Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24453 - Empty Religion Replaced With Glorious Truth - Acts 10:1-33

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#24453 - Empty Religion Replaced With Glorious Truth - Acts 10:1-33 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen, take your Bibles, open them to Acts chapter 10 Acts
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chapter 10. We're starting a brand new
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chapter, a new Direction in the book of Acts and the title of
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our study today is empty religion replaced with glorious
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truth and the excitement of the book of Acts is infectious.
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It's one of those Bible books to read, if you're finding your
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life in Jesus, becoming dull and routine where you need to be Up.
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I'd encourage you know, you might think things are boring
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right now or things just aren't happening that you stop your
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regular reading of the Bible and get to the book of Acts and be
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stirred up and how God work. Then how God works.
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Now you see God, he's the same yesterday today and forever.
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What we're reading in the book of Acts is lived out even now
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among us. But there are those seasons were
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just thinking and nothing's happening.
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And, you know, I'm just waiting on the Lord, but the book of
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Acts reminds me and maybe you can jot some things.
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Down of what God uses the book of Acts to remind you.
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But I'm always reminded when I read about it, read through acts
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of the quick work of God, how fast God can work.
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Like you could be waiting forever and then God just boom.
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It just happened so fast. Or I'm also reminded of how
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powerful God is I'm faced with things.
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So many times that are outside of my control outside of my
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resources and I need to be reminded as you do as well, that
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God is powerful and he is greater has more resources.
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Then you and I we just need to tap into what he has for us
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because he's powerful and I another thing I think of and
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maybe this is just kind of recent for me.
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But I look I read the book of Acts and I see how thorough and
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precise God is how thorough and precise and we'll see that in
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the first half of the chapter today.
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I mean, look how fast God works one day in the book of Acts.
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There's no church and then boom, in an instant thousands are
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saved in one day. Saul, Radical Rabbi is against
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the church wanting to destroy the church and then boom on the
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road to Damascus instantly. He's born again and changed Saul
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becomes Paul later to be an apostle and then here in Acts
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chapter 10, one day Peter is caught up in religion and
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convictions and the very next day he set free.
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He set free from that and it's encouraging to me to be reminded
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add that no one's beyond the reach of God.
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No one God has a plan to reach everyone.
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So we just need to get into his plan and abide in him.
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We've already seen this happen in the book of Acts of thus far,
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Samaria. Samaria was considered
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unreachable from the mind of the Jew Untouchable unwanted there
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was such a heavy prejudicial attitude toward a Samaritans,
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but not for God. He sent an evangelist there and
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Revival broke out in Samaria. I think of the Ethiopian I think
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of Ethiopia in general so far removed from Israel so far out
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of their minds and yet when God brought the Ethiopians into
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Jerusalem, God took a man from Samaria.
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In the middle of Revival sent him on the road toward Gaza, and
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he didn't even know what he would.
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He didn't even know why he was doing that.
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But while he was on the way he saw that Ethiopian, the gospel
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was given to him lives were changed and they took it back to
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Ethiopia. God, reach them.
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I think of this radical Rabbi Saul.
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I don't know how many of us would have evangelized him or
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even stuck around to meet him, but God had a plan for him and
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it didn't even involve people, it was God himself that.
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Each them very much like God is reaching the mud.
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The Muslim world today, speaking to him in dreams, and visions
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and lives are being transformed right in their bedroom.
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Unbelievable stuff. Now in chapter 10 the whole
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Gentile world is going to be reached through one man and his
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family. Remember when the spirit of God
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was poured out on the day of Pentecost, when Jesus gave them
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gave direction to. His disciples said, I want you
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to wait in Jerusalem. When you're baptized with the
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Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Upon you, you're going to be
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witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea Samaria, chapter 10 starts
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to the ends of the Earth. That's the pattern of the book
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of Acts. That's really that statement
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that direction from Jesus is what the whole book of Acts.
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It's laid out. That's the outline for the book
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of Acts chapter 10 starts that reach to the world.
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We meet this man notice in verse 1.
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It says a certain man, I love this.
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A certain man in sus area called Cornelius.
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A centurion of what was called the Italian regimen, a devout
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man. One who feared God with all his
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household, who gave alms generously to the people prayed
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to God, always about the ninth hour of the Day verse 3.
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Saw clearly in a vision, an angel of God coming in and
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saying him Cornelius. And when he observed them, he
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was afraid. Raid and said, what is it?
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Lord. So he said to him your prayers
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and your ohms have come up for a memorial before.
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God, now send men to Joppa about 20 miles, south of Ria, maybe a
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day or so Journey. Now send men to Joppa and sent
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for Simon whose surname is Peter.
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He is lodging with Simon a Tanner whose house is by the
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Sea. He will tell you what you must
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do verse 7 and when the angel who spoke to him at departed
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Cornelius called to of his household.
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Rinse and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him
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continually. And so when he had explain all
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these things to them, he sent them to Joppa Cornelius.
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Cornelius is a worshiper of God from a distance.
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He's not a born-again Believer, he's a, not a part of the old
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Covenant but he knows what he knows about.
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God has moved him to. Turn his life toward God, he's
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on the way. There's a phrase that's been
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picked up over the last 20 years ago, what we probably would call
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him. Today is a Seeker.
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He's a Seeker, he's not quite there yet, but he is seeking a
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right relationship with God. And he is worshiping God in the
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sense and the knowledge that he has.
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It's affected his life. Notice how he's described here.
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Don't miss the description in verse 2.
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First of all, number one, he's a devout man.
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He's a devout, man. Secondly, he's also one who
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feared God, he has in his own knowledge.
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What he knows. He has responded with that
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reverence and respect toward God.
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Not only that thirdly, he's LED his home with what he knows and
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not some private thing he's doing.
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But he's he's a spiritual leader of his home.
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On top of that, he's a generous man of what he's been given.
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He gives alms or charitable gifts, generous Week, you would
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say that he supports what that would look like in today's he
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supports Charities, he gives to the homeless, the guys and gals
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that are on the islands, he would give to them as he's
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waiting at a red light. He is known as a generous, man,
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that's how he's remembered. And he prayed to God, always he
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prayed to God. Always, this is the description
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of his life. He is an honorable man, which by
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the way, centurions were Honorable Men.
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Now, in the Roman army, in the Roman legion within the Army at
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full strength consisted of six thousand men, it was divided
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into ten cohorts of 600 men each.
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And then within that cohort, There Were Ten broken up.
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I should say of 100 of these men, these 600 men, a centurion
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oversaw, a hundred of these men And so a legion had 60
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centurions in them, centurions were known as being honorable
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trustworthy and reliable soldiers.
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Want to one Roman historian by the name of polybius describes,
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centurions this way. As I quote, they were not so
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much venturesome Daredevils As Natural leaders of a steady and
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sedate Spirit, not so much men who would initiate attacks and
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open the battle as men, who would hold their ground when
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worsted and Pressed and be ready to die at their posts.
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Period. A quick glance in the New
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Testament, you would see that each time a centurion is
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mentioned. He's mentioned as an honorable
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person. You can jot it down in your
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notes in Matthew chapter. 8 there was a centurion that had a
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sick servant and he sent to Jesus came to Jesus and wanted
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help Jesus at the end of that exchange.
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He said this about the Centurion assuredly I say to you I have
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not so much found such great Great faith, not even in Israel.
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So he was elevated even above those of his own people later on
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in Matthew 27:54, when the Centurion with those, and those
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with him who were guarding, Jesus saw the earthquake and the
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things that had happened. They feared greatly and said
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this is out of the mouth of a centurion.
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Truly, this was the son of God. I think if we step back for a
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moment with what we understand in our relationship with Jesus,
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we would say that a centurion is a good man and honorable man and
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this man he's so close that we want to share the gospel with
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them, we invite them to church, give them flyer, tell him what
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the radio station is get them online, because he's so so
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close, but that's not the environment or the first
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century. You have to understand the
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environment or the first century will help you unhelpful, you
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grasp, where we are here in Acts chapter 10, the Gentiles were so
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far from God, in the mind of the Jew, that even some radical
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beliefs of the day would consider them unsavable the
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Gentiles. This guy right here, he would be
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overlooked. He would be looked down upon, he
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would be discriminated. Against he would be avoided this
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man right here that's in the Bible.
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The man that God chose right? The certain man that God chose
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to explode the gospel among the Gentiles, the Jews despise the
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Gentiles. They were very exclusive in
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their community and their religion and didn't look
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favorably upon Gentiles in their prayers, every male Jew would
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pray to God. Thanking God that he was not a
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woman. Not a dog and not a gentile,
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that was their mindset in their practice, Jews would not so much
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as walk on the same side of the road as a gentile.
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Let alone eat with them. On a personal level, a Jew,
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wouldn't be able to deliver a gentile baby.
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And if you touched a gentile, you had to stop ritualistically
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blade and change your clothes and some extreme beliefs took
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that even farther and wasn't just touching a gentile, but if
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the dirt and the dust that a gentile kicked up touched you
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you would have to do the same thing.
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Not only that even some even Most Jews of the day, believe
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that Gentiles were created merely to fuel the fires of hell
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and it was too bad. If you were born a gentile
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because there was no hope in life for you.
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That's how they would feel about a guy named Cornelius, they
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would overlook him. Ignore him, demean him on top of
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that Cornelius had even more working against him because he
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was in the Roman government. He was a part of the occupation
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of that area, he was under, he was a part of the thumb of
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Rome's power had so much against him in the human realm but not
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with God, it's important that we pause here and just understand
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that. Prejudice will hold you back.
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From reaching people that Jesus died for prejudice, it will not
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make you a better servant of the Lord judging people by their
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skin color, by the language that they speak by their immigration
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status by what city they live in by how much money they have.
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And on, and on the list goes, it seems like man can invent a
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thousand different things to separate from each other, but
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for the believer in Jesus Christ, we must put on the lens
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of the Gospel. When we see people, Women us.
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We must not write people off just because we have our own
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preconceived ideas and on top of that, if if you are a prejudiced
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person today, you are living in Perpetual sin.
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That requires you to repent. There's no other way around it,
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that it is inconsistent to say I follow Jesus but those people
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not good enough. Those people not worthy those
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people, I'm better. You know if you think of
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prejudice as looking down on someone You can see that most of
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it comes from elevating ourselves.
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You can't look down on someone if you don't think yourself
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first is higher than them looking down down, your nose is
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sometimes is the phrases used. It's important that you grasp
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the reality of the world in which you live.
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And I mean, even if you were today, he's like, oh, you know,
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I'm not very prejudiced person will say Amen to that at the
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same time though it's important that you pray, the prayer of
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Psalm 139 that says. Hey if there's anything unclean
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and me And reveal it. So why that I might first of
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all, be more usable to you. Second of all that I might be
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more in unity with you God. But I think we have an example
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to hear how many Cornelius is get overlooked because of
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preconceived ideas. Prejudgments that's really what
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Prejudice comes from. Two words prejudging and I mean
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it started since the Tower of Babel when language was with his
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men and women separated from one another.
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But it really just started in the garden with sin.
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It's a simple approach of dealing with one another and he
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reading the Bible, we I kind of read it and where it's like, oh,
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I would never Overlook Cornelius, but you have to ask
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yourself, would you really never Overlook a Cornelius?
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Would you never really bypass someone from some prejudgment?
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We happen to live in a culture that loves division.
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The enemy loves division. You know, the Bible in G, you
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know the devil believes what Jesus said and one of the things
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that Jesus said is House, Divided cannot stand.
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Not will not stand, not. Maybe one day, we'll fall A
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House, Divided cannot stand. So it is a very familiar tool of
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the devil to bring division. Because in division we fight one
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another. We aren't supporting one
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another. We overlooked one another and
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it's just not to be named Among Us Cornelius.
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Here is that certain man? He is a religious Gentiles.
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Worshiping God from a distance. He had Faith.
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He believed in what he knew. He feared God and an in his
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life, in The Prestige of the Roman Empire in the success of
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his career. In every he had basically the
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Centurion had Made the rest of his life with the exception of
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any defeat in battle and having to take responsibility for a
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failure that he made or a failure on the battlefield, he
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had a lifetime job, a lifetime successful career and yet he
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still recognized, there was something missing.
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There was an emptiness in his life and it notice he says in
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verse 2 that he prayed to God always, which brings us to a
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familiar question that comes in to the radio all the time and
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I'm going to ask it to you. You and then you can answer it's
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a yes or no question but here's the question.
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Does God hear the prayers of an unbeliever?
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Of course he does. And let me give you the second
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question. Does God answer the prayers of
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an unbeliever? And now it's a tricky question.
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I'll give you a third option sometimes.
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God is not obligated to answer the prayers of someone outside
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and disconnected from him, but because he's gracious and
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loving, sometimes he does. He go ahead.
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Where do you see that right here with Cornelius?
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Cornelius is not born again, but his prayers were answered.
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His prayers were answered. He says in verse for your
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prayers in your arms up, Palms have come up before a memorial
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before God. His prayers were recognized by
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God and in response to his activity.
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On the earth, God sent a messenger to him an angel you
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know many times we want to see immediate visible results.
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We want to see immediate results to our prayers.
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We want to see immediate results to our service to God.
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We want to see something. Thing happen.
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Where's all the answered prayer? You may have walked into church
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today, you're watching online or listening on the rape.
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Where is the answered prayer, Pastor?
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What, where is the acknowledgement of my service to
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God? I've been sharing the gospel for
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years. Where's all the souls to do
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that? They're going to be saved.
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Why isn't anything happening? But I suggest to you that a lot
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is happening in the waiting and in the silence are praying are
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giving our service. Is to God not for Visible
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results, even though you'll get Som sometimes but remember are
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praying are giving our services to God and not to man and
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keeping that perspective will help you along the way.
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If you're always looking for immediate results are going to
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be very disappointed. If you're not already, you're
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going to be very frustrated. I can't believe it because I'm
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used to doing something and getting something in return.
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But the economy of God, the kingdom of God is Not Is not the
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way of the world. You are now, I'm going to think
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about it this way. There is something way of the
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world that Jesus uses to describe serving him.
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And that's this when you plant a seed today, you plant a seed
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today, you don't wake up tomorrow expecting a harvest,
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you realize it takes time and so much happening.
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There's so much happening underground that you don't see
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before the first shoot comes up. There's so much that happened.
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You don't see you don't. No.
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But, you know, the process and I've been answering this in
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emails, recently, I've been saying it a lot.
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I've been telling people trust the process.
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And what I mean by that, it's two different things.
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In one segment of emails, I've been getting its trust the
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process of discipleship that the Bible study and your Bible
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reading. It's going to make a difference
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in your life, trust the process. But also, sometimes I'm using it
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to describe the overall work of God.
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The long-term work of God that the Bible calls sanctification.
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Just the process. God said he's going to do
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something. He is doing it.
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Don't bail out too quickly. Prematurely trust the process.
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Trust the work of God and the spirit in your life.
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I would put it this way your work and your service to God are
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not going unnoticed by him. We may not know, like if you're
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serving for man today and you want the notoriety and you want
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the popularity and you want to be, you want the celebrity and
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you want the attention, you got to understand, that's not going
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to happen and even if it does, it's going to be very, very
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temporary and that's not the right motive to be seen by man
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to be acknowledged by man, to be credited by man to get the pat
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on the back to get the title. You have the title now, not that
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none of that matters. You don't believe me.
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Now, you will believe me soon. You will find out on your own.
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You can believe me now, but you can find out later on your own.
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Your service is unto the Lord. I want you to consider this turn
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over to Matthew chapter 6, I want you to see this in Matthew
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6, because Jesus, he taught like like in our church, if you're
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serving and so that I might see it.
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It's important that you realize today.
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There's so much going on in the life of this church.
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I don't know. I don't know what you're doing.
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I don't know what Ministries going through your life.
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I don't know who you're serving. I don't know any of the tireless
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hours of prayer or all the sacrifice you're doing.
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I don't know. And if you're doing it, so I
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know you'll be frustrated. Cuz I don't know.
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But if you're doing it for the Lord, then there's a sweet
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contentment that comes with that because I may or may not find
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out, but the good news is, it doesn't matter.
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It doesn't matter if I know, God knows.
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Are you guys with me so far? Like it doesn't matter if your
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ministry overseers knows, it doesn't matter if somebody
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serving with doesn't matter because demoted this all speaks
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to the motive of your heart. If you want to be seen my men,
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then I guess you'll be seen by men.
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You get the pat on the back and then not your reward.
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But notice what Jesus, he teaches us in Matthew, 6 and
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verse one, Kingdom living. This is the beginning of his
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Teaching Ministry. And he wants some things,
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straightened out what we commonly refer to as The Sermon
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on the Mount. Look at what he says, take heed
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that you do not do your charitable Deeds.
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Before, what does your Bible say?
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Men to be seen by them, otherwise you have no reward.
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Reward from your father in Heaven.
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Now, if that was the only verse we're going to read, I think
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it's pretty clear. Don't do any of your things for
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the Lord, for men. Just to be seen by them.
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Don't do that. Don't do it.
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Therefore, he says, verse 2, when you do a charitable deed,
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do not sound a trumpet. Before you as the Hypocrites, do
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in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have
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Glory. From men assuredly, I say to
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you, they have of their reward. We read that.
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And we kind of read through it. It seems familiar to us and I
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can't believe they would be sounding horns when they're
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giving. But let's bring it to the 21st
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century. Here we are in service and
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somebody woke up this morning and said I just came into a lot
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of money and I want to give a lot of money to the Lord.
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So I'm going to show up to that church, but I'm going to give it
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after I play my trumpet. So they come to church with a
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trumpet in their hand and they walk in here right now.
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They break in the service and say and the first thing you hear
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you're looking at me I'm talking and then you here and all your
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attention goes back in this guy. He doesn't come with a check or
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this cow doesn't matter. It doesn't come with the check.
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He's got cash and he's waving his cash in the air and
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everybody's looking to go do, what are you doing?
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And he's like, I'm giving my gift to the Lord, I just came
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into some money. I'm giving my to give to the
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Lord and he puts in a hundred dollar bill and then he plays
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again. Another $100 and you're like, of
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course, you're laughing at it. It's silly and it's dumb.
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And yet I would never do that. But it's silly and dumb to do
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anything for people to notice. It doesn't matter.
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I see pastors do it all the time.
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They want all the attention, they want all the notoriety,
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they want to be known as a pastor instead of just serving
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the lord just serve the Lord. You don't need a title.
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You don't need a position. You don't need Authority.
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You don't need men to see you just do what God called you to
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do. Don't sound the trumpet.
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I mean, if you came here with a trumpet doing that, First of
24:44
all, we're all going to kind of give it a patient's.
24:45
Go, what are you doing here? But then you're going to meet
24:48
the security people. You're going to meet the ones
24:52
that you see and you'll probably meet some of the ones that you
24:55
don't see and they're going to pick you up literally and carry
24:59
you to the parking lot with your trumpet or your shofar, or your
25:03
tambourine or whatever it is. You want to get all the
25:06
attention. It's not going to happen because
25:10
the Bible couldn't be clearer here, but that doesn't happen.
25:13
It happens. Much more subtly doesn't it?
25:15
It's a hard issue. It is, you God working in you
25:20
because because notice he says, in Matthew 6, he says, he says,
25:25
when you do a charitable deed, don't let your left hand, know
25:28
what your right hand is doing so that your charitable D may be in
25:31
secret and your father who sees in secret will himself open
25:35
openly reward you the father sees what you're doing that's
25:39
the point today. Don't do it for man, don't do it
25:42
for notoriety. Don't sound the trumpet or the
25:45
shofar. Don't come With the big flags,
25:48
just serve the Lord. Nobody needs to know.
25:52
Not even. There's an implication.
25:53
Jesus says, don't you even take it to heart?
25:55
Look what I have done. Don't let your left hand know
25:58
what your just do it as unto the Lord, because of his grace and
26:01
his love Cornelius. That's where he's at.
26:07
And God put him in a position to where he couldn't do it for man.
26:10
But we'll know one a moment that man did recognize it will see in
26:14
a moment. He was recognized.
26:16
That's not, that's, that's different than doing it to be
26:19
recognized because he did have a testimony and it was a good
26:23
testimony. But notice he was in verse 5,
26:27
send men to Joppa and go look for this guy.
26:30
Peter, and I just love this, he's got all these names Simon a
26:33
Tanner. And I just think when God says
26:35
Cornelius, go find Peter, he's with Simon that God knows our
26:39
name. Like that's a very intimate
26:41
thing that that's a relational thing.
26:42
When, you know, someone's name, you know, names are very
26:45
important. If you were in a room of 100
26:47
people and you heard your name, you'd stop.
26:50
Is it's just something valuable to you.
26:52
And that God is using all these names.
26:54
Setting, this up verse 9, verse 9, the next day as they went on
26:59
their Journey. So now, we're leaving the scene
27:01
is Shifting. Now, to Peter, Peter went up on
27:04
a house. Top to pray about the sixth hour
27:07
then he became very hungry and wanted to eat.
27:09
But while they made ready he fell into a trance.
27:11
This is kind of like pre-sleep. It's not anything a cultic.
27:15
He just was falling asleep and he's not quite as steep.
27:17
He's not quite awake and he saw Heaven opened and an object like
27:21
a great sheet bound. At the Four Corners descending
27:24
to him, let down to the Earth, and it were all kinds of
27:27
four-footed, animals of the earth, while Beast creeping,
27:30
things birds of the air and then he heard a voice first 13, rise,
27:34
Peter, kill and eat Peter responds.
27:38
Not so Lord for I have never eaten anything common or unclean
27:43
and a voice spoke to him again second time.
27:45
What God has cleansed, you must not call.
27:48
Common, it was done through Three times, and the object was
27:51
taken up into heaven again. So Peters being prepared for
27:56
what's up ahead and part of the preparation was being in Simon's
28:00
house. The Tanner having to deal with
28:02
being in a home with someone that deals with dead carcasses
28:05
which was forbidden in the law. Now, building on that God gives
28:09
him a vision and he knows it's from the Lord because he
28:11
addresses him as such and it's the she coming down and he's
28:15
seeing it and there's all kinds of animals on it, but some of
28:19
the animals were unclean. How do we know that from the
28:22
context? He responds.
28:23
I don't read anything. Clean.
28:26
So some of these animals were unclean which would directly
28:29
connect this with many passages, but Leviticus chapter 20 would
28:33
be one of them where there is a Prohibition of eating unclean
28:36
animals. So he's been given something
28:40
that has been taken to an extreme so that the, the the
28:44
letter of the law was more valuable than the spirit of the
28:47
law following God was replaced with following words that
28:53
emphasis of being Holy was replaced with a bunch of rules
28:57
and regulations in this empty religion.
29:00
And with that background, Peter, here's a command to eat some
29:03
animals that he perceives to be unclean and God's answer to him
29:08
was very simple. This was the essence of what
29:12
Peter needs to learn. This is the lesson he needs for
29:15
the next thing. What?
29:16
God has cleansed. Don't you call uncommon?
29:21
He doesn't know it yet. But this whole Vision wasn't
29:26
about animals at all. It was about people.
29:30
Categories of people clean and unclean, worthy and unworthy,
29:34
who should get my time, who shouldn't get my time.
29:37
This is he's getting prepared because he's about, he's about
29:39
to explode, even after three years with Jesus, into a whole
29:42
new Vista of ministry and it took him, it says verse 13 three
29:47
times because some of you are three time to people to, it
29:51
takes you three times to follow the lord, it's not enough.
29:54
Just to hey, go do this? No.
29:57
Okay, God says go do it. No, I see.
29:59
I said, go do it. Now, I'm going to put a fleece
30:02
out. That's what I want to do.
30:03
I want to, I want to put another fleece out.
30:05
And I want 16 confirmations and I want you to put it in the sky
30:09
and God says no vote. You know, if that's what you
30:11
need, God will give it to you, but you could go a lot quicker
30:15
if you just obey the first time. But that's okay.
30:17
God's very patient with us verse 17, while Peter wondered within
30:21
himself with the vision, what this Vision, what this Vision,
30:26
which he had seen meant. Behold The Men Who had been sent
30:30
from Cornelius made inquiry of Simon's house and stood before
30:34
the gate, can you just pause here and acknowledge the precise
30:38
timing of God? Right?
30:41
When Peters wandering? There's a knock at the door.
30:46
God, working on Cornelius, at the same time, working on Peter
30:51
to bring them together, his precise timing.
30:55
So that even with the three times, the even with that was
30:59
all a part of God's precise timing.
31:02
So it says in verse 18, they called and asked whether Simon
31:05
whose surname was Peter was lodging there.
31:08
While Peter thought about the vision, the spirit said to him,
31:11
behold, three men are speaking to you or seeking you arise.
31:14
Therefore, go down and Go with them, Mark, these words doubting
31:19
nothing for I have sent them then.
31:22
Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from
31:24
Cornelius and said yes I am. He whom you seek for what reason
31:28
have you come? And they said, and check this
31:31
out. This is amazing Cornelius.
31:34
The Centurion. A just man one who fears God and
31:36
has a good reputation. Among all the nation of the Jews
31:39
was divinely. Instructed by at Holy, Angel to
31:42
summon you to his house and they hear words from you.
31:46
So, Cornelius. This is his testimony.
31:49
How do we know it's his testimony?
31:51
Because these are the two household servants.
31:53
And the soldier that he sent, this is how they talk about him.
31:57
They didn't say he was a mean person, they didn't say it was a
31:59
horrible person. They didn't know.
32:01
Know this was his testimony, see with the right heart and the
32:05
right motive member. Last study, one of the points
32:07
that I shared in the last study in Axl, was to pay attention to
32:12
how you want to be remembered. You know how How you want to be
32:17
remembered is how you're living right now, that's how you're
32:20
going to be remembered, pay attention to it, because
32:23
Cornelius is remembered for the very things that Jesus said
32:27
don't do before men. So what that tells me is he
32:30
didn't do them before men. And yet, at the same time, he
32:34
was witnessed by men and like, you got to understand Cornelius,
32:38
he's the real deal. Was basically what they're
32:40
saying and he got this vision and here we are he told us to
32:44
come in here we are to come and get you then Peter and verse 23.
32:48
Invites them in lodges with them.
32:51
And on the next day, Peter went away with them and some brethren
32:54
from Joppa. Accompany him and the following
32:57
day, they entered caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting man
33:00
had called together his relatives.
33:03
And his close friends. Cornelius was waiting for them.
33:08
Had called together his relatives and close friends.
33:10
As Peter was coming in Cornelius, met him and fell down
33:13
at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up and
33:17
saying stand up. I myself am also a man.
33:20
Let's pause there for a second. We cannot skip this.
33:23
There's a couple points that are very important.
33:25
You can see over the years that it's not just something modern,
33:30
but over the years there have been people that want to worship
33:33
Peter. They want to put him in a
33:35
position. He doesn't belong.
33:36
Belong in the man-made religion of Roman Catholicism.
33:41
They have Peter is the first pope, but as you read through
33:45
the scriptures, there is no such thing as that position of
33:48
authority in the church. It doesn't exist.
33:51
So therefore, Peter, couldn't be the first pope even.
33:54
So if we were to talk to Peter and go, what do you think about
33:57
that Peter? You know what, he would say
33:59
exactly what he said, right here.
34:01
I'm just a man like you That's what he would say.
34:05
What I want you to see something even greater.
34:09
That's a point. Don't follow man.
34:12
Don't follow pastors. Don't Elevate them to a
34:15
position. We don't belong, just follow us
34:17
as we follow Christ and we'll go together, that's one point.
34:21
But here's another point that if you read through so quickly you
34:23
might miss it. You got to get this.
34:26
How fast God can work. It says I myself am also a man
34:33
who's he Talking to Cornelius, Cornelius.
34:38
He's telling a gentile one. That would be despised one.
34:42
That would be overlooked one. That would be already.
34:45
He's looking at unclean animals going.
34:46
I would never ever do anything against the way.
34:49
I was raised against the religion.
34:50
I never already. Here he is, he goes, you know
34:54
what Cornelius? We are the same.
34:57
I'm a man, just like you. I'm a Jewish man.
35:01
You're a gentile man but we are both.
35:03
Men God worked super fast in Peter.
35:09
This is miraculous. Don't worship me.
35:14
We are men. Don't worship me.
35:17
I'm like you. God is melting and has melted
35:21
his heart of years of prejudice. Even though if you read ahead
35:26
and Galatians it's something that Peter is going to deal with
35:28
in his life but he's come so far, he's received a heart
35:32
transplant, just like it was given to us in scripture in
35:36
Jeremiah talking about a Heart of Stone being replaced with a
35:40
heart of Flesh. God is shaping him.
35:44
Molding him even as God's doing that work in.
35:47
You you like what am I doing here?
35:48
And why am I in this place? God shaping and molding you.
35:52
He's fashioning you in preparing you for what is up ahead,
35:57
especially as it relates to people.
36:00
And he says, here in verse 27, as he talked with him he went in
36:04
and found many who had come together.
36:08
And he said to him, you know, how long lawful it is for a
36:10
Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another Nation.
36:13
So he just basically summarize what I explained to you earlier,
36:16
you know how wrong this is. You know, how this is just not
36:22
spoken of. I can't, you could even say I
36:24
can't even believe I'm here, but here is the conclusion, but God
36:28
has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
36:38
Somewhere. On the road from Joppa to
36:42
caesarea. It clicked.
36:46
It wasn't about the animals After All.
36:49
God has shown me that I'm not about to look down on any man.
36:56
God has called them clean and I'm who am I to call them
36:59
unclean? If God has taught us that he
37:04
created man in His image. Then who am I to label someone
37:09
so that I don't love my neighbor.
37:13
Who am I to make those pre judgments against people pulling
37:16
me away instead of helping me to step in to their lives?
37:21
You know, the world, the system does a lot to try to get us not
37:25
to like each other. Not to want to like each other.
37:28
There's new categories and new things being developed all the
37:31
time. Whether it's politically
37:33
economically, socially. There's all sorts of layers that
37:38
are designed to keep us separate from one another.
37:41
But you know, you're in a multicultural Church, did you
37:45
know that we're Multicultural There are so many backgrounds in
37:49
this room right now. So many different.
37:52
So, it's so diverse, and so beautiful.
37:54
But we never intended that. I, we didn't sit down as a group
37:57
and we must have a multicultural Church.
38:00
Know, a church that God is developing will be
38:03
Multicultural. Did you know, Heavens
38:05
Multicultural. It's not just some buzz word.
38:08
Heaven is going to be filled with every tribe tongue and
38:12
Nation. Every there's a lot of
38:14
diversity, a lot of differences. That God brings together in him
38:19
in heaven, get used to it and then get over some of the things
38:24
that are holding you back. I realized that sometimes,
38:27
maybe, maybe picked this up because you were raised that way
38:30
maybe you picked up some Prejudice because you were
38:32
treated poorly or you were discriminated against.
38:35
Maybe it's just Pride where you think you're better than people
38:38
because of your status or your money or whatever.
38:41
It doesn't none of it really matters when you're in Christ.
38:45
It doesn't matter. The Son of God left.
38:47
Glory and took on a human body to walk among us.
38:50
There is no greater sacrifice, none of us will ever match that
38:54
and you realized that not only are we Multicultural and
38:58
multi-generational. But we're truly a church that's
39:01
open to reach the lost to do anything short of sin to reach
39:05
the lost. I received an email last couple
39:09
days ago, and I asked for permission last night because I
39:11
thought it would be good to share it in the context of our
39:14
study. This is a sister in our church.
39:17
That got brought through for a little while and then she moved
39:19
on, but listen to what she says. Like, it's going to bring you to
39:22
tears. Some of you, this is
39:24
unbelievable. How God?
39:25
And not we don't intend to do this or not.
39:27
We're not trying to do this. We don't have a master plan to
39:30
do this. We're just the church.
39:32
Listen to what she says. Hello, Pastor Ed.
39:34
I just wanted to say thank you for being my Pastor.
39:37
I pray for you and your family Calvary Church has been a
39:41
hospital to me. Remember, I've taught you that
39:43
many times. That one of the things that the
39:45
church should be as like a hospital.
39:46
You were sick. People come since sick people.
39:49
And she sees that at she says, when I first went, I was unsure
39:55
about my sexual identity and my identity in Christ and I was
39:59
considering ending my life. I mean, I want you to think
40:04
about that. How the world wants you to think
40:07
about sexual identity, how the world wants you to think about
40:11
those that are being caught up in culture?
40:16
So many of them don't really care about the movement of it
40:18
all. They're sitting around thinking
40:20
about ending their life. That's where they're at.
40:26
Oh, by the way, there actually, I wonder how many people she sat
40:30
next to hear? How many of you prayed with her.
40:34
How many of you just laid a hand on her back while she was
40:36
worshipping. Like that's that's how that's
40:39
how God uses the body of Christ. This isn't an email to Ed, it's
40:43
an email to us. We as the language of ministry,
40:48
he says, thankfully God's hand was and it is on my life.
40:52
God called me to just rest to sit under your teaching.
40:56
Go to the women's prayer. Read my Bible and pray every
40:58
day. I wonder where she learned that
41:00
from read your Bible and pray every day.
41:04
Just those small changes, she writes changed everything.
41:08
I'm in tears reflecting on God's goodness.
41:10
And I'm so thankful for Calvary Church.
41:14
They'll gospel changes lives. It changes people, they walk in
41:19
beat up and burned out, maybe watching online or in the
41:21
parking lot. As I mentioned earlier, I was in
41:25
Vista this week, teaching at a church and then speaking and
41:28
teaching their staff and while Everett and I of them was going
41:32
to go with my son, but he got 60 Pastor ever went with me, we had
41:36
some time to burn. So we did a coffee.
41:38
Crawl through Vista, just visiting all kinds of coffee
41:41
shops, drinking a lot of coffee and getting all hyped up but
41:43
that's it. Wasn't the point.
41:45
That's what we did. And so It's really fun thing to
41:47
do because then you can sit around drink coffee and talk and
41:49
so ever and I don't always get all the that kind of time to
41:52
talk. So we're talking about things
41:54
and while we're talking and maybe at the second coffee shop,
41:56
I get a text from Pastor, Ray Dash, remember Ray.
41:59
He just taught our kids at the junior high.
42:01
He's a friend of ours, Newark New Jersey inner-city Ministry,
42:04
good friend of the ministry friendship, relationships,
42:07
everything that's everything in Ministry.
42:10
So I get a text that says, hey I reached out to him, are you
42:14
tired? And he was, I'm doing well and
42:16
Then I should read it to you. We got plenty of time, right?
42:19
I know you got a brunch appointment but they'll wait for
42:21
you. So check this out.
42:23
So this is this is a text that no Pastor likes to get from
42:28
another Pastor on top of that, who was just with a part of your
42:31
church, he says, overall I'm doing well.
42:33
When you have a moment to talk, I want to tell you something, I
42:36
observed over the weekend done like ever could see my face, he
42:42
goes, what's up man? I go, I got one of those texts.
42:45
I mean I hope it's good but I got Those texts.
42:47
And as I will make a phone call, I say, hey, you want to chat now
42:50
and then he said wait for 2 minutes.
42:52
So now I got to wait forever. Two minutes forever to give him
42:55
the call. So I make the phone call, I
42:56
leave the coffee shop, I'm walking around the circuit there
42:59
talking to him. We have some small talk and we
43:01
finally get to it. And he says, I just want to tell
43:03
you what I saw at your middle. Hot Middle School Retreat.
43:07
And so, what do you see? Well, you know, I saw a lot of
43:10
brown kids and I saw a lot of black kids and I saw a lot of
43:13
Asians, I saw a lot of kids of T there.
43:17
And what I didn't see was any of the cliques or mistreatment of
43:22
one? Another what I saw was a bunch
43:23
of kids together, no matter what their background was, he saw the
43:29
diversity that we see and we live in and he saw it from a
43:33
black man's perspective, that's what he was looking for because
43:36
I asked him. I said, well, you know that do
43:38
you is, do you ever see like that kind of Click assurance and
43:42
then he took a breath. Oh yeah.
43:45
And he said was just different there.
43:46
And he said, I remember you were talking about that pre-pandemic
43:49
when we were talking about the third option and I said, yes, we
43:53
were talking about it back then, but you know, it's the birth of
43:56
this particular church. God was talking about it before
43:59
I even got here. Like this is his church.
44:03
So his church, we need to follow him.
44:06
I know it's hard to hear. I know you're going to be
44:08
processing, I know you're going to have to come face-to-face
44:11
with this, but you need to in order to be usable for God and
44:14
to be a Writing in Christ. You got to do this.
44:17
If you don't, you're going to miss Cornelius.
44:19
And if you miss Cornelius, the gospel, you know, I think God
44:22
would have done. Got Cornelius would have been
44:24
the guy if Peter missed it, he would have used someone else.
44:28
He would have used someone else. This is his will and whether
44:31
it's someone in here dealing with their sexual identity, and
44:33
I know that's a real thing of some of you parents dealing with
44:36
kids like that. I know that.
44:39
And, you know, it's not about the fear and the anxiety.
44:43
It's about the reality of their heart and their minds stepping
44:46
in when they are, when they're considering ending their lives.
44:52
And they're among us there with us.
44:54
They should be. You should be if you're here
44:55
today and you're wrestling with that.
44:57
You're welcome here. I know that, you know, you might
45:00
need to get right with the Lord. You might need to be born again
45:02
and I believe all that but you know God loves you.
45:07
Your life is valuable to him and myself.
45:10
I may not have all the answers for you but I do know this.
45:13
God loves to reveal his love. He loves to affirm his creation.
45:20
He loves to draw men and women to himself. what he doesn't love
45:26
is us making religion out of relationship with a bunch of
45:29
rules and regulations to try to get you right when God can do
45:33
that work instantly in your heart and he wants to You can't
45:39
don't misunderstand me and I know we're out of time, but I
45:41
don't want you to misunderstand me to say, well, you can
45:44
continue to live and do your own thing and create your own
45:47
identity. You can't.
45:49
It will destroy you. It will lead to Great harm and
45:53
hurt in your life because God Made You In His Image to worship
45:58
Him and live for him. He sent his son Jesus to die for
46:01
you. So your sins might be forgiven
46:03
and your life might be changed. You see Peter and Cornelius.
46:08
He was he just learned God, show me, I'm not going to call any
46:11
man common or unclean. I'm gonna get in and I'm gonna
46:14
get in line with the what God is doing what he wants to do and
46:19
I'm going to follow him. And he's going to do things just
46:23
at his right timing. Amen.
46:27
Well, father, I pray for the Holy Spirit to take your words
46:30
here today, and make them come alive in us.
46:35
I know that. they can be challenging, but We need to be
46:40
stirred up in love and good works.
46:43
Thank you for this testimony from this sister Lord.
46:45
That she's leaving our church stronger than when she came
46:49
grateful for that. I know there's lots a lot of
46:52
people struggling wondering finding Community somewhere
46:56
else, but God, may you deliver them and lead them.
47:00
Give them, you know, especially those that might be suicidal
47:02
right now or just thinking about ending their life that you would
47:05
show them their value and they're worth and how important
47:10
they are. And even in this struggle, it's
47:12
going to pass, it's going to pass.
47:16
And so God do that deep work in hearts and lives today in Jesus
47:20
name. Amen, we pray that you've been
47:23
encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
47:26
sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer.
47:28
Call us at 877, 30 Grace. That's eight 77304, 703 to
47:38
listen to this message in its entirety or to join us for our
47:41
lives dream Services. Visit us online at Calvary Co
47:45
Dot. Church or download our free
47:48
Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.
47:46
Church or download our free Calvary Church app be blessed as
47:50
you worship Jesus this week.