Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #24435 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Mercy - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8

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#24435 - Spiritual Gifts - Gift of Mercy - Acts 6:1-6 & Romans 12:6-8 · 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. Amen, take your Bibles.
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Open them to Romans chapter 12, Romans chapter 12.
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As we look today at the final. Spiritual gift mentioned in
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Romans 12, the gift of mercy. And I want you to be reminded
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today that these seven motivational spiritual gifts are
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given to Believers to impact a lost and Dying World.
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I don't want you to forget the Harry significance of these
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gifts, is for God to use you to reach the world.
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Sometimes they the Christians. We get confused that everything
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is just for us and everything's for our little holy huddle and
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for the church and while we do get to enjoy these gifts, the
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intention of the gifts is for the world that God would use you
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and me in the world. And as the gifts are operating
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in and through us, I also want you to remember Brr that they
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represent the fullness of Jesus Christ on the Earth today, all
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seven of them. So what that means is the seven
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gifts are operated. It would be as if Jesus was
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here. Ministering as well except
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through us, not necessarily from him.
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But now he's through us and we become in a very literal way,
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the arms of his love and the mouths that speak his truth.
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In the feet that carry the gospel into a lost and dying
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world. One other thing before we get
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in, I know by now is everyone that I've talked to there are
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some of you that say, you know what, Ed, I relate to all the
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gifts and I'm not sure which one is primary.
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I relate to them all. I think I have them all.
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Well, it is very possible that you do operate in all the gifts.
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That's Not Unusual. However, there is one primary
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spiritual gift that God has given to you.
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And if You don't know by now I'm asking you to ask God to reveal
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that because all the other gifts, take a supporting role of
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how God Made You. So they support you and you
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don't just kind of jump from gift to give.
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You are who God gifted you and then these other gifts help to
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enhance how God wants to use you in the body.
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Because we don't want you in the wrong place.
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You don't want to be in the wrong place, you want to be
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operating. Exactly.
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Where God has you. So with that in mind, let's
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review Romans. after 12, notice with me again, verse 6, Paul
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writes having then gifts differing.
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According to the grace that is given to us.
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Let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in
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proportion to our faith Ministry.
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Let us use in our ministry, he who teaches and teaching he who
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exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, we
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learned last time he who leads with diligence and today he who
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shows Mercy with cheerfulness Love be without hypocrisy.
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We've been defining these gifts in a couple different ways.
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One way, is we've taken a verb and we've attached it to the
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truth. These are the gifts are going to
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highlight The Life and Times of Jesus Christ.
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Remember, Jesus is the truth embodiment, the embodiment of
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the truth. And so, we've used different
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words. Different verbs to do to attach
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to the gifts. So by way of review, remember,
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prophecy is declaring the truth. Ministry and service is
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practicing the truth teaching is explaining the truth.
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Exhortation is applying the truth giving is supporting the
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truth. Leading is organizing the truth
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and today the gift of Mercy, we learn is ministering the truth
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in a very practical way. It's a very practical personal
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gifting that connects people with people but again let's just
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pause for a second and look at the activity of the church
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today. Consider the activity of the
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church today. Related to the truth truth.
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What the world needs declaring practicing explaining applying
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supporting organizing ministering.
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I guess. You could say it this way.
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If you want to see the living out of the truth, it's going to
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be lived out in one of these seven ways, and, of course,
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sometimes in more than these way.
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So, the gift of Mercy, the gift of Mercy, let's give a simple
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definition. Mercy means literally to show or
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extend Mercy or compassion and you're going to see those words
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connected, many times, mercy. And compassion, the general
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meaning is to have compassion or Mercy on a person in there, very
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unhappy circumstances, to show Mercy to have compassion on
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other people's lives, and they're very unhappy
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circumstances. And so this If refers to those
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who are gifted by God to serve others, in their time of need
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the where you have a deep connection of empathy and
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compassion, the gift of Mercy is a very empathetic gift Now by
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now, you know and if you don't I'll share with you today for
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the very first time, the distinct difference between
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sympathy and empathy. Most people operate in the realm
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of Sympathy no problem, and sympathy can be defined as this.
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I feel bad for you. I feel bad for you.
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And that's a an emotion that's expressed where you see pain and
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difficulty it hurts. You and your responses.
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I feel bad for you. Empathy goes a little bit deeper
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and builds upon sympathy. When you're empathetic, you're
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not only feeling bad for someone.
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Listen. You're also feeling bad with
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them. Where you're connected at that
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pain point. And so, empathy is a big part of
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this. Gifting of Mercy, it's a gift of
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connection and edification, where God uses you to connect
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with someone in their pain, to encourage them and build them
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up. Here's the bigger definition.
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God has given some men and women in the church, the supernatural
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ability to come alongside others to help encourage build up and
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help them. And tough times.
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And so, a person with the gift of Mercy Our men and women that
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are moved by human need. They tend to be moved to bring
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healing deliverance and even helped restore someone with a
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relationship with the Lord. And with others, they often
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identify. If you have this gift, you often
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identify with people who are hurting and you step into their
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life, listen very carefully and Tenderly and you're very
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sensitive to the wounded and to those that are bruised and beat
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up. May even see people like this
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around the church. You may look at them.
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Like just in this room, you might watch them walking around
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and then you, you look away. And then two seconds later, you
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look back. And where are they?
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What happened to them? Where they're sitting down with
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someone crying with them, praying with them, have their
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arm around them because they're naturally looking for and
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attached to human need these, those men and women with this
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gifting often identify with merciful care.
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And are very keenly sensitive to suffering and sorrow.
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People with this gifts, have a keen ability to see misery and
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to feel misery and other but they're very keen to watch
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countenances. You know how you somebody's face
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looks or body language and quickly go over to follow up and
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see if they're doing okay. Those are the gift of Mercy.
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Again, as I mentioned are very empathetic, they feel people's
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hearts with them. No, there's a fancy word that we
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use theologically when it comes to the death and resurrection of
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Jesus Christ. You might hear it.
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Said this way. That Jesus Christ, we enjoy a
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vicarious atonement through Jesus, and that's just a very
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fancy way of saying that Jesus Christ died in place of you and
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me, vicariously that his death and Resurrection was vicarious.
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That means what he did, he did in our place.
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That's just the simple. Definition.
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Well, it's a very good word and it's important word when it
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comes to this gift of Mercy. Because vicarious in this
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definition of being in place of the person with the gift of
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Mercy will often in they vicariously, or in place of
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experience the troubles that other people are going through.
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So that the site and thought of people hurting makes them hurt.
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And the hurt that they're feeling is real.
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They actually have a word for that.
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A phrase for that many people with the gift of Mercy, have
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what they call sympathetic pain. Have you ever heard that phrase
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before? Sympathetic pain?
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And what it means is is that in your step into someone's life,
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that's hurting you start to hurt, like it's happened to you,
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but it didn't happen to you. It's not your problem, it's not
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your difficulty, but as you step in in their lives, you feel it?
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So deeply that it actually feels like it happened.
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To you. And that's a very common thing
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with those in this gifting. Now if you have the gift of
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Mercy, not only, we have sympathy, but empathy and it's
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very easy for the person with this gifting to weep with those
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who we you may even be more sensitive to crying at the drop
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of a hat or tearing up at things or having a more sensitivity to
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your feelings. People might even put you down
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for that or make fun of you. But don't let them don't receive
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it. Don't even accept it because
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this is a gifting, God gave to you.
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So that you would be in the world and feel pain.
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Because in your feeling of pain, you're then able to express the
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kind of help that people need with the gift of mercy, your
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very tuned in to your feelings. Yet, that's the realm in which
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you live. And God often uses this as a way
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of working through you to minister to his children into
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this world, but it also comes in your life with a feeling of Like
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you need to be loved and you need to be appreciated and you
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want to be recognized for all that you've done within the body
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and it's for this reason. Wounded emotionally hurting
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people have a magnetic attraction to those with the
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gift of Mercy. They're drawn to you but you're
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also drawn to them the Holy Spirit, then entrust to you care
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over people's lives to lead them away from you to the very Cross
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of Christ. Get them to Jesus people with a
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mint people men and women with the gift of Mercy are often.
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What? We would call the compassionate
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ones and that seems to be compassionate.
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Is a big part of their lives. And because of this, the
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down-and-out, not just the deeply hurting and wounded.
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But a down-and-out have a tendency to be magnetically
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attracted to you. Not just down and out people,
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but down and out, dogs and cats, and even birds with broken wings
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seem to find people with the gift of Mercy, where you can't,
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you can't help. But, you know, if I saw a bird
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with a broken wing, I'm sorry, bro.
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I'm too bad. See you later.
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But you also take it home. Umm, I'm going to take care of
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you. I'm going to hand feed you.
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I'm going to take care of that fly away.
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Bird fly away. And that's just how your made.
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By the way, reminded me. We have new birds back at our
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house. Unlike anything we've ever had
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these two birds think that they own our light on the front
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porch. We don't have a very big front
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porch, just a couple steps. There's not much to it, but
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there's a light up in the corner and they think it's their
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bathroom. No joke.
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I'm just I'm just a molding right now.
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I'm feeling bad talking about birds and not a big fan of
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birds. I'm not a big fan of these two
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birds because they are literally using my front porch as their
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bathroom, and they don't give me a chance to talk to him because
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they fly away and they get upset.
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Okay, I'll get on. But if you have been here for a
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while, you know that every animal in our neighborhood
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thinks they own my house, they don't pay the rent, the
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mortgage, they don't pay the electric bill but they sure do
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take advantage of it. Like Anyway this come back to
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the gifts. I'm not very merciful toward
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them. Did I ever tell you about the
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woodpecker? The most annoying bird on the
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planet Earth. He's just like the devil that
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woodpecker. He's just like the devil and I'm
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sure you've experienced it where he just hits the same place.
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Constantly, constantly, constantly constantly
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constantly, then he leaves. And you're like good riddance,
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get out of here. Don't come back.
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I'm going to change my address, but they've got some kind of
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homing thing in them. Remember what happened to Jesus?
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Remember, what happened to Jesus?
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The devil left him, he after he tempted him for another
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opportune time. So wouldn't you know?
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It something in that. Woodpecker, they could go to any
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neighborhood, everybody's getting new roofs in the
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neighborhood, new stuff up there, and they come back to our
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house, but the enemies like that.
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So maybe the Lord just has this as an illustration to remind you
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that the enemy is going to hit the same place over and over and
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over again in your life, then he's going to leave and you're
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going to They call I made it through and then he's coming
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back and we need to stand in the righteousness of Christ.
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Putting on all of the armour of GOD that we might resist the
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schemes of the devil. How's that for an illustration
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from Birds? I just came to me right now, so
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good. So anyway, broken down Birds,
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they come to you and because you love them, you love them.
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I had a brother come up after service for service because all
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that happened to me. I think I was doing some
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construction and some baby birds fell between the Drywall and the
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siding. And what did I do?
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He took them out, nurse them a health and have them fly away.
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I'm like, man. Me, I look at the birds.
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I'm sorry, guys, were finishing the house.
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And some of you Mercy, people are very mad at me right now.
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Like, how could you do that? I do operate in this gift, don't
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misunderstand me. That's not my primary gift.
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You know, when people with the gift of Mercy, coming back to
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our definitions, when people with the gift of Mercy, watch
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are watching television. They see an ad of a third world
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company. Our third world Ministry in the
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third world with orphans, Their heart, your heart immediately
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goes and goes, I wish I could adopt all of them.
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I want to go out and see with myself.
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I like to feed them. I'd like to take care of them,
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I'd like to take them all into my house because it's this
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gifting of Mercy that motivates you to minister and serve.
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Not only that. But many missionaries are sent
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out from the gift. With the gift of Mercy.
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Many pastors have the gift of Mercy where they have a desire
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to serve people, many times men and women with this gifting Many
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times men and women with this gifting will go into a career
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path known as the caring professions where they'll go
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specifically into professions that connecting with other
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people and render care and Aid things like nursing Dentistry,
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you know, doctors things that would social work even pastors.
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They are moving in because they want to help people and that's
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what gives you Joy serving people.
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People, it fulfills you and encourages you.
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And typically those with the gift of Mercy or would be known
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as the modern-day Good Samaritans, and we'll get to
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that in a moment. But just something tugs at you
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every time you see a homeless person, every time you pass a
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traffic accident, every time you see someone asking for money, it
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tugs at you to step into their lives and see if you can't
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relieve all some or all of their pain.
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So number two were following the same pattern.
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Did this gift operate in the life of Jesus?
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Well, this is probably one of the most remarkable one of the
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most obvious ways that God operates on the, on the Earth
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today is in the realm of Mercy. I want you to step back and
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consider for a moment. The initiation of God's love
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towards you, instead of giving human beings, the Judgment, they
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rightly deserve God was moved by love to send his only begotten
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son. Into the world to die for you,
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on your behalf, you deserve judgment.
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But God Gave You merci, and on top of that, even gave you
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Grace, remember, these three words always go together.
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Remember them their foundational to your understanding of the
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character and nature of God. These three words judgment mercy
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and Grace, they always go together.
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The definition of judgment will judgments very easy.
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You get what you deserve when Receive judgment.
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You get exactly what you deserve.
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You could say that it's lived out where you sow, you reap what
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you sow. You're going to get, you're
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gonna get what you deserve. Judgment Mercy is defined as not
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getting what you deserve. So you deserve it, but you're
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not going to experience it. I think everyone that's ever
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been convicted of a crime standing before a judge and they
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just like, yeah, I know what I did Judge.
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It was wrong. I wish I would have never done
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that but you'd only see. Anybody double my sentence.
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Yeah, just give me double know, what do they cry out for Mercy?
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Please show Mercy to me. I don't ever want to do this
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again. I wish I never did it to begin
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with but show Mercy to me. Why?
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Because you don't want what you deserve.
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And then third, the third word is grace and grace is getting
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what you don't deserve. Like that is above and beyond
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it's not just the withholding of something but it is not it is
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not. It is getting more than you
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would ever deserve. And you see this throughout the
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life of Jesus especially highlighted is in his ministry
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of healing, you see, mercy and compassion.
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Again, let me show you one of them.
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Turn over to Matthew. Chapter 20, would you please
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Matthew chapter 20? And let's look at this together.
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Matthew chapter 20, when you get there, go to verse 29 with me.
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And let's notice this and if you like to write in your Bibles, be
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ready to take some notes and I do think you should have a paper
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Bible. I think she should use it.
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Carry it with you. It's hard to write it, you know,
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and do this all on your tablet, or your phone.
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I get those as tools, but you need a Bible.
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You need your own Bible because there's just an authority in
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this book. So notice Matthew chapter 20,
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Verse 29. It says, now as they departed
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from Jericho a great multitude, followed him and behold, two
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blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was
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passing by cried out saying, have, what does your Bible say,
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Have Mercy? What are they asking for Mercy,
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they want something. They don't deserve.
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They want to no longer have to live with buying the show Mercy
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on us, O Lord, son of David. And the multitude warned them
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that they should be quiet, but they cried out all the more have
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mercy on us. O, Lord, son of David.
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So Jesus Stood Still and called them.
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And what do you want me to do for you now?
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Of course, I don't think Jesus said it that way.
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I think he said it would Mercy, I think he said it with a
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palpable Mercy while they couldn't see him.
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I think they could feel this, I think they could feel the care
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and the paws of our savior here and They told him in verse 33.
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Open our eyes. That's what we want.
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And says, the very responsive Jesus to the blind man.
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Was this Jesus had compassion on them touch their eyes.
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So if you like to write in your Bibles, go back to verse 30,
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circle the word mercy, You might even want to Circle in verse 31
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mercy. And then down in verse 34,
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compassion and just write lines between those, they're all
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connected. Mercy, and compassion, mercy,
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and compassion so needed. How did this operate in the life
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of the early church will? Again the early church is moving
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forward and mercy and compassion all throughout their lives and
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ministry as the gospels going forth.
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But let me show you one in particular one that we already
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studied back in Acts chapter 3. Would you turn there with me?
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Acts chapter 3? This is after the baptism of the
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Holy Spirit, they're walking in the newness of Life, the
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empowering of the spirit, they're walking in as Witnesses.
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Now, it's very different than it was before, and they're going up
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to the temple beginning in verse 1.
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It says, Peter and John went together to the temple at The
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Hour of Prayer, the ninth hour, which I think they did many,
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many, many, many times before. But today is different because
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God is going to operate in their life among many gifts, but one
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of them is they're going to be very merciful here.
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Because they're not going to walk by him again.
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They're going to interact with him.
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They stop and they pause and they make eye contact and they
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directly Minister. This guy notice a certain man
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lame from his mother's womb, was carried their laid daily asking
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for alms. Verse 3, he asked Peter and John
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verse 4, they fixed his eyes on him with John and they say look
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at us and he gave them his attention.
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They he thought he was going to get something and then Peter
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says, silver and gold, I do not have.
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But what I have I'm going to give you in the name of Jesus,
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Christ of Nazareth. Rise up and walk.
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And in Mercy, they just didn't go up to prayer.
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They just didn't go up with the regular routine.
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It's different They pause, they stop.
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They care. And they step into this guy's
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life and he experiences healing, that he had never had in his
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entire life. In Colossians chapter 3 in verse
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12. It says therefore as the elect
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of God, holy and beloved put on Tender Mercies something were to
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ask for and operate in kindness, meekness long-suffering, it is
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so needed in the world. Today, it's not just needed in
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the church. It is, but it's so needed in the
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world. So what Mercy looks like and
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humility and meekness. I mentioned earlier, the Good
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Samaritan, the parable that Jesus gave, would you turn there
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with me in Luke's gospel chapter 10?
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I think it's worth our time. Looking at the Good Samaritan
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and just learn how Jesus taught through.
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There's a lot of different lessons that Jesus is teaching
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here, the neglect of the priests.
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The idea that people you might write off like the Samaritan who
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was looked down upon who was treated with Rachel racial
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Prejudice and on and on he's the one, he's the Ro he's the one
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that everyone looks down upon but the one that God uses, I
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mean there's lesson after lesson after lesson here but one of the
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lessons I think with the Good Samaritan is an illustration of
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Mercy. What is Mercy?
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Look like, so notice with me in verse 30 of Luke chapter 10
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Jesus answered and said a certain man went down from
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Jerusalem to Jericho and he fell among Thieves who stripped him
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of his clothing. Wounded him departed, leaving
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him half dead. So he's in bad shape physically
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he got he's ripped off and he's beaten close to death and then
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abandoned You know, while we may not meet many people in this
25:11
physical condition, we do meet a lot of people in this spiritual
25:14
condition, we do meet a lot of people in this emotional
25:18
condition. A lot of hurting beat up wounded
25:23
men and women filled with all kinds of traumas, And
25:27
difficulties and hardships families, that have abandoned
25:31
them spouses that have abandoned them churches that have
25:34
abandoned them, just left them along the side of the road to
25:37
die. And this is an instructional
25:40
Parable for us. That would help us to understand
25:44
God's heart. That we are to respond with
25:48
Mercy. Notice, what happens?
25:50
In verse 31, the guys in bad shape.
25:52
So what happens a certain priest comes down the road and when he
25:55
saw him, he passed by on the other side and then a levite
25:59
came when he arrived there. He looked and passed by on the
26:03
other side, but a certain Samaritan as he journeyed came
26:09
to where he was and when he saw him, he had read it with me.
26:14
He had Compassion on him. There's that word again.
26:20
Wherever you see compassion. You know, Mercy, moved him
26:24
whenever there's compassion, it comes from mercy and mercy,
26:29
builds compassion and here he is.
26:33
He went to him verse 34. So mercy and compassion are not
26:37
merely emotions. We're going to get to some
26:39
dangers in a moment, but but they're not merely emotions.
26:43
Their emotions that move you to do something about it.
26:48
There are emotions that move you to alleviate that pain and
26:52
notice what he does. He went to him.
26:54
He bandaged his wounds pouring oil and wine set him on his own
26:59
animal. Brought him to an end, took care
27:01
of him. And on the next day, he left, he
27:04
took out two denarii and gave it to The Innkeeper and said, look,
27:08
you take care of them until he's done, you take care of him,
27:11
whatever you spend When I come back, I'll repay you.
27:17
And so which of these three Jesus said, do you think was
27:19
neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?
27:22
And he said, he who showed Mercy on him then Jesus said you go
27:26
and do likewise, I want to give you an Insight here.
27:28
You maybe have never seen never seen.
27:31
Remember during this time these last few years we've been
27:34
learning the importance of loving our neighbor, whether
27:37
it's through the pandemic and all the opinions, we love our
27:39
neighbor with all the racial tension and Prejudice, we love
27:43
our neighbor with the difficulties of politics and
27:47
He's opinion. We love our neighbor and we've
27:50
learned during this time that We have a convenient way of getting
27:54
out of that and that's why labeling people if we can just
27:57
call somebody something other than our neighbor, then
28:00
something happens in our flesh. We will, you know, we don't have
28:02
to love those kind of people and we don't have to love that kind
28:05
of situation and it's just a perversity.
28:07
It's like a Twist in this of our flesh that has no place in the
28:10
in the church. We need to walk in the spirit
28:12
and not fulfill the lust of the Flesh.
28:14
And so here, the word neighbor is used in the English.
28:17
The word neighbor and I want you to associate what Jesus is
28:22
saying. Staying here.
28:24
That the demonstration of loving your neighbor.
28:28
Is tied together with Mercy? And compassion.
28:34
And the way that I apply that here, when I'm interviewing
28:37
someone coming on our team or I'll ask them question.
28:40
I'll ask them the question about having a pastor's hard and
28:43
anything and what I'm listening for is that they care Because if
28:50
you don't care, then why are you here?
28:53
Like, what do you want to serve here for, if you don't care
28:54
about God and you don't care about people, then why would you
28:57
think serving here is going to be something you want to do?
29:00
Everything that happens in the church representing?
29:03
Jesus is caring for others. The wounded, the beat up those
29:09
left. By the wayside those that have
29:11
been dealt, a harsh blow in life.
29:14
He says, which one is the neighbor?
29:16
Is it the Priestly one that walks right by and doesn't care?
29:20
He sees it doesn't act on it, is it the levite that goes and
29:24
comes upon Him ago? All, you know, I'm going to
29:26
cross the street, I don't want to be anywhere near this, so
29:30
it's not even just operating in the gift of Mercy.
29:32
But it's also do we care? Because that's going to be the
29:36
open door for the spirit of God, to get you into other people's
29:39
lives. So you can speak of an even
29:41
greater care, the care of God. Who is motivated by love to send
29:47
his only begotten son to die to forgive you, and me of my sins.
29:53
And that's where we learn here. You want to learn carrying you
29:57
find somebody that's already carrying and watch their gift of
30:00
mercy and action. And you'll see they won't just
30:04
feel though also act now, with all that in mind, like, oh, the
30:09
other studies, there are some dangers.
30:12
So I want you to be ready for some risks and Dangers for
30:16
someone that has this gift. I don't want you to confuse
30:19
these risks and dangers like personality types.
30:22
They're not personality types. They are true.
30:25
Bona fide dangers that you need to watch out for.
30:28
So in no particular order number one, A person with the gift of
30:33
Mercy, can be an overly sensitive person and overly
30:39
sensitive person because you live more on the level of your
30:44
feelings than most people you have a tendency to become too
30:50
sensitive and to be hurt too easily and you want to watch out
30:56
for this because it'll make you unusable, it's vital that you
30:59
learn. And again the the folks I guess
31:02
To serve and discipling out right here on.
31:03
This is what I tell them, I tell them all the time and I'm
31:06
telling you, you need to learn how to grow a thick skin.
31:11
While maintaining a soft heart it's essential when you're
31:16
ministering to other people, I mean that's true for anything,
31:18
right? You're dealing with customers
31:20
all day they're just like get a thick skin because it's not
31:22
going to get any easier, but don't lose your care and concern
31:26
and you know what happens, the exact opposite happens.
31:29
Actually many people. If they're not watching and
31:32
being careful, they'll have a they'll have a soft skin and
31:36
have a hard heart. So everything.
31:38
Bothers them. Every little thing.
31:40
They're upset about everything and their heart gets hard car
31:42
gets hard heart. And before, you know, it they're
31:44
just mean people that are upset with everything that's going on
31:48
and it's the, you got to flip that around, you have to have a
31:51
thick skin because people are going to hurt you.
31:54
You're going to be wounded, it's going to be hard and we need to
31:58
learn how not to let everything bother us so much number 2, If
32:04
you have to give them Mercy, you need to be careful that you
32:06
don't live only by your feelings.
32:11
You can't live only by your feelings danger is that because
32:17
you are in tune with your feelings and you do operate with
32:20
your feelings. I mean, if you think about it
32:22
you have the gift of Mercy. You have a deeper level of
32:25
feeling so I can like I might even be able to discern in your
32:28
life by though your language because you usually say things.
32:31
Well you know I feel that this is the best Thing to do, or I
32:35
feel that that's not right, or I feel like I should come over and
32:39
talk to you, you're just describing what we would all
32:42
describe, but you describing it because you're in touch with
32:45
your feelings. However, because you're so in
32:48
touch with your feelings, you can make the sinful decisions to
32:51
live by your feelings and that will be disastrous, you need to
32:57
learn how to not live based on your feelings but rather on
33:01
wisdom, biblical knowledge. Knowledge and the leading of the
33:05
holy spirit. It's important to learn that
33:08
though. You've been gifted with
33:09
heightened awareness of your own feelings.
33:11
You can't live by them. Alone is not what the Bible
33:14
says. We live by faith, not by sight,
33:17
we live by faith, not by feelings.
33:20
You could say the same thing. We need to learn to trust in the
33:22
Lord. You see for the person That does
33:26
live more by their feelings and based upon their feelings.
33:29
And other thing you need to watch out for with the gift of
33:31
Mercy, is that you're going to be more in the realm of
33:34
discouragement. Depression and despondency
33:40
because all about your feelings and you're dealing with all this
33:43
hurt and you just got to watch out for it because the people
33:46
you're called, to serve, you need to get in their lives from
33:50
the outside. And while you're connecting with
33:54
them, their problems, not your problem.
33:58
And you have to be super careful because you could get all caught
34:01
up in the emotion of it all and get back Council.
34:04
You can give counsel that's based on emotion and not by the
34:06
word of God and you think that's going to help?
34:09
Somebody is going to make their life worse but you're just
34:11
caught up in it. All you.
34:13
Another danger with emotions as you get easily overcome by
34:16
emotions. You may prone to be thinking
34:20
that as long as you feel good about something, then it's okay.
34:23
Well, you know, and you'll hear this, you heard people say,
34:26
well, you don't have a piece about it, you cannot have a
34:28
piece about sinning. Did you know that?
34:32
I didn't hear an Amen on that, but I think I set you up pretty
34:34
well. I'm going to try it again.
34:36
You cannot have a piece about sinning.
34:40
Good. I agree with you.
34:41
Amen. You can't have a piece about
34:44
sending so don't give that nonsense.
34:47
Well, I just feel like it's okay, it's not okay.
34:50
And you got to be careful of that because we know this to be
34:54
true, feelings are real and they can be overwhelming but they
35:01
don't always tell you the truth and they can lead you to some
35:04
really bad behaviors. I was thinking of an
35:07
illustration you know in the last few years they you've seen
35:11
some on YouTube, you've seen on Instagram maybe even television
35:14
shows of these fail videos. Have you seen those fail videos?
35:18
And so you're watching a fail video.
35:20
I'll tell you They are if you don't know about them, that
35:22
guy's riding his skateboard. He hits a rock, boom falls on
35:25
his face. Straight up all his teeth fall
35:27
out and part of the way they frame it all.
35:32
If you're not careful, you'll laugh at it.
35:36
Now, it is nothing to laugh at the dude, fell on his face and
35:40
spit all his teeth out. But it provoked in us and
35:44
emotion hahaha oh, oh not so ha ha.
35:48
And you have a strong emotion. That's not consistent with the
35:52
situation. and a fail video, really isn't going to get you
35:56
into too much trouble, but if you have A motion that is
36:03
inconsistent with the situation. You're going to give back
36:06
Council that discipleship. So we have to remember to yield
36:11
to the Lord with our emotions, not to get rid of them, or deny
36:15
them, or push them down, but to yield them to the Lord.
36:21
In 2nd Corinthians, chapter 10 and verse 4, it says, for the
36:24
weapons of our Warfare are not carnal But Mighty in God for the
36:28
pulling down of strongholds, casting down arguments and every
36:33
High thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.
36:36
And then this bringing every thought.
36:40
Now, thoughts are often generated.
36:42
If you're in tune with your feelings, your thought life is
36:44
often informed by your feelings, so bringing every thought into
36:48
captivity to The Obedience of Christ.
36:50
So be very careful. With your feelings number three,
36:52
number three. If you have the gift of Mercy,
36:54
you want to be careful. And this is kind of
36:56
counterintuitive because it goes against the nape, the
36:59
personality of a person with this gifting, but listen, be
37:01
careful of this, with the gift of Mercy, you can develop a real
37:04
critical spirit about you a real critical spirit and because
37:10
you're tuned into how people feel.
37:12
And because you really care and want to minister to them, you
37:15
will struggle with overreacting to people that don't see things
37:20
the same way you. You see them?
37:23
I'll give you an example. You're ministering to someone
37:27
and your approach is man. We need to be kind to them.
37:30
We need a soft answer turns away.
37:32
Wrath, I'm going to walk with them through the Long Haul, and
37:34
then your buddy who has the gift of Prophecy is ministering to
37:37
the same person and their approaches.
37:40
Stop sinning. What's your problem?
37:41
I can't believe it. Why are you still struggling
37:43
with this? And you're like, dude, calm
37:45
down. Relax.
37:47
Leave them alone. And now before you know it,
37:48
you're arguing with your friend over how to serve them when God
37:52
actually want you guys to do. Do it together.
37:56
Your friend needs to hear your soft approach and that brother.
37:59
You're ministering to also needs to hear the more sternward.
38:04
The gifts are not in competition with one another, they
38:06
complement one another but because you because that person
38:10
that you might be serving with the gift of Prophecy props are
38:12
exhortation, isn't so, in tune with their feelings, they might,
38:16
they just might be doing it a different way.
38:18
You get upset with them and how dare you, you're so CERN be
38:21
kind. So, listen if If that's a
38:23
scenario, the person with the gift of exhortation or prophecy,
38:27
certainly can do it more mercifully.
38:29
Yes. But they're not going to change.
38:31
They're going to be direct. That's gift that God.
38:33
Gave them and the person with Mercy, maybe you need to be less
38:36
emotional and give us stronger word, sometimes, and that's how
38:40
we work together in the body. Number 4.
38:46
Oh, by the way, one of the things you might be upset with
38:48
to is church discipline search. This one just in case you didn't
38:51
know, you are in a church that believes The Bible we study it.
38:55
Verse by verse we take a literal interpretation and we believe in
38:58
church discipline we believe that and over the course of the
39:02
life of our church, we have had to enact church discipline on
39:06
people who were unrepentant and they were infecting the church
39:10
evil company corrupts good habits and when the leadership
39:13
find out about it and we try to restore, we try to being the
39:16
repentance and they were rebellious church.
39:19
Discipline had to be enacted somebody with the gift of Mercy.
39:22
Would look at that and say oh No, no, give them another
39:24
chance. Give him another chance.
39:26
Not knowing that we gave them a hundred chances already and we
39:29
already tried and goal. If you gave him 100 some of you
39:32
right now, we think well, if you gave me a hundred game, 101 game
39:34
102 and like there comes a time where you need to learn that, it
39:41
may not be the most loving thing to do to keep giving chances.
39:45
You may need to see that love can be firm sometimes and it
39:51
must be God dictated that. Not man, so people with the get
39:55
the mercy get get kind of frustrated with church
40:00
discipline or things that are more black and white.
40:03
Because here's a danger. Again, I probably could have
40:05
listed more out but here's an equal danger.
40:07
You start to take sides in a situation which is a grievous
40:11
sin, especially if you take the side of the / first person that
40:16
got your ear do you know that's directly against the Bible and
40:20
that's what social media. If you don't social media has
40:23
really Re-engineered our thinking in our minds so that we
40:26
just believe everything. The very first time we read it
40:28
but the Bible doesn't say to do that.
40:31
The Bible says the first one to plead his case.
40:34
Sounds right? Until his neighbor comes and
40:39
reproofs him. What does the world say?
40:41
The world says, there's always two sides to every story.
40:44
That's right. Or sometimes they even say three
40:46
sides your side, their side and the truth, and it's probably a
40:51
mixture of both. And so people with the gift of
40:53
Mercy, ha, if you get caught taking sides, then again, you're
40:57
not going to be able to help somebody get to the Lord.
41:00
Number four. Here's another one.
41:02
This this seems to make sense. If you have the gift of Mercy,
41:05
you can be I'm overly depressed and despondent.
41:10
And that's why back in Romans chapter 12, the Apostle Paul.
41:13
He writes to us and says, when you, when you exercise this
41:18
gift, do it with cheerfulness. It's the Greek word there, Helo
41:23
Helo burtis, which we get our English words, lot easier to say
41:27
hilarious and so make sure that you're cultivating joy and
41:31
happiness in your life, not just dealing with difficult things
41:34
all the time, get some outlets and, and get rest, and give it a
41:38
break sometimes. So you can cultivate Joy because
41:42
you're just going to be dealing with difficult things all the
41:43
time. Sometimes the most difficult
41:46
things and it can get you really sad and depressed dealing with
41:50
broken. People all the time.
41:52
Someone once said those who bring Sunshine into the lives of
41:55
others, cannot keep it from themselves.
41:57
So, even as you're encouraging others, you got to learn how to
41:59
encourage yourself, keep strong in the Lord.
42:03
So you can be more usable all these dangers and all the gifts
42:06
is simply so that you remain usable.
42:09
It's not, it's not, okay, not to be usable or to be disqualified
42:13
or not. Be more usable and more
42:15
available to the things of the Lord.
42:18
And so be careful. Number five, And this is an
42:21
important one. This is a dangerous super
42:24
important in that is be careful that you don't become
42:26
emotionally entangled with the person that you're serving,
42:31
emotionally entangled, you know, the world.
42:35
It's funny how the world will discuss will study things and
42:38
discover things in some new book comes out.
42:40
And they they act like they created it and they made it, but
42:44
they're only discovering a truth that God already showed us.
42:47
And, you know, when you think of emotionally entangled you,
42:50
maybe, More familiar with emotional entanglements.
42:54
By the way, the world describes it.
42:56
And you may be surprised by this phrase but this is where you
42:59
cannot be codependent with the people that you're serving.
43:05
That that is not from the Lord. You cannot not only draw from
43:11
them this co-dependents, but you can also it is a sin to make
43:14
them dependent upon you. In the Church of Jesus, you have
43:19
got to learn to lead people past you.
43:23
And here's the problem. And here's the challenge because
43:25
God uses you in this way and people receive from you.
43:28
In this way, it makes you feel good.
43:31
You have a tendency to protect those things that make you feel
43:34
good. And so, because of that God
43:37
might be using in one particular person.
43:39
And and so you like, well I want to feel good.
43:41
I want to have that person in my life all the time and if I want
43:44
to have that person in my life all the time then I've got to do
43:46
it, so they stay. Acted to me, they stay dependent
43:48
upon me so that they're only calling me for help and they're
43:51
only asking me their questions. Stop it.
43:54
It's not from the Lord. You are not anyone savior.
43:58
Again, silent room. No.
44:00
Amen. You are not.
44:01
Anyone Savior and neither am I, I don't want you to look into me
44:06
as the only one that can help you.
44:08
I don't want you to look into me as the only one that can get you
44:11
to the Lord. I don't want you looking at me,
44:12
like, oh, I don't know what I would do without Ed.
44:15
You will do just fine, probably even better because then you can
44:19
get your eyes off a man to get your eyes back on the Lord.
44:23
You have to get people to Jesus and if you get them all
44:26
emotionally entangled then you need them and they need you.
44:30
And before you know it it is nothing.
44:34
It is nothing of what God intended to exercise, you're not
44:37
exercising. That I would even go.
44:38
So far. As to say this, if that's the
44:40
kind of relationships, you're developing on people, you are
44:42
not exercising, the spiritual gift, you are serving someone in
44:46
your flesh, even if you're helping them a little bit.
44:50
But I want you to consider the help, if the help is only tied
44:53
to you than, what kind of help are you really giving them?
44:58
You got to get them to the Lord. So God has given some men and
45:01
women in the church. The supernatural ability to come
45:05
alongside others to help encourage build up and help in
45:11
tough times. So may I ask you a question, how
45:15
many of you believe that you have the gift of Mercy?
45:19
And we'll just look around. Good good.
45:21
Thank you. Let me just say it out loud.
45:24
Thank you for operating in your gift.
45:26
We need your care, your compassion, the softness of your
45:31
approach. There's so many and I would say
45:34
we need it even in more multiplied ways in the coming
45:38
days as the world system and the end times are among us the
45:43
devastation of send there's going to be more and more
45:46
wounded hurting people that need to be.
45:49
Reduced to Jesus. And as we close I just I don't
45:52
want you to skim over what I said in the very beginning of
45:55
this message that the seven spiritual gifts are intended for
46:00
God to reach a lost and Dying World.
46:05
They are not intended for us to have our little church meetings
46:08
and our little church clubs. And we'll just take care of each
46:11
other and don't worry about the world.
46:14
That's not from the Lord. The church is here to be Salt
46:18
and Light in a very real tangible way.
46:21
And I do think that each of the gifts on their own reaches a
46:25
different segment of this world, it's not intended that we close
46:30
our eyes to the hurt and the pain.
46:32
It's not God's intention that we get caught up in temporary
46:36
things. Which reminded me this week, I
46:39
was reading the commentary on acts from Pastor, Chuck
46:43
Swindoll. It's a very simple commentary
46:46
and Read it backwards so that I read previous chapters.
46:50
So, I stay fresh on the book of Acts from different points of
46:53
views, as we move forward. So I'm reading back, a few
46:55
chapters in this and and a couple of paragraphs, jumped out
46:59
so much so that I wrote a little note and I sent it to our staff
47:03
for them to pray over and consider.
47:04
I'm going to share with you right now.
47:05
I want you to listen, allow the Lord to take this in.
47:11
And I quote from Chuck Swindoll, the early church had no
47:14
governmental Protections. In fact, their governments very
47:18
much, wanted them dead. They had no guarantee of
47:21
privacy. No freedom of speech.
47:23
No, Assurance of due process or Fair Hearings.
47:27
They had little in the way of tangible resources.
47:30
They had no political power. No impressive education.
47:34
They didn't even have a complete Bible because none of the New
47:37
Testament had been written yet. And this was the phrase that
47:40
just pops Stop me from reading it.
47:42
Just stopped me too. I had to think about this chew
47:45
on it. He says, they had so much more
47:50
working against them than we do today.
47:53
Yet, they literally changed the world.
47:57
I want you to hear that. Again, the early church had so
48:00
much more working against them than we do today.
48:04
Yet, they literally change the world.
48:08
And still, he says, let us not forget that these were ordinary
48:11
men and women, not much different than us.
48:14
And these first Christians would have been equal, would not have
48:17
been equal to the challenges. They face.
48:20
Were it not for the Holy Spirit? They conquered because they
48:24
relied upon the same power that God has given us today.
48:31
But you know, so much in the so many in the church today maybe
48:35
you have been going and looking at things in this world that do
48:41
not give you power. you know, it's getting caught up in
48:46
politics, getting caught up in, you know, money, we're going to
48:51
if we just had more money if we just had more political power
48:54
and we just had this / enough The Lord wants you to depend
48:59
upon Him. Trust in him.
49:02
He wants you to follow him. He wants you to look to him.
49:07
It's not all these outward. Trappings, that people think
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there's power. It's all secondary, it's all
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little power. Of course, we're going to
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interact in all this world in various ways, but the power is
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from the Lord and these early church look what they did.
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That's us, same Holy Spirit. I mean, we have more tools today
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than they had. It seems like we have less
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power. We have less impact.
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Many corners of the world. The church has become a joke
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today. The church and what I mean by
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that is the people of the church and so pastors, what they're
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doing trying to make up for that as will go to this seminar will
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go to that seminar read that book know why don't you just
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repent? And seek the Lord, you don't
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need to be reading a new book on what, how God wants to reach a
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city? Just pray and then look around
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and see where God is moving in a city.
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Look where the holy spirit is moving and then run their get
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there as fast as you can. Because God's already at work,
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we don't have to create the work, we're not to stir up the
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work. We can just Steps of Faith or
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like, man, I wonder if the Lord's working here.
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I wonder if the Lord's working here.
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I wonder if the Lord's there and you starting stepping out like
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following him Church. Listen.
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I don't know. I really don't know where you
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are in your own walk with the Lord, but you bring that to this
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church, your own personal walk with the Lord.
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You bring this to this. It affects us.
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And I think in these last days, God is wanting you to get right
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with him. God is wanting to deal with
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anything. You need to deal with, he's
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wanting you to step in and obedience.
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We're not trying to build a little church here and grow a
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little church, were trying to reach the world.
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That's our goal. We're not trying to fill the
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seats here and God can do whatever he wants with the
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seats. He wants to fill them.
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He wants to string on what's his deal.
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We're trying to fill heaven. The people you're praying for
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your, brother's your sisters, your neighbors, your bosses,
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that's the church. And so, let's just be, let's
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just be real with it. Lay our lives down before him
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live, a life of sacrifice service and submission and you
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exercise your gift, that's it, exercise, your gift.
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Let the Lord do what he wants to do with your life, and he will,
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in Jesus name, amen. So father, thank you for your
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word and know, just how you want to use it in.
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Lives. And, and I know that the
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exhortation didn't come out last night but it did today, so good.
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I'm glad stir us up. Lord convict us reveal to us,
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show us. Help us God not to settle for
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less things. Help us to not settle for some
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man's opinion. Or this is what's working over
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there, cares what's working over there for?
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What do you want to do? What's your definition of
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working progress and success and help us to follow you.
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Lord unreservedly without hesitation in Jesus name.
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Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
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sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer call us at 730 Grace
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that's eight 77304 2:53 to listen to this message in its
52:23
entirety or to join us for our live stream Services.
52:27
Visit us online at Calvary Co dot church or download our free
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Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.