Latest / Scripture Central / 2 Corinthians 1-6: New Testament with Lynne Wilson (Come, Follow Me)

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2 Corinthians 1-6: New Testament with Lynne Wilson (Come, Follow Me) · Scripture Central

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Shalom and welcome back to Criture Central.
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I'm Lynn Hilton Wilson Art of the Come Follow Me team to talk
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about Second Corinthians Chaters one through 6.
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Today, I feel like First Corinthians is a scolding
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letter. We've lost some letters in
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between, but we now have a letter that's main theme is
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comfort. The word comfort is repeated
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over and over again. Sometimes in English you get
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different words for it, but the Greek word is the same.
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He's trying to put his arm around the Saints.
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They've been chastised, they've repented.
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And he hears that they've accepted his harshness and he's
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thrilled. And he's telling them that he's
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coming. He talks about sealing in this
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letter. He talks about this need for
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suffering, how it produces perseverance.
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He talks about the need to be ambassadors of Christ.
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Just as a review in the book of Acts, Second Corinthians, falls
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a little bit later, it's not too far after First Corinthians.
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It's still a chapter 19 to 21 period of time.
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We're told in the Book of Acts that Paul leaves his three-year
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mission in Ephesus and goes up north.
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He wants to be able to sail over to Corinth to visit the Saints
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there, but it's already in the fall time.
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It's too late. So he goes by land and he goes
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northern Turkey, down into Macedonia, down into southern
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Greece where Corinth is. And as he's walking on the way,
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he's hoping to find his fellow missionaries with news from
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Corinth. And sure enough, once he gets
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over in Macedonia, he meets up with one of the people who are
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carrying the letters. They're able to communicate.
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He quickly writes out this letter, gives it to them.
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They rush it down to Corinth to tell the Saints he's coming and
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make the preparations for his next visit.
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He's going to spend the entire winter with them, and he wanted
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them to know all about that Second Corinthians chapter.
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One verse one begins Paul and apostle of Jesus Christ by the
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will of God and Timothy our brother unto the Church of God
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which is in Corinth and all IKEA.
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So these letters to where it would be shared with the
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different branches of Christianity.
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This is one of five letters that Timothy is a co-author in or a
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Co center of the letter. Do you remember?
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Timothy was this beloved adopted son to Paul.
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He was like a son because he joined him in the ministry, but
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he converted to Christianity between Paul's missions, and
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Paul met him and found that not only was he a convert, this
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young man, but also his mother and his grandmother.
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They were all Jewish converts. They were married to Greek, so
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they have these Greek names. But these two women studied the
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scriptures, had great faith, shared them with their Son, and
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he becomes one of Paul's greatest companions and builder
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of the Kingdom of God. In verse three, we start reading
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the Father of Mercies, who comfort with us in all our
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tribulation. I love the title for our God as
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the Father of Mercy. It applies to both the Father
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and the Son. I don't know exactly who he's
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referring to, but he's talking about the gift of comfort.
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Paul uses this word for comfort with the same word that he uses
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for the Spirit. It's this Pericles, and he uses
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it eight times in these next few verses.
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And in fact, if you look over all of his epistles, you find it
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used 30 times. And the Greek word means to call
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to or for, to exhort or to encourage, as well as to
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comfort, which I think is interesting, that once you're
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comforted, you have the responsibility to go and
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encourage and comfort others, or to call them or to exhort them.
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That exhorting and teaching is another form of healing and
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comfort. In verses 8 to 9 we continue
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reading in the NIV about something that we don't know
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exactly what it means. We do not want you to be
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uninformed brothers and sisters about the troubles we experience
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in the province of Asia, that we might not really lie on
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ourselves but on God. He goes on to talks about this
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near death sentence. Now is that when we read about
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in the book of Acts, chapter 19 about the great is the temple of
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Diana and they were trying to kill him?
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Or is he referring to something different?
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In the book of Philippians, chapter one, verse 19, he refers
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also to this death sentence in Asia.
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So I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I am touched by his
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response. He says you help us by your
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prayers. That's verse 11 in the NIV.
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He's telling the Saints we've gone through horrific trials and
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your prayers have sustained us. And I am one who also has felt
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that in my life. Chapter 21, verse 22 continues
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on in the MIV now is God, who makes both us and you stand firm
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in Christ. He anointed us and set His seal
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of His ownership on us and put His Spirit in our hearts.
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This is a powerful gift of the Spirit.
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And remember that the seal of Christ is referred to in the
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Restoration as the Holy Spirit of promise.
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It's a it's a gift of the Spirit that shows when things are done
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under proper authority, when a person's heart is correct and
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the ordinances can be ratified. And that same ceiling, power of
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the gift of the Holy Spirit, is mentioned in the New Testament
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once and mentioned six times in the Doctrine Covenants.
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And there the majority of the times it's referring to the
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permanent ceiling that comes when one is sealed to
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exaltation, not the conditional ceiling that we receive when we
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are still trying to take upon the name of the Lord.
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We are willing to take upon the name of the Lord, but one that
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has been finished. It's sealed also by the Holy
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Spirit of promise. And he's referring here to this
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seal of He who anointed us. Remember the word Christ means
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anointed in Greek or in English, but in Hebrew it's Mushia,
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Messiah. So he's talking about our Savior
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will anoint us to become His permanently if we can remain
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faithful. Elder Mcconkey taught about
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sealing. He said to seal is to ratify, to
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justify or to approve. Thus an act which is sealed by
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the Holy Spirit of promise is 1 which is ratified by the Holy
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Ghost. It is one which is approved by
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the Lord and the person who has taken the obligation upon
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himself is justified by the spirit.
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Now last week I had mentioned the idea that letters were
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sealed with the stamp and I've got 2 pictures on my slides to
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show examples of ancient seals, even in stone boxes with metal
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over them. You know, seals were very
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important and they even used the word seal when they wanted to
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seal a tomb when they put a guard on it.
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You know, this is a very important message to say it's
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going to be secure. And that's exactly how we need
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to think of our covenants, that we hope the Holy Spirit of
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promise will secure us and tether us to the Lord and that
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our hearts will remain humble and meek so that we can receive
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those blessings permanently someday.
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Second Peter also talks about this in chapter one, verse 10,
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when we refers to your calling an election made sure I believe
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these are all referring to the same thing.
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God's seal was also restored to Joseph in the Restoration. 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 2 verses one through 4 continues on with
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Paul's message. I made-up my mind not to make
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another painful visit to you for through many tears I wrote you.
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And then he skips ahead a little bit, not to grieve you, but to
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let you know how much I love you.
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So he's explaining I had to give you that very harsh letter, that
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stern message, because I love you.
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I love you enough that I wanted to help you get back on the path
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to correct these misunderstandings in so many
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ways. You're not going to be able to
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grow spiritually closer to our Savior unless you do it his way.
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And so he said I I wrote these letters with tears falling from
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my eyes because I love you and I told myself, I'm not going to
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come again unless you've repented.
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And then he says in verse five, you are forgiven.
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And those whom you forgive, I will also trust your judgment.
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I will forgive them as well. And I am thrilled with the
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changes that have been made. It sounds like the Corinthians
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were very humble and very penitent.
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And you know, I feel the same way as Paul is writing here.
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When I repent, I feel like it's such a gift from God.
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I feel so loved. When I feel forgiveness.
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I feel like repentance is like a spiritual spa.
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I feel rejuvenated afterward. I feel changed and motivated to
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do better, and I feel like Paul is trying to describe this to
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the Saints. You know, I only chastised you
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because I love you and I wanted you to feel God's love around
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you. And obviously they repented and
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are able to feel that again. Chapter 2, verse 9 to 10 in the
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BSB reads, My purpose in writing to you was to see if you would
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stand the test and be obedient in everything.
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Then he skipped down a little bit.
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I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your
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sakes. In the King James Version it
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says I had confidence in all of you that you would change.
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And that, to me is the confidence that the Lord had in
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all of us when He suffered for our sins.
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He knew we could change. He knew He had the power to do
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it. In fact, He gives us that power
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and that strength to do it. Continuing on in verse 14, we
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read in the new King James Version, thanks be to God, who
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always leads us in triumph to Christ.
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Now the King J Ving says he always causes us to triumph in
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Christ. But I mentioned before, many of
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the King James translators have a Calvinistic theology and they
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believe that God forces us to do things, that there is no agency.
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We are either saved or we're damned, depending on God's
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choices, not depending on our actions.
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And so is this. Reformed theology that came out
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of the Westminster Confession infiltrates through the King
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James translation. So I appreciate the new King
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James translation changing that cause to lead.
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He leads us to triumph in Christ in our every place, and we can
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become conquerors no matter how be sought.
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We are in pain and weaknesses and our sins.
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We can become conquers in Christ.
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Paul is our witness, our example.
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No matter how awful he is, he became a great leader for good.
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I am so grateful for the gift of repentance and forgiveness and
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comfort from our Savior and the Spirit. 1st 15 is very similar
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to things that Paul writes later in the book of Flippians, and we
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also can find them in Ephesians chapter 5, verse two.
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He says, For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ.
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He goes back to the Old Testament image of the altar at
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the temple. Remember, the altar had the
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animals placed on it vicariously.
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The priest would lay their hands on them and they would receive
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the sin offerings or whatever the offering was.
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That was the burnt offering, that the person who is repentant
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or changing or being cleansed would then vicariously be
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carried by this animal, of course, who we believe is the
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Lamb of God, of Jesus Christ. But the burning of that offering
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is often referred to as a sweet fragrance.
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And so Paul is now using that imagery from the temple, this
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sweet fragrance, and applying it to repentance 47 times.
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In the Old Testament, they refer to this animal sacrifice with
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sweet fragrance. Starting with Genesis and
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Exodus, you just find a whole bunch of them.
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But in the New Testament we see our Savior referring to it, and
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he says I will have mercy and not sacrifice.
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In Matthew 911 and then in John's Gospel chapter 10, verse
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15, the Lord says I sacrifice my life for my sheep.
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So we start getting the message that it's not the vicarious
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animal, it's our savior. In Romans, Paul has written
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earlier in chapter 12, verse one, offer your bodies as a
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living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
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And then later we'll read in the book of Philippians, chapter 2.
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If I be offered upon the sacrifice and the service of
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your faith, I joy and rejoice with all of you.
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And then we read in the Book of Mormon very similarly, probably
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even better known, ye shall offer a sacrifice unto me of a
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broken heart and a contrite spirit.
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So the sweet fragrance is no longer the burning flesh, the
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meat offering. It is now the condition of our
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heart, the condition of our soul.
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If we are meek and humble and faithful, and if the spirit has
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been able to cleanse us, then it is a sweet fragrance.
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Forgiveness is sweetness, because every time I feel
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forgiven, I feel the Lord's love.
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It is a wonderful way to feel Christ's love.
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In Second Corinthians chapter three, he addresses another
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challenge that was made. I guess one of his enemies said,
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where is his letter of recommendation?
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Is this is he really an apostle, Which is really quite offensive
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to Paul? And so in Second Corinthians
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chapter 3 versus one to three he writes this is the ESV
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translation. Do we need letters of
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recommendation to you or from you?
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You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our
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hearts. Then he skips down a little bit.
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You are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not
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with ink but in the spirit in the King, James says not with
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his stone tablets, you know, like Moses's stone tablets, but
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on the fleshy parts of our hearts, not on the tables.
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He continues to address this issue that people are attacking
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him and they are being attacked and and and he's trying to build
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them up and comfort them. And so in verse five we continue
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reading in the MIV that our competence comes from God.
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Now in King James it says our sufficiency comes for God
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because of this mentality that God is enough and it's
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sufficient. But that is not our theology.
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I really appreciate other translation.
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I also like the NASB. It says our adequacy comes from
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God. We become adequate only when we
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do things with God. And if you remember back into
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Isaiah he refers to these same things and he said it is God who
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will enthrone us and in robust and and bring us into the
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kingdoms of heaven. The next section is chapter 3,
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verses 7 through 18, and he talks about the glory of the New
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Covenant. And in verse 13 to 14 we read we
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are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face to keep
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the Israelites from gazing. Do you remember that time when
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Moses was up in Sinai and he came down and his face was so
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shiny that they had to put a veil over him?
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And so artists often times make light come out of his head and
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sometimes it looks like horns. But really it's just supposed to
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be the fact that he's so shiny because he's been in the
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presence of God. So Paul says, I don't want you
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to put a veil on your face like Moses did.
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He continues on the same veil remains at the reading of the
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old covenant, but it has not been lifted because only in
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Christ can it be removed. You say don't veil yourself.
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We want the light of Christ to shine forth, and unless you have
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the light of Christ you are veiled.
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And if you're just going by the old law, you're still hidden.
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And the word for veil is also the word for hidden.
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In Greek they they're interchangeable.
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Moving on now to Second Corinthians chapter 4 verses one
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through 7, he starts talking about our bodies.
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He's calling them divine treasures and he's asking us to.
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In King James it refers to the earthly vessels, but he's
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talking about our bodies, and in verse one of chapter 4 in the
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NIV, it reads, Since through God's mercy we have this
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ministry, do not lose heart. And he's saying we've got the
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ministry, we've got the ability to take the sacrament every week
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and to repent and to change. So strengthen your heart.
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And remember in the ancient world, your heart is your mind.
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It's the way you think. As a man thinketh in his heart,
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so is he quoting the Old Testament.
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He then goes on and uses this word veiled again in chapter 4
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verse three. But if our gospel be hid, and in
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the NIV it says veiled, it is hid to them that are lost, he
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says If you're not feeling the Spirit, it's it's because you're
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not in the right place. You've got to come unto Christ,
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you've got to repent. You've got to be humble and meek
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and live the teachings of Christ in order to feel the Spirit of
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Christ. If you're not feeling the
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Spirit, start on your knees and keep seeking and keep trying
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because it still works. To me it's like electricity.
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Just because a light bulb doesn't work doesn't mean that
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electricity doesn't work. We need to change your light
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bulb. And sometimes in our lives, if
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we're not feeling the Spirit, we need to do what's required to
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feel it again. There are times when the Lord
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allows us to walk by faith. I mean obviously if if if Job
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didn't feel the Spirit, and if Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail
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didn't feel guidance, even our Savior didn't feel guidance at
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times. We all need to be able to walk
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by faith, but our Savior has promised us that when that
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period of the trial is over, he will or out His spirit on us and
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we will feel His love again. Chapter 4 verse four gives a new
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title for Satan says the God of this world has blinded our
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minds. Now do you remember back in the
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Gospel of John, he called Satan the Prince of this world And
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here we have the God of this world.
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Both of those are small G and small P And I'm thinking is how
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in the world do we ever call this satanic influence in our
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lives, a God or a Prince? Well, it's because he is the
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usurper. He is constantly trying to take
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over Christ's role from the Garden of Eden.
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All the way through he is trying to destroy God's plan and usurp
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the Savior's role. Chapter 4, verse five in the ISV
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reads, we do not preach ourselves, but rather Jesus, the
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Messiah, Our Lord and our souls are really your servants, for
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Jesus's sake. He doesn't say I'm just Jesus'
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servant. He says I'm your servant.
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You know, I feel like that's our that's our church calling,
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that's our responsibility as Christian disciples.
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We are to serve one another, and as the Lord has loved us, we
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need to turn and serve others. And I love the image of a waiter
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or a servant waiting on us, doing every bidding that the
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Spirit commands. And I believe that the Spirit
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wants to command us more often If we can respond.
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I am ready to learn and teach me.
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And who can I serve? Those prayers are usually
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answered in Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse six.
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He now moves on to talk about the creation and it's very
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similar to Genesis chapter one, verse 3.
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And I'll reach you from the NIV in Second Corinthians chapter 4,
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verse six. For God who said let light shine
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out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts and
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displayed in the face of Christ. Paul has seen the face of Christ
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at least twice according to the visions that are recorded in the
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book of Acts. Those seven visions that he had,
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he knows what that looked like. And he believes that Jehovah the
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Creator is Jesus of Nazareth. It's a beautiful connection
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there between those Old Testament and New Testament
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making a bridge. Paul is constantly bridging the
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Old covenant and the New covenant.
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In verse seven, I want to read from the CEV translation.
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We are like clay jars in which the treasure is stored.
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The real power comes from God and not from us.
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We're just the jar, he who is doing the molding and the
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shaping, you know? Paul says I'm nothing.
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You know, I may be an apostle, I may be a missionary, but I only
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work because God's hands are molding me and shaping me.
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All credit gets to our Savior. Paul now changes to a new topic
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and in chapter 4, verses 8 through 12, he talks about the
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need for suffering to produce perseverance, even though Paul
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goes through his list of all the sufferings he's gone through.
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I hope you can find a way to apply these verses in your own
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life, because I do believe all of us part of earth life is to
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have the thorns and the thistles.
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I mean, that was promised in the Garden of Eden.
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We've got to go through the pain of the experience.
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And as we do so, I hope we can follow Paul's advice here, that
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this suffering can become a sanctification, that it become
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enduring and it become drawing on the powers of heaven.
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Anything that takes us to our knees can be good if we use it
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to humbly call upon God. In verse eight he says we are
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perplexed, but not in despair. And then he gives 4 different
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examples where life is not gone the way that they thought, but
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he doesn't want to despair because he can trust in God.
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So if you didn't get the job, or you didn't get the grade, or you
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didn't get the child, or you didn't get the spouse, or you
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didn't get whatever you thought was important, trust in God's
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plan and just recite this beautiful verse from Second
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Corinthians, chapter 4, verse eight.
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I like the ISV of this verse as well, it reads We're troubled
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but not crushed, frustrated, but not in despair.
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You know, so when our mind feels like we're missing part of the
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puzzle here and we're not seeing the picture in its entirety, I
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hope we can trust that Jesus has those pieces of the puzzle and
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he will be able to place them back in place.
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And so though right now we can't see the whole picture and we
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don't understand it, our Savior has those pieces and we are
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walking by faith to draw into him.
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It's really very applicable to our day and age, I feel.
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Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 13 to 18, talks about this
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need of being sustained by heaven.
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And it's not just heaven, it's the hope from heaven.
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And he returns to this theme of resurrection.
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And last week we talked about First Corinthians chapter 15.
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It's probably the strongest chapter of all on resurrection,
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but Paul never leaves the resurrection very far behind.
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It's one of his major themes. And we get it here again with
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his beautiful witness. Chapter 4, verse 14.
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I'll reach you from the NIV. We know that one who raised the
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Lord Jesus Christ from the dead will raise us with Jesus and
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present us with you and himself. And then he goes on and talks
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about his Thanksgiving. Verse 15 says the Thanksgiving
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is going to overflow and he rejoices in the day that is
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coming. You know earth life was so hard
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in the ancient world. You're always in pain.
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You're always sick. Communication was challenging.
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Everything about the ancient world was difficult and they
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looked forward to the next life when they could receive rest in
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the Lord, verse 16 reads. In the NIV we do not lose heart
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though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being
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renewed day by day. This verse reminded me of those
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combined two years that I was on chemotherapy and though my body
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was wasting away on the inside, I felt such empowerment from the
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prayers of many, many, and I felt strengthened and purified
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and even healthier on the inside that I had ever felt before.
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There's something good that comes out of our trials.
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I'm grateful I have gone through some of mine because I hope I am
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a better disciple of Jesus Christ for going through them
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first. Eighteen talks about this as
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well in the NIV, it reads. So we fix our eyes not on what
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is seen, but on what is unseen or eternal.
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Not only did Paul need that vision, but we have to keep an
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internal perspective. If we just look at life through
23:38
our own generation, everything looks crazy.
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We have got to look at it from a galactic perspective, step back
23:45
and realize the importance of things like the law of chastity
23:48
and family is from an eternal perspective.
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And then it helps. In chapter five of Second
23:54
Corinthians, he starts out in verse one.
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We know that our earthly house is this Tabernacle.
24:00
We're dissolved. But we have a building of God, a
24:03
house not made with hands, eternal in nature of heavens.
24:07
This house that's corruptible is going to fall apart.
24:10
The Tabernacle is another word for a tent or house, but we know
24:14
that there will be another one that's going to come in strength
24:17
and beauty that's going to last immortally.
24:20
I also like to look at this verse not only about the eternal
24:23
perspective but about our physical bodies.
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And then in chapter 5, verse two, I want to read from the
24:29
NIV. Meanwhile we grown longing to be
24:32
clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling.
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So we say we don't want these earthly vessels, we want a
24:39
resurrected body. And you remember later, Paul
24:42
says I've got a thorn in the flesh and I have prayed so many
24:44
times for healing and it is not been healed.
24:47
I have got a real physical challenge here, and he's longing
24:52
to have his resurrected body to be clothed in his resurrected
24:55
body. And remember, this is
24:57
significant because the word clothing is also similar to the
25:00
word for endued or endowed. And Paul also uses this motif of
25:04
clothing throughout the next several verses.
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It's not just clothing our body, he's talking about our spiritual
25:11
clothing. And I believe once again, he
25:13
goes back to the ordinances and he's talking about being clothed
25:17
in the garments of our Savior, being the robes of righteousness
25:20
as they're called in the scriptures.
25:22
He continues talking about these challenges that are hard in our
25:25
lives. And in verse three, he says we
25:27
know that they help us develop endurance.
25:30
That's the NLT translation. But Peter talks about it and the
25:34
book of James. They talk about these things,
25:35
you know, life is hard and they're here to help us.
25:39
Chapter 5, verse three, really applies to our day and age.
25:41
Too many people are dealing with horrific challenges of abuse and
25:46
pain and loneliness and disabilities and
25:48
misunderstandings, and it may feel like pushing a stone up the
25:51
hill. But if we can remain faithful to
25:54
our Savior and our covenants, I believe with all my heart that
25:59
He will help us push that rock out of our way and that we will
26:04
find peace again in the future. First five and the same theme
26:09
continues on that God shaping ahead a little bit.
26:12
This is the MIV translation has given us the Spirit as a deposit
26:17
guaranteeing what is to come. Now in the BSB they don't say
26:21
deposit. They say God has given us a
26:23
pledge of what's to come, and the Spirit is letting us know
26:26
how wonderful it's going to be to be with God.
26:28
And so the Spirit is encouraging us to me.
26:31
I feel like it is. It's this magnetic pull that the
26:33
Spirit is letting us go. But I also want to read this
26:36
verse in the King James because it says God has given us unto us
26:40
the earnest of the Spirit. Now this means something
26:43
different instead of the guarantee or the promise, the
26:47
earth of the Spirit is also another phrase for the Holy
26:50
Spirit of promise that I referenced earlier, mentioned in
26:54
Ephesians as well Ephesians chapter one, verse 13.
26:57
But this Holy Spirit of promise is a biblical phrase that Joseph
27:02
Smith felt inspired to elaborate on, and in six different times
27:06
in the Doctrine Covenants, we have references to what this
27:09
means. This is a very beautiful
27:12
doctrine that the Spirit of God will be able to identify if we
27:16
are being honest and if our ordinances are done with pure
27:19
authority and if we have maintained and kept our
27:22
covenants. The Holy Spirit of promise can
27:25
ratify our ordinances and validate the promises that are
27:31
going to come through the grace of Christ and his atoning
27:35
sacrifice. It's a beautiful doctrine, this
27:38
earnest of the Spirit or the Holy Spirit of promise.
27:41
Moving on to verse 6 again in the ESV, it reads we are always
27:45
of good courage. Now I just had to chuckle
27:47
because Paul has just told us he was sobbing his eyes out when he
27:50
was writing this letter. But even sometimes in our
27:53
mourning and in our sorrow, we can have the underlying faith
27:59
and courage that comes from knowing that Jesus is the Christ
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and I love the KJ V's word. Also, we can have confidence.
28:05
Continuing on, though, in the ESV we know that while we are at
28:09
home in the body, we are away from our Lord and he's talking
28:13
about walking by faith. And for the next 3 verses, the
28:16
chapter 5, verse seven through 10, he talks about the need to
28:19
walk by faith. Another one of Paul's themes
28:22
that is brought up in almost every epistle, the need to grow
28:26
our faith. They need to be strengthened so
28:29
that we can become empowered by the Spirit, Chapter 5, verse 10
28:34
in the BSB reads. For we must all appear before
28:37
the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive His
28:40
due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
28:45
And this becomes our great hope is that the judgment will be
28:49
just and that those people who have been wronged will be made
28:52
right. Joseph Smith spoke on this as
28:54
well in a sermon in Navia that was published also in the Times
28:56
and Seasons in 1842. He's talking about the Savior,
29:00
and he said he holds up the reins of judgment in his hands.
29:04
He is a wise lawgiver and will judge all men not according to
29:08
the narrow contracted notions of men, but according to the deeds
29:11
done in the body, whether they be good or evil, but according
29:15
to which they have. Those who have lived without the
29:18
law will be judged without the law, and those that have the law
29:22
will be judged by the law. We need not doubt the wisdom and
29:26
intelligence of the great Jehovah, So that lays a pretty
29:29
heavy responsibility on those of us that have the law because we
29:33
will be expected to be judged from that.
29:36
Luckily though, we have the spirit.
29:38
We have the cleansing power and we can keep trying day by day,
29:42
hour by hour. Paul then moves ahead to a
29:45
message of reconciliation in Second Corinthians chapter 5
29:49
versus 11 through 21. He spends a lot of time 10
29:52
versus talking about this need for reconciliation in the BLB,
29:57
it reads in verse 11. Knowing the fear of the Lord, we
30:01
persuade men and we have been made manifest to God, and I hope
30:06
to have been made manifest in your conscience also.
30:09
Now in the KG V it says the terror of the Lord, so I chose
30:13
to use a different one. But the CEV also uses the
30:16
respect of the Lord. So remember, the word fear of
30:19
the Lord or the terror of the Lord is referring to our
30:23
reverence for our Savior. They're they're different words.
30:26
They saw things differently. But we just got to use an auto
30:28
correct on that one. We can trust the Lord not fear.
30:32
Verse 13 has a lot of Joseph Smith translations.
30:36
It reads four. And then he adds, we bear record
30:39
that we are not beside ourselves.
30:42
So the Corinthians have said, I think Paul is beside himself and
30:46
he adds in here in the Joe Smith translation for whether we glory
30:50
and then in the King James going back it is to God, or whether we
30:54
be sober it is for your sakes and again changes the word sakes
30:59
for cause. There in verse 14 he goes back
31:02
to this idea of Christ compelling us.
31:05
The NIV reads Christ's love compels us and I use that image
31:09
of this magnetic pool that when we feel the sakers love we just
31:13
want to be with him. In the King James it says Christ
31:16
constraineth us, but I don't know if that completely captures
31:20
it. The ESV is also not quite right
31:23
I think as it says Christ controls us.
31:25
Those words I don't feel are communicating with the Greek
31:28
really says it is that the love of Christ draws us to him.
31:32
I believe chapter 5 verses 16 to 17.
31:34
We also find some more Joseph Smith translations that I think
31:37
are really helpful. He says, Wherefore henceforth
31:40
live we know more. That's the addition, and it goes
31:43
back to King James after the flesh, since we and then it
31:47
continues back to King James, we have known Christ.
31:51
And now henceforth he keeps cutting out all these words.
31:53
We live no more After the flesh, behold, all things are become
31:58
new. So he's saying, put off the
32:00
natural man, don't live after these fleshly passions.
32:04
You know when you're when you're driven by passions that are in
32:08
congruence with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
32:11
Take them off, Get rid of them. Live by the light of Christ, and
32:14
sometimes it has to take every hour.
32:16
But whatever it takes, it's worth it.
32:18
Get rid of our challenges physically and focus on the
32:22
spiritual strength that can come from our Savior.
32:25
In verse 18 we read all things are of God who hath reconciled
32:30
us to himself by Jesus Christ and has given to us the ministry
32:35
of reconciliation. Now in verses 18 and 19 he
32:38
mentions that word 4 different times and in Greek if you go
32:41
back and look at reconciliation, it's the same word for
32:45
atonement, but atonement's only mentioned one time.
32:47
Translated that way, in in Romans chapter 5 and here in
32:51
Second Corinthians he's also talking about it reconciliation.
32:55
Come with think of the Latin roots there if you can.
32:57
Or it's the same as the at one month it's coming back being
33:02
reconciled with God. That's the at one month is when
33:05
God can reconcile man through repentance and through the
33:09
sacrifice of his son. I love the charge of chapter 5,
33:13
verse 20. We are therefore Christ's
33:15
ambassadors. This is the NIV translation.
33:18
I love the image of being an ambassador.
33:20
I've lived in foreign countries, I've been to embassies.
33:23
I know how much it means to me to be by someone who represents
33:26
me as a member of my nation, my country.
33:29
And he says here that we are not only ambassadors of Christ, but
33:33
it continues on in verse 20 in the NIV, as though God were
33:36
making us an appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's
33:40
behalf be reconciled to God now they've already gone through the
33:44
beginnings of repentance. The Corinthian Saints are trying
33:47
to change, and Paul is encouraging them continue this
33:51
process of change and repentance, of turning again to
33:55
God. And he say, I am acting as an
33:57
ambassador of Christ, and I'm pleading with you to come unto
34:00
him. And now we turn to Chapter 6.
34:03
And then the NIV reads as God's coworkers.
34:07
We urge you not to receive God's grace in vain.
34:10
Now here he is. Paul is, you know, the Lord's
34:12
ambassador. We just learned.
34:14
He also calls himself a servant of Christ.
34:16
And now he's calling him a fellow worker.
34:19
And this idea of a fellow worker and ambassador is not just for
34:24
Paul. It's not just for the apostles.
34:26
This is for all of us who have been baptized, who are disciples
34:29
of Christ. These are beautiful titles.
34:32
And every morning when we get up, may we put on a emotional
34:36
and spiritual name tag that says I am a representative of Christ.
34:40
I am a coworker with Christ. I want to build his Kingdom.
34:44
I just love this image that Paul is challenging the Saints to
34:47
apply, verse three in the NIV reads.
34:50
We put no stumbling block in anyone's path so that our
34:54
ministry will not be discredited.
34:56
I almost had to laugh at that. I thought, oh Paul, your your
34:59
books have a lot of stumbling blocks.
35:01
Your letters are very hard for us to understand, and sometimes
35:04
they do require stepping over these stumbling blocks.
35:08
Part of that, I'm sure, is the translation, and part of that is
35:10
must because I'm reading without the Spirit.
35:12
But I do feel that the apostles are not trying to put stumbling
35:16
blocks. They're trying to put stairs.
35:17
They're trying to lift us. They're trying to build bridges.
35:19
They're trying to help, not hinder us.
35:22
Sometimes they feel like they're stumbling blocks, but their
35:25
motives initially were accurate and through the spirit sake we
35:29
can use these to be stepping stones instead of stumbling
35:32
blocks, I hope. In chapter 6, verses four and
35:35
five, Paul then moves ahead to list nine of the hardships.
35:39
He says as servants of God we commended ourselves in every way
35:44
and in great endurance of troubles.
35:47
That's the NIV translation. And then he starts listing them
35:50
afflictions is King James troubles is the IV or
35:53
necessities? Is King James and the NIV says
35:56
hardships, distress and calamities or stripes, or the
36:00
beatings, imprisonments and the tumults?
36:04
Means another word for riots in the NIV, and he talks about his
36:07
labors. These are just your work demands
36:10
and I hope you're following along in the scriptures.
36:12
I'm going back and forth a lot between different translations,
36:15
so I hope you're reading this in chapter 6 versus 4 and five.
36:18
The the watching means sleeplessness.
36:22
And the fasting of course is is hunger.
36:24
It's not just going without food for the Lord, it's actually
36:26
being hungry. After his list of nine
36:29
challenges he now goes and gives 9 qualities of service.
36:33
In verses six to seven, talks about the need for pureness and
36:37
knowledge, long-suffering, kindness, the Holy Ghost, love
36:41
unfeigned, the word of truth, the power of God, and the armor
36:46
of righteousness. These are like the spiritual
36:49
gifts again that he mentioned in chapters 12 through 14 of his
36:53
first letter. He's going back there and
36:55
saying, I want you to keep repenting until you can put on
36:58
this armor of righteousness. I want you to be strong in your
37:01
faith. I want you to constantly be
37:04
turning into God so that you can feel him directing you as a
37:08
coworker in the work. And then Paul gives a list of
37:12
nine more things, but they're opposites.
37:14
He says honor with dishonor, evil reports with good reports.
37:19
Deceivers need to hear the truth, the unknown with the well
37:23
known. And he says as dying we live
37:26
chastened but not killed, sorrowful and rejoicing.
37:31
You're poor, yet making many rich and having nothing and
37:35
possessing all things. You know, as he's traveling
37:39
across Europe, either on foot or on boats or whatever, he is
37:44
going from stages as a wealthy young man in Tarsus and
37:48
Jerusalem he never experienced. And he's saying, I am making
37:53
these sacrifices and living in this destitute and financial
37:57
position so that I can bring you the richness of the gospel of
38:01
Jesus Christ. Verses 11 to 13 continue on in
38:05
the BSB. And he says, Corinthians, our
38:07
hearts are open wide, and I assume this is Timothy and Paul.
38:11
It is not our affection, but yours that is restrained as a
38:16
fair exchange. I ask you as my children, open
38:20
wide to your hearts also. And remember, heart is also the
38:24
mind. So it's a double meaning there,
38:26
your heart and your mind. To us he's saying, I love you, I
38:30
love you. If there's any restraint, it's
38:33
on your side. Because I've chastened you but
38:35
realize I'm chasing you because of love.
38:38
As the Lord taught Joseph Smith, reproving immediately at times
38:43
is needed when moved upon by the Holy Ghost, but afterward you
38:46
show forth an increase of love. And that's exactly what Paul is
38:49
doing here to the Saints. 2nd Corinthians chapter 6, verse 14
38:53
to 18 talks now about being unequally yoked.
38:57
It's a very puzzling section. There's four verses here.
39:00
They seem to be a tangent again, and some of them contradict what
39:03
he said before. They're very disruptive again.
39:06
It interrupts the train of thought again.
39:08
And also there are 8 words between verses 14 and 18 that
39:12
are never used anywhere else in the New Testament.
39:14
So we assume that maybe these were later additions as well.
39:18
Or an editor or somebody added stuff in here because he's just
39:23
been talking in his letter that we refer to as First
39:26
Corinthians. That if you're married to an
39:28
unbeliever, try to make the marriage work because it's
39:31
better fit for the children. But if if they leave, leave in
39:34
peace and keep your heart pure. And if you're going to remarry,
39:38
marry someone who's a believer. But here it says be ye not
39:42
unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
39:44
So is he just referring to spend your time only with the Saints?
39:49
No, he's a missionary. He wants people to go out and
39:52
and spread the gospel with anyone.
39:54
It's not this idea of the of the Pharisee, clean and unclean and
39:58
don't go near a Gentile. And if you walk through some
40:00
area, you're unclean, or if you touch a Gentile sleeve, you're
40:04
unclean. That's that's not the message of
40:06
Christianity. Now if he's talking about choose
40:10
marriage partners who are sharing your faith, then I think
40:14
he's consistent with what we understand from Christ teachings
40:17
and Paul's earlier writings. But we don't know the question,
40:20
We don't know what he's talking about, so it's a little
40:22
disjointed here. I do like verse 16 though.
40:26
Ye are the temple of the living. God and God have said, I will
40:30
dwell on them and I will be their God and they shall be my
40:34
people. He's quoting 5 Old Testament
40:36
verses there. Leviticus 26.
40:38
Jeremiah 33. Leviticus 37.
40:41
Isaiah 52. Ezekiel 20.
40:43
All these are footnotes there that repeat the same message.
40:46
I will be my people. These are my people.
40:48
If you follow me, I will be your God.
40:51
If you do what I say, then we can both work together in
40:55
building a better earth. We'll finish up the 2nd
40:59
Corinthians next week, but until then, I hope that you can
41:02
prayerfully take time to ask the Lord to help you understand
41:05
these verses that are puzzling and confusing.
41:08
I also hope you can look at other translations, especially
41:12
the gift of the Joseph Smith translation that clarifies so
41:15
much for us. I am so grateful for the
41:17
restoration of the Church that has not only opened up much joy
41:22
in my life, but it helps me understand the scriptures
41:25
better. In the name of Jesus Christ,
41:27
Amen.