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Abortion, Idolatry & God’s Glory | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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I need you to just turn with me to Ephesians Chapter 5 in our
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Bibles together and Ephesians Chapter 5.
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As many of you know, this upcoming Saturday we as a church
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are preparing to head and make our way into the heart of the
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city and partnership with Love Life Ministries with the purpose
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of being the light of Christ in a very dark place.
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And that dark place is just outside of one of the largest
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abortion clinics in Chicago. And our hope and prayers, that
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our presence, our worship, our supplication, and the message of
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the gospel of Jesus Christ will penetrate whatever darkness
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abides and will even grip the hearts of those who are planning
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to head into that very clinic, to exterminate gifts of God.
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Those who bear His image, those who have been created for
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purpose. And with that mission and view,
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it seems appropriate for us to come under God's word this
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afternoon and to hear a message that will hopefully awaken our
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hearts, awaken our hearts to not just realize the great
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opportunity that we have before us, but to realize our mandate
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as believers in Christ. So my my goal in this, my prayer
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in this is not that you would be riled up or inspired for a
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single event, but that through the word you would be equipped,
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you'd be inspired. You'd be sharpened in your
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daytoday context, in your conversations and in your
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encounters, especially with those who believe it very
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differently than you and I do concerning this issue.
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And before we dive in, I want us to begin by pointing you to a
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verse that will serve as a reminder to what one of our
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duties are as followers of Jesus Christ Ephesians 5 down here in
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verse 11, take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness,
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but instead expose them. Take no part in the unfruitful
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works of darkness, but instead expose them.
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If you ask believers today what practically has changed in your
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life after you have experienced the new birth, you might get a
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summary like this, at least in the first part of verse 11.
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Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness they would
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They would explain that they no longer participate in the deeds
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of the flesh. They no longer associate with
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ungodliness. They might even elaborate and
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explain how their desires concerning sin and righteousness
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have been marvelously altered because of the indwelling work
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of the Holy Spirit. And all of that is right.
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That would be correct. That would be one of the signs
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that the Lord has indeed changed you and transformed you.
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But that's only half of what Paul has said.
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Paul says here in the second part, but instead expose them.
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He explains in this one verse how Christian responsibility is
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defined by much more than what you no longer do.
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He says that we are also known for what we actively engage in.
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And so, as a born again Christian, I not only testify
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and confess what I used to do, I now avoid.
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That's that's half of your reality.
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Moreover, you might equally it may must equally confessed what
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I used to ignore, I now do. And that's exactly what we see
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here. There is this holistic view of
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what the Christian is, and we see here that there is a work.
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One of the duties of the believer is to expose is to
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expose. And the word expose there is
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used in many ways in the New Testament, the ESV, it's the
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same word used for rebuke. It's the same word used for
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reprove. It's the same word used for
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convict. It denotes the call to point out
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fruits of darkness and to call it out for what it is.
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And that can be done in two ways.
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There is the direct approach and there is the indirect approach.
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And you can argue that in Ephesians chapter 5, Paul is
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making a case for exposing the works of darkness indirectly,
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indirectly. Where do I get that from?
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We'll look back here at verse 5 and it says here, let there be
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no filthiness. Excuse me, for you may be sure
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of this, that everyone who is sexually moral or impure, who is
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covetous, that is an idol that has no inheritance, has no
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inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ.
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And God. Let no one deceive you with
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empty words. For because of these things the
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wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
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Therefore do not become partakers with them.
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For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light
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in the Lord walk as children of light.
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When the Scripture uses the word walk in your spirituality, it
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speaks of daily behavior, daily conduct.
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And here we see that with the backdrop of walking his children
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in light, he exhorts the people of God to expose darkness.
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You know what that means. It's very simple that your
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honesty, your purity, your generosity, your selflessness,
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your gracious speech contains convicting power.
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It is able to disturb the darkness around you.
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And that calls for us to be very mindful of how we walk.
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Because the less that my walk is in accordance with the character
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of Christ, the more of this indirect influence becomes
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muddied and dimmed. And that's why he says here it's
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confirmed in verse 13, he says. But when anything is exposed by
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light, it becomes visible. For anything that becomes
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visible as light, therefore it says a Waco sleeper and arise
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from the dead in Christ will shine on you.
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Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as
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wise. Be careful, because there is an
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element indirectly of how your presence and your practice can
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actually draw people away from darkness.
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And so Paul's primary exposing work here, what he has in view,
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is more what I just said, presence and practice more than
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merely preaching and pleading. Nevertheless, you can take that
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truth and it can lead you in the wrong direction.
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And there are people who comfort themselves by by saying, well,
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if if that has the power to actually cause darkness to
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tremble, to cause people in darkness to see light, to be
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convicted by the warmth of that light, then there is no need for
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me to verbally deal with this. There is no there is no need for
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me to speak out against these things directly and clearly.
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And that would be terribly wrong.
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Terribly wrong. Your silent testimony and mine,
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though it is effective in many cases, can only go so far, can
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only go so far. It can only do so much.
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And there are times and many times we're exposing Includes
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the open challenge and confrontation of evil.
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Jesus said in John 77, the world cannot hate you, but it hates me
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because I testify about it that its works are evil.
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I testify, I bear witness. I explicitly say about the works
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of this world that it's evil, and that's why the world hates
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me. A lot of people who are not
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Christian are willing to tolerate with your niceness and
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your gentleness and your holiness in terms of not
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participating in what they participate in.
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But the moment you say something, the moment you speak
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out, the moment you address it, that's where persecution really,
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really, really takes on a new level.
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And yet it is still a responsibility.
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It's the duty of the believer. And one of the reasons why this
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is absolutely crucial for Christians to understand is
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because in this battle between truth and lie, in this war for
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souls, the devil is constantly attempting to keep sin in the
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dark from not coming to any light.
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And he has many clevers ways of doing this.
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And one of the most subtle things that he does concerning
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sin is he loves to and every generation repackage its label
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to give it new language to remove this sting of certain
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things so that it's it's more palatable and digestible for the
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Sinner. And so we're not, we're not
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hearing about fornication anymore.
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We hear about recreational sex. What we would consider adultery
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is not really adultery for many. It's an open relationship.
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You talk about pornography being shameful and disgusting.
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No. No, it's not pornography.
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It's adult entertainment. Abortion.
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Is it murder? No.
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It's a woman's right to choose. And so there's a catalog of
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examples of how the enemy is constantly working around the
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clock to keep sin in the dark and to convince that sin is not
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unfruitful, that it's fruitful. And so he changes the language
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around it, he blurs the consequences of it, and he
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promises empty rewards with it. Always, and based on what Paul's
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words are here to the church, we are, according to the Spirit,
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somewhat the conscience of the culture, the conscience of the
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culture. And so when the culture
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constantly through its different means, attempts to justify
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wickedness and repackage it and falsely promise things with it,
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and dismisses the dangers of it, both in this life and then the
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life to come, it's the Church's duty to say no.
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This is what it really is, and This is why it is wrong and
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evil. And this is what will happen if
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you continue in it. We are the one who rings the
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alarm in society. And so if you silence the
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church, you silence the conscience of the culture.
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If you shut down the church, so many things will occur as a
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result because the very DNA of this amazing institution is to
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be a source of preservation, preservation and healing.
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And so there are so many angles. I know you can.
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There's so many ways of approaching the subject.
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In preparation for this Saturday, I I just want to maybe
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help you think about something that you haven't thought about
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because quite honestly, even among believers, not everybody
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is very passionate about this issue.
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Not everybody is on board with why this is absolutely vital to
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take on and to expose. And I want to change your mind
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according to the word of God. Not because of my personal
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passions and desires, not because what I am fired up about
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necessarily, but because of what God's heart is.
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And so I want to just separate our thoughts in a very brief
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time together in three ways. Very simple.
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I hope you won't forget it. We're just going to look at the
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problem, the cause, the solution.
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The problem, the cause and the solution.
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Since 1973, more than 60 million.
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I mean, we throw these numbers around and we don't just take a
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breath and digest what that really entails.
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Over 60 million abortions have taken place in this country
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alone. In 2020, approximately 20% of
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pregnancies in the United States ended in abortion. 20%, not 2
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201 Researcher calculated that 51.5% of pregnancies in the
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District of Columbia were terminated were terminated in
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the year of 2020. So a little over half of the
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pregnancies in DC ended up in abortion.
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A little over than half 961,000 abortions took place in the US
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in the year of 2021. close to a million babies were slaughtered
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just two years ago. And I can go on and on and on
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with statistics from different angles on this and it will shock
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you, I'm sure, and maybe even cause you to be appalled.
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But I want you to think deeper. What makes this specific
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Holocaust so diabolical? What is it about this bloodshed,
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apart from the obvious, that should cause our hearts to boil
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with righteous indignation? And there are many thoughts to
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consider. But allow me to give you just
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one that I don't think we hear enough in our discussion as
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believers. At the core of it all, beneath
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the layers of politics and science and medicine and
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philosophy, abortion is ultimately A vicious assault on
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the glory of God. It is an attack.
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It is an attempt to overthrow God's glory in many ways.
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And if you and I are a people, OK, you're not passionate about
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this issue. You're not as concerned about
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it, fine. But if you are a person who is
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passionate about the glory of God, then you will take this
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subject, this issue very seriously.
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We will hate it because we love the glory of God.
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We will denounce it because we are people who promote the glory
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of God. We will seek its end because we
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are people who seek to expand the glory of God.
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But what's the connection? What's the connection between
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the preborn being terminated and God's glory?
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And the Bible says many things in connection to it.
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And one of the things that your heart and mind go to, I'm sure,
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is that how the Bible describes the Lord of the author of life
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and the canvas of his handiwork is the womb.
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In fact, that was the theme of David's praise, at least one of
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the themes in that masterpiece of Psalm 139 when he
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contemplated that nine month project that takes place
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thousands of times a day across this globe.
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The meditation of it caused explosive praise, and it should
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for you and I as well turn with me to Psalm 139, verse 1314.
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The Psalma says something that you know very well, for you
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formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my
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mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully
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and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works.
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My soul knows it very well. Listen, this is much bigger than
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fuzzy sentiments in a journal entry.
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There is massive implications about how mankind perceives who
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God is in light of the miracle that takes place in the womb
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every second of our day. Life in the womb is a means for
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God to receive glory. It testifies of His wisdom.
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It declares His power. It reveals His Majesty.
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It challenges the One who might deny intelligent design.
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And yet, at the same time, it comforts the heart of the
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believer who is reminded that he was created and she was created
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with and for purpose. It's manifold in its message.
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That one thing is manifold in its message.
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And here's another glorious snippet of this in another
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Psalm. You're there.
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And Psalms go to Psalm 71, verse 5.
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Psalm 71, verse five. What a beautiful sound this
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afternoon. For you, oh Lord, are my hope,
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my trust, Oh Lord, from my youth upon you I have leaned from
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before my birth. You are he who took me from my
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mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
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Do you see this? Here's a psalmist now
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contemplating on God's faithfulness.
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And he is contemplating it because he needs to be reminded
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of it. And the very moments that he is
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penning these words, he's rehearsing.
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And what does he look back to, to console his soul of God's
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providential goodness in the Today?
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Well, God's providential goodness at his most vulnerable
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stages in life, He looks back And he says, even from my youth
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you were my trust, and I leaned upon you from before my birth.
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What is the Holy Spirit conveying here?
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Here is this man expressing that he knew the hand of God's
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provision and protection before he even entered into this world,
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so to speak. And David says the same thing as
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Psalm 22, verse 9 and 10. He says it so clearly that from
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the womb God was his God, and that he trusted in his God even
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as he nursed at his mother's breasts.
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Think about the the just the amazing wisdom of that here.
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The Psalmist saying if I need to, if I need to bring relief to
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myself now, wondering where God is in his leadership of my days,
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oh, then I can just look back to when the days I was in my
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mother's womb and how I was totally depended upon everything
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for my survival and my growth and my nourishment.
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God was there. God was there then, and if he
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was there for me then surely he will be with me now.
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And Satan wants to destroy that message.
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He wants to erase that message. He wants people not just to see
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the glory of God in creation, but the faithful of God,
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faithfulness of God in creation, in the development of his
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creation. And so this is an all out
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assault and affront to God's character.
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In so many ways, the Bible makes the connection so clear between
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our development in the womb as a testimony of his loving
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faithfulness that we can trust throughout our lives.
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And when that thought is firmly fixed in your belief system,
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when it's there, you're able to recognize abortion as something
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more than the elimination of a human life, as grotesque as that
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is. You will also see it as an
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attempt to delete God's fingerprint in our world beneath
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all the layers. This is a Satanic plot.
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Birth in hell. Birth out of a hatred for our
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God that seeks to mute the glorious testimony that comes
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through God's most prized and crowned creation, those who are
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made in His image. And as I meditated on this, I
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thought to myself, well, it's not only an assault on the glory
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of God in his creative work through human life, but also in
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his purposes that are performed through life.
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How many times in the Bible are we told of destinies that were
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determined in the womb? In the womb?
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How many times do we see both an old and new God establishing
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callings while those babies are being woven together?
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And the one that came to mind is one of the earliest examples of
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that with Isaac and Rebecca. And in Genesis 2522, we're told
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the children struggled together within her.
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Notice how the Bible describes Jacob and ESA on the womb.
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The children. Not the tissue, not the clump of
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cells, the children. The children struggled together
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within her. And she said, if it is thus, why
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is this happening to me? So she went to inquire of the
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Lord. She went to pray about this
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jostling that was occurring in her belly.
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And God hears her prayer because God cares about what's taking
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place in that womb. And in verse 23 it says, And the
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Lord said to her, two nations are in your womb and two peoples
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from within you shall be divided, the one shall be
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stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.
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So you and I read verse 22 and we we confirm, we believe, yeah,
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those are children in the womb. And God goes beyond that.
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He says it's not just children, Those are nations.
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Those are nations. Those children in the womb have
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a purpose beyond their own life. Generationally, I have a plan
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for these two, and it's already been set that their service unto
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God and their relationship to one another has been has been
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sealed in some sense. And so God's mind in the womb is
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is beyond just creating a masterpiece, right?
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Fearfully and wonderfully made. No, there's actual callings and
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destinies that are being developed as well.
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And these callings, these two nations in the womb played a
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role in God's grand redemptive plot and storyline in history.
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And Satan knows that. Satan knows that what takes
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place in the womb are potential agents and actors for the glory
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of God, and so he wants to destroy it before he even has a
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breath to give. He wants to hijack it.
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He wants to sabotage it because he knows not only in that womb
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is God glorified in the creative act, but that God could
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potentially be further glorified in the lives that come from that
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womb and walk in his ways and trust in him and live for his
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namesake and so viciously Satan attacks.
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What is this really all about? What?
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Let's just get to the to the bottom of it.
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It's about God's glory. The bloodshed is horrific.
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It's an atrocity. It's unjust.
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Yes, all of that is true. But God's glory, God's glory is
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at what stake here. And we see that God has a
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different attitude about what these babies are all about and
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what they are to him. I was was just looking over some
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verses and thinking about this. I I stumbled upon a verse in a
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book that is often ignored, and when I read two simple words, it
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struck my soul and moved me to the core.
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And I want you to see with your own eyes and your Bibles.
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And it's Ezekiel chapter 16. And I want you to go to verse
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20. Here's the Lord condemning his
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people for their own version of child sacrifice.
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And in Ezekiel 1620, look at this and his confrontation
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through the prophet Ezekiel 1620.
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And you took your sons and your daughters whom you had born to
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me. And these you sacrificed to them
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to be devoured where you're whoring.
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So small a matter that you slaughtered here the two words
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my children, you slaughtered my children and delivered them up
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as an offering by fire to them. My children could have said your
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children, and that would have been right.
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But he wants to clarify something.
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They're mine. Now, you can argue this from the
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covenantal standpoint that God had with Israel because there
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was a dedication of the first born, but I think it's beyond
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that. Clearly, there was a disgusting
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disregard for the innocence and the beauty of these little
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children. And though this generation had
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no ounce of conviction concerning the life and the
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sanctity of these babies, fine. You don't want to see them as
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your children. They're mine.
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They belong to me. And so all these people chanting
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and parading, it's my body. I can do what I want.
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And you can obviously clearly debate that, right?
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It's not your body. But even if you want to go with
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that, even if you want to claim autonomy, here's what God says.
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You don't want them. They're mine.
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They belong to me. Whether you regard it, whether
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you want to accept the gift that I've given you with them, they
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belong to me. If that's true, then we're in a
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lot more trouble if we're dealing with God's children.
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I'm not talking about the the theological concept of becoming
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children of God through Christ and exclusively through Christ.
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This is speaking about God being the father of all spirits,
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right? That he has the creative
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authorship, overall creation, especially those created in his
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image. And So what we're seeing out
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there is not just women getting rid of their offspring, we're
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we're seeing the massacre of my children.
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That hasn't changed since Ezekiel's day, and Satan knows
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that. And Satan hates our God.
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He hates those who are Koreans and miss, so he wants to destroy
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them. This is this is the core problem
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here, and This is why we shouldn't be prayerfully
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passionate, because it deals with the glory of God in many
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ways. But what's the cause?
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If that's the problem, what's the cause?
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Do prochoice advocates really have this in mind when they
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perform and support the murder of children?
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Not necessarily. And even if they are informed,
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we wouldn't be surprised that though they are committing
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cosmic treason, that they would reconsider their ways and that
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they will continue to persist in their gross disobedience.
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That's unfortunately true. But why is that?
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Why the determination, Why the dedication?
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Why the argumentation? Why the debate?
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Why the protests For something that seems so obvious and clear
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and what we can say as the underlying motivation, the
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heartbeat, so to speak, behind this movement in our modern day
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is 1 simple word You ready for this?
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Idolatry? Idolatry.
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The mass murder of innocent children as a cultural practice
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is not a foreign concept to the Bible.
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The Bible is very familiar with it.
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Neighboring Pagan nations around the people of God Israel openly
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practice this and unfortunately at some point Israel adopted
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this for themselves and you read it in Ezekiel.
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God held them accountable for it.
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But why did they do that? Why did those neighboring
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nations recreationally almost give up their children to the
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flames? And I want to prove it to you in
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one verse. Endure on me. 1231 The Lord
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gives His Holiness code to His people before they enter into
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the promised Land, and He says, endure on me. 1231 You shall not
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worship the Lord your God in that way.
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For every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done
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for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their
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daughters in the fire to their gods.
30:00
Notice with me how false worship is intertwined with child
30:06
sacrifice, that that is the essence of ancient children
30:14
being slaughtered. It's in the name of religion.
30:19
It was done with the false premise of false understanding
30:22
of how these deities worked. And so if you wanted something
30:28
to be done beyond your control, or if you wanted to prevent
30:31
something to be done, you would show your desperation.
30:35
You would show the extent of you wanting that to be realized by
30:38
even giving up your offspring to these gods.
30:42
The Lord says that's not how I'm worshiped, That's not how you
30:45
get your prayers answered from me.
30:46
That's not how you experience my grace.
30:48
My blessings. Don't copy them.
30:51
Don't demonstrate your desperation in such a gruesome
30:55
way. This was an act of worship, and
31:01
it was at the expense of the lives of precious little
31:04
children. And I wholeheartedly believe
31:06
that abortion in our day is a modern version of child
31:11
sacrifice. Not because people are walking
31:15
into Planned Parenthood to meet with Molech or any other strange
31:19
demonic entity, but because the idol they are really worshipping
31:24
itself. That is who is being worshipped
31:28
in this act, That is, who is being acknowledged and praised
31:33
self. Even secular statistics can't
31:37
hide it. As much as they would want to,
31:40
they can't. If you even just go and make a
31:42
simple search, you'll realize that a majority of the pie of
31:46
why it is that abortions are committed is purely for personal
31:51
relief. You don't hear that on the
31:55
media. You don't hear that on podcast.
31:57
You don't hear that from the other side of the argument.
31:59
No, it's always extreme, rare examples that are in the
32:02
forefront of the conversation. But what about those who have
32:05
been raped? And what about those who have
32:07
been in since? Yes, they're horrible crimes and
32:09
we don't deal with evil by committing more evil, but that's
32:14
not even the main issue. You again, you look at that, you
32:18
look at the charts and what you see.
32:20
It's all about personal relief. I don't want this to interfere
32:26
with my career. I am not emotionally or
32:29
financially prepared to raise a child, and so I will put this
32:36
gift on the altar of convenience because this is really all about
32:44
me. And if there is something I want
32:49
to see realize, or I want to prevent, then like the pagans of
32:54
old, they will go to the extent of giving up the life of a
33:01
child. The underlying drive for many
33:08
prochoice advocates is that they want pleasure without
33:11
responsibility, sex outside of covenant, and convenience rather
33:16
than Christ like sacrifice. That's what it boils down to.
33:21
When Roe V Wade was overturned 2 years ago, we saw the articles,
33:25
we saw the outcry. And one of the things that stood
33:28
out to me from The Insider was the title of one article.
33:31
And I couldn't even. I thought it was satire, thought
33:35
it was a joke. I honestly thought that this was
33:37
just some kind of a a trick. And this was the title.
33:40
Woman on TikTok. That's where you're already
33:43
like, oh, OK, what's going on? TikTok.
33:45
Woman on TikTok Say hookup culture will be absolutely
33:50
decimated if Roe V Wade is overturned.
33:54
Hookup culture will be absolutely decimated if Roe V
33:58
Wade is overturned. Oh, so that's what it's really
34:02
about. What about the charge about rape
34:06
and incense And said no, no, no. Hookup culture will be
34:11
decimated. To which I said good when I read
34:15
that article. Good.
34:18
Think about that decision more. Reconsider it.
34:24
It says a lot about what people are truly concerned about when
34:27
it comes to this issue. It's not about people's
34:30
suffering. It's not about complicated
34:32
circumstances. It's about convenience.
34:38
And that statement, among many other statements, shows not just
34:41
what people believe about this issue, but what they believe
34:43
about themselves. In this whole issue, a preacher
34:49
made a brilliant observation. So simple but so brilliant at
34:54
the same time. He said it is illegal to take
34:58
the life of the unborn if the mother wants the baby, but it is
35:03
legal to take the life of the unborn if she doesn't.
35:07
In the first case, the law treats the fetus as a human with
35:10
rights. In the second case, the law
35:12
treats the fetus as non human with no rights.
35:16
One secular physician said that this is a kind of schizophrenia.
35:23
We're in the same hospital. You can kill a 21 week old baby,
35:26
but in another room you're trying to save its cousin or his
35:32
cousin in the womb of another woman.
35:37
And so that same preacher says we know exactly what we're
35:39
doing, we know exactly what we're doing.
35:43
And so this is more than just this is what I really believe
35:46
about this issue. Moreover, it's this is what I
35:48
believe about myself and wanting this to be legal and wanting
35:54
this to be championed. What people truly desire is the
35:57
prerogative that belongs to God alone, and that is the
36:01
prerogative of taking human life when he wills.
36:05
No man has the right to do that, especially when it comes to
36:08
innocent life. So the crime of all of this is
36:11
not just stripping God's glory from him, but deifying yourself
36:17
at the same time. So it's not just erasing God's
36:21
glory, it's trying to glorify yourself.
36:25
I have the right to do this. I deserve this.
36:30
And so it's not before the hands of Malik or any other Canaanite
36:34
deity. It's ultimately the worship of
36:35
self that is the cause, and that is the root issue.
36:40
You can, you can legalize it, make it illegal, whatever you
36:44
want. Ultimately, if the heart doesn't
36:45
change, if it doesn't, put God where he belongs and put us
36:48
where we belong. You will find a way to worship
36:50
yourself one way or another. And So what is the solution?
36:55
I told you this would be short. The solution is very simple.
36:59
Let me address first the believer.
37:00
Let me make this a full circle thing.
37:03
Speak up right You may not be a preacher, you may not be part of
37:08
Love Life Ministries, but you're a believer who lives in this
37:11
world, who comes into contact via social media and even in
37:14
face to face dealings with people who believe very
37:17
differently than you do. And when the conversation comes
37:20
and when things take place in the media and things take place
37:25
in a political sphere, don't be quiet.
37:29
Don't be quiet. When your job is to expose.
37:32
Now let me give you a disclaimer.
37:35
Your job in exposing, According to Paul's words, it's not to dig
37:37
up the dirt on non believers and to create blogs and podcasts.
37:41
OK? You don't want that to be the
37:43
the theme of your ministry or your witness.
37:45
Just finding skeletons in people's closets and making them
37:48
public, that's not what it means to expose.
37:51
But there is a level of confrontation.
37:53
There is a level of speaking out because God has designed the
37:57
church to again be the conscience of the culture.
38:01
And I'll show you a brief testimony.
38:03
There's a young lady who doesn't attend here regularly, who comes
38:07
once every few months, maybe years even.
38:11
And this young lady came once and she sat with me after the
38:14
service and just looked absolutely distraught, just
38:16
broken because she fell into sin and out of fear.
38:23
Fear in her family, fear for her reputation, fear for her
38:27
unpreparedness. She was ready to do exactly what
38:30
we're talking about. And right there I just felt the
38:33
intensity of the conversation. This is a matter of life and
38:36
death now. This is a matter of rescue now,
38:41
and you have preachers today who would say, well, that's your
38:43
personal thing and if you want to deal with it in your own,
38:45
that's between you and God. And so just in that few 10
38:50
minutes, just going back and forth, encouraging, promising,
38:55
but also sternly warning, I did not get an answer.
38:59
I wanted one. I I wanted the.
39:02
You're right. I I can't believe I thought this
39:05
and thank you and just and just even if I don't see you.
39:08
At least I had that verbal confirmation and it wasn't
39:10
there. All I saw was even what seemed
39:15
to be more distress and realizing what God has to say
39:19
about this and and there was a war for a life, and not just
39:26
that baby's life, but this young lady's life.
39:32
Weeks go by, months go by. And one day I see that person
39:37
again and it's very sanctuary. But I see a different face while
39:42
I'm on the pulpit. And I'm so curious, so curious
39:46
what happened. And when I went to the door, as
39:49
we usually do every single week, I didn't just see a face.
39:52
I saw a big belly. And it wasn't the same face.
40:06
A face full of hope and joy and life.
40:11
Because you can never go wrong when you obey God.
40:15
Never. Satan will tell you otherwise.
40:17
He'll tell you that there is fruit in darkness.
40:21
And Paul says expose the unfruitful works of darkness.
40:28
You say you're a pastor. What does that mean?
40:33
You you know people that I don't know.
40:35
You have a reach that none of the elders might have.
40:39
You have your own world, your context.
40:42
Say something, say it directly to a person that needs to be
40:48
hearing it. Say it out loud if you have the
40:49
chance to say it with grace and love.
40:51
And who knows what your words, your stance, can do in the life
40:56
of another. I'm sure Brother Juan has
40:58
amazing testimonies of his ministry, of his presence in one
41:03
place and how people have made a different turn because of his
41:07
obedience to the Lord. So it's a simple exhortation,
41:11
right? I'm not trying to make this
41:11
complicated or trying to make this sophisticated.
41:14
Just be freshly inspired to be bold, to be bold.
41:20
But perhaps you're here today and your heart is not elated.
41:24
It's extra heavy. And what I just shared is a
41:26
testimony didn't really help much, because at some point in
41:29
your life you made the opposite decision when you were in the
41:32
same dilemma and you didn't listen to your conscience.
41:37
And there was others who unfortunately didn't speak hope
41:40
into your life but encourage you to to do what the Bible says not
41:45
to do. And when you hear messages like
41:47
this, or when it comes to a certain time of the year, or
41:50
when you even see somebody else around your age holding a baby
41:54
and you've made the internal calculation, would have been the
41:57
same age of your potential baby, you fall apart and you try to
42:02
keep yourself together. You are haunted by that sin.
42:07
And that is frequently the case for many who have at some point
42:10
committed abortion. It's not too late.
42:15
Because I want to tell you in closing, there is hope and not
42:18
just hope, massive hope, massive hope for you.
42:23
And the nature of the sin is bloodshed, is it not?
42:28
It's bloodshed. It is murder.
42:29
We we can't dull it. We have to say it as it is.
42:34
And God doesn't ask you to dismiss the severity of such a
42:38
sin, but He does ask you to bring that severity to something
42:43
so much more supreme and superior to it.
42:47
Final text Hebrews 12, verse 24 Hebrews 12/24.
43:02
There's a lot of blood in the book of Hebrews and the author
43:06
by the Spirit is making a case of how the blood of Jesus is
43:09
superior to the sacrificial blood of goats and bulls.
43:15
And then interestingly he makes a turn in this contrast of blood
43:19
as he as he preaches and writes about the blood of Jesus Christ.
43:24
Hebrews 12/24 and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and
43:29
to the sprinkle blood that speaks a better word than the
43:32
blood of Abel. Now what does that mean?
43:35
Well, this is what you need to know the Old Testament.
43:37
Because when you look at the Old Testament, you look at the
43:39
account of Abel, you realize that when his blood was shed,
43:42
the first murder in human history in Genesis 410, the Lord
43:46
said to Cain, what have you done?
43:49
The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the
43:53
ground. Blood speaks and and what the
44:00
Lord is saying is I hear the cry of vengeance from your blood
44:05
brother's blood. I hear it.
44:07
It's calling on me to act injustice against you.
44:13
And I thought I was sure. I thought about that.
44:14
That was the blood of one man early in our world's history.
44:18
What does the sound of 60 million babies sound like in the
44:23
ears of our God and his throne? What does that sound like when
44:31
60 million babies, through their blood, are crying out for
44:36
vengeance? And yet, he says, as loud as
44:46
that voice is, as strong as that voice is, there is blood that
44:50
speaks. A better word, a more convincing
44:54
word, a more persuasive word, a more compelling word.
44:59
See, the blood of Abel cries. Vengeance.
45:04
The blood of Christ, Christ, Mercy, right.
45:07
The blood of Abel says, Repay him.
45:10
The blood of Jesus says it's been paid.
45:13
And so the understanding here is for the bloodshed that you might
45:16
have committed. There is a blood that can
45:20
cleanse that stain from your hands.
45:23
There is a blood that, if applied, speaks a better word
45:27
and secures your salvation. And not only that, cleans your
45:32
conscience. In Hebrews 10/22, with the same
45:36
language of sprinkling of blood, the author says let us draw near
45:40
with a true heart and full assurance of faith, with our
45:44
hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience.
45:48
It's not theoretical. It's not merely theological.
45:51
There is power in the blood of Jesus Christ.
45:55
And when you call upon that fount, that fount that runs with
46:01
the blood from Emmanuel's veins, and you plunge yourself in that
46:05
act of mercy and grace, it not only gives you assurance of
46:09
faith, it removes that burden of guilt.
46:12
It frees you. It empowers you.
46:17
It causes you to worship and love and trust in him, and to
46:20
realize that even after such a thing there is still hope,
46:24
purpose for your life. And so I call you not to look at
46:30
the blood that you might have shed, but to the blood that was
46:32
shed on that cross 2000 years ago that still runs with mercy
46:37
and grace. You can know it for yourself.
46:41
And so believers, speak up for the person who committed this,
46:46
maybe even as a confessing believer.
46:48
Speak up as well. Cry out to the Lord.
46:52
Trust that He embraces you, He receives you, He calls on you,
46:56
and He is ready to clean you and to secure a relationship with
47:01
him that you might have not enjoyed for years.
47:05
Because the same Satan who might have convinced you to do such a
47:08
thing now convinces you that you're finished and it's long
47:12
gone now, and you're in the peripheral of God's Kingdom.
47:17
And you just stay there and make sure that you impress God and
47:21
that you make up for what you did.
47:22
And all Christ is saying is, let me cleanse you.
47:26
I will wash you and forgive you. And so, church, as we, as we
47:30
prepare for the Saturday Saturday, have confidence in the
47:33
powerful work of Christ's blood and trust that people, people
47:38
are fighting their conscience every single time they enter
47:42
into these places. It may not seem so.
47:44
It may. It may seem like it's dead end.
47:45
It may seem like they have no conscious for them to even
47:47
consider that. But you don't know the wrestling
47:50
that takes place within. And all it takes is for a bold
47:54
Christian to make something of their Saturday morning, to say
47:57
there's a hope for you and God is a plan for that baby.
48:01
And even though it wasn't planned, even though it was
48:03
accidental, even though it's through means that you did not
48:05
hope or anticipate. For God is a master at taking
48:09
messes and making glorious messages and masterpieces out of
48:14
while. We thank you for this session,
48:16
While we pray that if we are low in our energy, low in our
48:24
understanding of what it means to be advocates for life, help
48:29
us realize again it's about the glory of God.
48:32
And help us realize the root cause ultimately is idolatry,
48:35
the worship of self. And the only thing that can deal
48:38
with the worship of self is not legislation, is not politicians,
48:43
it's not philosophical arguments.
48:45
It's the blood of Christ, the cross of Jesus Christ.
48:50
And so thank you for the reminder of the simplicity of
48:53
our mission. It's to bring the truth, the
48:57
exaltation of Christ, and also as humiliation and coming into
49:02
this world to pay the price even for bloodshed and Lord.
49:06
Even now, as we worship you in light of this word, help us be
49:09
prepared to be equipped by our brother and may you be further
49:11
glorified in our time, in Jesus name.
49:14
Amen. We're going to sing.
49:17
As we sing, you can sing about many things, how you are
49:22
fearfully and wonderfully made. You can sing about how the fact
49:28
that you've entered into this world because God has a purpose
49:30
for you, purpose beyond what you might even know.
49:34
You can sing about God's forgiveness and that there is a
49:39
second chance, a third chance, a fourth chance, a fifth chance.
49:41
No matter what sin you have made, you can sing that God has
49:45
given us the opportunity to be a church with a voice.
49:49
You can sing that God will be glorified this Saturday.
49:58
And so let's stand together and sing.