Latest / Mount Eaton Church / GOD Said - “Incline Your Ear, And Come To Me” - Isaiah 55

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GOD Said - “Incline Your Ear, And Come To Me” - Isaiah 55 · Mount Eaton Church

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Isaiah 55, let's read. Come everyone who thirsts,
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come to the waters. And he who has no money,
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come buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without
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money and without price. Why do you spend your
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money for that which is not bread and your labor
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for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently
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to me and eat what is good and delight yourself.
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Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
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a leader and a commander for the peoples. Behold,
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you shall call a nation that you do not know.
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and a nation that did not know you shall run
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to you because of the Lord, because of Yahweh
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your Elohim, and of the Holy One of Israel, for
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he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he
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may be found. Call upon him while he is near.
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Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous
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man his thoughts. Let him return to the Lord
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that he may have compassion on him and to our
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God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts
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are not your thoughts, neither are your ways
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my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens
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are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
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than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
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For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
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and do not return there but water the earth,
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making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed
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to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall
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my word be that goes out from my mouth. It shall
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not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish
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that which I purpose and shall succeed in the
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thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out
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in joy and be led forth in peace. And the mountains
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and the hills before you shall break forth in
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singing. And all the trees of the field shall
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clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall
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come up the cypress. Instead of the briar shall
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come up the myrtle. And it shall make a name
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for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall
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not... be cut off. Lord, I want to thank you
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for your word. Help us, Lord, as we open, continue
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to go through Isaiah 55, that you would give
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us clear understanding of what you're saying
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concerning your word. How you are calling your
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people to listen diligently, to incline, to hear,
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to come, to know, to be obedient. Help us, Lord,
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to really understand that we must know your word
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and know you more that we may have favor with
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you. Lord, we praise you and thank you in Jesus
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name. Amen. So five basic principles. Are we
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connected? I'm going to try one more time. Hey,
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we're connected, man. Let's go. All right. It
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says we were connected. I don't know why it stayed
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connected that time, but I'll go with it. First
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one, are you hungry and thirsty? Come, he does
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satisfy. So when you think about your life, what
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are you hungry and thirsty for? Are you hungry
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and thirsty for the thing that fills the belly?
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It satisfies the grumblings. Are you hungry and
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thirsty for the true bread and the true water?
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Come, he does satisfy. John 6, 35. Jesus said
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to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes
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to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes
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in me shall never thirst. Do you hear that? The
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very one that Isaiah 55 is talking about, the
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king who sits on the throne of David, everlasting,
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the one who will completely and totally satisfy,
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he is the one who quenches our thirst and takes
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away our hunger. But how does he do it? Because
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he fills your cabinet full of food and goodies?
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No, he does it through his word. In Isaiah 55,
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one through two way. Come. Yolak is the word
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here. Yolak means, refers to a starting point
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or summons you to start here. Where do you start?
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If you aren't seeking out God in his word, he's
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telling you start here. This is your starting
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point. The word. Oh, it went out again. I don't
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know. I'm still connected, bud. Says I'm connected.
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It's the system. Don't worry about it. Don't
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worry about it. Put up the God said and that's
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it. So my question to you, are you willing to
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start at the word? At the thing that gives everlasting
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water and manna, spiritual manna? Are you there?
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In the word, are you getting something daily?
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You have to eat and drink daily. Start here.
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Start where your hunger and your thirst begin.
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There. Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters.
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Everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters.
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And he who has no money. Come and buy and eat.
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How can you buy anything with no money? Because
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this is free. It's a marketplace, a free marketplace
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of everything you need for life and godliness.
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As a matter of fact, he says, come buy wine and
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milk without money and without price. Come and
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take, come and get. Why do you spend money for
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that which is not bread? And your labor for that
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which is not satisfied. The word satisfy here
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is soba. And the word soba means to be filled
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or fulfill. Where do you get your fill? Do you
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get your fill on all the things that are around
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you in life? Do you get your fill on your family?
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Does that fill you? Or do you get your fill on
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the thing you love the most when it comes to
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goodies? Mine's Lindor truffles. Okay. Or peanut
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butter balls. I do have a tendency to get my
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fill on. I shouldn't. But that really doesn't
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satisfy. It's temporary. But real true satisfaction,
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real fill comes from Christ. Or are you just
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working? To fill or to be filled with the things
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of this earth. Number two, how does he satisfy
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his people? If we want to be satisfied, how does
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God satisfy our hunger and thirst? He gives us
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the answer here. Listen diligently. Incline your
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ear. Hear what he's saying. He has glorified
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his people. John 8, 45 through 47. But because
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I tell you the truth, and I want you to pay attention
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to this. This is so huge. I wish the church in
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America grabs this truth. But I tell you the
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truth, Jesus says, you do not believe me. Jesus
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came, preached the truth. And the scripture says,
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you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts
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me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not
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believe me? They know he tells the truth. Whoever
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is of God hears the words of God. You hear that?
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Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The
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reason why you do not hear them is that you are
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not of God. Do you get that? We live in a world
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where there are people that are of God and many
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more that are not of God. And the reality is
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they don't hear the word of God or the truth
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of God because they're not of God. How did I
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ever come to know the gospel, to know the Christ
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of the gospel, to know the God of the gospel?
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Because I belonged to him. When? Before the foundation
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of the world, the scripture says. I was written
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in the Lamb's book of life. It happened to be
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on that day at that particular time in his wisdom
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and goodness and mercy. He has shown me the truth
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because I belonged to him. But there are many
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who don't hear because they don't belong to him.
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Jesus makes this very clear. Whoever is of God
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hears the words of God. My sheep know me and
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they know my voice. The reason why you don't
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hear them is that you are not of God and you
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are not of my sheep, Jesus also says. In Isaiah
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5, 2b through 5, he says, listen diligently.
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Here is what the people of God do. So my question
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to you is, are you thirsty and hungry? How are
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you getting the word? He doesn't tell you how
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to get it. He just tells you to get it. You can
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get it through reading your Bible. You can get
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it through listening to the Bible. You can get
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it through some of you guys like your little
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digital Bibles and little notices and stuff.
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Get it that way. Get the word. Listen diligently.
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Salma. Hear intently. Act in your hearing. Act
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in what you hear. Be obedient. Do what God says.
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That is what hearing or listening diligently
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means. Do what God says. Listen diligently to
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me. That's what God's people do. So if I am thirsty
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and hungry and I come to the water, I must listen
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diligently. Do what God says. Don't just hear
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it. but do it. Then he says, and eat what is
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good and delight yourself in rich food. Psalm
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119 is all about the word. Delight yourself in
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the word. How can a young man keep his way pure
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by living according to your word? I have hidden
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your word in my heart that I might not sin against
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you. I memorized those when I was a young lad
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in the Lord. My challenge to you is, do you delight?
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in his word as rich food. The scripture also
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says that his word is as sweet as honey. It's
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greater than gold and silver. Then he tells us
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to incline, nolta. This word incline means to
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turn to obedience. Incline, repent, turn to obedience.
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Am I turning to be obedient? Am I inclining my
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ear? To obedience. Do you see that? Listen diligently.
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Do what I say. Incline your ear. Turn to obedience.
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Same thing, isn't it? And then he says, and come
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to me. See, if I'm listening diligently and I'm
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doing what I'm hearing, and then I incline my
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ear, I'm turning and moving towards obedience,
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then I will come to him. And I will hear him.
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Soma. Why? That my soul or that your soul may
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live. You want life? You want to live life? You
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want to feel alive? You don't want to feel defeated
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every single day of your life? You don't want
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to feel like every day is a struggle? In this
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world, you're going to have struggle. You're
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going to have trouble. Jesus promised it. But
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can you? Can you feel alive in the struggle?
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Yes. My soul may live if I listen diligently,
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if I incline my ear, if I come to him, if I hear.
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Look what it says next. It says, and I will make
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with you an everlasting covenant. Who is our
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everlasting covenant? Jesus. He says, I give
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you a new covenant in my blood. We have an everlasting
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covenant. This is what he's talking about here.
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Why? My steadfast, sure love for David. What
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did he say to David? David, your throne will
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be a throne forever. Who sits on the throne of
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David? The king of kings and the Lord of lords,
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Jesus. He is our everlasting covenant. And he's
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calling us to listen diligently, to incline our
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ear, to hear and to come. Behold, I made him
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a witness, aid, a testimony, an evidence. Who's
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the evidence? David. Why is he the evidence?
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Because he is the proof that God is a God of
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promises. And he keeps his word. What is the
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witness? David was a witness to the peoples.
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A leader and a commander for the peoples. Behold,
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you shall call a nation that you do not know.
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Isn't that interesting? How has there been a
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nation that has been called that they do not
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know? It's called the nation of Gentiles. God
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has called us. And then look what it says. And
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a nation that did not know you shall run to you.
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Isn't that beautiful? Because of Adonai, your
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Elohim. Because of Yahweh, your Elohim. Of the
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Holy One. That's actually Yahweh. I don't know
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why. transferred to lowercase O -R -D, but it's
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actually all capitals, Yahweh, your Elohim, and
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of the Holy One of Israel. Who is the Holy One
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of Israel? Christ. Because for he has glorified
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you. How has God glorified us? Because he has
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made us a people. So, Do you as a people seek
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the Lord and have you called on his name? He
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hears and forgives and he does not forsake those
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who truly seek him. I want you to notice in Psalm
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9, 9 through 10, the Lord is a stronghold for
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the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
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And those who know your name put their trust
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in you for you, O Adonai. Have not forsaken those
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who seek you. God will not forsake you if you
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seek him. He is faithful to continue to care
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for you. He will preserve you. Look what it says
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in Isaiah 55, 6, and 7. Seek the Lord while he
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may be found. Call upon him while he is near.
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This word, call upon, is the word to summon for
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help or to repent. Seek the Lord while he may
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be found. Repent while he is near. This implies
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something that we'll get to in a minute. I want
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you to think about that. While he may be found
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and while he is near, let the wicked forsake
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his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.
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Turn to him. Let him return to the Lord that
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he may have compassion on him. Repent. Turn to
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Jesus. Repentance is not turning away from sin.
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Only. Repentance is turning to Christ. And as
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a result of turning to Christ, you turn from
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your sin. You forsake the thing you love the
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most. for the one you want to love the most.
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And how does that happen? The work of God, through
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the work of regeneration and transformation of
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the heart. Look what it says, that he may have
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compassion on him and to our Elohim, for he will
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abundantly pardon. So what do we notice here
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in these verses? There's the idea and understanding
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that repentance is necessary. Repent. When? Now.
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Now. Because there will be a day when it will
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not. He will not be found. And he will not be
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near. But you're like, well, he's omnipresent.
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Yes, he is omnipresent. Doesn't mean he's not
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going to be present. He's just not available
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for you. I want you to understand something.
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This term, seek now while he may be found and
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while he is near, implies while, implies there's
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a day, the day, when you will not be able to
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seek him and no one will find him because he
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will not be near to be found. Why? Because the
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great day of judgment and wrath, when you feel
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like coming, you'll never feel like coming. That's
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important. No one feels like coming to Jesus.
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John 3. Just read that. John 3, 16 through 21.
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The reality is that there is a day, the great
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day. When God will pour his judgment and wrath
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on the earth and upon everything here, and that
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he will not be found for repentance. It's too
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late. Now, number four, God's word does. accomplish
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that which he purposed and shall succeed in the
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thing in which he sent it. Now this is important
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because we just read the reality that there's
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going to be a day when you're not going to be
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able to find Jesus. The Lord's not going to be
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found. He'll be present, but not in the way you
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want. It's not going to be the lamb that's like,
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hey, I want you to come to me. He's going to
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be like, I'm the God of war and I'm going to
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destroy everything that's contrary to me. But
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I want you to understand something. That doesn't
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mean that everything that God doesn't plan or
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set, that it will never happen. It will always
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happen. He will always complete what he started.
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Deuteronomy 8 .3 says it this way. And he humbled
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you and let you hunger and fed you with manna,
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which you did not know, nor did your fathers
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know. Now think about that. God leads his people
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out of Egypt, places them in the wilderness,
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and lets them go hungry on purpose. Well, that's
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mean. No, it's not. Because you're going to find
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out why. God let them go hungry. He didn't let
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them die. He let them have some stomach pains.
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So they understood that, you know, it's not what
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you put in the belly that satisfies. Look what
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it says here. Let's keep reading. That he might
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make you know that man does not live by bread
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alone, but man lives by every word that comes
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from the mouth of the Lord. The reason why you
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didn't die in the wilderness is because I said
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so. Not because you were hungry. That's what
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he's saying here. That's power. Now I can understand
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why some dudes just don't eat for 40 days. Of
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course, they probably look all nice and trim
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or really, really sick looking. But not really.
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Can you imagine? Moses didn't. He fasted for
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40 days. It's kind of wild, actually. Look what
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it says in Isaiah 55, 8 through 11. Why? Why?
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Does God say, man does not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that comes from the mouth of
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God. It's because he's different. For my thoughts,
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this word thoughts is the word plans or devices.
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My plans, my devices are not yours. Man plans
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his ways, but God ordains his steps. Man thinks
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he's got it all figured out. But then God throws
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a monkey wrench in and says, that's not my plan.
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So my plans and my devices are not your plans
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or your devices. Neither are your ways of living,
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my ways. Neither are my ways, neither are your
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ways, my ways, he says here. This idea of the
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word ways means the way of life. The way you
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want to live is not the way I'm commanding you
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to live. My ways of living are way different
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than your ways of living. For as the heavens
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are higher than the earth, so are my ways of
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living higher than your ways and my devices and
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my plans than your plans. For as the rain And
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the snow come down from heaven and do not return
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there, but water the earth, making it bring forth
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and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread
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to the eater. Here it is. So shall my word be
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that comes out from my mouth. It shall not return
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to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which
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I purpose. That's sovereignty. That's providence.
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And shall succeed. Notice. Succeed. Accomplish.
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Win. Every single time. Never to lose. It will
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always succeed in the thing in which I sent it.
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That's power. So though your life may not look
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like you planned it, it's not your plan, it's
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his. The question is, are you going to get in
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line with his plan? Are you willing to settle
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in behind him and trust him as a chick does to
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the eagle? Number five, blessed are those who
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come hungry and thirsty, who listen diligently,
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who incline the ear and hear. To hear his word,
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who seek the Lord with all their heart, who call
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upon him for they lack no good thing, who know
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fully that his word will accomplish and succeed
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in which he sent it. Do you know? Are you that
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confident in God's word? Do you live with that
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kind of confidence, that kind of victory? You
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know why Christians don't win? Because they want
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to win on their terms, their way, with their
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thoughts and their own ways. And you wonder,
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why am I still struggling? Because you ain't
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willing to get in line. You're not willing to
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be obedient. You want it your way. You want the
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cake and eat it too. Lord knows I'm not a big
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cake guy. Lindor truffles. Matthew 6, 33. Here's
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the answer. It says, but seek first the kingdom
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of God and his righteousness and all these things
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shall be added to you. There it is. What's the
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kingdom of God? Christ and his word. And his
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righteousness. Which is righteousness? Live his
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ways. Seek him and his word. Live his ways. It's
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the same thing Isaiah says. Jesus does it masterfully.
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just does it in this really simple way. Now,
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Isaiah 55, 12 through 13. For you shall go out
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in joy and be led forth in peace. Oh, you guys
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know this song. I know you know this song. If
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you've ever went to a Christian retreat or a
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camp, you get behind the fire. I know fire, you
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know me. Far. About to get that s'more on. Little
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hot dog on a stick. And then you start singing
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this song. I know, Carol knows this song. You
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might. I might make you sing it in a minute,
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Carol. I shall go out with joy and be led forth
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in peace and the mountains and the hills shall
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sing. You guys know it. Right? They shall break
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forth out into singing and the trees of the field
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shall clap their hands. You know. But that's
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not what this means. That is what it means for
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us. But we take anything, make it a song. We
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even put it on our wall. But understand, this
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is about those who are in Christ. You see, we
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who have trusted him and his word. who believe
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in his name, who have inclined and have lived
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with purpose, obediently with his power and his
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strength, we can and shall go out in joy and
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we shall be led forth in peace. When? When it's
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all done. Because the mountains and the hills
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shall break forth into singing and all the trees
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of the field shall clap their hands. When? The
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earth moans and groans for the day of the saints.
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Instead of the thorn shall come the cypress.
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No more thorns and thistles. No more weeds. Instead
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of the briar shall come up the myrtle. Oh, thank
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God. I don't know if there's going to be hunting,
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but I'm sure you'd love to hunt without some
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briar. It'd be really nice. Why? Because this
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day, this moment, shall make a name for Yahweh,
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an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
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Who is that? Jesus. He is the way, the truth,
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and the life. So what does Christ say? He says,
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if you love me, you obey my commands. That's
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his word. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.
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And all your needs will be taken care of. Doesn't
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mean that you're not going to go through struggle
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and hardship during him providing the needs,
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but he provides the needs anyway. But the problem
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is that in America, because we have not preached
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the word, and we have not been consistent with
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the word, we have developed this softness. And
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we want... What God has without the suffering
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required. And the only way to get through suffering
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is through his word. You have nothing else to
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stand on. So my challenge to you is, are you
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hungry and thirsty? Then come to the water. Eat
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some manna. Be satisfied. How do I get satisfied?
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Listen diligently. Incline your ear. Hear the
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word of the Lord. Come to him. Know the word
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of the Lord that you may know him. He will satisfy.
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And he will give you all good things. That's
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the word of the Lord. So my encouragement to
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you is, may this year, 2026, be a year that you
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commit to knowing the word. Because that's what
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we're going to be on all year. So we talked about
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biblical manhood, biblical womanhood. Now that
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you know what it means to be a biblical man and
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a biblical woman, it's time for you to be a biblical
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man and a biblical woman in the word. Know the
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word. Be ready to give an answer for the hope
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you have. Because the days that are coming are
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going to be very difficult. We'll talk more about
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a lot of that stuff in the future. Thank you
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so much. Father, I want to thank you so much
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for your word. Thank you that your word is living
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and active, sharper than a two -edged sword.
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You have given us your word to teach us, to train
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us, to rebuke us, and to discipline us. Or train
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us in righteousness. We do praise you and thank
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you for your word. We thank you that man does
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not live by bread alone, but by every word that
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proceeds from your mouth. And you have purposed
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and that you have succeeded. It will succeed
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in everything that you have sent it out to do.
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We praise you that you are our God, our King,
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and our Savior. May your reign continue to be
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proclaimed throughout the earth as is promised.
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And may us as your people be willing to proclaim
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it loudly. We praise you and thank you in Jesus'
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name. Amen.