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Being a Disciple · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. So today we're going to be looking
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at the word together. disciples or being a disciple.
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So Matthew chapter 28 Matthew chapter 28 verse
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18 verse 18 to 20 It says, And Jesus came and
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spoke to them, saying, All authority has been
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given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore,
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and make disciples of all nations. baptizing
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them in the name of the Father, the Son, and
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the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
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the things that I have commanded you, and lo,
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I am with you, even to the end of the age. Praise
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the Lord. Even to the end of the age. So Jesus
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spoke to his disciples to go and make disciples,
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to go and teach. to go and share concerning him
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baptizing people in the name of the Lord right
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and there are many people who even in our time
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or a generation that are believers or have received
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the word of God or yet are acting in a way that
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suggests to us that they are not actually believers
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They have received the word. It could be as a
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result of coming from a local church back at
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home. But their life currently is not showing
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that these people are children of God, that they
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have a relationship with the Lord. And sometimes
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you wonder why that is. Why is it that people
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who have believed, people who know God, yet...
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They show you that, or they live a life that
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shows that they probably do not know God or they
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have a lack of understanding of what has happened
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to them. So, and part of the reason why that
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is, why there is those type of abnormality is
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because of the place of lack of teaching. They
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are not properly taught concerning the things
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that have happened to them. Praise the Lord.
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They have belief, but then there is no place
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where there is teaching, where there is tutoring,
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where people come to learn about the life that
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they have currently, or the life that they live,
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or the life that they have in Christ currently.
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So lack of teaching is a contributing factor
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to these things, why people live in a certain
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way that suggests to us that they are not children
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of God, but they are children of God. They have
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believed God. They are saved, but their life
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does not show it or they don't know what to do.
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So Jesus tells his disciples to go. He has given
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them authority. They should go, therefore, make
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disciples of all nations. So everyone who has
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believed in the gospel, everyone who has believed
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the gospel, everyone who has come to the knowledge
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of God, everyone who has believed that which
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Christ has done for them. who has the life of
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Christ, should start being discipled or should
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start learning or should start getting taught,
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consigning the life that they have now. That
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is the thing or that is the response that a believer
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or somebody who is just coming to Christ should
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know. That is also a lifestyle that a person
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who is in Christ should continue to have, a place
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where they are constantly learning, a place where
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they are constantly being taught. A place where
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they are constantly being rich and they defy.
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Praise the Lord. So everybody who has believed
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in Christ needs to start learning. Praise the
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Lord. We see from verse 19, he tells them they
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should go and make disciples of one nation, baptizing
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them in the name, baptizing in the name of the
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Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And then
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he says you teach them to observe. So teaching
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them, giving them instructions to observe. Right?
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So when he says to teach them, It is an instruction
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to teach. It is an instruction to teach. So to
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teach means to instruct. To teach means to instruct.
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To instruct them. It means to instruct a student.
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It implies to instruct a student. To make somebody
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to learn. Praise the Lord. To make someone to
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learn. To make someone to learn. A student does
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not necessarily know why they need some knowledge,
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why these teachings are coming to them. But at
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the end of the teaching or at the end of the
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semester, they will come to the knowledge why
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this is important. Praise the Lord. So it's important
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for the teacher to continue to teach, to continue
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to give instructions, to continue to show them
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the way or teach them. Praise the Lord. So they
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don't know or understand it, but they need learning.
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They need to start learning. So that they don't
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have. They don't come to that. Place where. They
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have something. But yet they don't understand
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it. Praise the Lord. So we also see in. So like
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I said. The word teach means to instruct. To
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make someone to learn. To make somebody come
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to understand it. So we also have in Matthew.
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Chapter 9. Verse 14. Where we also see. a word
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again that tells us about disciples. Matthew
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chapter 9 verse 14. Matthew chapter 9 verse 14,
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it says, then the disciples of John came to him
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saying, why do we and the Pharisee fast? Then
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the disciples of John came to him saying, why
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do we and the Pharisee fast often? But your disciples
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do not fast. Praise the Lord. Why do we? So the
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word disciple here as well refers to somebody
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that learns from another school. These people
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that were disciples of John, they were people
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who were learning from John. They were people
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who had been instructed by John. Praise the Lord.
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They were people who had been instructed by John.
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So the disciple there means that someone who
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learns from another. These people are the learner
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of John. They're the ones learning from John.
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Praise the Lord. They are learning from John.
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So John there refers to, John has a people that
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they are being referred to him as disciples.
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These are people that are learning from him.
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These are the people that John is informing them.
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Praise the Lord. The knowledge they have, the
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understanding they have are things that they
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got from John. Praise the Lord. So that's why
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they came to Jesus and they say, we have a practice.
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Why is it that your disciples do not have this
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practice that we have? Praise the Lord. Because
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the healer has instructed them, has told them
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that they need to fast. So they have gotten information
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from John that they have heeded to. Praise the
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Lord. So there are people who are learning from
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John. So we also see Where also a learner is,
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or to learn is being referenced in Matthew chapter
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11. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29, where Jesus
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says that you should take my yoke and learn from
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me. Matthew chapter 11, verse 29. He says, take
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my yoke and learn from me, for I'm gentle and
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lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your
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soul. For my yoke is easy and my burden... He's
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light, praise the Lord. So he says to them, they
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should take upon, they should take my yoke, they
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should take his yoke upon him and learn from
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him. So the word learn there means, is the word
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to increase one's information, right? It is the
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word matona, which means to increase, to increase
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one information or to hear or to be informed
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by somebody, right? To learn by the... Use by
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use and by practice. Praise the Lord. To learn
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by use or by practice. So it means a learner,
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to learn or to be a learner. Praise the Lord.
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So we see that these people that are called disciples
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are people that learn from another person. So
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we see that they learn from John. We see also
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that they have taken instruction from him. So
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John has influence on these people. John has
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people who are informed by him. So these are
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the disciples of John, people who receive information
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from him, who are informed by John, praise the
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Lord. So there are people that receive information
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from John. So the question that we have is, how
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are you informed or who informs you? Who gives
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you the information of your living? Praise the
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Lord. Who gives you the information of your living?
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What informs your life? What makes you do the
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things that you do? Something made John's disciples
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to be fasting. Something made them to go on and
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fast. But the disciples of Jesus were not fasting.
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And so they asked Jesus, why do we fast often
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and your disciples don't? So who gives you the
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information or who has informed your life? And
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that has affected the way that you live. Who
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has informed the principles of your life? Who
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has given you these principles? And then Matthew
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chapter 10, we see also Jesus' disciples. Jesus
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called his 12 to him and gave them authority
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to drive out. In pure spirit, there's a new international
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version. Matthew 10, verse 1. It says, when he
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has called his 12 disciples to him, he gave them
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power over unclean spirits to cast them out and
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to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of
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diseases. Praise the Lord. So Jesus has his own
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disciples. So Jesus called the 12, right? So
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these are Jesus' disciples. They are men who
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have been learning from him. So these are men
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who have been learning from Jesus. These are
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men who have been instructed by him, who he has
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gained influence over. So he tells them to go
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and do some things. Praise the Lord. So he instructs
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them in the way they should go. So they were
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not just people who were just learning from him
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or receiving instruction from him. But also there
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were people who were also learning how he interpreted
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or how he discussed the scriptures. Praise the
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Lord. There were people also who learned the
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pattern of how to interpret the scriptures, how
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to properly read the scriptures, how to give
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an explanation that is more greater than that
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which the Pharisees are able to get. So there
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were many things they were learning from him.
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Giving them instructions on the things to do.
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But they also observed him. They saw the things
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that he did. And he has influence over their
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lives. Such that they are able to learn how he
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explained the scriptures. So we see how Jesus
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shows. So we see Jesus explaining the scriptures
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as well. In Matthew chapter 7, verse 12. Matthew
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chapter 7, verse 12. Verse 12 says that, therefore,
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whatever you want men to do to you, do also to
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them, for this is the law and the prophet. So
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he tells them that whatever you want men to do
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to you, do also to them, for this is the law
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and the prophet. So when he says this is the
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law and the prophet, what he's saying is that,
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he's saying that this is the... He's referring
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to the Old Testament of the Bible. He's referring
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to the Old Testament of the Bible. And then in
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verse 28, sorry, 28 to 29 now, it says, so that
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is, Jesus was teaching, so there was people who
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were observing what he was doing. And so verse
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28 now said, so it was when Jesus has ended his
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saying that his people were astonished at his
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teaching, for he taught them as one having authority.
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not as described. Praise the Lord. He taught
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them as one, having authority, not as described.
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Some other versions will put this teaching as
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doctrine, which we know he's talking about the
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same thing. So the word here, teaching or doctrines,
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implies an explanation. So he explained the scriptures
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to them properly. They were astonished by his
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explanation. Praise the Lord. They were astonished
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by his explanation. So when he says the people
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were astonished, he was referring to the people
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who were astonished by his explanation of the
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Old Testament scriptures. Praise the Lord. The
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people were astonished concerning his explanation
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of the Old Testament scriptures. So it therefore
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means that Jesus has a mode of explanation of
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the Old Testament. And the disciples also were
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influenced by this. Praise the Lord. So he has
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a way in which he explains the Old Testament.
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He didn't explain it as a scribe. He didn't explain
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it as somebody who was without knowledge, but
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he explained it in a way that was more powerful
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than the way the scribes or the Pharisees would
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explain it. Praise the Lord. Jesus taught the
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scriptures, giving examples on how the scriptures
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should be properly explained. So the disciples
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were there, and they saw these things, and this
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has an influence in their life concerning how
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the scriptures should be explained. So his disciples
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were with him also, or they stayed in this particular
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pattern of explanation. They stay in this particular
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pattern of learning. So the mode of interpreting
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the scriptures or the mode of explanation of
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the scriptures, the disciples were acquainted
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with it because they were with Jesus. They were
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together with him and they learned from him.
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And they got all this experience from him. Praise
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the Lord. So when he says the law and the prophet,
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he's referring... to the Old Testament of the
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Bible. And then Luke, we also see in Luke chapter
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24, Luke chapter 24, verse 25. Luke chapter 24,
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verse 25. So he said to them, and he said to
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them, all foolish ones shall have had to believe
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all that the prophet has spoken, all that the
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prophet has spoken. Praise the Lord. And then
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from verse 44 now to 45. So Luke 24, 25, verse
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26. And then verse 44 to 45 now. He says, These
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are the words which I speak to you while I was
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still with you, that all these things will be
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fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses,
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and in the prophet, and in the Psalms, and in
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the Psalms consigning me. And he opened the understanding
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that they might comprehend. So we also see another
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pattern here that he shows. He says to them,
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beginning from Moses, in verse 27, beginning
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from Moses and all the prophet, he expounded
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to them the things. He responded to them in all
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the scriptures, the things concerning himself.
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So his mode of explaining the scriptures is that
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he goes from the beginning. So when he says beginning,
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beginning from Moses, he's talking about the
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beginning of the writing. He's talking about
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the first book that was written by Moses. He's
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talking about the first set of books that were
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written in the Old Testament, which were written
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by Moses. So he expounded to them the things
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consigning himself. Like I said, the disciples
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were there to learn some of these things that
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he is giving or he is expounding to them. So
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in verse 44, then he said to them, these are
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the words which I speak to you while I'm still
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with you, that all things must be fulfilled,
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which are written in the law of Moses and the
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prophet and the Psalms consigning me. Then you
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open the understanding that they may comprehend
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me. So he also is telling them that it's not
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just beginning from Moses. He also goes to the
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prophets. He also goes to the Psalms. He also
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goes to the things. He's also telling them the
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things which were written or which were... He
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also was telling them the things that were written
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concerning him which were found in the Psalms
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and the prophets concerning him. Praise the Lord.
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And the disciples, like I said, were... In tune,
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or they were learning this pattern from him.
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They learned this mode of explanation. Not like
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the scribes and the Pharisees. They learned what
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it means to properly interpret the scriptures.
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And then we also see this word, disciples, in
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Acts of the Apostles. So if we open to Acts of
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the Apostles, Acts chapter 6, Acts chapter 6,
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Acts chapter 6, verse 1. It says, Now in those
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days, when the numbers of the disciples were
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multiplied, there was a complaint against the
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Hebrew by the Hittites because the widows were
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neglected in the daily distribution. He said
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the number of the disciples were multiplied.
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And then we also see the same thing in Acts chapter
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11. Acts chapter 11 verse 26. Acts chapter 11
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verse 26. Then when he found him, he brought
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him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year
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they assembled in the church and taught a great
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many people. And the disciples were called Christians
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in Antioch. The first called Christians in Antioch.
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Acts chapter 14 verse 22. Acts chapter 14 verse
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22. Strengthening the souls of the disciples,
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exalting them. to continue in faith and saying,
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we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom
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of God. And then Acts chapter 2, verse 41 and
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42. Verse 41 says, And those who gladly received
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his word were baptized, and that day about 3
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,000 souls were added to them. And they continue
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steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and in
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fellowship and in the breaking of bread and in
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prayers. They continue steadfastly in the apostles'
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doctrine and in the breaking of bread and in
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prayers. Praise the Lord. So the word continue
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here implies that they stayed in the apostles'
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doctrine. They stayed in something that has been
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said or done. The apostles' doctrine is what
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has been said. or what has been done, right?
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So it's something that is there. That is, the
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apostles taught from the scriptures, right? So
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they continued in the pattern of the apostles,
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that the apostles taught the scriptures, taught
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from the scriptures in a manner that Jesus has
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done to them, right? And instructed them to do
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so. So the apostles have learned from Jesus,
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right? And they are teaching these people and
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these people are continuing in the same pattern.
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of teaching the scriptures in a manner that Jesus
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has taught to them, even as he has instructed
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them to. So back to Matthew chapter 28, where
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he gives them the instructions to preach the
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word. So we also know that, you also should know
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that the disciples were the people that Jesus
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was speaking to here. So they are people that
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they already have taught. They were people that...
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He had taught, right? There were people that
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have learned from him. There are people that
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have received a pattern from him on how they
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should teach or how they should give instruction
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or how they should go, right? There are people
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that were already taught by him. They have received
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this instruction. They have understood how Jesus
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taught. They have understood Jesus' mode of teaching
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or explaining the scriptures. They have also
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understood Jesus' way of living. Praise the Lord.
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So there are people that have learned from him.
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There are people that have received from him.
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There are people that are well -equipped because
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he was with them for that long. Praise the Lord.
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So these were the audience, or these are the
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people that he was speaking to. When he tells
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them that they should go and teach, he tells
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them to go and teach all the nation. Praise the
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Lord. So they were to teach, they were to make
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disciples of all the nation. Praise the Lord.
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And making disciples is an important fact. That
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was what we saw from the book of Acts. It's an
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important theme of the church. There were people
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who were making disciples. They were going out
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there to make disciples. Praise the Lord. So
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these people have been influenced by God, by
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Jesus. These disciples have been influenced by
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him. So they can go out and make disciples. Praise
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the Lord. They know how to interpret the scriptures.
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They know how to, from the beginning. From the
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book of Moses or from the beginning. And in the
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prophet, explain the things concerning Christ.
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So they have this pattern already. They have
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this understanding already. And they also have
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a lifestyle. They have also seen the way Jesus
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has lived his life. And they also are living
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in a certain way. There are people who have been
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informed by God. Praise the Lord. They themselves
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have received information. So the pattern of
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their lives is... like those who have been informed
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by God. So Jesus is the influence of their life.
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Praise the Lord. He has influenced how they understand
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the scriptures. He has influenced how they study
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the scriptures. He has influenced how they interpret
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the scriptures or how they explain the scriptures.
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He has influenced their life that they no longer
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are fishermen or they are no longer people who
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were doing so many other things before. But now
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their concentration now is to teach the world,
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to make disciples of one nation. Praise the Lord.
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To make disciples of one nation. So people who
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have believed, like I said from the beginning,
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people who have believed should start learning.
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Praise the Lord. People who have believed should
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start learning. And what it is that they should
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start learning? They should start learning the
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way... They should start learning the way of
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the scriptures. They should start learning how
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to understand the scriptures. They should start
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learning their new realities in Christ. Praise
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the Lord. So that just like the way Jesus had
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influence on his disciples, just like the way
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he had influence upon them, they also will be
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influenced by him. Praise the Lord. So that they
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also will be influenced by him. So that their
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lifestyle will no longer be in contradiction
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to the things that they have believed. So that
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they are able to also from beginning from Moses
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and all the prophets, they will also know the
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things, they will also understand the things
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consigned into Christ. Praise the Lord. They
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will also know the things consigned into Christ.
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They will understand their new reality in Christ.
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They will know that their lifestyle is ought
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to be in a particular way because they have stayed
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in the place of learning. So without this place
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where people are disciples or stay being disciples
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through the world and through the men of God
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that are around, they are not able to live the
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life they are supposed to live. They are not
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able to properly understand the things of God.
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Praise the Lord. They are not able to know their
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new realities or the reality that they live in
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right now. And they will continue to live. in
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contradiction of the things that they have been
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saved from. Praise the Lord. So everybody that
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has belief needs to start learning the scriptures
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and their new realities and also be informed
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by God or be informed by Christ. Praise the Lord.
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So we see our new realities, right? The newness
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of life or the reality that a believer has. Romans
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chapter 6. Romans chapter 6 Romans chapter 6
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verse 4 to 7 he says that therefore we are buried
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with him through baptism into death that just
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as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory
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of the father even so we also shall walk in unity
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of life if we have been united together in the
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likeness of his death certainly we are also We
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shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection,
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knowing this, that our old man was crucified
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with him, that the body of sin might be done
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away with, that we should no longer be slaves
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to sin. For he who died is free from sin. Praise
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the Lord. So we also see, like I said, that the
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disciples have been informed by God, right? They
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have been informed by Christ in their path. of
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living in the way that they have lived their
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life so we also as as people need to also continue
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to get to continue to be acquainted with the
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life that we have right and part of the new life
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that we or part of the new things that we have
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is our realities in christ that we are new creation
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that we are people who have been free from the
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power of sin and the power of death we have been
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free from we have been we have been people who
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are set to live In the newness of life. Or to
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walk in the newness of life. Praise the Lord.
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Galatians chapter 2. Verse 20. Galatians. Galatians
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chapter 2. Verse 20. If I have been crucified
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with Christ. It is no longer I who live. But
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Christ who lives in me. And the life I live now.
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In the flesh. I live by faith in the son of God.
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Who loved me. And gave himself for me. He said,
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I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer
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I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life
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which I live now, I live in him. Sorry, the life
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that I live, I no longer live. Sorry, I've been
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crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who
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live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which
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I live now in the flesh, I live by the faith
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in the Son of God who loved me and died for me.
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Praise the Lord. I live in the life that Christ
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has in me. He's been saying that you are in Christ,
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right? I live in what he has done for me. I live
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in the reality of that which God has done for
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me. I live in a way or in a person that shows
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what Christ has done for me. And then chapter
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3, chapter 3 from verse 27 to 29. He said, for
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as many as were baptized unto Christ have put
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on Christ. Therefore, there is neither Jews nor
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Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There
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is neither male or female. For you are all one
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in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord. You are all
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one in Christ Jesus. It means that we have put
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on a new man. We have put on Christ. The reality
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that we have now is that we have put on Christ.
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Praise the Lord. It's a depiction of being in
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sync together with him. It's a depiction of being
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together with him, to be in Christ, to be closer
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in oneness with him. Praise the Lord. Some illustration
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we say to be to be. Clothed together with him.
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Right. To be one with him. So that is the reality
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of the man that is in Christ. Romans. That is
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the reality of a man that is in Christ. So in
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doing all of these things, in knowing our realities,
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in understanding our realities. Then we are informed
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by him. We are informed by him. And we continue
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to stay informed by him. Romans chapter 12. Romans
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chapter 12. Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter
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12. your body a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
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to God, which is your reasonable service. He
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said, do not be conformed to this world, but
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be transformed by the renewal of your mind that
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you may prove what is that good and acceptable
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and perfect will of God. So he tells us that
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we should present It tells us that you should
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present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy
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and acceptable unto God. So the presentation
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of our bodies, right, holy and acceptable to
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God is only impossible because we are in Christ.
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Praise the Lord. It's only impossible because
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we are in Christ. There's a man in Christ that
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can present his body a living sacrifice. Praise
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the Lord. It's being in Christ that gives us
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the ability or the enablement to present ourselves.
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So it is only impossible because we're in Christ
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that we're able to present our members to him
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a living sacrifice. It is only because of the
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realities of what Christ has done. that we're
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able to present our members a living sacrifice
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to him. Praise the Lord. And he tells us that
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do not be conformed. So even the enablement not
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to be conformed is also as a result of the realities
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that we have in Christ. The strength or the ability
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to not be conformed is only impossible because
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of what we have in Christ or the reality that
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we have in Christ. Praise the Lord. That we are
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together with him and that we are in Christ is
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the only advantage or the ability that is given
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to us to be able to give us the strength not
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to be conformed. Praise the Lord. So the devil
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knows that there is nothing he can do about our
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salvation. There is nothing that he can do about
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what has happened to us. But one of the things
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he will do is not to want to us, he wants to
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influence us. So he tells us not to be conformed.
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So he knows that he would like us to think of
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something else. He would want us to be conformed
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to a particular image. He would want us not to
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live that life that God intends for us. He would
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want to inflect that place where he wants us
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to live a life that is not what God intends for
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us to live. Praise the Lord. He knows there is
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nothing he can do about our salvation. He wants
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us to conform to something else. He wants us
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to conform to something else. Praise the Lord.
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So to conform, that is, it means that one's mind
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or character, it changes to another, right? Or
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to fashion oneself according to something else
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or according to something or to a particular
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thing. Praise the Lord. To fashion oneself according
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to something else, according to a particular
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pattern, according to that which is not in accordance
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to the reality of the person. Praise the Lord.
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To be conformed is for one's mind or character
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to go a different pattern, to be fashioned to
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be different than that which you ought to be.
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Praise the Lord. To that which you ought to be.
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So he wants believers to want something else
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or to want something more, if you like. He's
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saying, okay, maybe this thing that you have
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is not sufficient enough. Maybe you should do
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something else. Praise the Lord. You should conform
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to something else. You should conform to something
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else. Or you need more things. You need more
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things to your salvation. You need something
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else to your salvation. You need to explore some
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other ways. Those are some of the suggestions
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that he will give to us. Praise the Lord. He
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wants you to believe that you need something
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else than that which Christ has given you, that
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you need something more. But our reality in Christ
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is enough. That which we have in Christ is enough.
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There's nothing more that you're looking for.
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Praise the Lord. Somebody once said that you
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know people that that god has given some people
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good families and maybe good husband or wife
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but they will decide that they want something
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they want to do something more right and at the
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end of the day they are going to lose that which
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they already have that was good or they're going
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to lose that which was valuable to them praise
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the lord so he wants to suggest to us that we
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need something more We need something more. So
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the writer of Romans tells us that we should
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not be conformed to these things, right? The
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reason why he tells, he said, do not be conformed,
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right? You do not be conformed because he knows
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that we are people who can be influenced. Praise
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the Lord. We are people who can be influenced.
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We are people who can be informed. We are people
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who can be, who can learn something, right? We
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are people that can learn. We can be conformed
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to something. But he wants God to influence us.
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That is why he says that you should be transformed
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by the renewal of your mind. So he wants the
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influence of God upon our lives, upon our daily
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lives. That's why he says that you should be
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transformed by the renewal of your mind. I was
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sharing with somebody and said that if you see
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somebody who is struggling, let's say a good
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example is that they have like the temptations
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and they are struggling with either a sexual
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scene or addiction online pornography and stuff
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it doesn't say on their face right it doesn't
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it doesn't say you don't you don't dictate it
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by looking at them praise the lord but it is
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something that they are going through except
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they open their mouth or you see it that's when
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you will know that something is going on here
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Praise the Lord. And the strength that we have
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is not by either the physical strength that you
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have, but by the information that you have gathered
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or what you are conformed to or what you have
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allowed to influence your life. What you have
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allowed to take hold of your life or to inform
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you or to give you the information that you need.
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Praise the Lord. To give you the information
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that you need. He tells us that we should renew.
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our mind, that we may prove that which is good
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and perfect, that we may prove that which is
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good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
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He won the influence of God upon our lives to
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stay in the reality of what we have, to stay
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in the reality of what God has given us, what
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we have in Christ. And then Psalm 1 tells us,
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Someone tells us that it's a blessed man who
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walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor
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stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat
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of discomfort. He said, but his delight is in
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the law of the Lord, and he meditates day and
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night. He said, he shall be like a tree planted
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by rivers of water that brings forth its fruit
39:40
in season, whose leaves shall not wither. Whatever
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he does shall prosper. He said, but the ungodly
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are not so. They are like shafts that the wind
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blows away. Therefore, the ungodly shall not
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stand in judgment, nor sinners in the congregation
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of the righteous. But the Lord knows the ways
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of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly
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shall perish. Praise the Lord. It tells us that
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blessed is that man, right, who does not walk
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in the counsel of the ungodly, who is not influenced
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by evil, who is not influenced by... evil things.
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But he said, but his delight is in the law of
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the Lord. That is, to a man who has decided that
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his life, his joy and his delight is to do the
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things of God. To walk in the reality that he
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has in God. He says, to delight in the law of
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the Lord and to meditate on it day and night.
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So in doing so, he says, he is like a tree planted
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by He's like a tree planted by rivers of water.
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Because of the influence of the world, because
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of the influence of the delights that he has
40:56
in the world, because of the influence of thinking
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about the things of God, there is growth, there
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is nourishment, there is fruitfulness in the
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life of such an individual because he has allowed
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the influence. He has allowed himself to find
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the light in the law of the Lord, to meditate
41:19
on it day and night, right? He says it's like
41:22
three planted by rivers of water. Because of
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that which he has chosen to do, right, there's
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prosperity around him. There's growth, right?
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Because of that which he's taking in, which he
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allows himself to take in, something comes out,
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and that is fruitfulness. That is fruitfulness.
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That is that there is fruit that is seen. He
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shall not wither. Praise the Lord. When the storms
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of life or when challenges come, he's able to
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stand. He's able to find encouragement because
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he has allowed the Lord to be his refuge. He's
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allowed the Lord to be his dwelling place, his
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sacred place, or his place where he finds delight.
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Praise the Lord. So he tells us not to be transformed
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by the renewal of our mind, to be influenced
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by God, to allow our minds to be transformed
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and be renewed by God. Praise the Lord. So the
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same way that Jesus has influence, the same way
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as he had influence in his disciples, in the
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things, in the way that they have lived their
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life. In the way that we are able to understand
42:37
the scriptures. In the same way that he wants
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us to be able to learn. To be able to continue
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to grow. To be able to continue to learn from
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him. Paul will tell us to imitate him even as
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he imitates Christ. Telling us to imitate Christ
42:56
in essence. So to live our lives like him. Praise
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the Lord. So, like I said, the reason why we
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have the abnormality of someone being a believer
43:14
and yet they are not able to, they are not living
43:18
as such is because there is a place where learning
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was not effective or learning was not initiated
43:28
or continual learning was not... was not going
43:34
on. Praise the Lord. So as a result of learning,
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we're able to be influenced by him and continue
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to be influenced by him. Praise the Lord. Amen.
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So thank you so much for today. We appreciate
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you being here today. We hope you carry this
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word with you throughout your week. Don't forget
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to check the show notes for additional insights.
43:58
Stay connected with us through our website. or
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follow us on social media. If you are encouraged,
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share this message with someone you care about.
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Until next time, stay blessed.