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We've Come To Worship Him | Pastor Daniel Batarseh | Christmas Day · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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if you were here last night, you know that, we briefly spoke
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about The obvious theme of this weekend, the birth of Christ but
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we looked at a certain vantage point about how the Holy Spirit
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did not necessarily give us the precise date of the birth of the
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Savior but he did in his wisdom provide us numerous detailed
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accounts surrounding and leading up to that event and We examined
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for just a few moments of one of those accounts, one of those
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reports and it was the interruption.
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If I can use that word of An angel and a Heavenly Host, who
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appeared to a quiet group of men who are supervising their their
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sheep. And they received an honor that
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no caesar, no Pharisee, no priest would experience.
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And that was the announcement of the, the Son of God, entering
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into the world, and even the direction of how to witness it
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with their own eyes. But this afternoon, I want us to
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now look at a different angle from this.
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I want us to look at a different group of men.
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I want us to see what the The spirit has given us in terms of
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instruction on a vast subject about what we can learn from
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this event and it's not going to be on the specific night that
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the Savior was born. We're going to, we're going to
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fast forward a few months, we're going to fast-forward perhaps
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even a couple of years when this baby was now an infant, and he's
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no longer in a Manger. He is tucked safely in a home
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with Earthly parents, who have been given the responsibility
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to. Can you imagine it?
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To raise up God himself. And so what I want to do now in
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this in the segment is take you to the Book of Matthew and
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chapter to read a few verses and then impact these verses for you
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with the same intention that we had last night, that your heart
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would come alive and that you would have fresh desired to
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adore him. Love him, cherish him.
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In light of the wisdom of his word.
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Matthew chapter 2. beginning in verse 1, we read now, after
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Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the
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king, Behold wise men from the East came to Jerusalem saying,
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where is he who has been born King of the Jews for?
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We saw his star when it Rose and have come to worship him?
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When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all
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Jerusalem with him and assembling all the chief priests
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and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the
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Christ was to be born, they told them in Bethlehem of Judea for,
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so it is written. By the prophet and you o
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Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the
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rulers of Judah for from you shall come a ruler.
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Who will Shepherd My People Israel.
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No date, no date of when the Savior was born, but plenty of
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details to tell us of the period in which he was born.
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And in the first couple of verses, we have an understanding
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of how problematic it was for Jesus to be born in these days
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and that is highlighted by Matthew inspired by the Holy
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Spirit. When he underscores in verse 1
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of Matthew to that, Jesus was born.
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Yes. And Bethlehem of Judea, Also in
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the days of Herod, the King Herod the king now that is
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reduced to just the mere historical fact, unless you, and
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I have some kind of understanding of who Herod was
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Herod, was a politician. He was someone who was raised up
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by Rome who is oppressing the nation of Israel at this time to
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be some form of a king, who would bring order and peace to
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the inhabitants in the citizens of Israel.
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He was not independent from the Louis of Rome, Rome designed
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this man to fulfill their wishes and so he followed their orders
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and he implemented what they desired.
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And the people were subdued to a certain extent and this Herod
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who was one of many succeeding herod's is identified as Herod,
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the Great Herod the Great perhaps because of his great
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achievements as a politician And he was known for many things,
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but this man was a master architect.
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He was able to create and Implement and establish many
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things that was part of the flourishing of the Society of
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the time. And one of those things was a
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revamping of the temple for the Jews.
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It was a renovation project like they have never known and he was
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responsible for it. And according to John 2:20, it
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took more than 40 years to accomplish and it was glorious,
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it had passerbys just absolutely stunned by the beauty that this
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man was able to generate with his power and his creativity.
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But Herod, although he was great in that sense what's important
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for us to know in this context was that he was not great
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morally. This man was like many of the
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rulers of his day constantly suspicious paranoid fearful that
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someone would usurp his authority.
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And because of this, he was responsible for many deaths,
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even the death of his own wife and some of his sons.
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When he felt, as though, they might conspire against him, this
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Herod was unpredictable, he was cruel, and by the snap of a
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finger, he can cause atrocities, not just great architectural
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projects, X. And we get a hint of this man's
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dark side in the very same chapter that you and I are in
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today because when he discovers that, the king of the Jews would
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be born and did not have the ability to find him out of Rage.
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He calls for a charge to slaughter the children, all the
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male Hebrew boys who were under the age of two.
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A massacre. A gross despicable thing.
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This is the kind of Herod that we are speaking about, and it
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seems like a silly thought but let me present to you a thing to
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meditate on for a moment, perhaps.
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You might look at that and realize that I think to
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yourself, how can it be that God would actually allow Jesus to be
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born at this time. And just imagine for a moment
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that you would be in his Divine Council was speaking about God's
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Divine, Council of pertaining to the birth of the long-awaited
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Messiah. What would be your
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recommendation for when the Savior should be born?
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When would you decide would it be a time of peace?
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What would you clean things up? First before you would usher in
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the one that would save his people from their sins?
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What does seem reasonable to you that God In His Infinite?
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Wisdom would choose for the Savior to be born and to become
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a helpless baby under the rule of this wicked man.
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This man who had no hesitation to liquidate the innocent to in
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a moment. Even remove these helpless
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babies from their mother's lap and to slaughter them.
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Do they propose no threat at least in the time?
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Was it a slip through the cracks of the Messiah was born Here and
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Now Let it be known today. Let it be known this afternoon
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with great confidence that the birth and the timing of the
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birth of the Christ was not accidental.
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It was totally planned perfectly planned.
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It was a procedure that even the timing would make a declaration
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of the mightiness of God of the strength of God, of the Majesty
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of God. And it is this that he has never
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been nor will he ever be intimidated by the resistance of
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this world? There is no earthly system.
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There is no diabolical force that ever presents, even a inch
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of an ounce. Threat to the purposes of God
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and every age. When you look at this book from
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cover to cover and you study who God is and you realize what he
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has done, you will come to this conclusion that he'd the lights
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to Showcase his sovereignty by strategizing his advancements
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purposefully and doing what finding a way to do.
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So in the most unfavorable and perilous of circumstances, God
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loves to Showcase his sovereignty when the opposition
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is the strongest under so many examples of this.
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What came to mind? This morning was how Hebrews
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tells us that Abraham when he was as good as dead.
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What a description for a man, when he was as good as dead,
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that is when God chose to give him a son.
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I think about God's Exodus from Pharaoh when he pulled out his
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people and he purposely leads him to a dead end while pharaoh
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and his army are chasing. The people only for that water
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to split open and to create a walkway for them.
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I think about so many of the Miracles that we see where there
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seems to be a delay in timing, even during the ministry of
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Jesus. But in that delay, God wanted to
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display greater power and greater glory unto himself.
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And so we see in this book that through obvious examples and
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even through subtle nudges that God loves to display his power.
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And to show that there is no strength, there is no hand that
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can stay him and say, what have you done or what do you think
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you're doing? One of my favorite examples is
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actually found in a book that perhaps would not be very
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fitting for Christmas but it's okay in Revelation.
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Chapter 2 can I show this to you?
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Go to Revelation Chapter 2, aren't you glad you came to
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church? You're going to hear from The
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Book of Revelation on Christmas Sunday.
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But it's for good reason. Revelation Chapter 2, I want you
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to look here in verse 12 when Jesus writes a letter to a
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church, And he writes to the church in pergamum.
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And it says, here in Revelation 2:12.
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And to the angel of the church, in pergamum, write the words of
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him who has the sharp two-edged sword.
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Imagine introducing yourself like that to the church.
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Look at verse 13. I know where you dwell, where
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Satan's Throne. Is you hold fast my name and you
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did not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas was my
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faithful witness who was killed among you where Satan dwells.
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You and I just heard how Jesus was born when Herod was on the
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throne and that was a dangerous, a dangerous thing.
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But now we come to the end of the book.
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And you know what, we read we read that this Jesus is speaking
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to a church, a local church that was planted where Satan's Throne
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was. Satan's Throne, get the cartoon
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idea of hell. Out of your mind, Satan's,
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Throne is not in Hell. Satan's headquarters is not in
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hell. Hell is Satan's punishment.
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We're told here that at one time in history, Satan's Command
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Center was in a place called pergamum.
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I find that fascinating, I found that exhilarating for many
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reasons and let me tell you one of them in a moment we're not
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given any explanation to why Satan dwelt here.
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Can I translate that? That's where home was.
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That's where you sent mail to his address.
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That's where he was And this is where a church was and we're not
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told why Satan felt so comfortable to be in pergamum
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but if you know enough of his vile character, that it makes
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sense that there was something about that atmosphere that made
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him comfortable. That made him comfortable to
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park there at least for the time being and to have his main
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operations come out of pergamum. And so I know one thing based on
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this, that pergamum must have been a place of severe blasphemy
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and gross immorality. It must have been scandalous.
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It must have been a place of heightened, evil, and heightened
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persecution. Even as read that there was a
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Christian who was murdered in those streets, And this is where
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Satan chose to be, and I believe it's because he had special
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influence there, he was able to maneuver things, he was able to
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bring this city into an unusual level of iniquity.
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But that's not the point. The point is yes, his throne is
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there. Yes, Satan dwells there.
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It's a very dark description for a city but it holds glorious
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Revelation. Here's the Glorious Revelation.
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Jesus said to a church, I know where you dwell, I know where
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you dwell, you dwell where Satan dwells.
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Same brother. What are you trying to get at?
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Here's what I'm trying to get at even in the boundaries of
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Satan's headquarters, Souls were being saved.
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The Bible was being preached disciples were being made
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prayer, meetings were happening. And even martyrs.
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Were being produced. That's a that's a statement of
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the power of the gospel and I hold that truth.
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Very dear to my heart because it shows me that God can raise up a
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Remnant, even in the midst of the most hostile and vicious
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grounds. You live in Chicago.
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Don't you have you lost hope? Have you lost hope for the city?
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Are you tempted to leave? Because of the evil?
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That is bleeding into the safety of even the suburbs.
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Take this truth and hold it dear to your bosom Christ can still
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make a Mark here. Even with the reputation that it
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has for its violence and forts unbelief and for its immorality,
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and Corruption Christ can make a Mark here.
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He can raise up a faithful church and not just local
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churches. He can raise up, the quality of
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Christians, like this man Antipas, who is willing to have
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his blood shed, In a place where there was little to no
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allegiance to Jesus Christ. And the birth of Christ is often
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associated with humility and lowliness.
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And that is right. That is not a wrong assessment,
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but let us also Rejoice with it. The mightiness of God, he was
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born in the days of Herod when there was so much danger looming
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and threats Christ came in, in the most vulnerable condition,
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you can be in this life and still triumphed, because God was
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the one who orchestrated such a plan.
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And I find it humorous beyond that listen to this.
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So you Herod, who is willing to kill babies and God chooses to
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usher in the Messiah at that time.
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And more than that, when you have the wise men coming into
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Jerusalem, God in his Providence allows heretic, give them the
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directions to find them. You realize that?
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So you go to Luke to or Matthew to rather verse 8, and we didn't
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read that verse. But we read that Herod.
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He finds out as you heard where the Messiah was to be born.
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He brings in the Magi and it says, in Matthew 28, and he sent
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them to Bethlehem. Why is that significant?
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Because they made it to Jerusalem but they got lost his
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so knocking on doors and asking around.
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Hey where's the king of the Jews?
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And what a, what a, what a sad spiritual commentary on the
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condition of the Jews of that day?
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They didn't even know about the king of the Jews here, you have
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guys who are Gentiles that are not even in close proximity to
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sufficient prophecy. And they come to this place.
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Asking the people of God for directions to where the king of
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the Jews was born and they didn't know.
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And in God's Providence, you have Herod, who hears, the news
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brings them in says, you guys want to know where yet he's in
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Bethlehem and when you go there tell him and tell me about
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rather so that I can come and worship him as well.
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So he's not curious. He wants to assassinate the
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child. And here's the thing with his
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desire and thinking that these are the first steps to
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accomplish that God actually through Herod.
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James gives the Magi a map. I mean it just the sovereignty
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of God is all over this and it reminds me of a Psalm in Psalm
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7610. Surely the wrath of man shall
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praise you. Have you ever wondered what that
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meant? Here's a clear example.
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Surely the wrath of man shall Praise You.
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In other words, even those who want to fight against the will
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of God to try to destroy the message of the Gospel.
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In the end, it will come to the praise and glory of God and
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that's why the second part of the same verse.
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It says the remnant of Wrath you will put on like a belt.
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In other words, I'm going to use your wrath against my purposes.
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As a tool, you can never escape the sovereignty of God you are
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in subject to it whether you want to be or not.
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So here's, here's the Messiah now, and we're told that he is
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born in the days of Herod. And now the Holy Spirit turns
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our attention to this group of men, the Wiseman that you just
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heard me referred to in Matthew 22.
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They come to Jerusalem, eager hungry longing.
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And it says, in verse 2 of Matthew to saying, where is he
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who has been born King of the Jews for?
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We saw his star when it Rose and have come to worship Him.
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Who are these wise men in the Greek?
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There known as the Magi. And like many things, the holy
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spirit in his wisdom discloses details about them, but it is
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believed that they have come from most likely Persia and the
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Book of Daniel helps us to know about some of their activity in
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their Origins, these Magi who came from the East served as an
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Advisory Board to the reigning king of their land.
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They were experts in science and math.
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They were experts in things like history and even the occult and
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they would be referred to from T to either interpret things such
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as dreams. We see that and Daniel or even
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to predict the future they were they were guides for the
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monarchy of their time. Here's the question, why are
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they in Jerusalem? Therefore, in their Gentiles,
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they serve their own Gods. They have their own plans to
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have their own ideas. They have their own things to
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deal with. And again, when you go to the
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Book of Daniel and makes all the sense, right?
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Because for these men that we know come from the East, surely
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must have been influenced by Daniel.
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In other words, Daniel, who is a high chief official exiled into
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Babylon and after different kingdoms came and ruled Daniel
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was in position for so long. And it could be that through the
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prophecies. He received the same prophecies
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that you read in the Book of Daniel were disclosed to these
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Magi. And these men who are eager to
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learn sat at the feet of this prophet and he revealed to them
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of a coming Messiah, a Jewish King, who would save, who would
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redeem, who would restore, who would rule the world.
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And it's very likely, it's very possible that generation after
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generation these Magi, these learned men pass down these
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teachings that came from Daniel and it came to a point where
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there is this, this boiling anticipation for the Messiah
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even among Gentiles. There was this hunger we want to
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know this God we want to know this Messiah and the time has
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come, the time has come when God Reveals His Supernatural sign to
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indicate to this generation of Magi.
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He's here. He's here make your way and they
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do and these men are intriguing but we don't know much about
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them. We don't know their names.
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Contrary to the nativity scene that is popular.
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There could have been more than three of them.
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We don't know the exact origins of where they came from.
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But here's what we do know, according to Matthew, if there
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is anything that the Holy Spirit wants to highlight, you ready
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for this, it's their diligence to worship.
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Their diligence to worship. Have you considered it?
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The distance that they traveled. If they did come from Persia
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they did come from that Babylonian region, we're talking
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about Modern Day, Iran, modern day, Iraq.
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Hundreds of miles to get to Jerusalem and guess what?
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They didn't get on a flight to get there.
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You have to understand that this journey included, undeniably
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extreme weather conditions. The patients to travel on and
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with animals. The danger of Bandits and
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robbers on the sides of the road, ready to ransack, and take
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their own possessions and even their lives.
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If they had to, this was a dangerous track.
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This is not easy. This is not convenient.
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And yet they come, they come and they make their way to find this
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child and to worship Him and add to that the threat of the
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destination itself. Because once they do behold this
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Divine baby, they are told by God.
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God in a dream not to go back to Herod.
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So they find a different way to head back home.
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Why all the effort? Why leave the comfort of your
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home? Why put yourself in danger?
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Why make your way to this point? The holy spirit, gives one
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reason and one reason alone to worship to worship Him.
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I said this last night and it's been in my heart all week, so
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I'll say it again, I do not mind repeating myself true worship.
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Cost something. True worship.
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Includes sacrifice. And if there was anybody who had
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an excuse not to make time to worship the living Christ, it
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was these men with all their practical hurdles.
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But they worshipped because that's where their heart was at.
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And strangely if you take your eyes, Off of this verse and you
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look out into Christendom today. It breaks my heart to say that
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generally costly worship has been replaced with convenient
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worship. Convenient worship.
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So worship looks nice, like giving God what you are able to
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give him as long as it doesn't affect your personal pampering
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or your temporal distractions. That was, that was not the case
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for these men. Worship was a priority and
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everything followed that. and even in a world today, where we
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have so much religious freedom, so much comfortable
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Transportation so much of a sheltered building and The
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warmth of people and the warmth of even a government that allows
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us to do, what we want to do, the diligence of worship.
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The living Christ has been challenged and is being
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challenged more than ever More than ever not by Harrods, not by
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Bandits, not by dangerous Journeys, to get to a place
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where you can worship and hear the word of God.
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No by convenience. By convenience.
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I can say more, but I'll stop. These men with their diligence
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had dedication. They had dedication and they had
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an eagerness verse 2, says one word in the beginning saying
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saying, you know what that implies they kept inquiring they
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did not give up, they were on a quest to discover.
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Where is this King? What a tragedy would have been
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if after a few I don't know, is they packed their bags and went
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home? But that was not the case with
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them. Because their diligence, their
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persistence was anchored in something you want to know why,
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it was that they were able to stay and remain and fight until
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they realize the spiritual treasure one.
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Simple thing, it's not a mystery, they had absolute trust
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in the revealed word of God to them, Did you notice the
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question when they came and asked?
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Where is he didn't say? Is it is it actually true that
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the king of the Jews is born here?
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Is it a thing as we don't know? We're just, we're just curious
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nothing of the sort they asked. Where is he?
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Who has been born? It was a done reality.
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It was, it was a fact to them. They believe that they absorb
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that, they heard it and they concrete trusted in it.
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And so they said, where is he? We know is here.
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And here's the thing, they didn't see.
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It didn't realize it, but they believed it.
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And if you want to know the fuel to diligence, if you want to
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know something of great spiritual success, if you want
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to know how to be steadfast in your walk with the cry, it with
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the Christ, then you need a complete trust in this world.
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That's all you need belief in this word and active, obedience
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to this word because you look at these Magi and I see something
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else. I see it, tenacious
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determination, which is a reminder of how steadfastness is
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necessary in order to know spiritual success.
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They would have failed that they've given up.
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They would have failed. They would have missed out.
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There's only one way to know great things in God.
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There's only one way to graduate in godliness.
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There's only one way to know from testimony to testimony.
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That is this, you can't give up. You can't give up whether or not
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you see the results now or tomorrow, you cannot afford to
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give up. And the thing that will keep you
26:28
going is seeing this word and believing the god behind this
26:31
word that he does not lie, and he is faithful, and he is true
26:36
and he can be counted on. My heart.
26:39
My heart, this afternoon bleeds a little bit.
26:43
It bleeds a little bit because I I look out and I see little
26:47
honor for Christ. Thank God in this church.
26:51
There's so much of it but I'm talking about honor, just
26:55
serving the lord because he is Lord worshiping him just because
27:00
he is worthy to be worshiped being a devoted follower of
27:05
Christ. No matter the cost and
27:06
prioritizing Your Existence around that truth.
27:09
Oh, I long to see greater honor for Jesus Christ.
27:14
Oh, that we would see it. Oh, that we would be like these
27:17
men who came for what purpose to just Our ship him just to love
27:22
him. Just to give him.
27:24
What is due unto him? No hidden motives.
27:28
No hidden. Agendas.
27:29
Not trying to impress anybody. Not trying to get brownie points
27:32
with god. Oh just to worship Him.
27:38
I pray, you young men. Who will be fathers, who will be
27:43
husband's that you would be leaders in this one Pursuit?
27:48
I will live to honor Christ and my family will follow my lead to
27:57
honor Christ and to honor Christ Alone.
28:04
These men convicted me. And the joy and excitement of
28:09
the Magi is not the only instructive illustration before
28:12
us today. Look at what is said of Herod in
28:14
verse 3 in contrast to their attitude and verse 3 of Matthew
28:19
2. We read when Herod the king
28:21
heard this, he was troubled. He was troubled and all
28:28
Jerusalem with him. What an odd reaction, we
28:34
celebrate this truth. And here's his men, who is
28:36
agitated by this truth, why was Herod so alarmed?
28:41
Why was he so Disturbed? What was that?
28:45
His intelligence agency revealed to him that caused him to be
28:48
this way is very simple. It's not a mystery.
28:51
It's not hard to understand. If it is true that there was a
28:54
king who has been born. Then there was also born a rival
28:59
to the throne. And this man does not like this
29:04
news. He was Disturbed not because
29:10
there is a group of people who had this simple belief and
29:14
prophecy. This man was disturbed because
29:18
of the implications of this news on his own life.
29:23
It's no different today. It's no different today that
29:27
when people hear about the biblical Jesus Christ that it
29:30
troubles, many of them. And the reason why I troubles
29:34
them is for the same reason that a troubled Herod.
29:38
You have many people who hide behind science, Who hide behind
29:41
pseudo, philosophy Who hide behind all these strange
29:46
arguments. For their spirituality without
29:51
lordship. Or even just this cancellation
29:55
of the existence of God all together and they're very
29:57
passionate about it, the very passion and even angry about
30:01
their stance. And it's not because their
30:03
worldview is based on evidence. Or because what they have to say
30:07
or believe can contribute to human flourishing, the reason
30:11
why you have so many who don't have Christ but have a different
30:15
God or this disbelief in God, all together is because they
30:20
want to remain on the throne of Their Own.
30:22
Own lives. And their worldview, protects
30:26
that. That's what it is.
30:29
It's a simple as that. Yes, you have some who might
30:32
struggle with doubt and I'm not talking about those people.
30:36
I'm talking about the majority whose know of the truth who have
30:39
been exposed to the Divine Design, all around them and yet,
30:43
suppress it, why do they suppress it?
30:46
Is it because of their smart. Is it because they're persuaded
30:51
by something that is more convincing.
30:54
For a majority of them it's because like Herod they know
30:59
that if this biblical Jesus comes in, they have to get off
31:03
the Throne of their will and surrender it to him.
31:08
Yes, to accept this more. Jesus is to is to accept the
31:13
surrender, a surrender to self-righteousness a surrender
31:16
to sin surrender to subjective reasoning and ultimately a
31:22
surrender of your soul and you lay it at his feet.
31:27
Listen, the entrance of Christ into this world.
31:29
Wasn't a meaningless, stunt in history.
31:32
The entrance of Christ into this world was in preparation to
31:36
enter into the hearts of men. The hearts of men who are
31:40
willing to open their hearts and say I have room unlike that in
31:44
that had no room, my heart has room.
31:47
In fact, here's the title deed of my heart, take all of it.
31:52
This is what Christ came to do. And when that gospel is preached
31:56
as it is being preached, this afternoon that will either
32:00
excite people like these Magi or able trouble Souls like Herod.
32:08
So what does Hera do? With this news, about a King 1
32:12
verse 4, he gathers the religious leaders, he gathers
32:15
the scribes and he gathers, the experts of the law.
32:18
And he inquires about the exact location of the birth of the
32:21
Messiah. Where is this King supposed to
32:23
be born? And it seems Noble but it's the
32:27
beginning of an assassination plot.
32:30
He wants to hunt down the promised one and to cancel the
32:33
promise. And again, I can't help.
32:37
I can't help but compare Herod and compare, the wise men, here
32:41
you have these men who are willing to go to, Great Lengths
32:44
to worship. And here you have this other men
32:46
who is doing so much to prepare to go to war with him.
32:53
It may sound extreme but it's biblical.
32:56
What you see with Herod and what you see with the Magi are really
32:59
the two only options that every person has when it comes to the
33:04
response to the reality of Christ, only those two.
33:08
I know, I know people try to convince themselves of a neutral
33:13
Place with Jesus, but that doesn't exist in the economy of
33:17
God. There is only two responses and
33:19
their Illustrated beautifully through the Magi and through
33:22
Herod, you will either live to worship him or you will live.
33:26
To resist them and in that declaring war.
33:30
Against God. I know you're a blue-collar guy.
33:33
I know you just, you just pay your bills and you have a nice
33:36
family and you just trying to get along in life, but I want
33:39
you to see life through God's lens.
33:44
And what God sees, when he looks down on Humanity.
33:47
He sees only two categories to class of people, those who are
33:52
with me and those who are against me now, surely, there's
33:56
something in between, I'm sorry to break it to you.
33:58
There is nothing in between that is the spectrum that is the only
34:04
options. And you're saying, can you prove
34:07
it to me? Yes, I can prove it to you when
34:10
this baby became a man. He said something in Matthew 12,
34:13
30, he said, whoever is not with me is against me, he said it, I
34:17
didn't say it. I'm just the Mailman.
34:22
Take take it. Whoever is not with me is
34:25
against me and whoever does not gather with me, scatters.
34:30
What does that mean? When he says, whoever does not
34:34
gather with me scatters it, it means if you don't work for him,
34:37
you're working against him. But I'm not it's just it just
34:42
nothing, you know my thinking it's not even in my mind,
34:44
religion is not my thing. Let people do what they want,
34:47
you are against him. Because he is The Sovereign
34:52
creator of all things and he has the right to demand from his
34:56
creatures. What he wills and what he wants
34:59
from you is you What do you want from you out of love brimming.
35:06
Love is for you to realize his love and to surrender your
35:09
affections to him. And if you don't do that, then
35:13
in God's mind your against him. And if you are in that category
35:19
of people, if you're not with him, if you're not gathering for
35:23
him, if you are in that category where you don't want him and you
35:29
are fighting against them, whether, you know, it or not,
35:31
whether it's intentional or not, whether it's aggressive or
35:33
passive. Regardless, if you are may, I
35:36
may I suggest to you on this opportunity that I really have
35:39
only one time out of the year. That people come into these kind
35:45
of doors just to satisfy the Christmas and Easter conditions
35:51
to the religiosity. Do you realize what you're
35:54
standing up against? I want you to at least see what
35:57
you're standing up against. And what I mean by that is this
36:01
is real. This is really real.
36:03
This is profoundly real. This this book that I am
36:05
declaring to you is Supernatural it.
36:08
Vibrates with life and it holds so much power.
36:12
Not just in subjective experience button, historical
36:16
evidence and even prophetic fulfillment that I want you to
36:21
reconsider. Being against him.
36:26
So when Herod inquires of where the Messiah is to be born, they
36:32
pull out the ancient Scrolls that are actually tucked in
36:35
these pages that have been preserved by God and he reads
36:41
from the prophet. Micah, that's a book in the
36:44
Bible because the Bible is not just one book, it's a library of
36:46
books. And one of those books is the
36:49
Book of Micah, and this is what they read to Herod.
36:54
To give him the exact location of where the Messiah was to be
36:58
born. Well, when was this rinse
37:00
several hundred years before it happened?
37:03
So in verse 5 and 6 of Matthew 2, we read so they told them in
37:07
Bethlehem of Judea for. So it is written by the prophet
37:12
and you o Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least
37:16
among the rulers of Judah for from you shall come a ruler.
37:20
Who will Shepherd My People Israel?
37:22
I want you to fathom. Yeah.
37:25
Somebody today today, predicting at some point that a ruler would
37:34
come into existence. Think about that, that a ruler
37:39
of a specific Nation would come and rule in a specific way.
37:45
That's audacious, that's that's crazy.
37:48
And yet, this is what this man does.
37:50
This is what Mike could does. She predicts with his veiled
37:54
understanding? It has been given a precise
37:57
amount of information of where it is.
38:00
Exactly this king is going to be born.
38:05
Now here's what's fascinating about that.
38:07
You have a lot of people today who claim to hear from God, and
38:11
I was just talking about within Christian talking about and all
38:13
different, spheres of life, you have people who pretend to to
38:16
tap into to this. Kind of spiritual Channel and to
38:20
predict the future and all these things.
38:21
Now, you have some crazy people who will set dates and times for
38:25
something to be, to be to be done.
38:27
And all you have to do is wait for it to come to pass and
38:29
realize that it's false, right? But you have other who are
38:33
smarter than that and here's what they do.
38:35
They make predictions. They'll read your hand or
38:38
they'll send you something that you send them some money about
38:40
your future, and they're very vague.
38:43
And they're very ambiguous and they're very general.
38:45
And that's strategic because what they want to do is in case
38:49
it doesn't come to pass, they have just a plenty of
38:51
explanations to give you of. That's not what they meant.
38:56
Or they miss, they misheard you. And so there's a lot of people
39:00
out there who are playing that kind of a game who just give you
39:04
enough to satisfy your curiosity or to impress you, but not
39:09
enough that it can be proven wrong.
39:14
The Bible doesn't play that game.
39:16
It doesn't. The Bible is bold, very bold.
39:21
So bold is the word of God that he will give you details.
39:26
Details about events to come and God in Isaiah.
39:30
Does that on purpose? So that for the generations that
39:33
will come to read this book. Will say there is no God like
39:36
this God you just got to take the time to study it.
39:39
So so don't go online and look for top-10 atheists.
39:43
Arguments against Christian. You're going to come up with
39:45
silliness when you with a heart of true desire want to discover
39:50
if this book is true Endeavor and set yourself in the place of
39:56
humility to understand what it is that this book has to say and
39:59
you will be blown away and I'll prove it to you.
40:02
Look how specific Micah is. This is just one example.
40:04
One of hundreds of prophecies that one man.
40:06
Fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we have to read slowly. 46 and you
40:10
o Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
40:14
Why did he say that? Why did Micah by the Holy
40:18
Spirit, say o Bethlehem in the land of Judah, can I tell you
40:22
why? Because in Joshua 1915 and a
40:25
list of names of cities. When the original group of
40:29
Israelites came into the promised land to have Conquest
40:32
over the land. And then there was a lot means,
40:34
given two different tribes, there is a Bethlehem not in
40:38
Judah. There's a Bethlehem in the
40:42
region of zebulun. So you have two different
40:47
bethlehem's. At least it's like the, the
40:51
named Springfield of different areas you have, you have two
40:55
different bethlehem's and yet when Micah is inspired by the
40:58
Holy Spirit, pending this Prophecy with laser Precision.
41:02
We are told Bethlehem, but not just Bethlehem Bethlehem in the
41:08
region of Judah. So the holy spirit makes an
41:13
effort to cancel any kind of contention or possible
41:17
argumentation against the how specific this is.
41:21
And this is just one of many, of the things that when you see all
41:25
the Prophecies of different men from different eras, different
41:28
times in history. All speaking about in concert
41:31
the same person. You cannot deny it.
41:36
You can't deny the supernatural source of these words.
41:42
You know, who couldn't deny it even a man who hated the idea of
41:46
a king of the Jews Herod. Harry, had this weird kind of
41:52
Faith. He believed in the Bible enough
41:55
to discover the whereabouts of the Messiah, but he did not love
41:59
the truth and that he submitted to it, he wanted to fight it
42:01
still Herod realized that there is a king of the Jew to come and
42:08
he wants to find where he is through prophecy.
42:11
And here's the sad state of even, even being confronted with
42:15
so much evidence like Herod, people will still not worship
42:19
Him. they still resistant, they still will take up arms and say
42:25
I will not I will not surrender my life to you.
42:32
I pray that would not be you this afternoon.
42:35
I pray that in this place today that through a weak attempt that
42:40
would be something of a softening of your heart to
42:42
realize. This is this is this is just
42:46
more than just history, this is more than just morals being
42:50
presented in a creative way. This is true.
42:55
I may not know the extent of it, I may not know all the details
42:58
about. I may not be familiar with every
43:01
Stitch of it. But something's happening to my
43:06
heart. And I'm not here trying to pull
43:09
on your emotions. I'm here trying to point you to
43:11
a book. A book that is accurate a book
43:15
that comes from God, a book that was authored by God.
43:18
And so today, my friends, as you prepare to go back home and
43:23
change into your pajamas and be with your loved ones.
43:31
Have you come to worship Him? Or are you a war with him?
43:39
with how this evidence has been provided to you and there's so
43:42
much more still Will it cause you to worship Him?
43:48
Or will you harden your heart and say I still won't give
43:51
myself? Damn, And here's the thing, I am
43:56
not convincing you of a tyrant. I am not convincing you to bend
44:03
the knee to a bully. This God loves.
44:12
And his love is so strong that he warns in his love.
44:16
And his love is so powerful that he has to get your attention and
44:21
many different ways and sometimes those ways are strong
44:24
and they cut but it's all from the place of love.
44:29
This Jesus came, not just to prove something of Prophecy
44:34
being fulfilled that God can predict the future.
44:37
It's more important than that. He came as you heard earlier to
44:42
save from sin so that he can save you for himself.
44:47
He wants you. Can you imagine that?
44:50
This future predicting. All powerful being who can stop
44:56
the plans of kings and armies. He wants you.
45:02
The only thing standing in the way is your sin, but he made a
45:05
way to get rid of that, too. He wants to wash you, cleanse,
45:09
you fill you with the Holy Spirit and guarantee and seal
45:14
you for eternal life. What must I do?
45:16
Then here's the gift of eternal life.
45:19
Repent, and believe turn from your sin.
45:23
What good is it anyway? It's only hurt you and harmed,
45:26
you. It's only kept you in bondage
45:28
and defeat. Get rid of it.
45:33
And come to the one who created you.
45:35
Come to the one who died for you.
45:37
Come to the one who will fill you and give you life.
45:40
Abundantly come to him. This is the Christmas message.
45:44
Christ has come not just into this world but he longs to come
45:47
into your life. As he knocks and perhaps he's
45:51
knocking. Now, don't ignore it.
45:53
Don't turn your back to it, open it swing wide those doors.
45:58
Fall on Your Knees and say yes to the lordship and the saving
46:02
work of Jesus. Let's pray.
46:15
Well, we ask that in this moment as we have been refreshed by the
46:20
word. We pray that.
46:30
Every soul in this house. Will be set on worshipping you.
46:36
Worshipping you. Not necessarily to get anything
46:40
from you just because you are worthy of worship, you have done
46:44
everything, you can in Jesus Christ and yet as a good father,
46:47
you still give good gifts. and so Lord, as we sit here, and as
46:54
we are ready to stand, we pray that we would not leave here.
47:00
With empty cups. That Lord your word in your
47:03
spirit would fill us. So that we would be those who
47:07
determined to honor you with our lives.
47:10
And Lord for the soul. That is troubled, troubled.
47:15
By the news. Of who Jesus is and what he
47:20
asked of us. Well, we just pray that you
47:22
would eliminate Every Lie from the evil one.
47:25
Every deception, every misjudgement misunderstanding of
47:29
what it means to follow Christ. And we pray that perhaps this
47:33
would be the beginning of a Pursuit Of Truth that will set
47:37
free. And so Lord.
47:39
Today. We thank you.
47:41
We thank you for the admonition. We thank you for the word.
47:44
We thank you for the power of the scriptures before us this
47:49
afternoon. May it really change Us by your
47:53
grace and we worship you now and Thanksgiving for it in Jesus
47:58
name. Amen.
47:59
Let's stand and Worship the Lord.