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Living Worthy of the Kingdom pt. 2 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Hi there, welcome to NECF. We're excited to share
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today's message with you. Don't go anywhere,
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stay with us till the end for some valuable resources
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to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon.
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Philippians chapter 1, please be there and help
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me. Philippians chapter 1, verse 6. There's a
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word of comfort for somebody here. It says, being
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confident of this very thing. Being what? Confident
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of this very thing. That he who has begun a good
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work in you, what will he do? He has the capacity
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to do what? To complete it. Hallelujah. Until
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the day of Jesus Christ. Meaning that what God
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has established in you, his work in our lives,
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his commitment. You know, in our lives, he's
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able to uphold. He's faithful to his word. God
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is faithful to his word. Hallelujah. God has
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never started something and then he stopped on
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the way. Now, God is not depending on your faithfulness
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to perform that which has begun. If it depends
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on you and I, then God will not be stable. Hallelujah.
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If it depends on you and I, what will happen?
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God will not be stable. Because we as men, sometimes
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we are like what we call the waves of the sea.
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We may not be consistent even in our walk with
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him. We may not be consistent even in our faith
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and our belief in what he has said in his word.
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But one thing we can be sure is that God is committed
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to his word. He's committed to his promises.
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He's committed to his word concerning the believer.
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And I want you to know that God is not just committed
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to your salvation, but he's committed to upholding
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you and keeping you as a believer. Hallelujah.
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So we see this in the epistle of Paul to the
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Philippian church, as we started looking at last
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week, in our quest to understand how we are to
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live worthy as members of God's kingdom. We say
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that Paul, you know, was writing the book of
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Philippians from prison. And he wrote the letter
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to the Philippians to express his gratitude for
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their generous support to him. And we mentioned
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that he also encourages them to remain joyful,
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united, you know, despite their experiences,
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their persecutions or whatever they pass through,
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their trials. And he urged them to follow Christ's
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example of humility. That is just the summary
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of the entire epistle to the Philippian church.
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He also warned them against false teachers because
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there were others that were coming to teach something
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that is contrary to the faith. And some in good
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conscience, some in good will, some... You know,
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even from a point that they were doing it to
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agitate Paul. He warned him against the legalists,
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those who emphasize works as a means of salvation,
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as a means of obtaining God's favor. And then
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he was also updating them about, you know, his
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imprisonment and commending Timothy and also
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Epaphroditus. So we mentioned very four things
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that we can learn from chapter one. We said the
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first thing is Paul's character of prayer and
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gratitude. Just as a recap. We saw Paul's character
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of prayer and gratitude that despite his imprisonment,
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Paul was not languishing in the reality of what
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he was passing through. But Paul was full of
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gratitude. He was full of joy. All over the epistle,
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we see about 15 times, Paul will be mentioned,
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rejoice, rejoice, rejoice. Rejoicing not that
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he has obtained his release, not that he has
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obtained something material. but his rejoicing
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is founded in the reality of the work of Christ.
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So his external does not confine his state of
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joy. And we see in Paul's prayer from verse 3
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to 11, he reflects deep gratitude and selfless
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focus on what? On spiritual growth of others,
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rather his own needs. His emphasis was not on
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God releasing him from prison, but rather his
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emphasis was what? on the spiritual growth and
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development of the Philippian church, the needs
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of others. And then, you know, we saw a challenge
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for us to examine our purpose and focus on our
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prayer life. What is the content and the emphasis
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of our prayer life? Our prayer life should not
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be, you know, determined by only the circumstances
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around us, but we must be consistent in our focus
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on the things that matter, which are eternal.
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Secondly, we look at Paul's kingdom perspective
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on trial. What was his perception about trial?
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And how should we, as men and women that are
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living, to express the kingdom of God? How should
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we also perceive and express, you know, what
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kind of attitude should we have towards trial?
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Paul viewed his imprisonment as a divine opportunity
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to advance God's kingdom. And we mentioned that
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nothing happened to the believer without God's
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knowledge. And there is no accidental experience
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in the believer's life. So every single thing
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that happened to us, you know, is an opportunity
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for God to be glorified. Even the mistakes in
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our lives are things that God can utilize to
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reach out to others. So as a child of God, we
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must have this understanding concerning trials.
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He saw his imprisonment as a divine opportunity
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to advance God's kingdom. He encourages the believers
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to see trials as not an abandonment, but as a
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platform for God's glory and other salvation.
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And then reminding us of what? Of joy, even in
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suffering. So our joy is not a function of what
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happens in the physical, but our joy is a result
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of our identity. Our joy is a product of what
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Christ has eternally established in us. So we
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are not joyful because we have money in our pocket.
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We are not joyful because our academics is moving
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well. We are not joyful because that which we
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are believing for in the physical has manifested.
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But we are full of joy regardless of our experiences.
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And we see this character fully expressed in
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the life of Paul in this letter to the Philippians.
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And we also learn of Paul's focus to honor Christ.
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He says for him to live is what? Is for Christ.
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And to die is again. And we're asking ourselves,
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what is the focus we are living? What is the
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most important priority you have in life? As
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young people, we have, you know, the possibility
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of being distracted by life, building our lives,
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building our careers, building even ministry.
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Forget about the most important thing, which
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is to live, to honor God, to honor Christ. So
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Paul's focus we saw from chapter, verse 19 to
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26 of chapter 1. is to honor Christ in both life
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and death. Exemplifying a fully surrendered life,
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where life means serving Christ, and death to
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him is gain. We saw him in the scriptures, we
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will see rather, perplexing between being alive
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and going. For him to live is to the benefit
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of the brethren, and to go to the Lord for him
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is a gain. And I trust God that our focus, just
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as Paul's, will be to live to glorify God in
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every single area of our lives. And as young
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men, as young women, we will not be living for
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careers. We will not be living for things that
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are temporary. You see, when I was coming this
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morning, I was sharing with someone that we were
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coming together about a young man, very promising
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young man, very smart, very eloquent. He was
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a junior in high school. Day before yesterday
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was his birthday. Everybody was celebrating him.
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A lot of accolades praising him, how wonderful
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he is. The following day, he was crushed by a
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car and then he died. Exactly 31 years, one day.
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And then that was the end of his life. And I
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was reflecting throughout yesterday and today.
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I said, okay, what? Imagine this guy, I know
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him to be a very ambitious young man. So what
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happened to his ambitions? What happens to his
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goals? What happens to his plans and his... His
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dreams. And I discovered that life is not guaranteed.
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And what the most important thing for us is to
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live every day reflecting on why we are here
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on earth and doing that which God has called
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us to do. Because at any time, we can be normal.
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Hallelujah. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Amen?
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There's no guarantee. So we must be men and women
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of one focus. And that focus will be that we
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live in... To honor God, we're living to glorify
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God with our lives. And then the fourth thing
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we saw was the kingdom lifestyle. Paul was calling
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these people in Philippi to live a life worthy
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of what? Of their identity as believers. They
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live in a Gentile community. So as they live,
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they should be able to reflect their identity
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as God's children. He calls believers to live
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daily. In a manner worthy of the gospel. And
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that is a calling for us as we study this book
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of Philippians. As we go through this epistle.
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God's desire for you. God's desire for us. Is
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that we live worthy of our calling. We live worthy
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of the gospel. That our lives reflect what we
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have received. That our lives reflect the spirit
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of God that dwells inside of us. That we live
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worthy of the gospel that we have received. A
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life marked by unity. boldness and perseverance,
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even in suffering, as true citizens of God's
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kingdom. And I want us to also note one thing
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again that I couldn't emphasize last week about
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what we can learn from the church's generosity
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to Paul. Amen? As one of the ways to live worthy
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of God's kingdom, that we are responsible people
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in the kingdom. And one of the ways we express
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our responsibility as kingdom citizens is our
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engagement. in the work of ministry, especially
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when it comes to supporting the work of God in
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a practical sense. So from the church perspective,
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they partnered with Paul in ministry through
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giving to meet his needs and also in prayers.
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They don't only pray, right? But what did they
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do? They were able to meet his needs, practical
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needs as it comes to, you know, support. Philippians
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chapter 3 verse... 5, 1 verse, verse 3 rather.
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Let's look at chapter 1, verse 3. We see from
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verse 3, it says, I thank my God upon every remembrance
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of you. Verse 2, verse 4, 4, 4, 4, quickly. Always
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in every prayer of mine, making requests for
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you all with joy, for your fellowship in the
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gospel from the first day until now. You are
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sharing, this fellowship refers to what? You
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are sharing your participation. In the work of
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ministry. So every believer who is a citizen
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of this kingdom has a share in a participation
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in the work of ministry. As responsible citizens
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of a kingdom, we are what? We are participants
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in the work of ministry. Verse 19, chapter 1,
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verse 19 says, For I know that this will turn
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out for my deliverance through your prayer. Which
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means that the church will pray earnestly for
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who? For Paul. So you as a kingdom citizen has
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a responsibility of not just supporting with
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your finances, but you have a responsibility
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of doing what? Of dedicating time to pray, especially
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for the progress of God's work. It says, for
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I know that this will turn out for my deliverance
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through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit
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of Jesus Christ. Chapter 4, verse 10 to 20, we'll
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see. Let's just move forward and we'll come back.
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Chapter 4, verse 10. It says, but I rejoice in
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the Lord greatly that now at last your care for
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me has flourished again. Though you surely did
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care, but you lack opportunity. Know that I speak
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in regards to need, for I have learned in whatever
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state I am to be content. I know how to be abased
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and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all
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things I have learned but to be fool. and to
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be hungry, but to abound and to suffer needs.
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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
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me. And contextually, I can do all things is
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referring to what? Abounding and what? And living
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in luck. So let's not cut it out of context.
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You can't do all things though. Hope you know
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that. There are some things you cannot do. So
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contextually, you see, it's contextually. He's
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saying that I can live in plenty. And I can live
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in luck. I'm contented. That is the context of
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the conversation here. Context is key. I can
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do all things through Christ who strengthens
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me. Nevertheless, you have done well that you
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shared in my distress. That I participated in
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his distress. Now, you Philippians know also
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that at the beginning of the gospel, when I departed
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from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning
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giving and receiving but you only. Now, listen.
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Some people have interpreted this verse as they
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gave and they received something in return. No.
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They gave and Paul received. The giving and the
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receiving is that they gave to Paul. And what?
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And Paul received. Hallelujah. They have shared
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with him in giving and in what? In him receiving.
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For even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once again
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for my necessities. So this Philippian church
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has been consistent in supporting the work of
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ministry. And that is a kingdom lifestyle worthy
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of emulation. That we are responsible citizens.
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Of a responsible kingdom. Hallelujah. Not that
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I seek the gift. But I seek the fruit. That abounds
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your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I
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am full and received from Epaphroditus. The thing
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he sent from you. A sweet smelling aroma. An
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acceptable sacrifice. Well pleasing to God. And
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my God shall supply all your needs. According
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to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. and to
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our God and Father be glory forever and ever.
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Amen. That prayer of God's consumer supply is
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a response of an act of generosity of the believers.
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And as much as we make ourselves available to
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be a channel towards God's work, there's an assurance
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of more than enough, not just for your sustenance,
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but more than enough that you have the responsibility
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of what? Of committing to the work of ministry.
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of ensuring the continuity of the work of God
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and the plan of God on the face of the earth.
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So if we're living worthy as kingdom citizens,
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it means that we live responsibly as kingdom
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citizens. Hallelujah. Now, in continuation to
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what he has said in chapter 1, all the things
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that he has noted in chapter 1, let's move to
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chapter 2. We will see Paul in chapter 2, from
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verse 1 to 11, calling the believers to follow
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the example of Christ. For us to live worthy.
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Living worthy of the kingdom, we must as well
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follow the example of Christ. Give me chapter
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2 verse 1 in Amplified Classic. Chapter 2 verse
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1, Philippians chapter 2 verse 1. It says, So
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by whatever appeal to you there is in our mutual
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dwelling in Christ, by whatever strengthening
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and consoling, encouraging our relationship in
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Him, by whatever persuasive incentive there is
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in love. by whatever participation in the Holy
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Spirit we share and by whatever depth of affection
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and compassion and sympathy. Verse 2. Fill up
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and complete my joy by what? By living in harmony
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and being of the same mind and one in purpose,
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having the same love, being in full accord and
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of harmonious mind and intention. Why will Paul
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call them to live in unity? Why will Paul call
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them to live in love? having the same mind, living
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in one accord. Verse 2 suggests that there is
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a bit of a conflict in this church. And the believers
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in this church, you know, have been called to
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live in unity. We can verify that from chapter
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4, verse 2, where Paul was telling two people,
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two specific people, two people in the church.
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He says, I implore it, who? Anyway, I don't know
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the spelling, but that's the name. I don't know
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the pronunciation. I entreat. Which means that
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they have this discontention within the body.
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Amen? Verse 3. In spreading of the good news,
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the gospel, as have Clement and the rest of my
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fellow workers, whose names are in the book of
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life. You know, being part of God's kingdom does
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not mean that we will not face conflict within
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ourselves. Amen? Does not mean that sometimes
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the relationship will get sour. Does not mean
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that sometimes we will not march, we will not
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have conflict. But we have a responsibility as
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kingdom citizens to do what? To agree in the
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Lord. Amen? to agree in the Lord. If we must
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manifest the kingdom, if we must live worthy
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of the kingdom, then we have a responsibility
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one to another to agree. As kingdom citizens,
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we have to live in peace and harmony with one
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another. Having the same mind in full accord.
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Why? Because a kingdom that is divided against
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itself cannot fulfill God's purpose. Amen? A
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kingdom divided against itself. You know, in
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Matthew chapter 12, verse 25, we see where Jesus
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Christ was making reference to his... Give me
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Matthew chapter 12, verse 25. And knowing their
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thoughts, because he performed a miracle and
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they were accusing Jesus of performing the miracle
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by a demonic spirit, by whatever spirit. And
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knowing their thoughts, he said to them, any
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kingdom that is divided against itself is being
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brought to desolation and laid waste. and no
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city or house divided against itself will last
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or continue to stand. Now we can extrapolate
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the principle about unity from this verse. A
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kingdom divided against itself will not stand
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a taste of time fulfilling the purpose of God
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upon the face of the earth. If we, because you
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see, doing the will of God on earth is not a
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responsibility of one person. Amen? You are not
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the body of Christ. Hallelujah. You as an individual
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cannot fulfill the mandate of God in the world,
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on the face of the earth. You need your brother,
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you need your sister. It's a collective responsibility.
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As much as there is no personal revelation of
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Christ, it's a common revelation of Christ. Amen?
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So we must understand that we must be committed
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to working together. Nevertheless, disagreement
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will rise as a family, as a church. As we live,
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as we work together, as we relate together, even
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as housemates, as friends, disagreement may arise.
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But if we want to live as kingdom citizens, we
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must prioritize the purpose of God. Listen, the
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reason why we must prioritize peace is because
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of the purpose and the calling of God upon our
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lives. I was counseling some people from the
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U .S. When they had an issue, they had a problem,
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I said, do you value doing the will of God? or
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you value the issue at hand. What is your focus?
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Is your focus on the offense that has been committed
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or your focus is on the calling of God upon your
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life? When your attention is pious towards knowing
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the will of God and doing the will of God, then
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whatever the offense becomes insignificant, you
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quickly want to trash the offense so that you
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can move on with doing the will of God. Because
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whether you like it or not, you need your brother
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and you need your sister. You are in an eternal
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family. If you don't like your brother in Christ
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right now that you have seen face to face, the
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good news or the bad news is that you will see
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him eternally. Amen? If you want to continue
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in bitterness with your brother in Christ, then
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I can assure you that even when he dies, or you
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die, you will meet again. Amen? So it's to your
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own advantage that you do what? That you love
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your brother, that you love your sister, that
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you live in harmony, that you live in peace.
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Hallelujah. And in verse 3, it says, let nothing
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be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
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but in the loneliness of mind, let each esteem
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others better than himself. This is a kingdom
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lifestyle. We must live a life of honor to one
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another. Listen, even people in the kingdom of
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darkness, they are united. They cooperate. They
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partner. They love. Have you ever been to Bia
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Paulo and you see drunkards? Do you know how
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supportive they are? Do you know how generous
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they are to themselves? Sometimes even believers,
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you need to learn from the kingdom of darkness.
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You know, Jesus mentioned this, that you should
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learn from the people of the world, right? In
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their own wisdom. That's a mockery, actually,
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to the believer. So we have to understand that
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we need each other. We must honor each other.
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We must love each other. And this love and honor
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is one to another. Let nothing be done in selfish
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ambition. You know, we live in a generation that
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everybody is self -centered. Oh, you know, I'm
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protecting my mental health. Oh, I'm protecting
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my space, my peace of mind. I was telling somebody
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this week, the person is here, the person is
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looking at me. I said the fact that you've been
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avoiding conflict with people doesn't mean that
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you've overcome the issue of, you've not treated
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the matter well. Avoidance. It doesn't mean that
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something has happened. Until you face people
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face to face and you relate and then you discover
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that, oh, this person has offended you and you
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are able to forgive practically over and over
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and over again. That's when we know that you've
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grown. But when you avoid problem, when you see
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problem coming, you run away. We are not called
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to a life of being cowards. Are we together?
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In our relationship, we must create room for
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offenses before... In fact... We must be ready.
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Know this, that as we relate, there must be,
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must be offenses. Conflict will rise because
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we are humans. Are we together? So your brother
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is not, he's not an angel that does not have
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a will of his own that is controlled somewhere.
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He's a human. So having the room, giving the
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room for offense is very, very crucial to living
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the kingdom life because you see, it's governed
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by love. It's governed by... By love, the love
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of God that is in us. We belong to a kingdom
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that honors one another. I see the way brothers
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and sisters relate in church. Sometimes I wonder
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whether you understand the complexity of what
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Christ has done for the two of you. And the brother
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is a co -heir with you. Right? The sister is
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also equally a beneficiary of the same grace.
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There's no rank in grace. The same grace. For
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the grace of God that has what? That brings salvation
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as on what? To some men alone, we have only one
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grace and that grace equalizes everybody. Are
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we together? Of course, we know there is order
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in the kingdom of God and there is a responsibility.
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We'll come to that later. But I want you to understand
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that you have a duty of honoring every one of
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us because that person is, God resides in that
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person. That is the reason. Amen? God resides
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in that person. So you have the responsibility
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of honoring God in that person's life. We honor
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our elders and those who serve us and one another,
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regardless of age, of status, whether economically.
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The person may not be economically buoyant as
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you are, but as a child of God, that person has
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something that money cannot buy. Amen? He has
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an eternal wealth that is beyond what money can
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buy, and it's the presence of the Spirit of God
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in him. How do you treat your fellow brothers
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and sisters in the faith? In honor or dishonor.
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Because this is not a character of a man or a
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woman that belongs to the kingdom of God. What
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is your attitude towards others? We see here
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Paul calling to the attention of this church.
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Let's see. Let nothing be done in conceit. In
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selfish ambition. Putting your own interests
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first. But do what? Uphold the interests of others.
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than yourself. If every one of us is busy trying
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to put the other person first, I'm telling you,
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we'll reduce 99 % of our problems because my
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goal is to honor you. My goal is to please you.
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Your goal is to see there's room for competition
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in loving one another. The area we should compete
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is in showing love, how we can love ourselves
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better. The Bible says, all know one nothing
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but except what? Love is a legal debt to all
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that you pay for the rest of your life. So we
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have a duty, we have a responsibility to live
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worthy of our calling as believers, as members
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of God's kingdom. Verse 4 says, Let each of you
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look not only for his own interests, but also
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for the interests of others. Do you put yourself
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first or the interests of others first? Sacrificial
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living is what defines the culture of God's kingdom.
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We belong to God's kingdom and we must also exercise
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that culture. We must express that culture rather.
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We'll see this in the life of the early church.
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Acts chapter 2 verse 44. We'll see how they live
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sacrificially. Acts chapter 2 verse 44. Yes,
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44 and 45. It says, and now all who believe we're
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what? We're harmony. We're together. We're living
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together in harmony, in peace, in harmony. And
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all, and had all things in what? In common, which
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means that they were living a communal life.
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A communal life. And sold their possessions and
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goods and divided them among all as anyone had
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need. So what was operating in the early church
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was not capitalism, right? Greed was not the
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order of the day. And this is a product of the
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life of God in them. And if we are professional,
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we have the life of God in us, it should equally
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produce the same result. That you are looking
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out for your brother. That you are looking out
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for the needs of your sister. That you are ensuring
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that within the body of Christ, no one is ignored.
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You see brothers and sisters in the Lord tearing
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themselves apart because of basic needs. Everybody,
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you know, doesn't want to be taken advantage
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of. Everybody is protecting his own right. Everybody
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is putting his own interests ahead of others.
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Acts chapter 4 verse 32, 35. We see another way
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the early church exemplifies this culture. It
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says, now the multitude of those who believed
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were of one heart, which means that they were
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united. Unity, love, harmonious living, honor.
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This is the culture of the kingdom of God. Now
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the multitude of those who believed were of one
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heart and one soul. Neither did anyone say that
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any of the things he possessed was his own, but
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they had all things in common, which means they
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were living a life of sharing and giving within
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themselves. And with great power, the apostles
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gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord
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Jesus, and a great grace was upon them all. Now
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was there anyone among them who lacked? For all
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who were possessors of lands, of houses, sold
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them and brought the proceeds of things that
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were sold was terrified and laid them at the
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apostles' feet. Laying them at the apostles'
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feet. We've taught you here in church that laying
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it at the apostles' feet doesn't mean that they
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brought it and put it on their feet. It means
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they are laying it at the what? The control.
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The leadership. The what? The authority of the
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apostles. And the apostles identify who is in
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need and they meet the need. That's administration.
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Listen, we are not speaking theory here, right?
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If you have excess, it's an instruction. It's
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an instruction. Bring it that the needs of others
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will be met. If you have more than enough, there
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are those that can barely live. Some of us will
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open our drops. I wonder whether you sell clothes.
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You just be eating and adding weight, unnecessary
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weight, while others are fasting. Unwillingly.
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Where's the love we speak of? So believers, we
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must live worthy of our calling. What we are
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calling us to do is to live our identity as those
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who have experienced the love of God and expressing
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it, expressing it within. See, we're not talking
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about unbelievers. You know what we love in this
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generation is media attention. We want a situation
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where all the world will see us doing good works
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and our statuses is full of praises, pictures
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of doing charity. Listen. When you look through
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the scriptures, I will say this and then you
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think maybe I'm being biased. No way in the Bible
29:33
there was an emphasis, right, to give to unbelievers.
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It's not a mistake. Now, we are not saying that
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you shouldn't give to people that are not believers.
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That's not what we are saying. But the emphasis
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first is what? That they will see. That they
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will see. See, how will they know that you are
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my disciples and you love one another? How will
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they know the love of God? It's through your
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example, how you portray the love of God expressively.
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It's not in words. The kingdom of God is not
29:57
about words. It's not in talking. It's in power.
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And this power is not healing the sick and making
30:03
the cripple walk. It begins by what? An expression
30:06
of love. That must be done from the point of
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love. It's a caution for somebody here. You must
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allow the love of God that is already in you
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to find expression. Amen? You must allow the
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love of God in you to what? To find expression.
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And then in verse 5, he brought in Christ. Let
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this mind be in you which was also in Christ
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Jesus. And we see calling the believers to emulate
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the life of Christ. How did Christ show us an
30:35
example to follow? It says, let this mind be
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in which was also in Christ. Right? Now, the
30:41
life of Christ is already in the believer. Now,
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we are not trying to tell you to manufacture
30:45
an ability from somewhere else. We are not trying
30:48
to tell you to produce a lifestyle that is not
30:50
within you. No. In Colossians 2 verse 6. We will
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see that the believer already has a life and
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the nature of Christ in him. Therefore, we must
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showcase it. Colossians 2 verse 6. It says, as
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you therefore have received Christ Jesus, the
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Lord, so do what? So walk. Walk here means live
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according to what you've received. Are we together?
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So we are not calling you to live out a life
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that you don't have the ability to. Christ has
31:19
shown us an example and he lives in us. And it
31:23
is through him that we're going to live. Let's
31:24
see briefly and examine his humility. How he
31:27
was, he gave us an example. He says he is, verse
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5, chapter 2, verse 5. Philippians chapter 2,
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verse 5. He said, let this mind be in you, which
31:38
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form
31:42
of God, did not consider it robbery. To be equal
31:46
with God. And I do say this always. I say there's
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nothing God has ever told men to do that he has
31:51
not done it by example. If it's humility, Christ
31:54
is a perfect example of humility. If it's love,
31:59
he's the perfect expression of love. There's
32:01
no instruction that God is a leader that leads
32:05
by example. Hallelujah. God leads us by example.
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And we see that example in Christ. Because it
32:12
is through Christ that we know the character
32:13
of God. That we know who God is. So first of
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all, he is God. And he emptied himself by becoming
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a man. He became obedient to death on the cross.
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Then he was exalted. Hallelujah. I don't want
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to go into the details of the name that was given
32:31
to him. We know that the name that was given
32:32
to him was not J -E -S -U -S. Right? We sang
32:35
a song about the name of Jesus. And the name
32:37
is not J -E -S -U -S. Because Jesus was never
32:43
called Jesus in his time. Hope you know that.
32:45
There was no English, so it cannot be Jesus.
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Name there refers to what? His accomplishment.
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The things he has accomplished. We have established
32:55
this during our teachings in the cell meetings.
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And his exaltation is as a result of what he
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has portrayed in his humility. And him becoming
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man. It's humbly for God to become man. We see
33:08
the sinless God suffering for sinful men. We
33:14
see the just God suffering for unjust men. So
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you suffering for your brother is not because
33:19
your brother deserves it. Right? You sacrificing
33:22
to be good to your brother is not because your
33:24
brother deserves the goodness. Because in the
33:27
first place, you never deserve the goodness of
33:29
God. But nevertheless, God is good to you. How
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much loss are you willing to suffer for your
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brother or sister in Christ? How much are you
33:38
willing to let go for the sake of the love that
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you have towards your brother and sister? Romans
33:43
chapter 5 verse 6 and 8 will see what Jesus did
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for us. Romans 5 verse 6 and 8. For when we are
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still without strength, which means when we are
33:55
sinners, when we are helpless, when we are without
33:57
the ability to help ourselves, in due time Christ
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died for the ungodly. So Jesus never died for
34:05
godly men. Jesus never died for good men. It
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is in his death that we became good. Hallelujah.
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Verse 6, verse 7 rather. For scarcely for a righteous
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man will one die. Have you ever seen a man walk
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up and say, ah, this man was arrested because
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he stole this amount of money, especially where
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we come from in Africa. The part of Africa I
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come from, there's a lot of political, you know,
34:27
manipulations of resources. And they usually
34:30
arrest people. Have you ever seen somebody to
34:32
come and say, oh, I'm standing in for this person.
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I'm the one that I should be punished instead
34:36
of this person. No. We even say, let them deal
34:39
with him. He serves him right. It says, for scarcely
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for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps
34:45
for even a good man, someone will even try to
34:47
die for. It's good. But look at Jesus in verse
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8. But God, what did he do? He demonstrates his
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own love towards us. In that while we were still
34:59
in sin, we're enemies of the cross. We're enemies
35:03
of God, rather. We're standing in opposition
35:05
to God. What happened? He died for us. So your
35:09
goodness towards others must be what you see
35:14
in Christ demonstrated. He demonstrated love
35:17
to an unjust people to justify us. So your goodness
35:21
to others is not a product of their good behavior
35:25
towards you. Do you know how many times I've
35:27
forgiven him? Do you know how many times I've
35:29
been supporting her? Enough is enough. The day
35:32
that God will say enough is enough with you.
35:33
It may sound funny, but we are indebted when
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it comes to love. Eternal debt. of showing love
35:39
one to another. Hallelujah. So we must take up
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the challenge this week to do good to one another.
35:45
Take up the challenge of living a sacrificial
35:48
life, life of honor. Decide that I'm going to
35:52
be a blessing to my brother. I'm going to live
35:54
up to the name. I'm going to live up to the name
35:57
of Christ. I'm going to live up to the established
36:01
works of Christ in me. I'm going to allow what
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Christ has accomplished in me to find expression.
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Let that be our determination this week. I must
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live worthy. Verse 27 of chapter 1, it says,
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Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel
36:17
of Christ, so that whether I come and see you
36:20
or I'm absent, I may hear of your face, that
36:23
you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind,
36:27
striving together for the faith of the gospel.
36:31
Hallelujah. Now, do you have any... Discord with
36:33
somebody in church? Do you have any disagreement
36:35
with somebody in church? Do you have any unresolved
36:38
issues? You can never, if you like, fast for
36:42
30 days, 40 nights, right? You cannot fulfill
36:45
the will of God in that condition. Because the
36:49
same spirit that is in you is the same spirit
36:50
that is in that believer. So we must resolve
36:52
all our issues in love. We're not looking for
36:56
blame. We're not looking for who is wrong or
36:59
who is right. We're not looking for our own interests.
37:01
We're not trying to clear our name because, see,
37:03
sometimes we are funny as humans. We just want
37:05
to clear our name so that we'll have good records.
37:07
You know, I don't have any issue. I don't have
37:10
any issue. But actually, there's an issue. And
37:13
the reason why some of us come to apologize is
37:15
not because we really want reconciliation, but
37:17
simply because we want to have a good name before
37:19
people or good reputation. But see, whatever
37:22
we do must be grounded in love because love is
37:26
a culture of the kingdom you belong to. So where
37:29
have you been lacking? Or where are you struggling?
37:31
Where are you struggling? Just pray. Open your
37:33
mouth and speak to God. Later on we'll see. Paul
37:36
will say, walk out your salvation with fear and
37:38
trembling. Meaning that you should bring to fruition
37:40
what is in you. And he didn't just leave it there.
37:42
He says, for it is God who works in you to will
37:45
and to do of his good pleasure. Which means that
37:47
the ability to do the life that God has called
37:49
you to do. It's by God himself working in you.
37:52
What you do is you surrender and you allow the
37:54
love of God to flow through your life. I just
37:56
want you to say, Lord, I surrender to your will
37:58
for my life. I surrender to your work in my life.
38:00
I give expression to my identity. I give expression
38:03
to my identity. Enter a commitment going forward.
38:07
The commitment to honor God with my life. The
38:11
commitment to live a sacrificial life. The commitment
38:15
to honor the body of Christ, the believers. the
38:19
commitment of putting the needs of others ahead
38:22
of myself. Speak to God. This is practical Christianity.
38:26
This is actually living and manifesting the kingdom
38:28
of God. This is actually living, demonstrating
38:31
your identity and your citizenship, expressing
38:34
our identity, our citizenship as members of God's
38:37
kingdom. The only way that men will know God
38:39
or will understand the love of God is in us living
38:42
in love one to another, expressing love towards
38:45
one another. And I want you to pray for this
38:48
church and say, Father, your love will be seen
38:51
in expression in our church. And whatever we
38:55
do, we don't do things out of love. We do things
38:59
in love. Later on, we'll see Paul commending
39:04
Timothy and Epaphroditus, who almost gave up
39:11
his life for the work of ministry. And that was
39:13
out of love for the church. See, everything we
39:16
do in the kingdom must be done in love, must
39:19
be done in honor. Say, Lord, help us to live
39:21
as we ought to live. Let our conduct be worthy
39:25
of our calling. Let our lives be lived worthy
39:28
of the calling of God. I want you to pray for
39:30
yourself areas of your struggle and say, Lord,
39:32
help me in this area. I know expressly this is
39:35
an area of my life that I'm struggling to allow
39:37
your love to find expression. Lord, help me at
39:39
this moment. Help me, Lord, to give expression
39:42
to your love in me. Indeed, you've started something
39:45
in me and you're committed to bringing it to
39:47
the end. Lord, help me. Thank you for listening
39:53
to today's sermon. Your journey matters to us.
39:56
Let's keep walking together. Visit our website
40:00
for more resources and follow us on social media
40:03
to stay updated. Feel free to check the show
40:06
notes for additional insights. If today's message
40:10
was a blessing, share it with a friend. Till
40:13
next time, be blessed.