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Psalm 119:129-136 - Pe · Tabernacle Talk - A Bible Study Podcast with Pastor Bryon Self

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  Welcome to Tabernacle Talk. Tabernacle Talk is a Bible study
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  podcast brought from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Essex, MD.
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  I'm your host, Brian Self. We hope this podcast encourages
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  you to know Christ, grow in his word, and show his love to
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  others. Let's dive right in.
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  Welcome back to Tabernacle Talk that you're having a good day.
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  Today we are in Psalm 1/19 and today we are in verses 29
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  through 36, and these are all the verses that start with the
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  Hebrew letter PE. PE, and that's spelled kind of
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  transliteration in English is PE, not physical education, but
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  all of these verses talking about the word and commands of
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  God from verses 129 through 136. I'll start with that Hebrew
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  letter. I'm going to do a quick count,
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  real quick and see how many more episodes that we have in SOMA
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  19. We've got 12345 left, 5 episodes
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  left and seems crazy. Seems like I just kind of
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  started going through these and it has been a big encouragement
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  in my life. And my, my prayer is even as I'm
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  continuing to work through book 5 of Psalms, that God will bring
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  these truths up again and again and again in my heart.
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  Well, let's dive into verse 129. I'm going to read through this
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  particular section of Psalm 119 and we'll see what the Lord has
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  for us today. Your decrees are wondrous,
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  therefore I obey them. The revelation of Your words
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  brings light and gives understanding to the
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  inexperienced. I open my mouth and pants
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  because I long for Your commands.
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  Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is Your practice towards
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  those who love Your name. Make my steps steady through
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  Your promise. Don't let any sin dominate me.
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  Redeem me from human oppression and I will keep your precepts.
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  Make your face shine on your servant and teach me your
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  statutes. My eyes pour out streams of
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  tears because people do not follow Your instruction.
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  Let's walk through this portion of Psalm 119 and see what God
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  has for US. One thing I want us to be
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  focusing on in particular in this episode is look at the
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  descriptive words that imply passion.
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  So descriptive words that imply passion.
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  It is that God's word compels us to do something as a result of
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  the attitude that we have towards it.
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  Because I love Samantha, all want to get her A at the time
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  I'm recording this, it's pre Christmas so I wanted to get her
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  a gift and so I got her a gift. Or I want to give my kids a hug
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  because I love them. Or I want to spend time with my
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  best friends. And so I, I make plans to go and
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  to see them. When you feel strongly about
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  something, you actually want to do something as a result of it.
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  And so here with God's word, there's some things that the
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  psalmist says, because I am passionate about what God has
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  said and the way God has called me to live my life, it's going
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  to drive me to action. So let's look at these verse 129
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  your decrees are wondrous. Therefore I obey them.
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  He says God, your decrees what what you have declared as the
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  king of everything. He says they are wondrous.
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  This word is the the Hebrew word play.
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  It is a miracle. It is something unusual.
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  It's the the verb form of this is to do something wonderful.
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  It is a miracle what God has given to us in the work.
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  And I know I've spent perhaps too much time on the Internet
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  trying to make sure that our our TikTok channel and the videos
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  that I've been putting up there, both of the the podcast here
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  that I'm doing as well as our as clips from our Sunday morning
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  sermons, different things like that.
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  Trying to make sure that it's well maintained and you don't
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  have of, you know, Internet trolls or whatever that are
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  spewing profanities or just being blasphemous or stuff on
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  there. And I've seen over and over and
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  over again over the last few days people that totally reject
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  God. So they think and they they
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  spend all of their time and attention and energy on the
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  Internet being consumed with what they say is not reality or
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  what is false. And here's the truth.
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  I have never once devoted like my time or my attention to
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  disavowing, you know, unicorns. I don't have to spend my time
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  saying that perhaps the the gods of Hinduism are false gods
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  because it, it just is not reality.
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  And so I don't have to spend my time trying to dispute or fight
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  that. And I certainly don't go out of
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  my way to center my identity around something that I say is
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  not real. I'm, I'm not an anti unicornist,
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  but so many people, they are atheist like that.
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  That's how they define themselves.
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  You go to their social media and that's how they describe
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  themselves. And all of the videos that they
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  watch or that they repost or that they like or that they
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  comment on everything is about, no, I reject this God.
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  And frankly from Scripture, it's because the fool has said in his
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  heart there is no God. They have a rejection of
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  biblical truth from the word of God.
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  However, for the child of God, we shouldn't be like them.
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  We shouldn't be the ones that say no, no, I don't want to obey
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  or listen to God. We should say God.
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  Your decrees are wondrous. It is a miracle what you have
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  given us in the Word that your word is truth and that Your Word
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  gives me light for my life that when I follow it I win.
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  My family wins, my church wins, my Co workers and my bosses win.
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  Everyone wins when we follow the word of God and let the passion
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  and the love for the miracle that is God's love letter to you
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  in scripture. May that motivate you to say I'm
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  not just going to hear about it. I'm not just going to listen to
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  a sermon about it. I'm not just going to listen to
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  songs about it. I'm going to obey the word of
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  God and how God has told told me to order and to live my life.
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  Verse 130 says the revelation of your words brings light and
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  gives understanding to the inexperienced.
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  I'm 28 years old. I'm just kind of getting started
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  in life. My, my hope is that in 2026 that
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  I will grow more in the Lord and that I will begin to see God not
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  just working like in my church or in my city or in my
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  neighborhood. Like I want to see God working
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  in me in brand new ways that I've never seen before.
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  Victory over sin like I've never experienced before in my life.
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  A boldness to share my faith, A commitment to good works.
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  A courage as a pastor to say things that I should say,
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  especially when it's needed. Those are all things I've yet to
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  experience in the way that I want to see it done.
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  But how can I gain the experience?
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  How can I know what I should do? How do I go forward in my life?
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  Well, it is through the revelation of the words of God
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  and it brings light. It shines out onto the path of
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  where I should go. The kinds of things that I
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  should say, the attitudes that I should have while I do it.
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  And God can give me understanding so that even if I
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  haven't experienced something yet, I can still have
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  understanding about that thing. Now there have been hardships in
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  my life that I've gone through. I know plenty of people in my
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  life and my friends and and family members that have gone
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  through way harder and and tougher things than I've gone
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  through. But one joy for me as a
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  Christian and as a pastor is that the Word of God speaks to
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  things that, though I have not yet personally experienced it, I
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  can rely on what the Word says and I can actually provide some
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  comfort and some light to people.
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  Because it's not. What does Brian think about the
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  situation or what would Brian's solution be?
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  You know, I might have good ideas about things.
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  I don't really know, frankly, I I don't care as much what
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  Brian's solutions are. I want to know what is the word
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  of God have to say, What's God's solution to my problems and the
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  problems of those within my church or within my family?
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  I want to point people to the Lord.
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  And so feelings of inexperience, feelings of confusion or
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  darkness that I don't know what I'm supposed to do.
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  It ought to spark me with a passion to say I'm going to
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  God's word because even though I don't know what to do, he who
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  knows what to do next. Verse 131 I open my mouth and
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  pant because I long for your commands here.
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  It's it's kind of like humorous thing when I think open my mouth
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  and and pant, I immediately think of a dog that's going
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  like, and that's that's just the mental picture that I have.
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  I don't know all of the different animals that that
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  would be panting during this time that the psalmist wrote
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  this. We can think about the Psalm 42,
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  and there's a very famous hymn written from that.
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  As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth after
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  you. And here that's the desire that
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  the psalmist has for the Word of God, that it is I am desperate
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  for the Word. Are you desperate every day that
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  you want to spend time in the Word of God, you want to hear
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  from Him, that you need to know what you're supposed to be
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  doing, because you are not cut out to do this on your own?
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  Do you have a fervent desire to hear and to obey the commands of
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  God? One great way to gauge that in
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  the morning, what do you wake up and do?
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  I'll tell you guys, sometimes I fail even as a pastor.
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  And when I get up, you know, checking Facebook or checking,
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  you know, whatever social media thing, instead of going straight
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  to the Word. Now I'm really thankful even
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  with my phone, I at least get the option every morning of I
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  can choose to listen to a sermon or I can listen to a Bible study
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  podcast, or I can listen, you know, even if I want to put
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  myself to sleep, I can turn on Tabernacle talk and just go to
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  sleep listening to myself. But but I can choose even in the
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  morning, even with my cell phone to use it to follow God and to
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  pursue God's commands and what God says.
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  Or I can just go with, all right, what's going to give me,
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  you know, kind of the dopamine hit of Oh yeah, five people
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  liked my photo. I'm real big stuff.
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  Now I I get to choose. What do I long for?
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  And so it is with you. Do you long for the Word of God?
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  Verse 132, the psalmist says, turn to me and be gracious to
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  me, as is your practice towards those who love your name.
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  I love this, especially as we think about the Word of God,
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  that when I am reading, when I am thinking about God's Word,
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  I'm not just interacting with, you know, black words on white
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  pages. I am actually entering into
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  God's revelation of himself to me, and God is present when I am
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  diving into the Word. Is that the way that you think
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  about the Word that as you read like #1 the Holy Spirit is
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  always with us? But #2 certainly we recognize
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  that the Spirit gave us the Word of God.
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  We read about that in Second Peter chapter 1.
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  I think it's been probably it was two years ago now that we
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  that we began going through a second Peter.
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  But as the word is given us, as the Spirit has given us the word
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  of God, which is the declaration of God himself, He is not just
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  within us, but he is working in a unique way through his Word.
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  His word gives us life. His Word gives us direction.
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  And so as you're reading, are you praying God turn to me, be
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  gracious to me. You can think of here even the
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  Levitical blessing that was said over the priest.
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  There's a great song about it, the blessing by Elevation
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  Worship the Lord bless you and keep you.
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  Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
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  The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.
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  And here that's what this verse makes me think of God as.
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  I'm in Your word. Would you put your attention
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  towards me? Would you give me Your grace so
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  that I can live my day in light of Your Spirit moving and
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  operating in me? And then I love here?
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  He says, as is your practice towards those who love your
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  name. God is used to paying attention
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  to and giving grace towards those who love Him, that want to
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  see His glory, His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
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  Is that what you love? Do you love the name of the
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  Lord? Do you love His authority, His
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  right to rule? And are you operating in respect
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  of that name? Verse 133, Make my steps steady
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  through your promise. Don't let any sin dominate me.
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  I love this phrase here. Make my steps steady.
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  God, I just want to walk with you.
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  I just want to be faithful over and over and over again that
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  it's one faithful act after another that I'm able to say,
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  OK, today I'm going to treat my wife like Jesus has treated me,
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  with love and with care. I'm going to raise my kids in
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  the right way, telling them what God told me when I was a kid.
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  And I'm going to encourage them and their walks with the Lord as
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  I interact with my coworkers. You know, I, I've got here at
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  the church, all two of them, I've got my wife and then we've
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  got our custodian, Janice. And I, I want to be a good
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  coworker to them in the way God would have me to be with, with
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  my fellow church members. I want to encourage them.
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  I want to be kind in the way that I interact with them.
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  I want to be faithful, to share the Word of God with them and
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  with the lost that I interact with God.
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  Would you make my steps steady, A consistent, faithful walk with
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  God that is so often we're looking for the mountaintop
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  experience. We're looking for the parting of
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  the Red Sea, and we're not just looking for God for these 40
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  years in the wilderness. Would you help my shoes not to
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  waste away? Would you give me this morning
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  the manna that I need to eat for the day?
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  I I think there is such benefit in just asking the Lord for
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  faithful, steady steps in our walk with him.
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  How does that happen? Through the word that we know
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  what we're supposed to do and the Holy Spirit of God empowers
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  us to do those things each and every day.
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  Then I love their don't let any sin dominate me.
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  And that's what sin does. It let it destroys us.
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  Probably one of the most visible ways that we see this happen is
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  with addiction, whether substance addiction with with
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  alcohol, with drugs, frankly, even sometimes with gluttony
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  that you can see people that are, you know, massively obese
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  or overweight and sin dominated their existence.
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  And so then they didn't feel like there was any way out of
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  it. You can see those that would be
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  even on the side of the road begging as a result of alcohol
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  addiction through which they lost their family, they lost
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  their jobs, they, they lost the friendships that they had or
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  those struggling with drug addiction.
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  And you'd say, wow, sin is so deadly.
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  But can I tell you it's not just substance addiction that can
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  dominate you? Your pride can dominate you.
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  Your cruelty and unkindness and unforgiveness and bitterness can
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  dominate your life. Sexual immorality can dominate
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  your life. I think it's very interesting,
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  even in pop culture that you have movies that have been made.
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  I think they're of 1. Just so we're clear, I haven't
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  seen the movie, but with Joseph Gordon Levitt several years back
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  that looked at addiction to pornography and how it damages
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  relationships. And I think it's so interesting
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  that even our world sees that and they recognize that we can
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  become dominated by sin and our request should be God.
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  Help me to faithfully take steps towards you.
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  Don't allow sin to direct where I go.
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  May you direct where I go through your promise.
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  Verse 134 redeem me from human oppression and I will keep your
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  precepts. He says God rescue me that I'm
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  not destroyed by people and I will do what you ask.
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  I I think here there's just such a grounding to go.
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  God, sometimes it's really hard. Some of you are in really rough
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  relationships, perhaps even in your marriage.
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  I know I have friends that are in that scenario and in a tough
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  relationship, in a tough marriage or perhaps the
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  situation where you're Co parenting or something with
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  people that that can be a really, really hard time.
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  And you can pray this prayer request God redeem me from human
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  oppression and I will keep your precepts.
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  God, would you provide a way out?
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  Would you provide peace? Would you provide joy?
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  Would you allow me to be able to get out of this incredibly
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  difficult situation? And as a result, I'm going to
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  glorify you. Verse 135 Make your face shine
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  on your servant, and teach me your statutes.
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  It is the recognition of God's affection and care towards us
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  here shown by making His face shine on us, that He is looking
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  at us. You can think of the old hymn,
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  Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and
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  the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of
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  his glory and grace. Here, that's the prayer request.
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  God help me to see you for who you are.
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  And when that happens, I'm going to learn to be like you.
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  Spend time looking at Jesus, looking at the Lord, looking at
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  his character in the Word of God, and you will become like
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  him as you behold him. I think I've mentioned before
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  the the verse in one of Paul's letters to the Corinthians where
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  he says through the Holy Spirit of God, beholding the glory of
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  the Lord, we are changed into that glory day by day.
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  And what a wonderful truth that that is.
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  And then verse 136, the ending of this section, he says, my
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  eyes pour out streams of tears because people do not follow
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  your instruction. Does it grieve you when others
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  do not walk with the Lord? Are you saddened by the news
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  that that a family member has rejected Christ, though they
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  might have grown up knowing about Christ?
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  Does it grieve you when a friend that that used to be at the
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  church has now walked away from the faith or has been dominated
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  by sin and so now is no longer with their fellow believers,
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  with their brothers and sisters in the Lord as a result of sin
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  that dominated and took control of their life?
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  Are you saddened by your sin when you fail the Lord?
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  Do you experience grief? Do you repent?
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  Do you, as James instructs us to do in James 4, do we weep and
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  cry and mourn as a result of the fact that we have rebelled
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  against our God? Do you have any emotions about
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  failing the Lord's path? Can I encourage you?
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  If you're like, I don't, I don't really feel that that that's not
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  my response to people sinning. I don't really cry about that.
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  Can I encourage you? This is something Scripture
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  talks about over and over and over again.
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  You can pray and you can ask the Lord God, would you give me a
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  tender heart that I would recognize sin and be grieved by
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  it? That is absolutely something
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  that the Spirit will help you to do because here's what happens
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  when we become numb to sin, that it does not grieve our hearts.
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  When we grieve the Holy Spirit, we become comfortable with sin
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  and then sin dominates us because we, as one passage puts
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  it, we forget how to blush. We no longer feel bad for sin,
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  and so we just continue in it. And so let's ask the Lord God,
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  would you help me to maintain a a fresh heart, a tender heart, a
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  heart that can feel conviction when I have failed you.
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  And as we do that, we will be the better for it.
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  All of our relationships will be the better for it.
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  And most importantly, our relationship with God will be
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  the better for it. I hope that this portion of
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  Scripture has been an encouragement to you.
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  Remember, when you're passionate about something, it prompts you
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  to action. Are you passionate about God,
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  His word? Are you passionate about hating
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  sin? Are you passionate about loving
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  and following and pursuing Jesus and becoming like Him?
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  Because if we are passionate about it, it's going to result
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  in action. Thanks for tuning in.
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  See you next episode.