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Understanding the Father's Love in Christ · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF Sermons. Each message here is
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designed to uplift and strengthen you in your
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walk with God. Don't miss out. Stay with us until
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the end for a rewarding experience. Let's dive
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right in. Amen. So I want us to start from 2
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Thessalonians 3. And the title is Understanding
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the Father's Love in Christ. Understanding the
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Father's Love in Christ. I want us to start from
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2 Thessalonians 3. I'll read from the NLT. 2
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Thessalonians 3. It says, Finally, dear brothers
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and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray
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that the Lord's message will spread rapidly and
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be honored wherever it goes, just as it is when
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it came to you. 2. Pray too that you will be
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rescued from wicked and evil people, for not
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everyone is a believer. 3. And the Lord is faithful.
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I want you to say, the Lord is faithful. Say,
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but the Lord is faithful. He says, regardless
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of what the wicked and evil men are doing, the
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Lord still remains faithful. He says, the Lord
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is faithful. He will strengthen you. Say, I'm
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strengthened of the Lord. I am strengthened of
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the Lord to do his will. I am strengthened of
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the Lord to do his will. And through me, the
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Lord's message will spread rapidly and be honored.
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The scriptures here says, he will strengthen
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you and guide you from the evil one. He will
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strengthen and guide you from the evil one. Four,
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we'll stop at five. It says, and we are confident
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in the Lord that you are doing and will continue
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to do the things we command you. Five, it says,
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may the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding
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and expression of the love of God and the patient
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endurance that comes from Christ. I want us to
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go back to four again. It says, we are confident
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in the Lord that you are doing and will continue
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to do the things we command you. And this is
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Apostle Paul speaking and he is writing to the
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church in Thessalonica and he, He makes a prayer.
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He requests for prayer and then also prays. If
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you see, he was like, in verse 3, he says that
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we will be rescued from wickedness. And then
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he says, but the Lord is faithful. He said he
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will strengthen you and guide you. And then he
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says, we are confident in the Lord that you are
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doing and you will continue to do the things
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we commanded you. Then in 5 now, which is where
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we're going to be laying our emphasis, he says,
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May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding
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and expression of the love of God and the patient
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endurance that comes from Christ. Praise God.
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What we're going to be discussing today is very
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much anchored, and I'm looking at some of us,
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and I want us to not downplay what exactly it
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is we're going to be doing here. And it's very
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important that if you come to church, I'll just
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give us this very quickly, that you want to ensure
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that you are engaged and focused. And one thing
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that helps you stay engaged and focused as the
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teaching is going on is if you are writing, right?
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If you're writing, it helps you to stay engaged
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and focused. And one other thing that writing
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does is that it helps you to remember. Because
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many of us will not be able to remember the things
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I said after now. So it ensures that you have
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some form of documentation that you can be able
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to go to. And one thing I've noticed is that
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you are in church and then you get instructions.
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You don't know the problem or the challenges
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that lies ahead that these instructions that
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you get now will be solving. And once you don't
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have a documentation to go back to, you will
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be missing out on the blessing that you have
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received that you didn't hold on to. Praise God.
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And one other thing I want to also emphasize
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is the fact that Your taking down notes is your
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first line of action. It means that you are already
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acting on what is being said. I say something
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to you and you're taking down notes. That is
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the first action that will capitalize on whether
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other actions follows. So it means that if you're
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not... Taking notes, you are not going to be
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very, it's very unlikely that you're going to
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act on what exactly it is you've received. Praise
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God. So you are taking down notes and then you
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are ensuring that you're noting down important
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points and then you are avoiding mistakes that
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have already been, you're able to avoid mistakes.
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Praise God. I'm saying that because there's some
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people here that when I speak to them or give
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them instructions, because I cannot guarantee
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that they understood instruction, before the
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call ends, I said, Can you write back to me what
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exactly it is I instructed you? And that way
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we understand ourselves. Praise God. We understand
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ourselves. So if we don't take down notes, you're
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more likely to miss out on what exactly. And
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then the other thing, last but not the least,
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having a Bible and a writing material, we're
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not warring against technology. All of those
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things are very important. Having a physical
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copy Bible and then a pen and a paper that you're
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able to note down things. ensures that you're
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not distracted or easily distracted because you
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will not get a notification from your pen. You're
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not going to get a notification from your book.
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You're not going to get a notification from your
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Bible except it's the Bible app. And you are
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less likely to have a notification from all the
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social media platforms that we have online. Praise
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God. So this is a plea for us to make the most
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of the service. I have to put that in there so
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that you don't come. And if you are new to NECF,
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this is how, It happens in church. If you're
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old and you're still stuck, you're like new,
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you're old but you're like new, we love you and
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we believe the best of you. Praise God. So, understanding
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the Father's love in Christ, understanding the
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Father's love in Christ. Know that this church
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is writing to have suffered persecution. and
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are suffering persecution, right? And he's writing
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to encourage them, writing to strengthen them,
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and then also praying. In the course of 3, we
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see that he's praying for them. He's praying
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that they will be strengthened and guided from
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the evil one, right? And to confirm that this
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church has been going through all of that, we'll
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see in 1. Let's go to chapter 1. I want to read
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from 3 to 5. I want us to read from 3 to 5. Brothers
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and sisters, we can't help but thank God for
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you. Meaning that he's thanking God for them
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because they are doing well in spite of what
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they are going through. Praise God. They are
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doing well in spite of what they are going through.
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Because your faith is flourishing. It says, because
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your faith is flourishing. I want you to tell
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yourself that my faith is flourishing. My faith
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is flourishing. It says, and your love for one
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another is growing. Say, the love that we have
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for one another is growing. Say, the love I have
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for my brother is growing. The love I have for
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my sister is growing. 4 now says, it says, we
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proudly tell... God's other churches about your
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endurance and faithfulness in the persecution
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and hardship that you are suffering, since we
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gladly tell. We gladly tell other churches about
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what they're going through because of their endurance
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and faithfulness in spite of the persecutions
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and hardships that they're going through. Five
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now says, and God will use this persecution to
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show his justice and make you worthy of the kingdom
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for which you are suffering. And you know, when
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you see make you worthy, you can be thinking
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that, oh, you are going to be made worthy by
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the sufferings and the persecutions you're going
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through. No, not that. The privilege that they
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have of being people that are going through those
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sufferings. I want us to see something similar
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in Acts 5. In Acts 5. Acts 5 .41. And the same,
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that counted worthy or the make you worthy is
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the same Greek word. And it's what is used in
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the 41. And know that at this point, the disciples
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were being persecuted. It says 41 says the apostles
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left the high. cancel, rejoicing that God had
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counted them worthy to suffer this grace for
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the name of Jesus, for the name of Jesus, for
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the name of Jesus. So they are excited that they
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are counted worthy. Know that the suffering was
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not what they brought up. The suffering was not
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brought upon on themselves, but it was on the
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course of doing what the will of God that that
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happened. Praise God. So it means that as believers,
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regardless of what is happening, around us. And
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for some of us, we're not even doing the will
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of God and the sufferings are coming or the hardships
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are coming. What should be important to us is
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that we are paying attention to what God's will
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or what God's instruction is. We're ensuring
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that, look at what we read in verse 3, in chapters
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3, sorry, verse 1. He says that he prays that
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the message will spread rapidly. He's speaking
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to people that are going out and preaching and
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teaching, that this word will spread rapidly.
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And note that he's praying all of this and praying
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and encouraging them. And he says in the verse
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five that we read that their hearts will be led
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into a full understanding and expression of God's
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love. I want you to know that regardless of what
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you're going through, what keeps you anchored
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and what keeps you grounded is the love of God
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that you understand and you know. Praise God.
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The love of God that you understand and you know.
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And it's not just a feeling. Praise God. It is
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not just a feeling. Apostle Paul here is praying
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for them not to feel loved. Praise God. Not to
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feel love. He's praying for them to have an understanding
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of the spiritual resources that they need to
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survive and thrive in the difficult circumstances
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they are finding themselves. He's praying that
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they have the resource, in fact, they know the
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resource that they have to survive the difficult
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situations that they're finding themselves or
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they found themselves in. And the ability that
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we have to grasp this understanding is what ensures
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that we are enduring with the strength that God
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supplies. Because it's the strength that God
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supplies that keeps us through. It's not what
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we feel. It's not our feelings. It's not our
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emotions that keeps us through this time. We're
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able to go through difficult situations because
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of that. And these truths we're going to be looking
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at are foundational truths. Praise God. They
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are foundational truths. The way this building
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is. One of the most important part of the building
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or the most important part of a building, the
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structure of the building is the foundation.
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You will not necessarily see the foundation of
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a building and it's what ensures that regardless
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of whatever, on Wednesday, when there was a shaking
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or a quake, the building will still stand regardless
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of what hits it. From underneath or from above.
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Praise God. So these things are very key and
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they ensure that our identities They show that
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we stay true to our identity, that which we have
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received. Our identity and our relationship is
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rock solid regardless of what hits us left, right,
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and center. That we're not tossed through and
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through. That we're standing solid and we're
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anchored in it. And that's why I want us to understand
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what is this love of God? That's the first question
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we're going to be answering. What is the love
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of God? What is the love of God? Please, regardless
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of what you know about love, When you come to
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the word of God, you want to pack that at the
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side and listen and take notes and pay attention
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to what really the love of God is. And to do
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this, I want us to open our Bibles to John 3.
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We're going to go over a couple of scriptures,
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but I want us to start from there. John 3, I
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want us to look at 16. I know we're very familiar
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with this, but I want you to look at it and look
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at it very careful because sometimes we quote
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it or say some things. I want you to do it in
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New King James. John 3, 16. And it reads, it
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says, For God so loved the world that he gave.
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You know, sometimes we can read this and we'll
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just say he gave us, right? We can just go and
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just say he gave us. But I want us to see something.
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It says, God so loved the word that he gave his
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only begotten son, that whoever believes in him
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should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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17, we'll add 17 to it. It says, for God did
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not send his son into the world to condemn the
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world, that the world through him might be saved.
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Let's go back again to 16. It says, for God so
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loved the world that he gave. When we quote this
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and add that us, we do something very subtle
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to this passage. In fact, there are songs that
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we sing that says, God so loved the world that
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he gave us. In fact, for some of us, that's what
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basically is running through our head. God so
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loved the world that he gave us. When you add
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us to this, it changes something. And I want
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us to understand, we'll just look at what it
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means by he gave. What it means by he gave. And
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we'll see something that is... And we know that
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this whole action is God demonstrating his love,
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right? Yes, he's demonstrating his love to us.
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But note that he gave his son for a particular
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reason. Right? He gave his son for a particular
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reason. I want us to see from the same passage
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what that reason is. I want us to go up to verse
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14. Please pay attention. Don't lose the train
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of where we're going to. In verse 14, it says,
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And as Moses lifted up, right? And as Moses lifted
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up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
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the Son of Man be lifted up. And the word lifted
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up is Hoopsao is a Greek word. I had to practice
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it a couple of times to be able to get it. It's
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spelled H -Y -P -S -O -O. It doesn't read the
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way I pronounce it because I had to. I'm not
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Greek. H -Y -P -S -O -O. So it's pronounced Hoopsao.
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It's pronounced Hoopsao. And the word in this
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passage, not that the word in this passage, you
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know, when you see a word, the word can be literal
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or it can be figurative. And that's why we advise
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that when you come to scripture, you don't want
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to come to scripture and then be reading like
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English language because you're going to miss
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out on certain things. And not that this passage,
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it will read to you as though he's lifted up,
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right? But understand that in this lifted up
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lies what? he gave means. In this lifted up,
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it lies what he gives means. And I want us to
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just understand that that lifted up there, let's
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look at it in Amplified. Amplified, not Amplified
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Classic, Amplified. So we see that, it says,
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just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent, the
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bronze serpent in the desert on a pole, so must
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the son of man be lifted up. On the cross. Praise
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God. When he says lifted up on the cross, what
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would that imply? Crucified, right? Crucified.
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Some people are following me. So it means that
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he'll be crucified. So will that mean a literal
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lifting up or will mean death? Praise God. It
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will mean death. So it means that when we read
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he gave, that he gave there. will be pointing
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to death. And please, I'm saying this so that
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you understand it. Anytime you see lifted up,
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you want to read the context of the passage to
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understand what exactly it is that is being said.
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What exactly it is that is being said because
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the context will help you understand what lifted
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up will mean. Let me show something. Some of
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us can just go and then let's just try to apply
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it and then we apply. lifted up on some other
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passage. I was, when I was going through, you
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know, those of us following the canonical, I
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think we're now in Acts. I think if you did your
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canonical today, I think it's Acts 10 or something
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like that, 9, 10. So when we were doing John,
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as we're just going down from John to 11, I think
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I saw something that will also make, so John
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11, let's go to John 11, not Amplified now, New
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King James, John 11, 41. I just put that in there
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so that we understand that anywhere you see something,
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don't just conclude, right? It says, Yeah, New
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King James. So let's see another lifted up here
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and tell us what it means. Then they took away
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the stone from the place where the dead man was
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lying. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said,
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Father, I thank you that you have heard me. Now
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that that lifted up there, will he be speaking
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about the same thing as before? No, because it's
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not speaking of the same thing as before. But
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if you come and then say, okay, that lifted up
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is the same lifted up as before, but the lifted
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up has a context to it. See, lifted up his eyes,
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right? Lifted up his eyes. And in this passage,
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I don't know, this doesn't show it very clearly.
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What you will see is that, another thing I want
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to add while I'm explaining is that what you
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see is that in this passage, I don't know whether
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this shows it, you will see that there is The
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place, right? And then there's his. Those two
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words are italized. Because I think Pastor Victor
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has helped us to explain this and understand
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in the Bible. That once you see words italized,
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if you see it in some brackets, know that those,
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that from his place, from the place, I think
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is from the place, that those words from the
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place and his. If you have your Bible with you,
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you will see that that word is italized. From
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the place. And here's, I want to do this while
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we're at it so that something, certain things
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will do. I think we have understood. I would
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explain this so that certain things I'll do ahead.
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I don't have to re -explain myself. So from the
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place and here's, those words are italized. When
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you see any word italized in your Bible, and
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that's the benefit of having a physical Bible.
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In the online Bible, you still have it. Sometimes
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it's very difficult for you to notice. But if
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you have a physical Bible, you'll see it's somewhat
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done. I said that. from his place and the word
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his, it's a lie because in the original Hebrew
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or Greek text, in this case, it's the Greek text.
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In the original Greek text, that is not there.
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It's not there in the original. Why it is not
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there in the original Greek text is because while
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translating or while translators or the interpreters,
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because it's not just translating or interpreting,
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while the interpreters, while the translators,
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interpreted that particular passage, for us to
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understand it better in English, just read that
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word, just read it without from the place. If
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you read, just, I think, just, let's read together
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and eliminate from the place. And then eliminate
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his. And see whether we'll make sense of what
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is read. Say, from, then they took, let's read
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together. Then they took away the stone where
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the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up eyes
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and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard
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me. Notice that it doesn't sound grammatically
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correct. When you read it without, even though
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the part of took away, if you're trying to imagine
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what is going on, if you say took away the stone
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and then say where the dead man, you'll be wondering
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where did they take away the stone? Interpreters
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have to put that in there so that when we're
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reading it in English language, it will just
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flow and then you are able to understand what
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exactly it is being said. So please, anytime
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you're reading your Bible and you see that, don't
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be scared. Sometimes in some particular translations,
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a whole verse is taken out. My whole verse, I
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think one time I was reading my Bible. That was
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when I, I think when after, I think I've been
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doing that for a while. And then I discovered
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that there's a particular chunk of it. So when
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Pastor Victor was teaching us to understand the
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Bible, it now made sense. Because if you're paying
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attention to the footnote, you will see it there.
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But if we just read and then we say, it's my
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Bible. What did he do to my Bible? You will just
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be wondering. So this itself explains something.
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And now, note that it says, and the word there
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lifted and up is the word there I wrote. Lifted.
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is airo, A -R, and it's not the same word as
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the hypsao. It's not the same as the hypsao.
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So that's why we go to the Greek and the Hebrew
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to be able to understand when words are the same,
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where it applies and where it doesn't apply,
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where certain things are literal or where they
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are figurative. So we do all of that so that
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we can better understand. And please... One very
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good thing, I think my wife was talking about
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how the blessing of having that series on Understand
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the Bible is many believers don't know a lot
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of things that were discussed by Pastor Victor
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in that series. Yes, it's a long series, but
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it's good for us to be able to understand because
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you're a believer, you have instances where you
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have to preach or speak to people and you want
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to understand why certain things. Because when
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people are arguing with you, oh, the Bible has
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been changed, you will be able to give proofs
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and evidences why it is not so. Praise God. So,
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note that this one, in this particular passage,
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the only person that was dead in the passage
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is Lazarus. It's not Jesus Christ. Right? And
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note that even the dead was temporary because
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he was raised from the dead, because he was praying
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for him to be raised from the dead. So, note
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that there's nothing around that. But now, when
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we move to the next passage, the next chapter,
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that is chapter 12. Chapter 12. Please be patient.
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Just some of us, just be patient and let's build
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on something. Chapters 12 in 32, 33. We're going
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to just read 32, 33. It says, and I, if I'm lifted
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up from the earth, will draw peoples, right?
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To myself. That peoples too is in Italis. I will
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draw. peoples to myself. Now, the lifted up,
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just go back a bit. Yeah. Now, if you see this
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lifted up, because we understand that it is him
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speaking, right? He says, if I'm lifted up from
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the earth, lifted up from the earth will mean,
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will mean what? From what we have discussed?
25:01
Crucifixion. Just put, just change to amplify,
25:03
just to confirm, amplify it. So, now that he
25:09
says, if when I am lifted up from the earth,
25:13
I will draw up. And then he said, when he sees
25:15
the people now, because that's why that word
25:17
will explain why they put peoples, because both
25:19
Gentiles and Jews as well are the people that
25:22
he's going to draw to himself. Go back to the
25:23
New King James. Praise God. So now we see that
25:29
all of this, he doesn't just leave us hanging.
25:32
In the next verse, you see what he means. In
25:35
case if you missed it. He says, this he said
25:38
signifying what death he will die. Praise God.
25:43
This he said signifying what death he will die.
25:47
I'm looking at some people talking to themselves.
25:48
We'll discuss after the service. Praise God.
25:51
He said, this he said signifying what way he
25:55
was going to die. So it means that the son of
25:58
God or what is going to happen to him is going
26:02
back to what we said. For God so loved the world
26:04
that he gave. That giving is to death. Praise
26:10
God. That giving there is to death. He's not
26:13
giving to us. He's giving to die for us. Do you
26:19
understand? He's not giving to death, but he's
26:22
giving to us, but he's giving to death to die
26:27
for us. Praise God. Is that clear? I'm saying
26:31
these things because... Some of us will go out
26:34
and we're evangelizing to people and we'll say
26:36
certain things that will leave the person not,
26:39
in fact, some of us cannot even explain why it
26:41
is. Like if you meet somebody and the person
26:43
say, I'm a Christian, you say, why are you a
26:45
Christian? The person starts telling you how
26:47
God delivered him from one thing or delivered
26:50
him for the other thing. And then the person
26:51
is, you're wondering to yourself, when are you
26:53
going to hit the nail on the head? And the person
26:55
goes around and around and around until when
26:57
you now say, okay, let me explain to you what
26:59
you have been trying to explain. And then you
27:02
explain it. So there are many Christians that
27:05
don't understand this foundation. That's why
27:06
we're looking at it and we're talking about it.
27:08
We're still building on it. Praise God. So understand
27:11
that this popular passage that has always been
27:15
quoted or is what is shared, you want to know
27:18
that in the first line, there lies what he gave
27:22
means. Right? Let's move down. Just to confirm
27:32
that this he gave, anywhere you see he gave,
27:36
you will see that or you see like lay down. We
27:39
also see that word lay down because lay down
27:41
and John uses that word a lot. Lay down, you
27:44
see lay down his life or lay down, lay down.
27:47
That word is used a lot. And when somebody, when
27:50
they say lay down, it's not laying down to sleep.
27:53
Praise God. When they say laying down, if you
27:57
take that literally, you'll be like, yes, he
27:58
laid down, let him get up. Yeah, most times we
28:01
lay down and get up, except the laying down is
28:03
different. And even Jesus Christ speaking to
28:05
Lazarus, he's sleeping, right? When he was talking
28:07
about Lazarus, he's sleeping. If he's sleeping,
28:09
why are we doing ceremony to go and see him?
28:12
He will wake up. But know that he meant that,
28:15
he was saying that to say that because he had
28:18
the power to raise him up. Because he says, here's
28:21
the way, here's the truth, here's the life. And
28:23
if you're reading Economical, you discover that
28:25
the Pharisees was a threat to them. I think we're
28:27
discussing the cell. It was a big threat to them
28:29
because the Sadducees are dead. They don't believe
28:31
in the resurrection of the dead. And this man
28:32
now has destroyed their whole belief system because
28:34
if you don't believe in the resurrection of the
28:35
dead and then somebody has resurrected from the
28:36
dead, how do you now explain to your people that
28:38
our whole movement is valid? Because these guys,
28:43
that's why they were seeking ways to kill them.
28:45
So two people that are not necessarily working
28:48
together decide to come together because they
28:51
have a common enemy. Because they have a common
28:53
enemy. They had to come together to see how they're
28:55
going to take these individuals down. And they
28:58
did so because Lazarus will still die, will eventually
29:02
die, and then Jesus Christ lay down his life.
29:05
Praise God. So I want us to see something. I
29:08
want you to pay attention to the use of the word
29:10
for in this passage, just to verify the fact
29:12
that there's a reason why he laid down his life.
29:16
So he gave his life, right? He gave his son to
29:21
die. He did not give us his son to kill or his
29:26
son to... So it's very important that we see
29:29
this. So in John 15, verse 3. John 15, verse
29:37
13, sorry, not 3, verse 13. It says, greater
29:40
love has no one than this, than to lay down one's
29:47
life for his friends. The grace idea is mega.
29:51
It's almost like telling like this, this is much,
29:54
there's no greater love than this. And to lay
29:57
down is a note that it says, lay down one's life
30:00
for his friends. So when you're laying down your
30:04
life for, there's a reason for the laying down
30:06
of the life. And there is a person or there is
30:08
a group of people that you're laying down your
30:09
life for. Then let's go to Romans 8 .32. Romans
30:15
8 .32. Let's do that in New King James, please.
30:21
New King James, he says, he did not spare his
30:24
own son. Now, speaking of God now, he did not
30:28
spare his own son, but delivered him for us all.
30:33
For us all. How should he not with him so freely
30:40
give us all things? Praise God. He says he delivered
30:44
up for us. All. For us. All. So God delivered
30:51
him, that is Jesus Christ, for death. For us.
30:57
To death. For us. And now that we're going to
31:02
take time, we're going to go back and we'll shortly
31:05
explain why that was done. I want us to read
31:09
John. Still John 10. We're going to be doing
31:13
a lot of John. John 10. I'll read 11 to 17 so
31:19
that we'll see it again and we'll see a lot of...
31:22
Because John actually does a lot of lay down,
31:26
lay down, lay down, and we'll see, and he explains
31:29
what he says. So he says, I'm the good shepherd.
31:33
I'm the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives
31:35
his life for the sheep. Know that all of this
31:39
is paying a picture. He says he's a shepherd.
31:42
and he lays down his life for the sheep. He says,
31:45
but a hireling, a hireling there is a hired man,
31:49
a hired man. And then we see in the same, it's
31:54
a lies, he who is. You're saying a hired man
31:58
who is not the shepherd. It's putting that there
32:01
so that you better understand who the hired man
32:04
is. So the hired man, he who is not the shepherd,
32:08
one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf
32:13
coming and leaves the sheep and flees. And this
32:19
passage will come in handy in the next passage
32:22
we're going to be reading. It says, sees the
32:24
sheep and flees. The wolf catches the sheep and
32:27
scatters them. 13 now says, the hireling, which
32:31
I said is the hired man, flees because he is
32:35
a hireling and does not care about the sheep.
32:38
Praise God. He doesn't care about the sheep.
32:40
He says, I am the good shepherd and I know my
32:44
sheep and I'm known by my own. 15, as the father
32:52
knows me, even so I know the father and I lay
32:57
down my life for the sheep. Are we saying it?
33:02
I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 now says,
33:06
and the other, and the other sheep I have, which
33:10
are not of this fold. Them also I must bring,
33:15
and they will hear my voice, and there will be
33:20
one flock and one shepherd. Therefore, my father
33:25
loves me, because I lay down my life, that I
33:29
may take it again. Praise God. Lay down his life
33:33
that he may take it again, so he doesn't just
33:34
lay down his life. He doesn't stay dead. He comes
33:38
back again. And I will say this. There's no religion
33:42
in the world that goes, that the author of that
33:49
religion or the person who, we're going to say
33:51
religion, we want to understand that it's beyond
33:53
that. Many of this, the people are dead and gone.
33:58
And in fact, even most of them, people are the
34:01
followers that lead on their lives for the movement.
34:06
They are the ones on the front line. They're
34:08
the ones laying down their life for the movement.
34:09
But we are in a relationship where the one who
34:15
instructs us has led by example. He's instructing
34:19
us to do what he has done, not what he has not
34:22
done. Praise God. I just had to put that in there.
34:24
Now we understand. Then now we go to 13. John
34:28
13. In John 13, Peter is the one now speaking.
34:33
And this is going to show us that Christ has
34:38
to do what he had to do. Even if we try, we cannot
34:43
do the work he has done. And we should not even
34:46
try to do the work he has done because sometimes
34:48
we put ourselves in the position of wanting to
34:50
save ourselves, redeem ourselves, do all of those
34:53
things, but that is not possible. Praise God.
34:56
Peter said to him, that's verse 37, John 13,
35:00
37. Peter said to him, Lord, why can't, Why can
35:06
I not follow you now? Why can I not follow you
35:10
now? I will lay down my life for your sake. Jesus
35:15
answered him, Will you lay down your life for
35:18
my sake? Assuredly, I say to you, the rooster
35:22
shall not crow until you have denied me three
35:25
times. Praise God. What was Peter trying to do?
35:31
What was he trying to do? He was trying to lay
35:34
down his life. For Jesus Christ that came down
35:38
to that, that, that is going to. So sometimes
35:43
we can be overzealous or sometimes we cannot,
35:46
we might not understand what exactly. So, but
35:48
that's why we are anchored on the instruction
35:50
of God's word. And sometimes we even know it
35:52
mentally, but we, we, by our spirit, we know
35:57
these things, but we sometimes want to just take
35:59
things into our, you know, we want to be in control
36:01
of our lives. We want to be able to. navigate
36:04
and mix and put all the things together. And
36:06
I will get to somewhere. Know that this laying
36:10
down of his life for us was solely his responsibility.
36:15
Laying down his life for us is solely the responsibility
36:18
of Christ Jesus. And he has done it. Praise God.
36:22
Don't your neighbor and say he has done it. You
36:25
don't have to do it the way he did it to because
36:28
there's no that he said he has instructed us
36:32
to lay down our lives for. our brothers and our
36:34
sisters. And we'll get to that passage in the
36:35
next. We'll get to that passage in the next.
36:37
Let's even go there now. 1 John 3, verse 16 to
36:42
18. 1 John 3, 16 to 18. So we're doing 16 first.
36:48
It says, by this, are we there? Please, let's
36:52
get there so we can do it together. You see,
36:55
by this we know. That word no there is ginosko.
36:59
And ginosko is that we are aware of a fact. We
37:04
are aware of a fact. Ginosko is like Gino, the
37:07
popular brand. G -I -N -O -S -K -O. I don't know
37:13
what that brand is. It's still there. Brand of
37:15
tomato paste. G -I -N -O -S -K -O. There's a
37:22
verb form of it. It says we... It means to be
37:26
aware of a fact, to be aware of a fact. It says,
37:30
by this we know love. Because he laid down his
37:35
life for us, and we also ought to lay down our
37:39
lives for the brethren. And you might be thinking
37:42
that you're laying down your life in the same
37:44
manner. No, it says, as he has, you do so. And
37:47
17 confirms what exactly it is. It says, but
37:50
whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother
37:55
in need and shuts his heart from them, how does
38:02
the love of God abide in him? My little children,
38:06
let us not love in word or in tongue, but in
38:12
deed and in truth. But in deed and in truth.
38:15
What it means there in short, or you'll see in
38:18
the New Testament, is that it's not just in words.
38:22
Your love has to be seen or demonstrated as his
38:26
in action. Praise God. Demonstrated in action.
38:30
And many of us, we say we love God with our mouth,
38:33
but our actions betray us. The same way Peter
38:39
said, I will lay down my life for your sake.
38:42
And then say, ah, will you lay down your life?
38:47
And then he tells him something. I know that
38:50
it didn't stop there because the man in question
38:53
now came to a point where he understood and then
38:56
he did. Praise God. So the only way we can do
39:00
the things that we're instructed to do is by
39:02
the help of God. Don't ever get yourself to the
39:06
point where you feel that by your own strength,
39:09
you are able to do the instruction. And it doesn't
39:12
mean now that you're relegated to, I've not received
39:15
the strength, I cannot do. We have sang. Some
39:18
of us don't know that when we sing some certain
39:19
songs in this church, you are implicating yourself.
39:24
I will repeat myself again. You sang power, flow.
39:29
You sang favor abundant. If you leave this place
39:34
and then you are now acting like the favor will
39:37
come from outer space to inner space, you are
39:41
lying to yourself. Praise God. Know that when
39:44
you sing certain things and say, that's why we
39:46
are careful what we say, what we sing, because
39:48
you are communicating something to your subconscious.
39:51
And when it's time to act, you will act that.
39:54
Because that's what you've heard. That's why
39:57
Apostle Paul was saying, I know that what the
39:59
things have commanded you, you will do it. Because
40:02
there's an instruction that goes for you to act.
40:04
But some of us, as I started, you want to be
40:07
able to note down these things so that you are
40:08
reminded of it when it's time to act. And an
40:12
abundance of it in you will ensure that you act
40:14
accordingly. So he says that we're not just doing,
40:17
you don't want to leave it in words alone because
40:19
words is cheap. Like you, anybody can see anything,
40:23
but you're working is what confirms or proves
40:26
to everyone around that this thing is genuine.
40:30
This person actually is working in the truth.
40:32
This person is working in love. This person is
40:34
working in the light. Praise God. All of that
40:37
is saying the same thing. So now we ask ourselves
40:39
another question. The love of God, see, how is
40:44
this love now demonstrated? How is this love
40:50
demonstrated? Yes, there's a debt. So, we will
40:54
see that the love of the Father is demonstrated
40:56
in the forgiveness of sin. The love of the Father
41:01
is demonstrated in the forgiveness of sin. And
41:06
I want you to note that this is a foundational
41:09
layer in our understanding of God's love. If
41:12
you don't understand that your sins are forgiven,
41:15
that's why when we started to say, I am forgiven.
41:17
If you don't understand that your sins are forgiven,
41:19
you will continue to move around with guilt.
41:22
In fact, you will not be able to effectively
41:24
do the work because you're struggling with guilt.
41:26
Every other thing will go wrong if you don't
41:28
understand a single thing. Because you'll be
41:31
living your life unstable. You'll be like a wind,
41:33
like you'll be like a child. You will be tossed
41:35
to and fro. because you're not grounded on the
41:39
spiritual truths that forms the foundation of
41:42
your walk and your life with God. So our effective
41:45
spiritual growth is anchored on our understanding
41:48
of this particular reality that we have in Christ
41:51
Jesus. Praise God. So many of us are holding
41:56
on to gifts that has already been paid for. You
42:00
know, they have paid your debt and then you are
42:02
still acting like somebody that still owes somebody.
42:05
It doesn't help in any way. So I want us to see
42:09
that same, I think we're still in the same John
42:13
3 .20. I want us to see something and we'll see
42:16
it from the NLT. That 3 .20, NLT now, 3 .20.
42:21
It says, even if we feel guilty, not the word
42:26
used, feel guilty doesn't mean that you are guilty.
42:31
I will explain it. Again, you can feel something
42:34
that is wrong. You can feel something that is
42:37
wrong. I was telling, you know, when certain
42:42
things stimulate certain response, sometimes
42:45
just the presence of that thing will stimulate
42:47
a response that is not necessarily genuine. A
42:49
very practical example, when you're cutting onions
42:51
and then you're crying, do you really, were you
42:54
really sad? Were you really sad? No, it was because...
42:58
Something stimulated the action and then you
43:00
quickly clean your eyes and continue because
43:02
you know the cause of the problem, right? Same
43:05
way if laughing gas is here, everybody will be
43:07
laughing. It's not necessarily that anything
43:09
funny is happening. They do that in comedy. I
43:12
was told that they do that. In fact, I read a
43:15
documentary that they do that in clubs. They
43:17
put laughing gas in the club so that people think
43:19
they're having a good time. Just imagine, you're
43:21
in a place where here is natural. It comes from
43:24
within. And then some people are going to where
43:26
they are stimulating them because when people
43:28
feel that they are laughing and they're happy,
43:30
they feel they had a good time, but they don't
43:31
know that they were externally stimulated to
43:32
do those things. Praise God. But know that what
43:35
we have in God is from within. Everything is
43:39
not, if things, if your life is bent on externals,
43:42
externals, you'll be suffering, you'll be in
43:44
trouble. So even if you feel guilty, it says
43:48
God is greater than our feelings and he knows
43:51
everything. So I want you to tell yourself and
43:54
tell your neighbor that God is greater than your
43:56
feelings. So what you feel is not as important
44:01
as what God has said and what God says of you.
44:08
Praise God. So what you feel is not important.
44:11
Sometimes you feel like you are unforgiven. You
44:15
feel like there's still things that you need
44:18
to pay. There's still debts you owe God that
44:20
you need to pay God. But you can't pay God. He
44:23
has already paid for you already. Praise God.
44:27
So what is forgiveness? What is forgiveness?
44:32
What is forgiveness? Let's look at Ephesians
44:36
1 verse 7. I would have loved us to start from
44:40
3, but let's just do 1 verse 7. But subsequently,
44:45
I think we might go back to it again. Ephesians
44:48
1 verse 7, it says, In him we have redemption.
44:51
That's New King James, not NLT. In him we have
44:54
redemption through his blood. The forgiveness
44:59
of sins according to the riches of his grace.
45:06
In him we have redemption through his blood.
45:09
His blood there will be what? Speaking of what?
45:12
We'll be speaking of death, right? Speaking of
45:15
death through his blood. This is the forgiveness
45:18
of sins according to the riches of his grace.
45:21
So the forgiveness there is a Greek word called
45:25
aphesis. A -P -H -E -S -I -S. A -P -H -E -S -I
45:35
-S. A -P -H -E -S -I -S. That's the word forgiveness.
45:42
And this forgiveness is not a reluctant pardon.
45:45
You know where? You know, some people will just
45:47
say, I forgive you, I forgive you. They say they
45:50
forgive you, but they come back tomorrow, it's
45:52
like you still owe them. Right? So this forgiveness
45:58
is not a lockdown pardon, right? It is granted,
46:01
it is done. And I want to explain to us what
46:04
the word is. The word affesses, the word affesses
46:07
is, it means sending away, a removal, a dismissal.
46:15
It means a dismissal. A removal, a dismissal.
46:20
And this word carries the idea of a debt being
46:24
cancelled and the record of it being removed.
46:30
A debt being cancelled and the record of it being
46:33
removed. You know, when somebody cancels your
46:37
debt and he still has the paper with him. You
46:41
know, when somebody cancels your debt and he
46:42
still has the paper with him and he'll be like,
46:45
If I do something wrong now, the person will
46:48
just use, and then if he even comes to you with
46:50
pencil, you're most, you're not sure if the debt,
46:54
and I don't know, how many of you have had, some
46:58
of us are still in it, and I'm not making any
47:00
light of it, but I want you to just immerse yourself
47:03
in this. How many of you have had debt? And we're
47:06
students here. Some of us, we know you had debt,
47:09
and like the debt sometimes overwhelms you. That
47:13
even in your working day, you're still, you just,
47:15
when you even try to take a breather, you just
47:17
remember, the morning just flashes. It just flashes.
47:21
You're like, when you try to say, the joy of
47:23
the Lord is my strength. I rejoice always. You
47:25
just, all of a sudden you're saying, the debt,
47:26
the debt. And then you are like, what, how exactly?
47:30
It's almost like everywhere you turn. Know that
47:31
at that point in time now, it's not about how
47:33
you feel. Because if you want to carry the debt
47:36
on your forehead, You'll be feeling guilty. Even
47:39
when the person is greeting you, the person that
47:41
you owe, you know, some of us, the whole institution
47:43
we owe, so there's nobody. So you don't, you
47:46
can't even move around. In fact, some of us,
47:48
even the way we move around the school, we are
47:50
scared. Or when you are owing the government,
47:53
you don't even leave your house. But look at
47:56
what happens. When that debt is cleared, there's
48:00
a way you move around like someone that now can
48:02
breathe properly. Like you, the air now, formerly
48:06
the air felt like it was heavy, but now there's
48:09
something about, because you have an understanding.
48:12
And not that for some of us, the debt has been
48:14
cleared already. I was sharing this money. I
48:16
was remembering when I was pregnant. It was a
48:18
time when there was this debt. But one thing
48:20
I told myself, I said, the debt came, the debt
48:22
will go. Right? The debt came, the debt will
48:25
go. And I said, if I'm going to be moody all
48:27
through the time or anybody that sees me will
48:29
say, ah, this guy is owing somebody. Know that
48:31
it's going to... I would just miss out on opportunities
48:34
to share the gospel. You know, you can't share
48:36
the gospel if you're not rejoicing. You can't
48:38
share the gospel if your face is looking like
48:40
you're owing. You know, what even makes your
48:42
gospel even stronger is when you're owing in
48:43
depth and the guy will say, how are you doing
48:45
it? You are still sharing this gospel like you
48:47
don't owe anybody. The gospel is more powerful
48:51
in that particular situation than when you come
48:53
and everything is okay and the person will say,
48:55
why are you sharing the gospel? You say, you
48:56
know, the Lord has been good to me. You know,
48:59
it's easy for us to say the Lord has been good
49:00
to me. And then some of us will now use that
49:02
as the basis. His goodness now is the basis for
49:04
us to now share the gospel. Note that that in
49:06
itself is just, you don't even understand what
49:08
the goodness of God is. And that's basically
49:10
what we're going to be seeing here, right? So
49:13
when a debt is removed, it's not like a parent
49:16
merely saying, okay, I forgive you and then remembers
49:18
the offense later. Or a judge now can't say you
49:21
are guilty. But what it is, the picture here
49:24
that is painting of you is that you are guilty.
49:27
you know that you're guilty. You know that you're
49:28
owing that debt. And then somebody comes and
49:31
cancels it entirely and deletes every record
49:34
of it. You know that, you know when the person
49:36
presses delete, you know there's no way the thing
49:39
will come back and you ensure that they remove
49:41
it from the recycle bin if there's some recycle
49:43
bin. So you know that there's no way they can
49:45
even put the mask together and account for something.
49:48
And please, this doesn't pale in anything in
49:51
comparison to what Christ has done. Because it's
49:53
not just 1 ,000, 10 ,000. The price he paid is
49:58
so high. Praise God. The price he paid is so
50:02
high. And it means that sin is no longer a problem
50:07
in our relationship with God. I don't know whether
50:10
you heard me. Sin is no longer a problem in our
50:14
relationship with God because the price has been
50:17
paid. So it means that if you're going about,
50:21
because whether you like it or not, but it doesn't
50:24
carry the same, because the record of it, you
50:27
know, some of us, you think that now there's
50:29
a new record after the old record. After the
50:33
old record is gone, you think there's a new record.
50:35
Like when he has paid that one, then there's
50:37
a fresh new, no, that's not it. You know, if
50:41
you are always somebody, and then you don't want
50:44
to even take from the person again, because that
50:46
one has a miracle happened. Praise God. But now
50:49
our relationship with you, we have that. There's
50:52
no record of it. It's gone. And even when you
50:55
make any missteps, he doesn't look at it because
50:59
someone has stand in the place for you. That's
51:03
when we are telling someone about what Christ
51:05
has done. You want to ensure that you make it
51:07
clear, right? You make it clear that this is
51:10
what Christ has done. Now we can come boldly.
51:12
Now we're bold. We don't move around like people
51:14
that owe somebody because that's been paid. Praise
51:18
God. Colossians 1, 13. 13 to 14. We'll see more
51:26
of the passages. It says, He has delivered us
51:28
from the power of darkness and conveyed us into
51:32
the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom...
51:38
We have redemption through his blood. Notice
51:41
that he says through his blood. I said anytime
51:43
you see through his blood is the death that resulted
51:46
in that. The forgiveness. That forgiveness there
51:49
is the face of sins. Right? We're getting into
51:53
sins. I want us to go to John 1 .29. John 1 .29
52:01
says, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away.
52:05
The word there, I think we've seen it before,
52:07
that eye roll. The same, that takes away, that
52:11
takes away, take away, that lifted up, you know,
52:13
that other word when Jesus Christ lifted, that
52:16
eye roll is the word. You see, take away and
52:19
carry away the sin of the world. The sin of the
52:25
world. So Jesus didn't just cover it, right?
52:29
He took it away. So the walk, It's complete.
52:33
It's comprehensive. It's done. It's not rendering.
52:36
It's not what the debt is gone and then it's
52:38
still counting. It is done and it's done. Praise
52:41
God. I want us to see another word that confirms
52:44
to us that, you know, that takeaway is present.
52:48
You know, this one now is done. Let's see another
52:51
word that's in Ephesians 4 verse 32. Ephesians
52:54
4 verse 32. Ephesians 4 verse 32. It says, And
53:00
be kind to one another. Tenderhearted, forgiving
53:03
one another. Even as God in Christ forgave you.
53:11
Forgave you. Forgave you. I don't know whether
53:14
you understand. Forgive. It is past. Somebody
53:18
forgave you and you are still saying, I'm not
53:21
forgiving. That can be an insult. Right? That
53:26
can be an insult. And the word there is kaisomia.
53:30
I don't know whether I even pronounced it correctly.
53:31
I don't think I practiced this one as much. So
53:33
C -H -A -R -I -Z -O -M -A -I. I'll repeat it
53:42
again. C -H -A -R -I -Z -O -M -A -I. So the reason
53:51
why I'm giving us this word is first to understand
53:53
that the word there means to give generously
53:57
and freely. Give generously and freely. It means
54:00
that you're not giving it and then hoping or
54:03
going to change it. You're doing it freely. You're
54:07
not doing it and holding back. It says to pardon
54:10
or rescue as an act of grace. And what this emphasizes
54:15
is that what is being given or what is being
54:17
let away is permanent. It's permanent. It's permanent.
54:23
So it means that God's forgiveness towards us
54:25
is not a temporary overlook. It doesn't just
54:29
overlook it and then, but it's a gracious gift
54:32
and it's permanently given in Christ. So it's
54:37
ours. It's not that it will be ours. It's ours.
54:42
It's not that it will be. It's not like it's
54:43
something that will be. It's what is ours and
54:46
it's what is ours. Know that in this economy,
54:50
what it says, it says, which we're given is what
54:52
we have and it's what we, and I want you to see
54:55
something, we'll close from here. In the Old
54:57
Testament, in Psalms 103, Psalms 103, Psalms
55:07
103 verse 10 to 12. 10 to 12, it says, He has
55:15
not dealt with us according to our sins, nor
55:18
punished us according to our iniquities. For
55:22
as the heavens are high above the earth, so great
55:32
is His mercy towards us who fear Him. 12 now
55:36
says, as far as the east is from the west, so
55:40
far as he removed our transgressions from us.
55:45
As he removed our transgressions from us. That
55:49
he removed. That removed there is rehach. And
55:54
the removed there is, you know when it speaks
55:58
of the east. so far away that you can't even
56:01
find it. It's like when somebody throws something
56:04
far away, you can't, the person, you know when
56:06
you carry something and just throw it away, you
56:08
can't even find it, even when you think that
56:10
you're going to go back to it, but that is not
56:11
it. He says he has not dealt with us according
56:14
to our sins. Some of us, we move around feeling
56:16
guilty and I will close with this. I said myself
56:22
before, I said this before, but I'll repeat myself
56:25
again. Don't move around carrying a debt, you
56:30
no longer owe. Because you're carrying the debt
56:32
in your mind. You're feeling that you're owing
56:36
in your mind. You're carrying that sense of guilt.
56:38
You're carrying that sense of I'm unforgiving
56:41
or I'm not forgiven or I'm unforgiving. You're
56:44
carrying that sense when he has done it and he
56:46
has perfected it and it's permanent. And this
56:49
is David. David understood this and David had
56:53
prophesied of it. He understood it. He understood
56:56
it. David, It's prophesying what God will do,
57:00
what God has done now, where we are now. And
57:05
this is the posture we have when we come to God.
57:09
The posture we have is that it is done. And it's
57:13
infinite, it's absolute. It says, as far as the
57:16
east is from the west. The way east is far from
57:18
the west, that is how far he has taken our transgressions
57:21
from us. So what it means is that... In our relationship
57:24
with God, I repeat myself, I repeat myself again.
57:26
In our relationship with God, sin is not a problem
57:28
because we are one with his son. We are united
57:32
with him. We are united with him. So sin is not
57:35
a problem. So close with this, with what we started
57:39
with. I want you to see that I'm forgiven. And
57:43
if you're here and you don't know that forgiveness,
57:46
I will advise that you don't leave without interacting.
57:52
You can meet with any of the pastors. You can
57:54
meet with any of the leaders in the church and
57:57
have a conversation. I was excited when I saw
57:58
this young man. Welcome to church. So I remember
58:02
you and I will see you after the service. So
58:04
it's amazing when you come to this understanding
58:09
because it changes everything. Remember we said
58:11
it's foundation. If you don't understand the
58:13
foundation of something, it's difficult for you
58:15
to move forward. You'll be unstable. You'll be
58:17
shaky. And that's why we want to remind ourselves
58:20
that every time, remind yourself that I'm forgiven.
58:24
Say it, I am forgiven. My sins are removed and
58:29
they are not held against me. So I do not face
58:32
judgment for it. Say I am loved. My identity
58:37
and what is anchored on the same perfect love
58:42
the father has for his son. Say I am enlightened
58:47
because he loves me. God reveals his heart. and
58:53
his mind to me. See, I am a child of light. I
58:57
am a child of light. His word is open to me.
59:02
I am not condemned. I am not in the dark. I am
59:06
not an outsider. I am not an outsider. See, I
59:11
am a child of God, full of insight. I want you
59:16
to turn that into prayer. Just turn that into
59:18
prayer. Just open your mouth. We appreciate you
59:22
being here today. We hope you carry this word
59:25
with you throughout your week. Don't forget to
59:28
check the show notes for additional insights.
59:30
Stay connected with us through our website or
59:33
follow us on social media. If you are encouraged,
59:37
share this message with someone you care about.
59:40
Until next time, stay blessed.