Latest / Mount Eaton Church / Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 6:9-12 - The True and Better High Priest - Christ Our Hope and Faithful High Priest - pt.5

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Christ the True and Better - Hebrews 6:9-12 - The True and Better High Priest - Christ Our Hope and Faithful High Priest - pt.5 · Mount Eaton Church

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  If you guys would please turn to Hebrews chapter 6.
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  We're going to go through verse 9 through 12 today.
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  I'm going to read verses 1 through 8 and then go right into the verse 9 through 12 so you
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  can hear it and then we'll dig in.
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  Father, I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness.
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  Thank you Lord for your word.
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  Lord I pray that the full counsel of your word is spoken Lord that your word is living
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  inactive sharper than the double-edged sword.
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  Lord, your word will accomplish exactly what you have set it out to do.
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  You are God who keeps his promises.
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  Your word is true and Lord there is nothing in this world that is outside of your control,
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  your sovereignty and your providence.
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  All things will come about as a result of your plan.
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  Amen Lord we thank you and praise you.
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  To you be honor and glory forever in Jesus name amen.
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  So some very important things I think we need to think about as we're dealing with this
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  particular chapter because it seems like there's this moment within the description of the
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  better high priest where the writer just goes on this conversation about our responsibility
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  to grow, be mature, those types of things.
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  Which really the writer is laying down some really important foundational stuff for us
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  especially as we get to this point of the promise.
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  Like what is the point of the promise?
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  And you're going to see that the promise which builds up in verses 9 through 12 really sets
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  us into understanding why the promise is so important as a high priest.
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  So the high priest on our behalf goes to the father and brings the promise, the reminder
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  of the promise.
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  And so we're going to see that as it builds up to this point of chapter 7.
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  I think it all just kind of fit together real nicely.
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  So let's start off in verse 1.
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  Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity not laying
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  again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God and of instruction
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  about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, the eternal judgment.
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  And this we will do if God permits for it is impossible in the case of those who have
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  once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, have shared in the Holy Spirit,
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  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come and
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  have fallen away to restore them again to repentance since they are crucifying once
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  again the Son of God to their own harm and holding up, holding him up in contempt for
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  the land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it and produces a crop useful to
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  those for whose sake it is cultivated receives a blessing for God.
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  But if it abares thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed and it
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  ends to be burned.
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  Though we speak in this way, yet in your case beloved, we feel sure of better things, things
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  that belong to salvation.
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  For God is not unjust as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for
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  his name in serving the saints as you still do.
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  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance
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  of hope until the end so that you may not be sluggish but be imitators of those who
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  through faith and patience inherit the promises.
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  Wow, it's a lot being said there.
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  And it's important that we understand what verses 1 through 8 are saying so that when
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  we get into verse 9 when he says though we speak in this way concerning these believers
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  in reality for many of us today, that is not what is for us in our case.
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  So principle number one, Christ will accomplish what he has purposed and absolutely nothing
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  can stop it.
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  Nothing.
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  It will absolutely happen.
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  Here we go.
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  Here's a support to verse 9.
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  Philippians 1, 6, and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring
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  it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
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  Do we honestly think that everything in this world as chaotic as it is, is uncontrolled
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  chaos?
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  No.
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  Everything that is happening in this world today is God's sovereign providential hand
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  at work.
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  God will bring all things to a moment.
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  And that moment is every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ
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  is God, Jesus Christ is God to the glory of God the Father.
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  He is the King of kings.
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  He will accomplish what he says he will do.
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  And we see this and if he's able to sovereignly and divinely providentially control those
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  things, what makes you think that he can't do that for you?
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  And that's really what the writer says here.
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  Though we speak in this way concerning this childishness that many have lived, though
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  we speak in this way, it's not in your case.
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  It's not for you.
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  And he uses the word beloved here.
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  Now what's interesting about this word beloved is in the original Greek it's not present.
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  In original Greek it literally means loved one.
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  Agapetos is the word.
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  Agapetos is loved one.
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  Agape, love, dos, means the loved one, the dear one, the worthy one.
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  You are the loved one.
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  So concerning you loved one, it's not in your case.
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  Concerning you.
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  And he uses this term, this phrase, we feel sure.
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  This word sure is persuaded or confident.
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  So though we speak in this way, loved one, we are confident of better things for you.
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  Interesting term.
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  Confident, persuaded, we know for a fact that this is different for you.
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  Why?
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  Because these better things is God has made you more useful.
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  God has made you more serviceable.
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  God has made you more advantageous.
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  God has made you more excellent.
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  So concerning you, we are confident that you are more useful and serviceable and advantageous
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  and more excellent.
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  That's the point here.
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  What a confidence that we have in Christ because of the accomplishment of the cross.
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  And now he uses this word better things.
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  He also says things that belong.
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  It's a different word than better things.
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  It's interesting they use the term things in both of these in the English because things
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  that belong are things that adhere to, cling to, things that are closely joined to.
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  To what?
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  To your salvation.
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  What is adhering to you?
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  What clings to you?
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  What is closely joined to you concerning salvation?
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  Your justification, your sanctification, your righteousness, all the things that you are
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  to inherit that's yours in Christ is yours permanently.
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  It's clinging to you.
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  So though we speak in this way, yet in your case, loved one, we are confident that you
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  are more useful and serviceable and advantageous and excellent.
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  That the things that adhere to you concerning salvation, the things that cling to you concerning
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  salvation are true.
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  That's kind of, that is the synopsis of what's being said in verse nine.
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  Can you imagine?
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  Now do you understand why the writer says concerning you, there's no worries.
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  Principle number two, Christ is faithful to remember and bless his people when we purposely
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  and intentionally care for one another even when we are mistreated.
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  Even when we are mistreated.
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  This is important because when you're dealing with the reality of the lives that are around
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  you, the question is, are we gonna live the way we're supposed to when things are difficult?
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  This is what it says in Romans 12, nine through 10.
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  Let love be genuine, abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good, love one another with
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  brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor.
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  Hebrews 6, 10, for God is not unjust so as to overlook.
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  Epi-lanthanumai, epi-lanthanumai is the word here.
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  He is not unjust as to neglect or no longer care for.
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  Care for what?
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  Your work and your love.
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  The work that you have done, the love that you have shown, these things, he doesn't neglect
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  them.
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  It's interesting.
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  The reason why he doesn't neglect them is because he is just.
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  A lot of people think that justice is the issue of dealing with the evil doer.
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  Justice is also keeping care of the ones who do right.
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  Why does God present authority to smite the evil doer?
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  For the people of the good.
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  So that we could live in peaceful and right lives.
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  He is going to care for the things that you've done for him.
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  That's what it means.
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  He's not unjust to forget, to neglect.
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  He's just.
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  So he doesn't overlook these things.
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  And so what we end up learning is this word agape, which everybody says is the love of
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  God.
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  No, it's more than that.
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  It's the deepest love.
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  It's the love that comes from deep within.
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  Now before you came to Christ, you were dead.
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  A corpse spiritually.
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  Corpses don't love.
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  No love there.
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  Like this they do.
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  Still they have passions.
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  When you're dead in Christ, you have no idea what love is.
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  Love is far more deeper than that.
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  But when Christ awakens you, he makes you alive.
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  Now you have a love that lives in you, that dwells with you.
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  A love that is deep within you.
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  And that's the love he's talking about there.
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  It's this deep love within the person that has been awakened because of the power of
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  Christ.
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  Now interesting word here he says that he does not overlook your work and love that
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  you have shown, that you have proved, that you have displayed, that you have demonstrated
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  for his name.
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  Think about that.
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  Why do other religions do what they do?
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  Because of the name that they worship.
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  This is important.
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  My kids have my last name.
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  I hope and pray they carry that name on proudly.
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  You know, my daughters will eventually take on another name.
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  But my sons need to carry that name on.
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  Well that's the point here.
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  These people were grateful and excited.
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  They worked hard for the name of God.
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  They loved for the name of God.
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  They have proved and displayed and demonstrated that everything they have done is for his
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  name.
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  His name is written on your life.
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  Your child of the living God.
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  Do we do things understanding the importance of that?
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  Or do we do things just because we want rewards?
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  I don't want any rewards.
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  Jesus is enough for me.
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  I want to do it because I love his name.
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  Now here is what this word, this phrase for his name means.
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  This will help kind of corral this thought on understanding the name of God.
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  The thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering
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  the name.
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  What do you think about when you hear the name of Jesus?
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  You know what the vast majority of people think about when they hear the name of Jesus?
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  He's not God, he's the son of God.
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  He's the king of kings and the lord of lords, but only because God the father says so.
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  He's little less than the father.
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  If you have any questions about that, there are a whole bunch of several different types
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  of religions and denominations that look at Jesus in that perspective that call themselves
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  Christian.
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  Catholicism thinks he's just a little less.
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  Not really God, but just enough God to save me.
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  Mormons thinks he's actually the brother of Lucifer, but yet we continue to preach and
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  teach that they are Christian religions.
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  When you watch The Chosen, they are literally owned by a Mormon company.
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  Dallas Jenkins sold him out.
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  Just be honest, that's hard.
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  Remember the whole debacle that happened?
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  Because there's no reverence for the name.
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  They don't understand the importance of the name.
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  What drives you, what motivates you, what keeps you going?
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  The name of the living God, Yeshua, Jesus.
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  Think about this.
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  This name carries supreme authority.
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  This name carries the interests of all of mankind.
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  This name should be the pleasure of your life.
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  God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him, John Piper.
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  That's called Christian hedonism.
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  Third, this name commands the utmost respect.
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  Not only does it command the utmost respect, this name alone is upon the commands in which
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  he has given mankind, the standard.
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  This name is the excellencies of all names.
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  This name is on the deed of his land.
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  That's his land.
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  This name is the name of the greatest position in all of creation, the creator, king of kings
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  and lord of lords.
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  He is supreme master.
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  That is the name what keeps you going.
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  What's interesting is that the very work and the love that they have shown for his name,
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  interesting enough, was proved, displayed and demonstrated in serving the saints.
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  How do you serve one another?
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  Are you willing to serve one another to the point of blood?
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  Are you willing to give everything you can for the family?
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  Are you just so prideful that you're going to stand on your own whim and say it's my
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  way or the highway?
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  No.
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  That's not what we do here.
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  You serve until you bleed.
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  You serve until you get a job done.
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  That's the point here.
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  They serve to the point that they lost everything.
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  When you read chapter 10 of Hebrews and you see that they considered it pure joy for the
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  plundering of their property, it was because of the name.
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  Why do you do what you do?
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  Because you think you're important?
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  No, you do it because of the name you carry.
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  You do it for the name.
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  Judas, the writer here, says that you have proved and displayed and demonstrated for
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  his name how in serving the saints and how you love one another.
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  It's not how you give to the poor.
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  It's not how you go and you preach to the lost.
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  It's not how you give water to the thirsty.
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  It's how you love each other.
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  They will know you're my disciples if you have love for the stranger.
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  No, if you have love for the family.
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  As a matter of fact, Jesus says if you don't love the family, you're worse than a pagan.
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  You ever notice that?
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  Jesus took care of his disciples every single day.
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  Because he loved them first, he was able to continue to love the stranger.
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  That's the model.
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  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and love your neighbor
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  as yourself.
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  Do you know what neighbor he's talking about?
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  Do you think when Jesus was talking to the Jews, he was talking about the Gentile, the
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  neighbor Gentile?
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  No, they're called strangers and foreigners in the land.
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  He was talking about the brother Jew.
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  That application still applies to you today.
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  That doesn't change the principle of our responsibility to love the brotherhood.
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  If we cannot love each other, you cannot love the stranger.
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  But we think if we go and feed the hungry, the stranger, give water to the thirsty, the
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  stranger, clothed and naked, the stranger, that Jesus is pleased with just that.
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  And he's not.
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  We got to love the poor within our own family.
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  Then we can love the poor without, out of the family.
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  Think about that.
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  Love each other.
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  If you have any questions about that, you can read that in Acts chapter two and chapter
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  four.
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  Scripture says that they had all things in common, sold their possessions and gave to
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  the disciples and they distributed the money as all who had need within the community.
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  You ever notice that?
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  They took care of the family.
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  And the scripture says that the people around them was wondering what is so different about
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  this community?
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  And it says that God had added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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  Why?
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  Because they saw how we cared for each other.
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  I want to be a part of that family.
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  I wonder why people don't want to be a part of our family anymore.
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  And so, next principle.
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  And the last one.
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  What Christ says he will do and it's an absolute guarantee.
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  Got her.
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  Got him.
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  Love it.
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  You got to love that.
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  You know, Jesus had to be doing that too.
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  Just preaching, all of a sudden a little one just do do do do do do do.
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  And everybody like, get him, don't let him near.
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  And Jesus says, don't hinder the little ones to come unto me.
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  That's why we do what we do.
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  You know?
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  It's so good.
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  Lesson learned.
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  Oh, she's in trouble.
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  Big bro got her.
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  Let's go.
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  All right, here we go.
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  So what Christ says he will do is an absolute guarantee.
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  God is not man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind as he
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  said and he will not, as he said, and he will not do it.
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  In other words, if God isn't like us and he says he's going to do something, will he not
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  do it?
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  Or as he has spoken, will he not fulfill it?
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  If God makes a promise, will he not fulfill the promise?
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  That's what it says in Numbers 23 19.
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  God is not a man that we should, that he should lie or a son of man that he should change
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  his mind.
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  As he said, and he will not do it, or has he spoken and he will not fulfill it?
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  Of course he will.
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  And so that's what you see in Hebrews 6 11 through 12.
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  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness.
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  This word, same earnestness, earnestness is, is the definition proved by striving to accomplish.
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  Accomplish what?
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  The work.
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  Okay.
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  And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness, to have the full assurance
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  of hope until the end.
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  What what should we, what should we be striving to accomplish?
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  Everything and anything with regard to the intended end or purpose of whatever God has.
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  In other words, we shouldn't be questioning.
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  We should just do it.
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  We should strive.
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  If we hold the name of God and we love it supremely and we are committed to his ways,
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  then each of us should show the same earnestness as he does concerning keeping you.
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  If he doesn't reject your work or your love in him because you have proven it and how
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  you care for the saints, then you should also do the same type of earnest commitment concerning
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  him.
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  He will keep his promises.
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  And so he says this, the full assurance of hope until the end.
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  What is the full assurance of hope until the end?
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  So that we will not be sluggish.
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  Why should we strive to continue to work for the name of God?
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  Why should we love as he has loved us?
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  Why should we continue to push and strive to accomplish what's what's regarded to intended
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  end or purpose is because it is our full assurance.
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  This is what we know will happen.
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  I was sharing this in in Bible study today.
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  When you look at someone and they're at the end of their life, you ever notice they have
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  this crazy confidence and assurance.
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  If they're in Christ, they look at their life at the end and go, it means nothing.
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  It means nothing.
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  Everything is good.
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  We will make it to the end and they strive and work and run harder.
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  So why is this important?
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  Because if you don't live in this way, pushing to the very end, striving to finish to finish
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  the race, then you will be sluggish.
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  Look what it says in verse 12.
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  The reason why we do this is so that you may not be sluggish, no thrash, dull or lazy.
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  So you're not dull or lazy, but that your imitators, this word imitators is is mimitase
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  or memetase.
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  Memetase is the word mimics where we get the English word mimic.
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  So we imitate God, imitate Christ, but he also gives us examples of who we should imitate
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  that we should be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
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  Now what's interesting is that the example he gives us right after this in verse 13 through
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  20 is Abraham. Isn't that interesting?
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  Why is that important?
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  Why is it important that we understand that through faith and patience, we follow Abraham
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  so that we like him are reminded of the promises that we will inherit?
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  Because he left us an example.
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  Think about Abraham, he leaves Ur.
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  God says, go here, I'm going to make you a father of many nations.
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  And he promises him he will do it.
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  Why else would Abraham leave the land he was in?
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  Because he believed the promise.
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  He didn't see it coming.
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  He trusted God that he will do it.
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  Being sure of what you hope for in the evidence of what you don't see.
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  That's what faith is.
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  Faith in the promise.
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  So in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20 says this, for all the promises of God find their
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  yes in him.
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  That is why it is through him that we utter our amen to God for his glory.
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  The promises of God are absolute yes.
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  So be it, so be it.
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  Amen, amen.
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  We're going to pick up next week in verse 13 through 20, hopefully I can get through
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  all that, and really understand how the promise is seen in the life of Abraham.
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  The reason why these three verses or four verses are so important is because we start
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  to see the importance of the priest.
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  Not only the importance of the priest in the acts that he does on behalf of his people,
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  but he goes before God with the promises that were promised.
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  He is our ambassador, because that's what ambassador does.
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  So let's pray.
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  Excited about the rest of this letter.
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  And thank you guys so much today.
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  Father I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness and goodness.
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  Thank you for all that you're doing in the lives of your people.
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  Help us to see the importance of the promises you have given us.
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  That we live in a way that so honors your name.
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  And Lord I know that there are many things in our lives that take away our focus, but
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  if we keep our eye focused on the prize, we keep our eye focused on you, our finish line,
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  and we have hope and assurance of hope that you are faithful and good to keep what you
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  have said and to accomplish what you have purpose.
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  Lord we praise you and thank you in Jesus name.
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  Amen.