Latest / Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ) / "Words of Life" by Chris Young - Part 4

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"Words of Life" by Chris Young - Part 4 · Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ)

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  Good evening, if you would turn your Bibles
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  to 1st Peter chapter 3 is where we will be and substituting for Neal tonight if
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  you don't miss Neal you soon will he will try to get through this best we can
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  pray for him he's got a leg issue and of course I yesterday when he texted me
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  we're going into 1st Peter chapter 3 and I looked at the first few verses it
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  talks about wives and husbands and accused him of faking an illness in
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  order to avoid these passages but it we're starting in chapter 3 but pray for
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  him as hopefully maybe he's doing some better today hopefully I'm not sure but
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  hopefully he'll be back and healed up very very soon okay 1st Peter chapter
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  3 as we build on what we looked at last week in 1st Peter chapter 2 if you'll
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  recall there Peter and remember the context here the context being that this
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  is being written to Christians who are in the process of getting ready to
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  experience some big-time persecution they have been persecuted to an extent
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  that's getting ready to be ratcheted up and it's not going to be just from the
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  Jews but it's also going to be from the Roman Empire under the leadership of the
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  Emperor Nero in that day and time and Peter is giving them throughout this
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  letter advice and counsel on how to be prepared for this how to handle this how
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  to conduct themselves through this and and many other things here that he's
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  going to be going over with them but when we finished up chapter 2 he told
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  them about the relationship that we as Christians should have to our government
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  the relationship that slaves and masters should have and then as he goes into
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  chapter 3 he's then going to talk about the marriage relationship and what that
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  should look like and he starts out in chapter 3 here as he he says wives
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  likewise likewise and in other words he's building on what he'd already
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  talked about in chapter 2 specifically what he referenced references in verses
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  13 and 18 there's a key word there about submit being submissive he says wives
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  likewise be submissive to your own husbands that even if some now here's
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  here's the why that even if some do not obey the word they without a word may
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  be won by the conduct of their wives when they observe your chaste conduct is
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  what the New King James Version says chaste meaning purity of conduct
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  accompanied by fear have we ever seen this have we ever seen a believing
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  Christian wife that over a period of time led her husband to Christ we've all
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  seen that there may be examples in this room of that I can't help but think of
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  many of you may know Johnny and Charlene Ford they're they both passed
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  away now they're good friends of ours and I remember the story that he told
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  that whenever they had gotten married she was a Christian he was not and she
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  did not drive she was dependent upon him to take her everywhere including to
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  church so he would drop her off from time to time but he got to where he
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  wouldn't or wasn't inclined to do so and so he had refused one Sunday of one day
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  to take her and and so he goes on about his business working on the farm and he
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  happens to notice she had gotten into the truck and was practicing driving
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  practicing there in the driveway and he thought to himself you know if this
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  means that much to her I need to check this out and he did and after a period
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  of time he obeyed the gospel and became an elder in the Lord's Church for
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  probably 40 years or so I always think of that story whenever I read this the
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  conduct the example and that's what Peter had also referenced in chapter 2
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  is the example that we said and the importance of that and here he
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  references it again in the husband-and-wife relationship he says
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  and then he goes into he said in verse 3 do not let your adornment be merely
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  outward arranging the hair wearing gold or putting on fine apparel whether rather
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  let it be the hidden person of the heart with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle
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  and quiet spirit which is very precious in the sight of God anything wrong with
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  arranging your hair anything wrong with wearing gold anything wrong with
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  putting on fine apparel not in and of itself right he says that should not be
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  your primary focus he said your primary focus is to develop the beauty of a
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  gentle and quiet spirit that gentle and quiet spirit says that's precious that's
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  a word that Peter uses over and over in his letter here as he's writing to them
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  about the word precious he says a quiet and gentle spirit is precious in the
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  sight of God for in this manner and he gives some examples here in former times
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  the holy women who trusted in God who adorned themselves how did they adorn
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  themselves well primarily the focus was on developed adorning themselves that
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  they gentle and quiet spirit he says former times the holy women who trusted
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  in God also adorned themselves being submissive to their own husbands as Sarah
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  obeyed Abraham calling him Lord whose daughters you are if you do good and are
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  not afraid with any terror in the New Testament when it says daughter of or
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  son of or child of that means that you share characteristics with that person
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  and he says if a submissive wife has a quiet and general gentle spirit is a
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  daughter of Sarah because you share that particular characteristic so talks about
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  the the wives and the submissive nature here and and gives advice and counsel
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  here in six verses and of course this is very widely accepted in our culture
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  today no problem with this verse these verses right our culture just loves this
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  because we know that's not the case so then he goes and he turns his attention
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  to the husbands we get one verse okay the lady's got six the men got one but
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  there's a lot in this verse husbands likewise okay likewise likewise what
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  why is the word likewise there what does that mean just like what we just talked
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  about right what is it what is what we just talked about absolutely there's no
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  difference and I'll even include submitting now submitting in a different
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  way but he says likewise dwell with them with understanding with understanding
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  giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel how is the wife weaker
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  physically I'm gonna I'm gonna blow your mind here with something I don't know if
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  you know this but physically there are differences in men and women now I know
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  in our culture we may have forgotten that but there are different weaker
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  vessel and is being heirs together of the grace of life that your prayers may
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  not be hindered that's a big sentence there in other words if husbands if we
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  are not treating our wives correctly or we are not good with our wives we're not
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  good with God why our our worship is going our prayers are going to be
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  hindered unless we fix that situation and act upon the responsibilities that
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  we've been given to expand on that a little further one of the things I've
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  noticed after last a couple weeks of studying the book of 1st Peter there are
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  a lot of similarities in the book of 1st Peter and the book of Ephesians that we
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  looked at last quarter go to Ephesians chapter 5 talking about the
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  responsibilities of wives and husbands says a lot the same thing just in some
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  different little different wording Ephesians chapter 5 starting verse 22
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  here Paul says wives submit to your own husbands is to the Lord for the husband
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  is head of the wife talking about the different responsibilities in the home
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  the husband is head of the wife there's got to be a leader okay there's got to
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  be a leader although if you don't have a leader there's going to be chaos if you
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  don't have leadership chaos ensues as also Christ is ahead of the church and
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  he makes this application here for he is the Savior of the body therefore just as
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  the church is subject to Christ so let the wives be to their own husbands and
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  everything now here's where the husband's get a few more verses husbands
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  love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for
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  her that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the
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  Word they might present her to himself a glorious church not having spot or
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  wrinkle or any such thing but that she should be holy and without blemish so
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  husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies he who loves his
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  wife loves himself for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and
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  cherishes it just as the Lord does the church for we are members of his body of
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  his flesh and of his bones for this reason a man shall leave his father
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  mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh this is a
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  great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and the church nevertheless let
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  each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself and let the wife
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  see that she respects her husband and so if you go back over in a little
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  different wording Peter in chapter 3 first Peter is saying is saying the same
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  thing we're to give honor to the wife the weaker vessel meaning there is a
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  protective aspect men to to a relationship with our wives and we are
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  called upon to be the spiritual leaders of our household and and so that's that's
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  what God expects all right any comments or questions on that particular section
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  yeah right covenant love absolutely absolutely anybody else yeah that's
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  right submit to your own husband right absolutely absolutely all right so now
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  he's gone he's told okay here's how you here's how you interact in with the
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  government here's how you interact in the employer employee relationship or
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  slave master and here's how you conduct yourself in the home husband and wife
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  relationship now he's going into here's how you interact and how you treat one
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  another finally now he's not saying finally he's he's landing the plane here
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  in this particular section as far as the points concerned he's not finishing
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  up by any means but he says finally all of you be of one mind having compassion
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  for one another love his brothers be tender-hearted be
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  courteous now your versions if you've got the ES I'm reading from the New King
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  James if you've got the ESV or the New American Standard they there may be a
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  little different wording in there but as we break these dances finally all of
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  you be of one mind one mind what does that mean unity does it mean we're going
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  to agree on every little point no it's not realistic is it not gonna agree on
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  every little point but we are all rowing in the same direction right we're rowing
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  in the same direction be of one mind to be of one mind what is that going to
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  require of us if we're going to we talked a little bit about this and we
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  studied the book of Ephesians if we're going to be united if we're going to be
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  of one mind if we are going to be I think one of the versions says
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  harmonious if we're going to do that as different as we all are what is that
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  going to require give yeah oh a lot like what we just heard right you got
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  to put pride aside got to have humility but you also have to do what we were
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  told in let's see what wives were told in verse in chapter 3 verse 1 what
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  servants were told in chapter 2 verse 18 what citizens were told in chapter 2
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  verse 13 there has to be some submission right some deference on occasion okay of
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  one mind having compassion for one another what is compassion what does
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  your version say you have a different have a different word there maybe
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  sympathetic okay for one another love as brothers brotherly love tender-hearted
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  what does that mean your version may say kind-hearted possibly courteous is what
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  the New King James Version says but I think there's other versions that have
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  different wording there humble spirit possibly does anybody have the New
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  American Standard ESV did anyone bring a Bible tonight okay okay okay what's it
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  say there the last words humble and spirit there we go humble and spirit I
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  had written down what the New American Standard says but I could not read my
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  writing so humble and spirit courteous that's that's what the New King James
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  calls the cause of courteous okay so you've got to have these qualities here
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  and then he goes into verse nice is not returning evil for evil or reviling for
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  reviling but on the contrary blessing knowing that you were called to this
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  okay so it talks about when someone does evil to us how do we respond how do we
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  respond he says you don't return evil for evil now that might be our initial
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  in inclination that might be what we want to do that human element kicks in
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  every now and then but keep something in mind where have we heard this before who
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  taught this who taught this principle who's that Jesus did where sermon on the
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  mount go to Matthew chapter 5 and keep something in mind Peter was there right
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  he was there the author of this book was was there when Jesus said these words
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  starting in verse 43 of Matthew chapter 5 you have heard that it was said you
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  shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy but I say to you love your enemies
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  bless those who curse you do good to those who hate you and pray for those
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  who spitefully use you and persecute you that you may be sons of your father in
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  heaven for he makes the Sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on
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  the just and the unjust for if you love those who love you what reward have you
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  do not even the tax collectors do the same and if you greet your brethren only
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  what do you what do you do more than others do not even the tax collectors do
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  so therefore you shall be perfect or complete just as your father in heaven
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  is perfect okay so Peter saying the same thing Peter heard that and now Peter is
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  repeating that through inspiration the Holy Spirit here in first Peter chapter
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  3 verse 9 he says that you may inherit a blessing for and he goes into some goes
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  into an interesting section here he who would love life and see good days okay
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  so now we're going to get some we as Christians who he's writing to are going
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  to get some advice and counsel on you know how to live well okay what can we
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  do in order to make our time here better what can we do to avoid some pitfalls
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  that we find ourselves in sometimes and he's going to be quoting from Psalm
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  chapter 34 verses 12 through 16 he says he would love life and see good days let
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  him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from seeking from speaking
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  deceit well that's no problem right no problem there right let him turn away
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  from evil and do good let him seek peace and pursue it talking about the tongue
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  there I think James gives an interesting description if you want to flip over
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  there for just a second James chapter 3 James talks extensively about the tongue
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  and the dangers of it but I think the interesting thing is that he he brings
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  out here in James chapter 3 as he's talking about the tongue and the
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  dangers of it and comparing it to things such as a fire look what he says
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  about it in verse 8 but no man can tame the tongue so no man can tame the tongue
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  so is that giving us since no man can tame the tongue is that giving us a
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  license to just use it however we want if we're not able to tame it are we
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  really responsible oh yeah that's right that's exactly right you can control a
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  wild animal but that doesn't necessarily tame it right it can be it can be
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  controlled but not necessarily tamed okay that's that's that's good comment
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  there what's that if you can't tame it refrain it that's exactly right yeah but
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  you know the harm that he says if you would love life and see good days so
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  obviously this book is a guidebook to get us to heaven right now it is the we
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  talk about eternal blessings that we receive from these inspired words but
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  it's not only that it makes life better for us if if we're if we're reading and
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  digesting this and living this the tongue you know refrain it from evil and
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  the lips from speaking to see if you want to live better if you want to live
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  well do that all right you know the tongue is talked about like I said in
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  James chapter 3 we're warned big-time about what the tongue can do but you
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  know the tongue can also do great things right tongue can do great things I'm
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  sure you know the the Kemp's the tongue you know over in a foreign land I'm sure
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  it's done great things over the last few days he says let him turn away eat from
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  evil and do good let him seek peace and pursue it all right seeking peace now
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  pursuing peace that's actually an action I mean we can be people who are you know
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  relatively peaceful people we stay out but it's peace something that we pursue
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  right you know we can either be people that are peacemakers or we can be
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  troublemakers you know there's some people it doesn't matter where they go
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  or what they do troubles going to soon follow and so he's telling us not to be
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  like that for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous in verse 12 and his
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  ears are open to their prayers but the face of the Lord is against those who do
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  evil sounds like sounds like protection there in verse 12 for the eyes of the
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  Lord are on the righteous ears are open to their prayers so it goes into a
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  description here on how we should treat one another so we've looked at how we
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  should treat one another how should how we should act within the marriage
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  relationship how we should act in the employer-employer-employee relationship
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  and how we should act as it pertains to our government and now he's going to go
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  into a little different section here and he's going to be preparing them for
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  what they are getting ready to endure and the suffering that is going to be
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  coming upon him upon them in this day and time because there is going to be
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  persecution even today I mean we are going to suffer some amount of
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  persecution if if we are living as God would have us to live look at 2nd
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  Timothy chapter 3 take a look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3 and verse 12 here Paul
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  writes to Timothy he says yes and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus
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  will suffer persecution now fortunately we're not receiving the kind of
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  persecution that they were that these early Christians these first century
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  Christians were getting ready to endure from even their own government we're not
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  you know but there are some ways in which we are going to suffer even for
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  doing good he says and who is he in verse 13 who will harm you if you become
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  followers of what is good does that remind you of particular scripture is it
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  in Romans it says if God before us who can be against us who is he who will
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  harm you if you become followers of what is good but even if you should suffer
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  for righteousness sake you are blessed and here he quotes Isaiah chapter 8
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  verses 12 and 13 and do not be afraid of their threats nor be troubled but
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  sanctify the Lord God in your hearts what's that mean to sanctify what's that
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  word now the the whole title of this quarter is words of life here's a good
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  one sanctify what the sanctify even mean set apart set apart all right in your
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  heart the Lord God in your heart he's got to have a special place in our heart
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  and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asked you a reason for the
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  hope that is in you so as anybody ever asked you why you do what you do in a
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  room from a religious standpoint anybody ever asked you why are you going to
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  services on a Wednesday night why are you doing why do you take the Lord
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  Supper every Sunday why do you do this why do you do that why do you not have a
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  piano and why do you know the answers do we know the answers he says be ready to
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  give a defense to everyone who asked you a reason for the hope there's that word
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  hope Neil talked about that two three weeks ago in here that's a that's a
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  big word because these people needed that word they're going through they're
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  gonna go through terrible times so they needed hope okay hope is what was
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  getting through that's some reason for a hope that is in you all right can you do
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  do you have the knowledge to tell someone about Jesus Christ and what he's
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  done for you now we need to be ready to do that we need to be ready to give a
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  defense for why we do what we do while we believe what we believe but he also
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  gives us a way that we need to do that he says you do that with meekness and
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  fear okay so there's a way that we need to communicate this information when
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  we're asked having a good conscience that when they defame you as evildoers
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  those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed for it is better
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  if it is the will of God to suffer for doing good than for doing evil you know
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  sometimes we will suffer because of bad decisions that we make on our own and
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  but sometimes we will suffer because of good things that we've done things that
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  are there within the within Scripture but he says and this is a very
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  reminiscent of Titus chapter 2 in verse 8 if you want to take a quick look there
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  Titus chapter 2 yeah Titus
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  here we go Titus chapter 2 in verse 8 he says here Paul writing to Titus is
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  sound speech that cannot be condemned that one who is opponent may be ashamed
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  having nothing evil to say of you so we need to conduct ourselves in a way that
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  you know even when they do accuse you they will they will it will not hold
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  water okay all right any comments or questions up through that point okay so
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  in this particular chapter he's talked about the husband-and-wife relationship
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  and then the relationship that we should have with one another and then preparing
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  them for suffering as a result of doing good and now he's going to remind them
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  of the suffering of Jesus Christ for Christ also suffered once for sins the
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  just for the unjust that he may that he might bring us to God being put to death
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  in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit okay what's that mean Christ
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  suffered once for sins and how would you compare that to the sacrifices under
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  the old law one time right yeah perfect perfect it's all it took right it's all
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  it took under the old law the Old Testament sacrifices were made over and
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  over and over again why they were insufficient Christ is enough right for
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  Christ also suffered once for sins the just for the unjust they may bring us to
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  God remember we were separated from God by our sin and and he he we now have
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  reconciliation that's another word another word of life that we can that we
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  can use whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who formerly
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  were disobedient when once the divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah
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  while the ark was being prepared in which a few that is eight souls were
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  saved through water okay someone explain to me what that means by whom also he
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  went and preached to the spirits in prison and then he references Noah
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  anybody have any thoughts on that prison of sin okay all right the prison of sin
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  due to the disobedience right do their disobedience good the preaching was done
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  through Noah so the Spirit of Christ even though he hadn't come yet was still
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  within the preaching of Noah right the Spirit of Christ permeated throughout
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  the prophets throughout the Old Testament all right but they were
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  disobedient and then in verse 21 he says there is also and he talks about when he
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  talks about the divine long-suffering you know God is patient what what do we
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  also find in Scripture God is not willing that any should perish but that
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  all should come to repentance you know he's he's he's gonna wait for you to
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  come to repentance but only to a certain point there will be an end right and it
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  talks about says while the ark would be prepared in which a few that is eight
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  souls were saved through water okay what did the water do and then he goes into
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  verse 21 he talks about in the New King James Version says the word antitype now
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  we're saved through baptism but the water destroyed the earth the sinful
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  earth in that day and time and now he says the antitype which now saves us
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  baptism he said it's not we're not baptized to remove filth from our flesh
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  but the answer of a good conscience toward God through the resurrection of
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  Jesus Christ okay through the resurrection the resurrection of Jesus
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  Christ is essential you know if he wasn't resurrected you know what are we
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  doing here but he was who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God
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  angels and authorities and powers have been made subject to him okay angels
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  authorities powers we met what's it mean to be at God's right hand a place of
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  honor and authority okay he's been given that authority okay all authority
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  scripture says angels authorities have been patent the powers there's their
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  subject to him right absolutely absolutely yeah I think this passage is
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  pretty clear that the essentiality of baptism along with many others in the
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  New Testament okay all right any thoughts or comments on that particular
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  section in addition to what we've already had okay all right anything on
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  chapter 3 all right well I'll I'll let Neil go on into chapter 4 and I'll we'll
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  just go ahead and stop there and thanks everyone for your attention and for your
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  for your participation