Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #20230308 - Overcomers by Faith - Revelation 21:1-7

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#20230308 - Overcomers by Faith - Revelation 21:1-7 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Colorado, to learn more about the many
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resources available, through abounding Grace, Media, or to
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tune into our live stream Services.
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Visit us online at Calvary. Co dot church or download our
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free Calvary Church app now. Let's open our Bibles and study
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God's word. Amen.
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Amen. So Revelation chapter 21, just a
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really neat section of scripture that I want to walk through with
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you guys, but really focusing on 21:7 where we're God says, he
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who overcomes shall inherit all things.
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And I will be his son and he shall, and I will be his God,
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and he shall be my son. And so, just as this idea of
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this encouragement, that God gives us at the end of the
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Bible. At the End of the Age.
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Just reminding us as we are in Christ.
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We are adopted sons and daughters and that we are
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Overcomers by faith. And so this I've been meditating
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and just really like been encouraged with this section of
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scripture recently, my wife and I Emily.
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We've been spending some time writing together and just trying
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to be a little more disciplined and writing down the things that
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the Lord's doing in our own lives currently.
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And also in the past of just remember, And some of the Lord's
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faithfulness. And I've been blown away with
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just some of the memories of God's faithfulness in our lives
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and and just came to this season considering and meditating on
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the faithfulness in the goodness of God and just just kind of in
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this place of like wha like like like wow this is amazing like of
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God's faithfulness in his goodness to us.
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And so writing about some of his faithfulness, in our various
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experiences and meditating on those things and Considering
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this verse here in verse 7 and just just I see his faithfulness
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in this. Declaring that in Christ.
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We are we we are Overcomers and that we are his children as we
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as we believe in him. And so, you know, I know we
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don't live in the past and we always want to be pressing
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forward into the things of the Lord.
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But sometimes it's good to to pause and and to remember the
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past faithfulness is of faithfulness of the Lord and how
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he, how he has set out to Make us Overcomers through him and by
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him. And so I've just, I just been
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considering that and sometimes when we're in the thick of it
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and maybe you guys can relate to this when we're in the thick of,
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of life in the difficulties, and the struggles were, were kind of
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there and we don't, we don't really see what God's doing.
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We don't really understand the big picture and we're really
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just trying to make it day by day and it's sometimes when
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months or years go by and we look back and like all the Lord
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is the Lord is good. He helped me overcome in that
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place. Help me walk through this season
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and it's just been just been one of those seasons for me.
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Just considering the goodness in the faithfulness of God and and
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really, what sparked that was last week.
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If you guys were here last week, we had a water baptism here and
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it was, it was glorious and it was awesome.
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I really loved the time of water baptism and it brought me back
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to when I was fresh out of high school was when Emily and I
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walked into this church and you know, that was that was the
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moment. The Lord was starting to really
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grip my heart and bring me into a place of Surrender and
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humility unto the Lord. Just this this kid's straight
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out of high school like not knowing really, you know what
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what, what a relationship with the Lord was all about, but I
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knew that the Lord was stirring something in my heart and and
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then we, you know, started to get plugged into the church here
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and there's an announcement for a water baptism out at the roar
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Reservoir and I remember, you know, just as an 18, year-old
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this running out and so Aurora Reservoir and getting baptized
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and how cool that was just to remember the faithful Of God in
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my life in that season. And and I was just remembering
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that the other night when we were watching people step into
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the tubs here for baptism and like, man, the Lord is, the Lord
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is good. The Lord is faithful, who, like,
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look at all these things. He's done in our lives.
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And, you know, and through that, I've been been recently, just
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really considering and remembering and thanking the
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lord for, for that faithfulness, even through the seasons, that
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we were serving in Ukraine and just the The various trials that
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he has brought us through in those seasons in Ukraine and
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Uganda and now here are serving with high school Ministry in the
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various things that were walking through with with high school
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Ministry and the and the in the ups and the Downs, that that
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brings. And it's like man, the Lord's
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faithful hand throughout the years is so good.
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And, and I'm reminded of that, is we come to Revelation where
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he just says, he who overcomes shall inherit all things.
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And I will be his God and he shall be my son, and I'm just
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like, thank you, Lord. And so I don't know about you
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guys, but have you have you guys ever been in that place of just
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like remembering the faithfulness of God and the
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thankfulness of God and just reflecting the yes.
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Like it's like man, we need that because we like that is those
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are like the the moments that we need to press forward in keeping
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her eyes firmly fixed on the Lord.
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But in that right as we look back on life, there's also the
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seasons of heartbreak and there's this seasons of extreme
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difficulties and there's the you no great loss.
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It's and Shattered Dreams that we've also walked through and so
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both sides of Life, the highs and the lows as we walk through
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it and yet the Lord continues to teach me and he continues to
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teach Emily. And I just these simple lessons
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of clinging to the Lord and to his faithful promises and and
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and just, you know, holding on to those promises that he has
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given given to us and that really brings me to Revelation
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21 because there's some glorious promises here in this chapter
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that have Stablished my faith and helped my faith especially
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in difficult Seasons. It has reminded me that in
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Christ. I am an overcomer and is
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reminded me in Christ my future and my hope.
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And and I want to walk through some of these promises with you
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guys. Tonight's and just consider the
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faithfulness of God in your life and some of these promises that
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he has given you. And I my prayer My Hope for
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tonight is that you would instill these promises inside of
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your heart and and continue to meditate on them.
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So that You two can really just walk in the thankfulness of
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God's faithfulness that you are an overcomer that.
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You are a son and daughter of the creator of the universe.
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And so this, this chapter has been just a chapter of assurance
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and confidence for many, many, many years in my life.
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And so, let's, let's jump in together.
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I kind of want to, I kind of walk through the earlier verses
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and what kind of walk through some These verses and just like
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really focus on what the Lord wants to minister to you and
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then still these promises in your heart and so Revelation 21.
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If you're familiar, if you're a Bible student who studied
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Revelation you'll know that Revelation 21 is really, it's
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the end, like it's the last couple pages of your Bible and
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it's the, what we would consider eternity, what we would
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consider, you know, really heaven, right?
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And it's this this this picture of Of what John is seeing there
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on the island of Patmos, he's receiving the revelation of
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Jesus in this vision of the things yet to come.
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And all the way through Revelation really is kind of
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like a grind to get me, you know, just imagining John
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getting those visions of like, really a lot of difficult things
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and even in chapter 20, when there is the judgment and the
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Lake of Fire and then yet, we finally get to Revelation 21
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where it's just glorious promises for those who are in
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Jesus. And so we don't get a lot of
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description of like literal description of Heaven in the
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Bible. But this is one of the best
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chapters. To kind of get a concept of
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what, what our future looks like in Jesus.
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And it is so encouraging, as we as we walk through this.
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So, jump in verse one with me and we're going to kind of walk
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through these verses and I want to tie it all back in and bring
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it into verse 7 with you guys to to encourage you.
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But verse 1, John says he's receiving this This Vision he
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says, now I saw a new Heaven. Can you guys say new new?
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Yeah, like trying to do that with our high school students
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and like sometimes they're not into it.
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Sometimes they are kind of here. You guys like high schoolers
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like they're you guys. But like, John sees this new
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heaven. Say it again with me new and a
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new Earth, say new with me, and the first Heaven, and the first
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Earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.
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Then I John and verse You saw the holy city.
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New New Jerusalem. You guys, you guys are getting
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it. You guys are you guys are there
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with me a little bit, but the New Jerusalem verse 2 coming
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down out of Heaven, from God, prepared as a, as a bride
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adorned for her husband. And so this word new is
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emphasized three times here in the first two verses.
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And, and John is in, God is wanting us to really grasp this
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idea of newness this This word new is important for us to
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understand because it's not it's not just God's not just talking
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about an improved or restored or a remodeled Heaven and Earth,
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but he's talking about like the brand new Heaven and Earth brand
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new completely made new the earth and the universe and in
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your body. Like all of this is God's
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instilling these promises in our hearts that.
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Hey, or these reminders that like hey, these things are
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temporary. These things are I see no way
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but there's new things coming in Christ Jesus.
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And so the lord loves the lord, loves new things.
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That's why he reminds us over and over again.
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Like, don't don't lay up our Treasures here on Earth, where
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moth and rust destroy, but lay them up in heaven, where where
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there will be Eternal value there.
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And as Believers, we wait for this day of newness of a new
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body of a new Heaven, and a new Earth because we see as we look
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around and even as we just live life, If we see that creation is
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groaning, as River As Romans would say creation, is groaning
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creation is falling apart. Creation is stained by sin, and
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there's a deep need and a deep desire for newness.
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And so the lord loves new, I'm reminded as we as we look at
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these promises here in Psalm 102, just a reminder that God
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says long ago, you laid the foundation of the earth and made
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the heavens with your hands. They will perish but you remain
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forever. They will wear out like old
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clothing and you will change them like a garment and discard
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them, but you are always the same you will live forever.
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You know. I love this picture of like a
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garment or an old piece of clothing wearing out because
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anyone anyone here is just like, love your old t-shirts or
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anything like that. Yeah.
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Like I do to my wife does not love my old t-shirts and we've
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gone in this phase of, like, Millennial or not.
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Although minimalism minimalism and she's like, where purging
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everything and now I have like three shirts and this is one of
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them and there's no holes here and but I've loved you know we
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love those old shirts but there comes a time where you gotta
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throw it out and bring in the new because it's just
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disgusting, right? And so the Lord saying like
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here, here we are that the old will wear out but you God,
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remain forever. You are always the same in
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Isaiah, 65 verse 17, it says Look, I am creating new heavens
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and a new Earth. No one will think about the old
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ones anymore be glad and rejoice forever in my creation.
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And look I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness and her
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people will be a source of joy. And so we see these promises
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throughout scripture that there is something new coming.
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Something better coming, something that we can't even
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comprehend the goodness in the newness that God is bringing in.
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As we are in Christ. And so as we read through this,
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we see God loves to make things new.
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He's going to make everything new.
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But for you guys as Believers and born-again Believers, we
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already know that, we know that the lord loves newness, right?
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Remember, second Corinthians 5:17 where it says, you are a
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new creation in Christ. The old things have passed away,
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and behold all things have become new, like, that's the
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work that God does. That's why we are born again,
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there's a new nature about us as we were born again.
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In Christ, and that's what God's in the business of making making
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us new not just making us improved.
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Like, that's not, that's not the work of the Gospel in our lives,
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the work of the Gospel in our lives is is newness a new
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creation in Christ. And so he's going to bring us
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into this, this perfect newness and so I'm excited about it,
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this is our future. This is our hope, this is our
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Assurance even as we walk in life here with a new heart, with
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a new nature, with the new life, we still look.
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Forward to the day when sin isn't going to touch us anymore,
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when we're going to live in the way God intended us to live, so
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it's going to be good in verse 2.
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Again, it says that John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming
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down out of Heaven, from God prepared as a bride adorned for
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her husband and really like we see that God just is bringing in
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this, this new city. Like we don't even really know.
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You'll Rican read a little bit of the description of a New
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Jerusalem, but I don't think we can comprehend what this new
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city of God was going to. Clay Aiken and really like with
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the presence we're going to see at the end of Revelation 21 that
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the presence of the Lamb of God is the light of the city.
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And it's going to be glorious and it's going to be amazing.
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And, and we see that Jesus is coming.
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He's coming again, he's going to rain and he's just replacing
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everything. The old has gone.
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The new is here. Christ is raining.
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It's going to be, it's going to be amazing.
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So, I'm excited for that. So, that's a promise for you
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guys to hold onto like this is this is our future.
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This is Our Hope in Jesus, when things get difficult and
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discourage, the get our eyes on heaven, right?
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Paul would call us and in Colossians to not be.
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So concerned with the things here on Earth, but to get her
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eyes heavenward but it gets better.
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I think it gets better here in Revelation 21.
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So verse 3, it says, John says, I heard a loud voice from
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Heaven. Saying behold, the Tabernacle of
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God is with men. Men and he will dwell with them
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and they shall be his people and God himself will be with them
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and be their God. And so really, what I see here,
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is this declaration of God and and really this is what the
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whole gospel message is about this.
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With the whole Bible is about is bringing us to this point of
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this declaration that God has for us, where he says, behold
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the Tabernacle of God is with men, he will dwell with them.
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Does this word Tabernacle is also really important because
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right in your Bibles, I would Circle it and highlight that and
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start to do some cross references with that of looking
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up. Where else God uses this word
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Tabernacle? Because it's super important and
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it literally means dwelling. It means dwelling, it means that
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this is the dwelling place of God, that God is dwelling with
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people and that he himself will be their God.
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And and it's it's pretty amazing to think about that.
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That's that's really the whole purpose of what God is doing
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here. That's the purpose of why he
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sent Jesus to die on the cross so that he could restore us into
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relationship so that he could bring us to this place so that
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he could be with us that he could Tabernacle with us.
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That there would be no division between a holy injustice, got
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just, just and righteous God and us.
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And so he comes to Tabernacle with us And it's an important
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word because we have to understand the heart of God.
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This is the heart and the desire of God to Tabernacle with
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people, to dwell, with people, to abide with people.
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This is this is our purpose, this is why we were created, you
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know? And when we do, when we're doing
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High School Ministry, we get we do question-and-answer night
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sometimes and we just like receive questions and we don't
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know what we're going to get and we're like, oh I hope we're
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ready. And you know, usually typically
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we get questions that are similar Every time we do these
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along the lines of like, what's my purpose and why it was I
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created and this is what I always want to go back to is
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your purpose and you were created to have a relationship
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with God. That that's that's our first and
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foremost purpose of to be United with her Creator.
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That's what God wants. That's his greatest desire and
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that's our greatest purpose is to dwell with him to have
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relationship with him to Tabernacle with him and it goes,
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you know actually goes all the way back to The Garden of Eden
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even before the fall. We see that that was the the
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character of God he was walking with Adam and Eve in the cool of
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the day. He's spending time with them in
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the garden and then when they fell and rebelled against the
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Lord, that was when there started to be a division there,
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right? And that was, that was really
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the Catalyst of the history of the rest of the world that we
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were, we were searching for what our true purpose was and art and
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what that meant to. Come back into relationship with
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God. And so that's why we see in the
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Old Testament times. We see you know, Moses was
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commanded to build the Tabernacle and they would erect
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the Tabernacle among them in the camp, as they as they wandered
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in the wilderness and then later in history, they would build the
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temple. Where the they were, they would
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have to holy of holies in the priests would go in there once a
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year to, to Really represent some of that time of
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relationship with God. But it yet, but wasn't quite
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there until Jesus. Ice came in and dwelled among
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the Earth Among Us in 1st John chapter 1, it says that the word
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became flesh and he dwelt Among Us is where dwelt is the same
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word Tabernacle. So Jesus came and tabernacled
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among us and we beheld his glory and the glory of the ones
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begotten of the father full of grace and full of Truth and with
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Jesus dwelling coming to dwell and Tabernacle among Humanity
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was the whole purpose to get us. Really back to Revelation 21
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like hey your purpose and your future.
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Is there, your future is going to be in.
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Jesus Christ dwelling, with Jesus Christ, that's why Jesus
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came, that's why he died so that he could bring us to Revelation,
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21:3 and say, God is with us. God is dwelling with us.
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We are his people. We have all eternity with God
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and it's good, it's so good. Like the Lord's been in recently
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in my life the Lord's been instilling more and more just
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Finders of being Eternal eternally minded, we can get so
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caught up with the temporal and the things happening on this
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Earth. And in my life, I've learned
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that thinks away quickly and we, and we can try to hold onto
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things and seasons of life for friends or family and things
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pass away so quickly. And yet, the Lord wants to get
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our eyes on to the Eternal onto this.
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This fact that Jesus came to die, so that we could be saved,
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so that we could spend eternity with God.
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And so I love verse 3. Because we just see this this
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New, Covenant declared and lived out for our future, getting back
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to our Purpose, with the desire that God has for us, that he
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wants to be with us that he wants to be with me.
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And so this New Jerusalem, whatever, whatever that looks
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like, and whatever, you know, we can, we can kind of speculate
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about it. Really like, in fact, if we just
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strip it all away, we understand that it's all about God.
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It's all about God being with his people.
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It's all about us, spending time with God, Revelation chapter 3,
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if you guys want to turn back to Revelation chapter 3, if you're
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interested in just kind of following along here, Revelation
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3, verse 20, you know, these these Here's to the church that
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seven letters to the seven churches at the beginning of
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Revelation that Jesus is speaking to various churches and
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and here at the end of Revelation 3, he's speaking to
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the lukewarm church, the church of laodicea.
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And in verse 20 he says this is Jesus speaking.
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He says, behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears
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my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine
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with him. You I say dying dying.
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Like that's a key word, right there.
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And then he will. And then he says, and he with
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me, this idea of dining with the church like, especially in that
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culture and that time to share a meal speaks of great intimacy,
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Great Fellowship. Even like it represents like a
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Oneness because in that culture, they would they would really
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emphasize. Hey, you're eating the same, you
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know, the same loaf of bread as me and we really becoming one
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and United as As we share this meal together and that was
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Jesus. Desire for the lukewarm Church.
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He's like, I want an intimate fellowship with you.
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I want an intimate relationship with you.
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I want to dine with you, it's, you know, when you create when
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we were in Ukrainian culture was a little different, right?
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American culture was a little different than Ukrainian
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culture. And but one of the, you know,
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one of the things we had to learn is like, okay, how do we,
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how do we learn the culture when we're here, so that we can
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really minister to people and Like they live so that we can
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relate to them the best we can. And what I learned quickly was
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like when church was over, that means that church was just
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beginning. Like we I would end the message.
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And then I'm like, okay, we got like five hours of fellowship
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before anyone thinks about going home and we'd sit around, we
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would drink tea. We would, you know, we would eat
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cookies and like, you know, it was just great time.
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Like, At first, I was like, what's happening?
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When do I get to go home? Like why aren't people leaving?
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But like we really, I really experienced like this close.
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Archer of hey, we just want to share a meal with you, we just
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want to sit with you. We want to just talk with you
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and, you know, I think that represented the heart of the
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Lord very well. And that's something I love
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about this church as well. You know, we go down into the
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cafe and that goes on for hours, usually after service, as well.
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And so just like representing the lord, well, in those, those
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times of deep intimate fellowship.
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And that's, that's Jesus is Desire with us and it makes me
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just like stop and consider. You know, really my own life of
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am I? So caught up with the things
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going on in my life that I haven't stopped to just dying
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with Jesus. And sometimes there's those
23:27
moments where it's like man. I've been too busy to just like
23:30
slow down and spend that time with the Lord, the Lord, once
23:33
that time with me, the Lord's, knocking on the door, like hey,
23:37
I'm ready. Like invite me over and and we
23:39
just need to slow down and spend that time with the Lord and yet
23:43
back in Revelation 21, like that's what he's doing.
23:45
He's with his people, he's Tabernacle.
23:48
Alien among the people, he's dwelling with the people.
23:51
I imagine he's dining with the people and that's our future,
23:55
and it's going to be, it's going to be glorious, it's going to be
23:58
amazing. But even with that, in our
24:00
future, the good news is that we get to experience that even
24:03
today as Believers, we have the Holy Spirit and Jesus dwelling
24:08
in us who he desires to abide in us, right?
24:11
And he wants to remain in us and he wants to even Tabernacle with
24:16
us today and, and the Bible This that we can experience that even
24:20
before the New Jerusalem. And so that's been a great
24:24
encouragement to me. A great reminder of like, that's
24:26
where I draw source of of life and encouragement is like just
24:30
spending that time with the Lord.
24:32
And so I encourage you guys just spend that time with him, that's
24:35
your purpose, that's his desire. And sometimes, we're like, how
24:38
much time should I spend with the Lord and the Lord's?
24:40
Like know, I have as much time as you want.
24:43
Like, let's just, you know, let's just let's just spend time
24:46
together, I the Lord's Kind of given me this new phrase,
24:49
recently of, of praying, as I'm praying with God, it's also like
24:53
Dreaming With God, just like dreaming, like talking about
24:56
like, okay, what is, what is today look like?
24:59
And what do you have for me? And what's the future?
25:01
And just kind of these these thoughts and these dreams in a
25:04
way of like just enjoying the Lord and his good purposes and
25:08
his plans for us. And, and really I think that's
25:11
the heart of God and I love it because because things can get,
25:15
so discouraging here on this Earth.
25:18
Continuing on in verse 4, we're going to make it guys.
25:21
There's a lot of good stuff here, but verse 4 is says that
25:24
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there shall
25:28
be no more death nor sorrow nor crying.
25:32
There will be no more pain for the former things have passed
25:36
away. Right?
25:37
That common, that common reminder that the old has gone.
25:41
The new has come in and in verse 4, we see this new, this noon,
25:48
This of, I think intimacy with the Lord.
25:50
I'm really struck by the phrase where every tear from their eyes
25:56
will be wiped Away by God. You know, I don't know about you
25:59
guys. I don't like, people touching my
26:00
face, so, don't don't come up and touch my face, like they're
26:04
only a few. Very certain people.
26:05
I would say one person in my life can touch my face.
26:08
It's my wife. And like, I don't like, that's
26:10
an intimate thing that like, like I have a special bubble,
26:13
please don't touch my face. And, and, but when I read this,
26:16
I'm like, I'm thinking about like, As a tear comes down to
26:19
your face and God comes in to wipe it away.
26:22
I think that just speaks of a closeness that he has with you
26:25
and empathetic heart that he has with some of the pains that
26:29
you're going through an intimate connection there and just like
26:32
that, that closeness of relationship and he's comforting
26:36
us. And really his character is a
26:38
God of all mercies and comfort and he spends that time with us,
26:41
just walking us through those things and yet in the new and
26:45
the new heavens and the new Earth and the New Jerusalem.
26:48
Jerusalem. It says that there's going to be
26:49
no more tears there to be. No more death, no more sorrow,
26:52
no more crying, no more pain. Like that's that's glorious news
26:56
that we can hold onto. And then in verse 5, just kind
27:01
of this final declaration that he makes.
27:03
It says, he who sat on the throne said, behold I make all
27:07
things new, there it is one more time.
27:09
Good job. You guys, you guys are doing
27:11
great. Kind of sounds like move from
27:12
here, but like, you guys are, you guys are killing it.
27:15
So but Behold, I make all things new he said to me.
27:22
Yeah, keep it going. Yes.
27:25
And then he and then the angel said to John, write these words,
27:29
they are true and faithful. I'm so glad like John, I could
27:33
just imagine John here, he's caught up in this vision and
27:35
this Revelation for all these chapters and this is the 12th
27:39
time in Revelation that the angel reminds him to stop and
27:43
write things down because I think he's just like what is
27:46
happening and like, so excited and all these emotions and yet
27:49
God's purpose for him was to write these things down, so that
27:52
we hear on a Wednesday night in a row.
27:55
Aurora could remind ourselves of some of the promises of the
27:58
future that God has for us. And so I'm so thankful that John
28:01
wrote these things down for us that the Holy Spirit inspired
28:04
him and revealed these things to him.
28:06
That that there is a newness coming and that these we can, we
28:11
can Bank our lives on this because these words are true.
28:13
And these words are faithful. It's so good.
28:17
And then this is where this is really where what the Lord was
28:20
stirring in me, verse 6 and 7, he said to me, it is done.
28:25
The alpha, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the
28:29
end and I will give of the Fountain of the Water of Life
28:33
freely to him who thirsts and verse 7.
28:37
He who overcomes shall inherit all things and I will be his God
28:42
and he shall be my son. God says it is done right.
28:47
God's Eternal purpose in Jesus is now accomplished as he has
28:51
brought his people into eternity with him.
28:55
God is dwelling with his people for eternity and like that's
28:59
what he's saying, he's like it is done like here it is.
29:01
This is this is the Pinnacle of our creation for eternity and
29:06
and yet we also like when I read this there's also a warning here
29:12
because he mentions here I will give the Fountain of the Water
29:16
of Life freely to him who thirsts and I think that this is
29:19
a warning for us we can we can get caught up with all of these.
29:21
It encouraging promises and Bank, our lives on them and
29:24
build our Our foundation. But we can miss this point of
29:28
where Jesus is offering us the Waters of eternal life.
29:33
And when I think about that, I think of a choice that we have
29:36
to make that we have to go to Jesus and drink freely and drink
29:39
deeply of the rivi The Living Waters that he offers us.
29:46
I'm it's free. He says, it's free drink freely,
29:48
but we still have to receive it. We still must take it into our
29:51
heart, that those questions like do it day by day.
29:54
Do I really want to abide in Jesus and my really opening my
29:58
heart up to him? And I really, you know, they're
30:02
seen and drinking from Jesus and his word every day and make that
30:07
a personal question for you guys in your life.
30:10
Like when was the last time you really thirst after Jesus and
30:15
desperately. Like just drink deeply from the
30:17
waters that he offers you. Are you continuing than that?
30:21
You know. I think that you know, we all
30:23
get thirsty spiritually speaking, right?
30:25
We get thirsty, we get we get just weary we get worn out, we
30:30
get discouraged. And we need, we need to just
30:35
refresh ourselves with that Eternal living, satisfying
30:39
water, that Jesus Christ offers us.
30:42
And if I'm thirsty and I choose to go to the Lord and I choose
30:45
to drink from him and receive his words like, wow.
30:50
That's, that's the place where I start to overcome by faith verse
30:56
seven. That's, that's, that's how I
30:57
overcome. It's not anything that I do, but
31:00
it's me just opening myself up to the Living Water.
31:04
To fill my life. To establish my faith to build
31:08
my faith to help me overcome, the great difficulties that have
31:12
happened in my life. And and, and, and I'm just
31:18
reminded of that and maybe even just as an exhortation for us,
31:21
as we as we consider that Jesus, Jesus says that, even in John
31:25
7:37, it says on the last day that great day of the feast
31:29
Jesus stood. And he cried out.
31:31
And he said, if anyone thirsts let him come to me and drink, he
31:37
who believes in me. As the scripture has said, out
31:39
of his heart will flow, rivers of Living Water.
31:44
So come to the Lord tonight with that prayer, like I'm thirsty.
31:47
Lord, maybe it's maybe it's that prayer.
31:50
Like you don't even know. You don't even have a
31:51
relationship with the Lord. You don't, you don't have that
31:54
intimacy with him. You don't, you don't understand
31:56
what it's like to dwell with him.
31:57
Maybe it's just, you're just in that place of, I'm dying in my
32:00
own sins, Lord, and I need to drink deeply from you, or.
32:04
Maybe. It's, I'm being I'm being
32:05
crushed and overwhelmed by the circumstances in my life and I
32:10
need you, Lord, I need I need a drink deeply from you.
32:13
I need to be restored and Refreshed.
32:16
And just because I'm thirsty or beat up or dying in my own sins,
32:21
it just because those things are happening, doesn't mean, doesn't
32:25
mean really anything until I open myself up to receive from
32:28
Jesus Christ? And so that's this is, this is
32:31
what the Lord has been ministering to me, even in verse
32:34
7, because it really comes to this idea of overcoming and I
32:38
think Overcoming By Faith. This word Overcomer, you know, I
32:43
just really crane through this and considering This and like,
32:46
Lord is this is this, my life? Can I can I stand there and
32:51
declare that I am an overcomer by faith in Jesus Christ.
32:54
The word Overcomer means conqueror or Victor.
32:58
The root of the Greek word is really like, where we get the
33:01
word Nike. Do we have any runners in the
33:03
house? Do you guys like any runners?
33:05
Yes. Good.
33:06
Like the Nike just dropped this new running shoe.
33:09
That's available tomorrow. Our.
33:10
Oh, I forgot what it's called but I was looking at it online
33:13
today. Looks so cool.
33:14
But it's really expensive and I'm like, Emily's trying to let
33:17
me buy it but it's not gonna make me run faster.
33:19
Anyways, like but anyways like the this this word here,
33:23
Overcomer, it means to be a conqueror means to be victorious
33:27
in Christ. And if you drink from the Lord,
33:30
you drink these free water. This, this Everlasting water
33:33
that Jesus freely gives to you the promises that you are a
33:37
conqueror through Christ Jesus. Jesus used Same word Overcomer
33:42
to all seven churches at the beginning of Revelation.
33:45
He said, he who hears let him overcome I don't know about you
33:49
guys but in my life I've been there's been moments in my life
33:52
where I've been absolutely defeated, and I had to not feel
33:55
like an overcomer at all. I felt like I had no Victory.
33:58
I, I've run. I really like running.
34:01
I like running half marathons. I've done a few marathons and
34:05
the one Marathon like, the last marathon I did, like I just like
34:08
tanked and like barely barely made it.
34:11
And I was like, man, that I did not.
34:13
I crossed the Finish Line somehow, but I didn't feel like
34:16
a conqueror but the Lord The Lord is reminding us whatever is
34:20
going on in our lives that he wants to remind us that we're
34:23
conquerors in Christ Jesus. We are Overcomers not by
34:29
anything that we do not by our own strength and perseverance.
34:33
But by our abiding, trust and dwelling with God, in my flesh,
34:38
like in my flesh, like being really real with you guys,
34:41
discouragement is my defaults. That's where I like, I have to
34:44
be very careful and put on the helmet of salvation every day to
34:48
guard. Heart and my mind, because my, I
34:51
can get super discouraged, super easily super quick and yet the
34:55
Lord. The Lord brings me back to these
34:58
promises and tells me, hey, just come back to the the Everlasting
35:02
Waters of Jesus Christ, drink freely from him, and these
35:07
promises are mine that I am an overcomer.
35:11
I shall inherit all things, I will be with him and I will be
35:14
his son. And so, as I opened up tonight,
35:18
I was just minding us of remembering the faithfulness of
35:21
God. And really, this is the
35:24
faithfulness of God throughout my life.
35:26
From when the Lord gripped, my heart at 18 to various occasions
35:31
throughout Ukraine and serving here at the church and the Lord
35:35
has been faithful and I look back and I see him helping me
35:38
overcome many things in my life and I know that's true for you
35:43
guys as well, but really, I think we're Where We Are.
35:49
Where we learn what it means to be an overcomer by faith is when
35:53
the discouragement and the difficulties really hidden.
35:57
There's a bit there's been a lot of pain in my life over the last
36:01
number of years. When we first started church
36:03
planting in Ukraine, we were on in Donetsk which was like right
36:07
on the right on the Russian border of Ukraine and Russia and
36:11
back in 2014. I was when Russia initially
36:14
invaded and our city was like the first city they invaded And
36:19
we had to flee, and we remember just like, trying to get out, we
36:24
had to get through the airport, they sought a couple flights
36:26
out. We remember when the Russian
36:28
flags were hanging there, and there was mercenaries taking
36:31
over the airport and we were like, what is happening like
36:34
what in the world and and in the Lord, got us out of there.
36:39
But then all of a sudden there we were with like a suitcase.
36:42
We just lost our apartment, we had just lost our church, had
36:45
just been scattered. We had no idea for ever getting
36:47
back there. Our whole, our whole what we
36:50
thought was our whole purpose of, you know, our whole calling
36:53
just go Church plants in eastern.
36:55
Ukraine was like gone overnight and I just remember being in a
36:59
place of huge defeat and discouragement throughout the
37:05
seasons. We ended up in Uganda for a
37:07
little while and the Lord started to really put on our
37:10
heart. This this just a heart of
37:12
adoption. And there is a specific
37:15
situation with a specific pregnancy that were like, man,
37:18
Lord, That I think that that's, that's our calling.
37:21
And we're going after it and the Lord confirmed it.
37:23
And we said, okay, we're going to adopt this baby when she's
37:25
born only to get news a few weeks later that the baby had
37:28
miscarried. And we're like, What Lord like
37:30
what is happening the discouragement.
37:33
Or than a few years ago when I got the horrible phone, call
37:37
that my dad had taken his own life by Suicide that rocked our
37:41
world that still has rocked our world or or I think of a moment
37:46
when we were when I was pastoring a church.
37:48
Church in zaporozhye Ukraine and I had a trusted servant.
37:54
He was like, the Elder of the church and like, what I
37:57
considered, my best friend only to betray me and just turn his
38:01
life away from the Lord completely.
38:04
And some of these moments in my life are just like they shake my
38:08
life and I'm like, Lord, I don't feel like an overcomer.
38:12
I don't feel that Nike victory at all.
38:16
But the Lord brings me back to these things where he's like, no
38:21
in Christ, that's where the victory comes.
38:24
It doesn't come from these circumstances comes from the
38:28
Fountain of the Water of Life that Jesus offers, which is so
38:32
good. And if by faith I keep drinking
38:34
of his water resting in him and abiding in him, reminding myself
38:38
that he is with me, even through the valleys of shadow of death.
38:42
But he's dwelling with me that he's tabernacling with me that
38:45
this is my future. Sure.
38:46
This is my hope that there's a newness coming.
38:50
It's like I can stand here today and just say by faith, I want to
38:54
keep going serving, Jesus. I want to I want to keep I'm all
38:57
in for Jesus still, like he's not failed me yet and I've and
39:01
I've learned that by faith. I'm a, I'm an overcomer in
39:06
Jesus. And so for you guys today, how
39:10
do we overcome just come to the Lord in those things?
39:14
Cast your cares upon Him. Build your faith with some of
39:17
these glorious promises that we can pull out of scripture.
39:22
In the last scripture, I want to share with you guys.
39:24
First John chapter 5 verse 4 and 5, God says, for whatever is
39:30
born of God, overcomes the world.
39:34
And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.
39:40
She guys catch that. This is the victory that has
39:42
overcome the world. It's our faith.
39:45
And so I encourage you guys to keep pressing into the Lord,
39:49
keep trusting in Him, keep asking him to Give you those
39:52
measures of Faith clinging to him.
39:55
And the promise here is who is He?
39:58
Who overcomes the world, but it is he who believes that Jesus is
40:02
the son of God. And so I'm going to call Josiah
40:07
back up here but just want to let you guys consider that
40:11
especially those that last verse from John first, John 5, he who
40:16
overcomes the world? Is he who believes in the son of
40:20
Jesus Christ And so, the question really is, we wrap up
40:25
tonight for you guys, do you believe in Jesus?
40:28
That's good. Amen.
40:30
These promises are true. If you believe in Jesus leaves
40:33
surrendered, your life to Jesus, these promises are true and real
40:37
in your life today and that you are an overcomer by faith in
40:40
Jesus Christ, you are a new creation in Christ, the oldest
40:44
passed away. All things are new And it's a
40:48
new. Yes, you guys are.
40:50
You guys are killing. I love it.
40:54
We're just, that's so good. I love it.
40:57
I don't know what to do now, guys.
40:59
So, but but I just want to give you guys, I want to extend an
41:02
invitation to you guys tonight, as we wrap up.
41:05
If you don't know this relationship, if you do with
41:07
Jesus, if you don't understand what it means to be an overcomer
41:11
if you don't have that relationship, if we read these
41:13
verses and Revelation you're like I don't know if that is my
41:16
future. Maybe you need a maybe maybe you
41:19
need to be saved here tonight and accept Jesus in to Give your
41:24
sins and salvation and relationship with God is very
41:27
simple. It's basically believing in
41:30
Jesus Christ that he died on the cross and rose again for your
41:33
sins. And that you repent, which is a
41:35
word of turning away. It's a hundred and a hundred and
41:39
eighty degree turn. Repentance is you're going one
41:41
direction? We want to turn the other way,
41:44
turning on your sinful way repenting.
41:46
And coming back to your loving father, the father that wants to
41:49
dwell with you, the father that wants to Tabernacle with you.
41:53
Father, that wants to be your Overcomer as you abide in him.
41:59
So let's pray here tonight. Lord, I just thank you for your
42:03
word. And I pray here tonight for the
42:07
people here, here, in my word or hearing your word, hearing my
42:11
voice, Lord, that, like, even just the things that were not
42:16
communicated well, or misunderstood Lord, that you
42:19
would, that your word would go out and accomplish what a
42:22
purpose. That you would draw people into
42:26
yourselves that you would bring us into just a closer abiding
42:32
relationship with you. But guys, I do want to give that
42:36
opportunity to repent and call upon the name of Jesus to open
42:41
that door that I was talking about that he's knocking on that
42:43
door and wants to come in Bible tells us that all have sinned
42:47
and fallen short of God's glory and that and that's really why
42:51
there's pain and heartbreak in the world.
42:53
That's why that's why there's these tragedies that we have to
42:56
walk through the, there's the, the stain of sin.
43:00
And the Bible tells us that were born into sin in the paint, man
43:03
to the Penalty or the wages of sin is death at spiritual death,
43:07
and eventually physical death. But the good news is that the
43:12
gift of God is eternal life in Christ, Jesus, and that whoever
43:15
calls upon the name of Jesus will be saved.
43:18
And so, I just wanted to extend that invitation with your, on
43:20
the radio you're online or you're here in the room that you
43:24
would respond and call into the name.
43:25
Call upon the name of Jesus for salvation.
43:29
There's anyone here tonight. I don't want to miss that
43:32
opportunity. Maybe you can just raise your
43:33
hand. You can stand.
43:34
You can just acknowledge that. Hey, I need to call upon the
43:37
name of Jesus. I need salvation.
43:39
I want to experience that newness in Christ.
43:49
So whether you're in the room or on the radio or online, you can
43:53
pray with me. Something simple, but just give
43:57
your heart to the Lord. You can say, God, I know that
44:01
I've sinned against, you know, that the truth is that I've
44:04
sinned by my own choice and I'm responsible.
44:09
I've earned punishment the wages of sin, but Jesus, I believe in
44:15
you that you died in my place on the cross.
44:21
And I ask you to forgive me of my sins and make me new.
44:27
Come into my life. And Transform Me.
44:32
Jesus name. Amen.
44:36
We pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible.
44:38
Study delivered live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church for
44:42
prayer. Call us at 877, 30 Grace.
44:46
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44:53
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44:56
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45:00
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45:04
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