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Christ in You, the Hope of Glory · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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Chapter 1.
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And we can read again at verse 26.
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!
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The hope of glory.
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We proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
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When I was looking at this, I thought this particular, these verses, I thought we could look at it under three headings.
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The first one was Christ in you, Christ in his people.
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And the second heading, his people in Christ, and then Christ and his people in glory.
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Just to look at some things, some thoughts under these heads.
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Now, Colossae was quite a bit inland from Ephesus.
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And Paul had been a number of years in Ephesus, and he hadn't been to Colossae.
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But Epaphras was in Colossae, and he had been in Ephesus, and learned under the apostle, and then went to Colossae.
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But there were things happening in Colossae.
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It's difficult to figure it all out in terms of the book.
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But there were certainly issues that had arisen.
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And it does look as if some of these issues related to people who were harping back to Judaism,
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and trying to take people with them, going back into rituals.
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And there were others, it would appear, that were looking to angels, and appealing to angels.
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And Paul was very keen, although he didn't himself go to Colossae, he was keen to write to them,
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to clarify that Epaphras was a proper man of God and teacher,
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and that they should take on board what he was saying, because it was the truth.
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So that was the thrust of it.
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But then he makes this point,
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when he's Thanksgiving and prayer section, where he,
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So from the day we heard it, we have not ceased to pray for you,
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asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will,
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in all wisdom, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
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so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.
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He's making these three points.
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First of all, that they would be filled with the Spirit.
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Then that they would be walking in a manner worthy of the Lord,
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bearing fruit.
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And may you be strengthened with all power,
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according to his glorious might.
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So there's these three,
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almost dimensions to what he's asking for them.
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That they would be filled with the knowledge of his will.
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And we heard last week about the need for knowledge.
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And Paul was looking for them to get the knowledge that they needed.
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So that they would be enabled to walk as they ought.
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And in walking,
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that they would then also be filled with knowledge and wisdom.
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And that they would be able to be ready for whatever came their way.
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Whether that was in persecution,
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as was the case with Paul himself,
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or whatever would come in the Lord's providence for them.
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He then moves on to the pre-eminence of Christ.
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Because when Paul is preaching the gospel,
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the focus of the gospel is Christ.
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And he goes through that section,
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which is probably in the whole Bible,
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one of the most eminent sections that relate to the pre-eminence of Christ.
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It's a wonderful section.
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And then he goes on talking about his ministry to the church.
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And that section that's talking about the pre-eminence of Christ,
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it's interesting the way that it talks, first of all,
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about Christ's relationship with the Father.
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So there's an aspect of it that relates to, as it were,
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something which is outside of the world.
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It is from eternity.
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And it's Christ's relationship with his Father,
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who sent him and he came willingly into the world.
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And of course, there is also the Spirit working through Christ
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and working in his people.
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So there's that dimension to it.
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Christ and his Father.
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Then there's the other aspect that relates to Christ
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and the creation, the whole of creation.
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Christ was over it all.
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He was the co-creator of the universe.
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He was the one for whom it was made,
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in whom it was made because he was the one that was the creator of it,
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and he will be the final judge of it all.
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So it talks about his relationship with everything that he has made.
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And it's always heartening to think that,
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although the devil has power,
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yet Christ is all-powerful,
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and he is over everything.
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And I think in situations where we come across tragedy,
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it is always difficult to think of these things
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in relation to the knowledge of Christ
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and the fact that he is over all things and supreme.
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But I think what we have to remember is
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that what we see, even in tragedy,
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is but a small part of a picture
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that he has and that we cannot really understand.
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There will come a time when we will understand
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the things that are hard for us in Providence today,
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but yet, right now, that is so difficult.
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But he has woven the golden threads,
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and it is the big picture that reveals
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what he has done and what he will reveal one day.
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He then goes on to talk about Christ
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in relation to his body, the church,
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and he gives us these things
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that relate to that relationship,
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where he is the one who is over all things
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and is making peace by the blood of his cross.
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But just going back to the verse
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that we were looking at,
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this mystery which is Christ in you.
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Now, it doesn't look as if it's a mystery
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in the sense that we would think of it a mystery.
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It's a mystery in the sense
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that it has taken time to unravel or unveil
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because this was initiated,
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and we see it even in Genesis,
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where God is talking there
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about what's going to unfold
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in terms of salvation history.
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But yet, it's not so manifest.
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I mean, there are all the regulations
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that go along with the Jews
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and the Jewish religion and Judaism
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that have gone along for centuries.
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But there came a point
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at which it all became clear.
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The pivot of all of history
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was when Christ came into this world.
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So, in his coming into the world,
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in his suffering in the world,
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in his death on the cross,
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in his resurrection from the dead,
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in his ascension to heaven,
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all of that is now revealed.
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And that is what the gospel gives us.
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It gives us an understanding
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of the reality of what Christ has done.
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And what a privilege we have
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that we have the gospel
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and we have Christ as its center.
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And what it talks about here
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is that it's Christ in you.
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And that's the wonderful thing about it all.
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The fact that he has come
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into our experience.
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That we have the living Christ
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through his spirit
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coming into our hearts,
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changing us from aliens
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and from those who were
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against the Commonwealth of Israel,
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against the Church of God
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and of Christ,
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and now brought in
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and Christ in us.
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The beauty about that is
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that it is a reality.
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We sometimes don't appreciate it.
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We perhaps don't think
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in terms of,
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oh, Christ and me.
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But that's the reality.
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He has come to live in our hearts.
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And he is the one
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that can now direct us.
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But we have to acquiesce.
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And that's where we move on
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to us in Christ.
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It's maybe a strange way of putting it,
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but there's a sense in which
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Christ is in us
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because he has come
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and he has changed us
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so that he is now living in us.
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We are a new creation
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in Christ Jesus.
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But we have to walk,
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we have to walk
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with him
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and in him
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in this world.
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And Paul was praying
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for the people there
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that they would know,
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that they would have the knowledge
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of his presence
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of Christ in them,
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but that they would also walk
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so that they were walking
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in the way
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that they ought to walk.
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And it's interesting,
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I came across this
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a couple of weeks ago,
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I was looking at a verse
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in Galatians
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where it was talking about
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walking in the Spirit.
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and there was two,
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two dimensions
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to the walking
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in the Spirit.
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The word apparently
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in Greek
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is different,
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so there was two Greek words,
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but one of them
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was relating to,
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as it were,
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the change
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in life
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that comes about
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when Christ comes in.
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But the second one
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was talking about
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walking in the Spirit
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in the sense of
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walking behind the Spirit,
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as if you were marching,
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marching to the tune
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of the Holy Spirit
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working in your life.
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And that's something
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that we ought to be
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conscious of as well
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as we think about
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our need for us,
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for Christ to be in us,
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but us to be in Christ.
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Just to be recognizing
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that we have to
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be so careful,
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we have to be
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continually applying
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to the Holy Spirit
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to guide us
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in our walk,
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to keep us
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from going off the path,
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to keep us
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from going to the precipices
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where we are
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liable to go over.
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Because the evil one
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is there,
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he is powerful,
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he will try
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to take us
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away from the truth,
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and we need to be
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in step
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with the Spirit
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as we walk
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along life's road.
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So there is Christ
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in us
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and us in Christ
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as we walk
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through this Christian
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life that is
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now ours.
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And it's so important
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in terms of the witness
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that we have
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that we are indeed
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walking
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in and with
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the Holy Spirit,
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that he will guide us
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and keep us
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because
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the last dimension
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we are talking about here
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is the one
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where he mentions
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there
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that
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they would be
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mature
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in Christ.
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So
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he is wanting
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the maturity,
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he is wanting
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them to grow
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and there is
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almost a cyclical
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thing here.
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you begin
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with the knowledge
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as Colm
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was talking about
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before last week.
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You begin
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with the knowledge
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and it goes on
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to the influence
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that it has
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on your life
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and you have
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to acquiesce,
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you have to
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participate in it,
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you have to try
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and do
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your best
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in the recognition
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that it is
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the Spirit
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alone
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that can keep you.
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But that itself
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brings maturity
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and the maturity
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brings more
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knowledge
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and godliness
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into your life
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and it is
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a wonderful
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privilege
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to think
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along these lines
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but one of the
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things that it
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does as well
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is it brings
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a consciousness
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of self.
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Self is such
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a devastating,
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devastating
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part of us
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and while we
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are in this world
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we will always
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have it.
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it seeks
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its own
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glory
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when what we
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really need
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to be doing
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is looking
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to the glory
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of the preeminent
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one,
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the glory
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of Christ
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so that in
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everything that
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we do
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we do it
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with a view
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to his glory
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and not our own.
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the last point
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that I was
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wanting to refer
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to was the fact
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that it
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goes on
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because we
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have a hope
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we have a hope
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of glory
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it's not a hope
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like we might
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have a hope
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well I hope
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it's better
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tomorrow than it
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is today
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in terms of
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the weather
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that's a hope
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that's just a
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vain hope
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but the hope
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that's being
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referred to here
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is founded
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on the reality
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of what Christ
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is in his
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relationship
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with God
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it's founded
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on the reality
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of who he is
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as the co-creator
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of the universe
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and it's founded
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on the hope
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that we have
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because he is
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the head of the church
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and over the whole church
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and he will take it
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to himself
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he will take his bride
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to be with him
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where he will be
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because he has gone
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to prepare a place
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for his own
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that is the hope
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that we have
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the hope that we have
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in Christ
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of glory
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and what a wonderful
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hope it is
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and in a sense
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that should guide us
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that should lead us
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as we look
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to that
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glorious hope
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and expanse
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beyond
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our lives
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we should be looking
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at everything
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that we do
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in the light
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of the glory
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that awaits us
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and the glory
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that is his
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and ought to be
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at least is
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in part
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given to us here
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I remember
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my mother
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she was a herring girl
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at one time
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and they used to go
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to the herring
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to the various places
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from Lairwick
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down to Lowstuff
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and Yarmouth
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and when they would
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go they would
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get a shilling
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tea
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and they would
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get that
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and it would
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keep them
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it would pay
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for the digs
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for this week
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and they would
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get that
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just to keep
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them going
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but there was
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at the end
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of the time
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at the end
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of the season
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they would
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get the bounty
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they would
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get what was
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kept for them
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and it's just
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a reminder
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to us
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of what this
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is
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we can see
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now through
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a glass
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darkly
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but yet
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we know
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that in this
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hope of glory
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that we have
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in Christ
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that there is
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a guarantee
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that there is
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a hope of glory
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which goes
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beyond anything
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that we can
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even understand
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or imagine
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and how thankful
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we ought to be
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that that is
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our reality
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may God bless
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to us
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these thoughts
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there was one
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thing that I came
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across today
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that I thought
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I might just
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mention
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there was
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our lady
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Anita Meston
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and she's
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a teacher
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down in
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north of England
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and this is
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in relation
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to the
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suffering side
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of the walk
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Paul talked
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about it there
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but it can be
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a reality
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in everyone's
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life
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this lady
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was asked
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by one
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of the pupils
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if she was
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pro-abortion
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and she gave
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the truth
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she said
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she was
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pro-life
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she has
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lost her
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job
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and that
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can be the
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reality for
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people
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even in our
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country today
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you speak the
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truth
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you lose
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your job
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so it's
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something that
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we have to be
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aware of
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it's not just
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these persecution
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issues are not
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just pertinent
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to the
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Saudi Arabias
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or the
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North Koreas
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or whatever it
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is in the world
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where there is
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persecution
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it's coming
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to our
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country
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big time
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as well
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and we have
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to be aware
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of that
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but we have
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to be prepared
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to stand
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even as the
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apostle was
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asking
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that these
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people
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would do
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so
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but it's
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based on
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our
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understanding
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of the
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truth
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of God's
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word
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we'll close
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singing in
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Psalm 25
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away