatians 3 verse verse 8 and
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the scripture Paul writes what this is fascinating for seeing
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that God would justify the Gentiles.
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That's all the non Jews by faith preached the gospel.
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Who first preached the gospel? God did the Bible said God
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preached it to Abraham when he said in you all the families of
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the earth we're going to be are going to be blessed.
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God preaches the gospel before him to Abraham saying in you all
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the nations will be blessed to this day and until the day Jesus
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returns. The greatest way God uses us to
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bless others is when we share the good news of Jesus with them
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and how they can be saved. I just want to stop here for a
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moment and I just want to continue to clarify something
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that we talk about as a church all the time because we end
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every service with as you go, you go to what in the world does
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that mean? Let me just tell you what that
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means. To make disciples.
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To make disciples is simply to help others become more like
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Jesus. That's it.
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It's to help others become more like Jesus.
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Now you say, well, Kyle, that's kind of got two parts to it.
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It does. The first part of that is
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introducing people to Jesus. They can't be like him.
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They can't follow him. They can't know him until
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they're introduced to him. This is why the Bible says faith
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comes by hearing by the word of Christ.
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How can they be saved without a preacher?
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That doesn't mean a paid guy on a stage.
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That means a Christian bold enough to open up their mouth
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and say Jesus loves you, He died for you.
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He wants to save you if you'll trust Him for forgiveness of
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your sin. To make disciples is to
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introduce people to Jesus and then to help walk people towards
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obedience to Jesus so their daily lives they look more like
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Jesus as they get to know Him right?
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Making disciples means inviting people to church.
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Making disciples means praying over people when you get an
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opportunity. Making disciples means
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encouraging A fellow believer in Jesus of how does it look to
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follow and obey Jesus in life in ordinary situations and moments.
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Making disciples dads looks like modeling Christ likeness in your
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home. Wives, it looks like modeling
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Christ likeness in your homes. It looks like parenting your
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kids to disciple them to know Jesus, opening up the word of
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God, living it out in your workplace.
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Y'all it's it's, it's so simple. We lose sight of it sometimes.
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Discipleship is just becoming more like Jesus.
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What we're saying is when you leave here today, tomorrow and
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until we return, introduce people to Jesus and help them
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walk more closely with Jesus. That's what we mean when we say
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make disciples. This is the blessing promised to
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Abraham continuing to go forth through all the families of the
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earth. Y'all.
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This is the mission of God that he's been up to since the
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beginning, preaching the gospel. This is the mission he's invited
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us into. And this is the mission of our
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church to make disciples of all nations starting right here to
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the ends of the earth. I think we should just, let's
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just remind ourselves of the basics.
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You ready? Life's greatest blessing is
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knowing God through his Son Jesus Christ.
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That's it. You want to know what life's
27:44
greatest problem is when people don't know God through his son
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Jesus Christ. The world's greatest problem is
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lostness. That means spiritually out of a
27:58
relationship, not knowing God through his son Jesus.
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Abraham, I'm going to bless your life so that you can give the
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greatest blessing to countless others.
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God calls us to bless us and use us to bless others.
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Now, I want you to watch this for a second because I'm going
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to kind of change gears here for a second to speak to something
28:18
that this text brings up. And I want to try to just be
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very clear. I'm doing this just because I
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think pastorally this is helpful for us as believers to process.
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Notice this though, Abraham is blessed by God to be a blessing,
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right to all the people. Did you notice that much of the
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blessing that is promised is dependent on how people treat
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Abram? Do you notice that?
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God's like, hey, people that do this, I'm going to do this.
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People that do this, I'm going to do this.
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Do you notice that? There's kind of a conditional
28:48
situation here, All right, It says, I'll bless those who bless
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you and him who dishonors you. I will curse.
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Let's be more specific. God promises to bless those who
28:59
seek the honor, the good and the blessing of Abraham in his
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offspring. And then God promises to curse
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those who seek the dishonor, the harm, the hurt of Abraham in his
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offspring. I don't know if you've noticed
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this verse is somewhat of a lightning rod in our culture
29:17
today. Anybody see the Tucker Carlson
29:20
interview with Ted Cruz where this verse, this subject came
29:24
up? Anybody.
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Few of you. All right, you can Google that
29:30
Ted Cruz took some heat for his lack of ability to really speak
29:34
clearly on a stance that he took on this right here.
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So I, I, I want to just speak about this because when the word
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of God brings up things in our culture that we ought to know
29:45
where we stand and how to process this is helpful for us,
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right? So this verse, I'll bless those
29:50
who bless you, I'll curse those who curse you.
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What does this mean? What does it mean today?
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What did it mean then? What's it mean spiritually,
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historically? What what does this mean?
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All right, well, here's the deal, I don't have all the
30:02
answers, but I, I want to state some things that I believe are
30:05
true with all my heart. Now if you don't agree with
30:08
these things, you don't have to e-mail me today.
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That's OK. All right, I realize people
30:13
don't agree with everything that I say, but you just take your
30:16
eyes to the word of God and make up your mind for yourself.
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That's, that's what, that's what you're supposed to do as a
30:20
believer. All right, But let me just tell
30:23
you some things that I believe with all my heart are true.
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And I've stated these, I'm going to read them because I want to
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be very clear #1 these are not in your notes.
30:30
This is extra. This is for free.
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God chose, God chose one man, Abram, and his descendants, that
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is ethnic Israel, Jews, through whom he would bring the Savior
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to the world #2 Satan hates these people.
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Oh, these are on the screen. Look at here.
30:50
Satan hates these people and incites the world to hate them.
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anti-Semitism, that is discrimination against or hatred
31:01
of Jews in various forms and degrees, has existed since the
31:05
days of Abram. It's hit seismic and tragic
31:10
proportions in world history at times.
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It's on the rise again today. It's been wrong.
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It is wrong. It always will be wrong.
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It's not just wicked, it is satanic in its motivation.
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It's wrong. Now let me say this, does this
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mean, does this mean that one must politically support
31:31
everything Israel does or decides?
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No, no, doesn't mean that. Does this mean we ought to seek
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their survival, their good, their prosperity, and their
31:45
protection? Yes, yes.
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I'm not being political, I'm just being biblical.
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By the way #3 God repeatedly promised to give the land.
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I want you to watch this one. God repeatedly promised to give
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the land of Canaan to Abram and his offspring as an everlasting
32:06
possession. You don't have to look for in
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your Bible. In fact, if you just look over
32:10
chapter 13, look at verse 15. Listen to this for all the land
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that you see. I will give to you and your
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offspring. What's that next word?
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Forever, forever. God promised Abraham and his
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offspring this, this land forever.
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If you turn to Genesis chapter 17, I won't read all this, but
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beginning in verse 7, it says, and I will establish my covenant
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between me and you and your offspring that throughout their
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generations, for how long a covenant, an everlasting
32:42
covenant to be God to you and your offspring after you.
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I'll give to you and your offspring after you the land of
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your sojournings, all the land of Canaan.
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For here it is again, everlasting possession, and I
32:53
will be their God. I believe with all my heart the
32:57
reason why there's no Hittites, Hittites, Jebusites,
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Girgashites, Amorites, other, whatever bites, but there's
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Israelites. You know why?
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Because of the promise of God, because of the covenant of God
33:13
with Abraham. You know why Israelites are in
33:15
their land today? Because of the promise of God.
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Because of an everlasting possession promised of God, God
33:24
promised to give him as a it's a continuation of the promise of
33:27
name, nation, land, offspring #4 the land of Israel and Jerusalem
33:32
is at the center of God's plan for His return, His earthly
33:37
reign, and His creation of a new heavens and a new earth.
33:40
You read your Bible and I can show you verse after verse like
33:42
Jeremiah 317. This is at that time Jerusalem.
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Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all
33:50
nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in
33:53
Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own
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evil heart #5 It is true that the majority of ethnic Israel,
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that is Jews, have rejected Jesus as their Messiah.
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You can read about why in Romans Chapter 11.
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Because of unbelief, God has given them A hardness of heart
34:13
against the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Number six, some of the Jews have received and will receive
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Jesus as their Messiah. The Bible says in Romans 9 and
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Isaiah cries out concerning Israel.
34:28
Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the
34:31
sea, just like God said it would, only a remnant of them
34:34
will be saved. Only a remnant of them, a small
34:36
minority of them, are going to put their faith in Jesus #7
34:41
Ultimately, only Jews and Gentiles who place their faith
34:45
in Jesus will be saved. Listen to Galatians 37.
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Know then, that it is those of faith who are the sons of
34:54
Abraham. Why am I telling you these
34:56
things? Let me just give you some very
34:57
practical things that are takeaways.
34:59
Whether you agree with what I've just said or not, I want you to
35:01
read your Bible for yourself. Let me give you some takeaways
35:04
#1 anti-Semitism is satanic. Don't be fooled, don't be fooled
35:12
#2 we ought to pray for and seek the blessing, especially the
35:16
blessing of salvation for the people through whom God brought
35:20
the Savior. And #3 wherever there is a
35:24
hatred of Jews, mark your calendar.
35:27
There's a hatred of Christians right behind them.
35:30
Always. Wherever you see a hatred of the
35:33
Israelites, which is satanically motivated, mark your calendar.
35:38
You're going to see the hatred of Christians right behind them.
35:41
It happens every time, y'all. So I got off a little bit of a
35:45
tangent on that. What's the point that I want you
35:47
to walk away with today? I want you to see the pattern of
35:51
life that God is inviting you in.
35:53
God is calling you. God is calling you to bless you.
35:58
God is calling you to be a blessing.
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Have you said yes? Have you said yes?
36:06
I want to read you something that Philip, you sent me this
36:10
not long ago in an e-mail. This is Philip Archer.
36:13
That is, I printed it off. This is a little letter written
36:17
by somebody by the name of John Hatcher, and he's writing a
36:22
little poem about the reason why they're headed back to the
36:25
mission field. He he titles it, he'll refer
36:28
with the to it as the job they're called to do.
36:31
I want you to when you hear Job, I want you to hear calling.
36:34
OK, not everybody's called to go to Brazil as a missionary, but
36:38
God has a calling on your life. I want you to hear these words
36:41
and see how they might inspire and encourage you to embrace the
36:44
job, the call that God has on your life.
36:48
He says, dear friends, we're back in Brazil and here is the
36:51
reason why. The job I by sin, a worthless
36:57
slave, loathsome, lacking loss, depraved, devilish, damned
37:01
enemy, alien, arrogant nave. But God appeared with merciful
37:06
pardon, rich and free by word divine.
37:09
The Spirit said he'll run the race for thee.
37:12
He ran the course I did see as he neared the end, he fell
37:15
bloody beaten, but remembering me arose and reached the end the
37:20
tree and paid my debt. The hell by grace he, my race is
37:26
one. I'm no longer slave, but son, my
37:29
son, said he in loving tone. I have a job for you.
37:32
I need you. So for someone in the gap must
37:35
stand and preach. If other slaves my grace would
37:38
reach, will you do the job? Will you go?
37:43
I've redeemed in every land and tongue and tribe and trail.
37:46
Is your love enough to take the job?
37:48
Will you go or will you fail? My heartbeat to break, my chest
37:53
dragging back The old flesh cried What out there?
37:56
You'll have no rest, you'll die. And then the Spirit came, And in
38:00
his strength I said, I'll go, by your grace, I'll do my best.
38:03
And the old flesh was right. He's had no rest.
38:06
Too hot he cries of blistering sun.
38:09
Too dangerous to seize. I may die.
38:11
And he's afraid of robbers. Gun but the Spirit says remember
38:14
the elect he ran for them as well as you.
38:17
So to the plow do not look back just ahead keep Jesus in view.
38:21
One day soon I'll see him there who ran the race for me and I'll
38:24
see the ones who heaven share through the job he gave to me.
38:29
I'll take my crown with joyous heart and cast it at his feet
38:32
and say with sweat, pain, tears all through Father, thanks for
38:35
the job you gave me to do. God has a job for you.
38:42
Only question is will you say yes?
38:47
It'll appear improbable because it's impossible unless by the
38:52
Holy Spirit you say yes and allow Him to have His way in
38:57
your life. John and praise team are about
38:58
to come out. Here's what I'm going to do.
39:01
I'm going to invite you to ask yourself where you are when it
39:05
comes to the call of God on your life.
39:08
Do you have things that are holding you back?
39:11
Are you refusing to do any subtraction?
39:15
Then I invite you maybe to step out from where you are.
39:17
Come get on your knees or stand. Use these steps as an altar
39:20
before God and tell God, God, subtract whatever it is you want
39:24
to subtract. God, help me say no and walk
39:28
away to whatever it is you want me to walk away from so I can
39:30
embrace whatever it is you're calling me to.
39:33
God, maybe I've been dealing with unbelief, believing that
39:36
you can't use me, that the plan's too big for me.
39:38
I'm unworthy, I'm incapable. The answer to that is all yes,
39:42
but God. But God, God, I'm coming today
39:46
to get before you. Just say God.
39:47
I believe because of you, I'm going to say yes.
39:52
I don't know the final destination, but I'll take the
39:54
first step. Maybe you need to say yes to
39:57
Jesus as your Savior, give your life to Him and start the whole
40:00
journey where God says start by faith in His Son.
40:03
If there's anything else holding you back, would you be willing
40:07
to come and give it to Him? God has a plan for you, bigger
40:10
and better and beyond anything you could ever plan for
40:13
yourself. If you'll say yes, I'm going to
40:15
pray that I'm going to ask you to stand and respond as God
40:18
leads you. Heavenly Father God, I want to
40:20
lift up. Every single person under the
40:22
sound of your word this morning here in the room, maybe online,
40:28
that you're calling to say yes, Father.
40:32
I pray they would by faith say yes, Father.
40:36
Whatever's holding them back, they'd let go of.
40:39
Whatever's keeping them from trusting in Jesus, they would
40:41
let go of. Whatever's keeping them from
40:43
living out the calling on their lives, they'd let go of and
40:46
embrace the pattern by faith of your call, Your blessing to be a
40:50
blessing and the Father We would see our lives impact the lives
40:54
of countless because of our yes to you in Jesus name I pray,
40:58
Amen. Would you stand with me church
40:59
family, I'm going to stand here. We'll have encouragers.
41:02
It'll be close. We're going to sing and worship
41:04
is your chance to say yes to God.
41:06
Don't let anything hold you back.
41:07
Let's worship him together. And you respond as the Lord
41:09
leads you this morning, you come.