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The Godly Man, Part 4 · CCC West Covina

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Psalm 12/1 states that help, O Lord, for the godly man ceases
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to be. That was our text on Father's
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Day and continues to be our text even today.
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And my plan is to to finish that outline this morning.
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We trust that that will happen, but the the verse itself is very
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convicting. It's very challenging because
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the living and abiding Word of God applies to every generation,
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no matter when that generation is.
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And it is true that that the godly man ceases to be.
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And so we need to understand what God is looking for when he
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looks for someone to stand in the gap or someone to intercede
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for him as he looks for a man to do that kind of thing.
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And so are are we that kind of man?
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What does a godly man look like? You see, my greatest concern as
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a pastor is, is not that you, you fail.
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My greatest concern is that you will succeed at doing the wrong
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thing. That's my greatest concern,
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because fail you will. But that's not my greatest
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concern. It's that you'll succeed at
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doing the wrong thing. And there are many people who
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are successful at doing that which is wrong or that which is
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not the best. What is best is that you, you be
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the kind of man that honors and glorifies the name of God so
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that the godly man is here in his family, in his church, in
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the workplace. When I was growing up as a as a
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young man, my father instilled certain principles in me.
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Those principles have been with me to this day.
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I hold on to them dearly because it is what led is what led me to
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where I am even even today at at my age and where I am at Christ
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Community Church. They were principles that that
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governed his life and he wanted me to understand them in such a
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way that I would be able to follow them.
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So by way of introduction, I'm going to give you those
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principles. There are six of them.
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It will lead us into the completion of our outline this
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morning. He used to always tell me, Son,
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if if you want to be a a man of God, you must number one, find a
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glorious church, you must find a glorious church, that is a
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church that gives glory to God. Ephesians 321 says, let there be
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glory in the church from generation to generation.
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But the theme is, let there be glory in the church.
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In other words, let there be a display of the magnificence of
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Christ. May Christ always be on display.
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May may the the majesty and splendor and beauty of God be
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seen in the church. Let there be glory in the church
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and in Christ Jesus from generation to generation.
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The church is to give glory to the Lord.
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Some people say, well, well, this is a good church, or this
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church over here is a good church.
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So a good church can only be a good church if it's a glorious
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church. How do we know that?
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Well, in Exodus chapter 34, when when Moses said, Lord, show me
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your glory, and God said, I can't let you see my glory and
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live, but I will let all my goodness pass before you, and I
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will proclaim the name of the Lord.
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In other words, the goodness of God describes the glory of the
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Lord. So a good church is a church
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that gives glory and honor to God, that puts God on display.
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That's a glorious church. That's a good church.
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A good church can only be good if it glorifies the name of God.
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It's so important. John MacArthur, who said that
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the only reason to choose a church is to choose it based on
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the preaching of the Word. No other reason.
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That's a quote. The only reason to choose a
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church is to choose the church that preaches the word of the
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living God. There is no other reason to
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choose the church. Why?
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Because when you proclaim the name of God, you glorify the
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person of God. You put him on display.
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That is so important. And so you preach the word of
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God. And how do you know?
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The church preaches the word of God.
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It practices the word of God. It lives it out.
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First Timothy 315 says that the church is the pillar and the
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foundation of the truth. Everything about the church is
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about the truth of God, nothing else.
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So how would you know a glorious church?
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The Bible says in Matthew 4 man should not live by bread alone,
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but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
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How do you live each and every day by the word of God that
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proceeds from the mouth of God? That's it.
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Psalm 138, verse #2 says thy word, O Lord, is magnified even
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as thy very name, the word of God, is magnified to a level of
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the name of God. And one day at the name of
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Christ, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that
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Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
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So how do you know a church is a glorious church if you have to
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find a glorious church? And this is my, my dad's biggest
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beef throughout his life. It became my biggest beef as
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well. How do you know you have found a
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glorious church? And there are many facets to
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that. We, we wrote a little booklet
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called How to Choose a Church and in there are a lot of
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descriptions on how do you know a church that glorifies and
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honors the Lord. But let me just give you a
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couple of things by way of suggestion.
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Think of it this way. God is is holy, holy, holy.
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God wants his bride to be holy. When he saves us, he sanctifies
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us. He sets us apart.
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That's what it means to be sanctified.
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We're set apart under God for his purposes.
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We are, we become holy children of the living God.
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And so a holy God wants a holy church.
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A holy God doesn't want an unholy church.
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He wants a holy church. So how do you get there?
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You get there by understanding the very first instruction that
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Jesus gives about the church. If if Jesus gives us
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instructions about the church and he gives them an order of
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priority and he gives them as #1, then it should be the number
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one element in the church itself to know whether that word, that
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church is preaching the Word and living the Word.
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And so the very first instruction that Jesus gives
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about the church is before the church is ever born.
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The church is born in Acts 2. But before the church is ever
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born, Jesus says these words. If your brother sins, go and
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show him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you have
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won your brother. But if he does not listen to
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you, take one or two more with you, said by the mouth of two or
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three witnesses. Every fact may be confirmed.
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If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, the
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church. And if he refuses to listen even
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to the church, let him be to you as a a Gentile and a tax
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collector. And truly I say to you that
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whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever
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you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
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And again I say to you that if 2 of you agree on earth about
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anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by my
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Father who is in heaven. For where two or three are
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gathered together in My name, I am in their midst.
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This is the Lord's first instruction to the church.
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If her brother sins, you go to him in private.
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If he does not repent, you take two or three witnesses, that
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they might be witnesses to your confrontation, that it might be
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true and honorable before the Lord.
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And if he your brother doesn't repent, you tell it to the
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church. So the church then goes after
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that brother, that they might learn to hear the word of God
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and repent, and that person doesn't repent after the church
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has gone after them. Christ says you treat him as a
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task, gather as a Gentile. You treat him as if they don't
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know the Lord because they manifested the fact that they
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don't know the Lord. You see here, here is Christ
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concerned about the purity of the church.
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Let the church be holy. This is his first instruction.
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It's got to be the number one. So if a church is not involved
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in disciplining its members who live in sin, that's not a
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glorious church. That's a bad church.
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That's a bad church. Don't go to that church.
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Why? Because they're more concerned
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about popularity than they are purity.
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If they're more concerned about popularity than they are purity,
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it's always going to be detriment to the people in the
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church. You got to love the people
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enough that you want them to honor the Lord and serve the
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Lord and glorify His name and live pure and holy lives.
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And so you go after them. They might live a righteous and
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pure and holy life. The Word of God has preached,
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and the word of God is a cleansing agent.
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Anyway, you've been made clean through the word I preached to
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you, Christ says in John 15. Then then we know that that the
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members of the church are concerned about the purity of
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the church. Why?
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Solomon tells US1 Sinner destroys much good.
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Just one, one little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.
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So if there's one person living in sin, living in disobedience
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to God, not wanting to honor God, you go to that brother.
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You plead with that brother to repent and turn from their sins.
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If he doesn't, you go and take two or three witnesses with you
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that they might hear you as you plead with your brother.
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And then if they don't repent, you take you to the church.
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Tell the church. Let the church pursue them
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relentlessly because you care about the spiritual condition of
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their soul. The church must be concerned
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more about your spiritual condition than anything else.
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So you find a glorious church. That church is seen by its
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desire to make sure its members live pure and holy lives.
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Therefore, they are engaged in church discipline if need be.
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I remember when, when Kate went off to Indiana State play
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football, Lori went out with him to help him find a church.
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They found a church and and he went to the pastor and he asked
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him, do you guys practice church discipline?
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And the pastor said no, Kate was out of there, he was gone.
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Didn't want to be a part of a church that's not concerned
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about the purity of the church. That has to be the number one
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concern. It was Christ's first
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instruction to the church. It must be our first priority as
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a church. That's why Acts 5 is so crucial.
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And anasses of fire were killed in church because they lied
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about how much they sold their property for.
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It wasn't like they committed immorality or idolatry or
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involved in fornication with other people in the church.
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No, they just lied to the Holy Spirit about how much they they
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sold their property for and they died in church.
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And what happened? Great fear came upon the church,
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and great fear came upon the community in Jerusalem.
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I don't go to that church. You might die.
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But the church grew immensely because that's the kind of
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church God wants and to honor so important.
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Here's another one. Here's another one.
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Paul says it this way, First Timothy chapter 2.
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He says I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority
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over a man, but to remain quiet. For it was Adam who was first
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created and then Eve, and it was not Adam who was deceived, but
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the woman being deceived fell into transgression.
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But women will be preserved through the bearing of children
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if they continue in faith, love, sanctity and self restraint.
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Women pastors are characteristic of an unglorious church, not a
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glorious church. I permit not a woman to teach
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nor your super authority over man.
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All the qualifications for elder are in the masculine tense.
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If you have a woman pastor, you're in a unglorious church,
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not a glorious church. Read the Book of Revelation,
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Revelation chapter 2, Church of Thyatira.
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They had a woman pastor and God said that corruption has
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permitted the entire church and God was concerned about that.
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So you must understand these these are things that are
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important. Why?
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Because the church that preaches the word practices the word and,
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and, and what what Paul does, the first thing to do is if he
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crosses all cultural bounds, he says, I permit not a woman to
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teach no usurp authority over the man.
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Why wait? Because 4000 years ago this was
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set in motion. It's not about culture, it's
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about creation. And in the very beginning when
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God created a male and female, he created Adam first because he
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was the leader. And it was a woman who was
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tempted and fell into temptation.
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And therefore, it's important to realize that the order of
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creation determines the order of conduct in the church, no matter
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what the culture. People say, well, today's
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culture is different. No, it's not.
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No, it's not. You don't base your decision
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based on culture, you based it on the scriptures and what God's
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Word says. So that's why He goes back 4000
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years to show you the order of creation, to make sure you
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understand that men are to lead in the church and be pastors and
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shepherds in the church. That's a glorious find a
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glorious church, a church that preaches the Word, that honors
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the Word, that practices the Word that does not compromise
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the truth of the living God. That's where it all begins.
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As a father, you need to realize this as you lead your family and
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your own children. Where do your children go to
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church? Are they going to a glorious
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church? If not, what are you doing about
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that? Do you show them what the Word
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of God says? Teach them the truth of the word
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of God. They might not, they might not
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accept it, but you least you're held accountable for that
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because you know that's not the best and you want the best for
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your children. And so you teach them.
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I don't care how old they are, you still have to to teach them
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the truth of the Scriptures. That's so important.
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Why would you let your family member go to a church that's an
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unglorious church when they could go to a glorious church?
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Why would you have them go to church that's not good when they
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can go to a good church? As parents, we we still are
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protectors and providers and prophets and priests of our
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homes to lead and guide our children no matter what their
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age is. That's our responsibility.
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That's a godly man. Man, stand strong.
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You know, it's so important to realize that, that when a
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psalmist says help Lord, the godly man ceases to be that.
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That is just so true. You got to be strong.
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You got to stand firm on the truth of the living God without
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compromise. Find a glorious church #2 follow
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a godly man in that church. Find a glorious church.
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You follow a godly man in the church, follow that passionate
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person wherever they go. You go if they're there on
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Wednesdays, you're there on Wednesdays, they're there on
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Sunday for two services, You're there on Sunday for two
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services. They're in a Bible study, you're
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in a Bible study. You follow them wherever they
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go. You follow that godly man and
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you can see that the godliness of that man exercised in the
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life of his wife and his children.
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His children are in submission to his authority.
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His wife loves him and clings to him and is around him all the
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time. That's that's a godly man.
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That's the man you want to follow.
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See, that's why that's why Paul said follow me as I follow
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Christ. That's why in second
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Thessalonians are, excuse me, First Thessalonians chapter 2
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that they that those in Thessalonica became mimics and
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imitators of Paul and Silas. I'm sorry, that's that's first.
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That's one six. They they became imitators of
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them because they saw and fallen Silas something they didn't see
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anybody else. Godliness, holiness, purity,
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steadfastness, perseverance. They say I want that they follow
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them. Remember my father used to take
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me to prayer meeting on Wednesday nights and I was the
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only high school student in prayer meeting.
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You know, the high school student was there.
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My parents made me go. Parents today don't make their
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children do much, if anything. I don't, I don't understand
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that. I don't get that.
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If you're in that category, I feel sorry for you.
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You need to tell your children what they can and cannot do.
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They live in your house. They're under your authority.
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You're in charge, and God holds you responsible if they live
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under your roof. And so my parents said, you're
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going to primary and I was the only high school student there.
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But my dad said, I want you to follow the men.
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Follow these godly men in the church.
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When they pray, you pray. When you, when, when they
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preach, you listen. So I did, I just followed them
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and I heard and I saw and I watched their families and I
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watched their impact in the church.
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And I realized that they they were setting an example for for
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others to follow. And so I gleaned from that
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experience that I learned from them when, when, when they went
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out witnessing, I went out witnessing.
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When they went out in visitation, I went out in
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visitation. When they did this or did that
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in the church, I went along with them just to observe, to watch,
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to follow them. I begin to learn, I begin to
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grow simply because I had found a glorious church and began to
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follow the godly men in the church #3 foster your growth
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spiritually, foster your growth spiritually.
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We're to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ our
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Lord. Second Peter 3 verse #18 We're
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the kind of people God, God has given us His Word, the inspired
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word of God. That's profitable, that the man
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of God will be thoroughly furnished, thoroughly equipped,
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totally put together. You want your life put together.
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If your life is like Humpty Dumpty and you falling off the
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wall and it's everywhere, the only thing that's going to bring
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it back together is the word of God, not some kind of therapist.
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It's the word of the living God, that the man of God will be
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thoroughly furnished, totally equipped, totally put together
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for the glory and honor of God. Only God's Word can do that.
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So you must foster your growth spiritually.
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You must be in the Word. You must be on your knees.
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You must be understanding that God is doing a great work in and
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through your life. And so you begin to grow
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spiritually by being in the Word of God, on your knees, learning,
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growing step by step, moment by moment, day by day, as you walk
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with the Lord and you grow in the knowledge of His Word so
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incredibly important. When Paul left the church in
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Ephesus, he said in Acts chapter 20 verse #32 I commend you to
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God and the word of his grace, which is able to build you up,
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make you strong. I commend you to God and the
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word of his grace. I'm going to leave you with
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this. Just God and His grace, God and
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His Word, because that's all you need to be the men God wants you
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to be for the glory of His Kingdom.
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Find the glorious church. Follow a godly man in that
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church. Foster your growth spiritually
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#4 fulfill the Great Commission as you go.
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Matthew 28. As you're going, make disciples.
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The assumption is you're going to be going.
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Why not? As the Father has sent me, so
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send I you. John 2021.
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We are ambassadors for Christ. We're ministers of
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reconciliation. We had this great calling where
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we're representative of the Kingdom of God.
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So as you go, make disciples. As you're going, baptize them in
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the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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Teach them to observe all that I've commanded you.
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And lo, I'm with you always, even to the ends of the earth,
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fulfill the Great Commission. So many times we, we forget
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about the opportunity that God puts before us.
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How many times have I told you over the years that the only
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reason God leaves you here after you're saved is for one reason
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and one reason only? And it's not to worship him,
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because when you get to heaven, your worship's going to be
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better is to share Christ, to be a living testimony to the
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testimony of, of what Christ has done in your life, to make
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disciples that others will hear the gospel and respond and
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follow the Lord. That's why God leaves you here.
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You're his representative, You're his ambassador.
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You're the minister of reconciliation.
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And God says I've sent you into the world to be my
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representative of my Kingdom. And when you represent me and
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you speak about me, you glorify my name.
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That great fill, the Great Commission #5 I love this one.
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Fear God and keep his commandments enthusiastic 12/13
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right? Fear God and keep his
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commandments that that's a summation of everything that
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that was Solomon's summation of life.
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It all comes down to 1 phrase. Fear God and keep his
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commandments. You want to be a godly man?
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Find a glorious church. Follow a godly man in that
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church, foster your growth spiritually, fulfill the Great
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Commission. Do that and the next thing you
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know you'll be fearing God and and keeping His commandments.
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Then lastly #6 fire up the next generation that they may serve
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the Lord. Fire up the next generation
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because now you can. Now you're well on your way to
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fire up the next generation to live for the Lord.
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Let me take you back to to the book of Deuteronomy and listen
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to what Moses says. It's so good he says, See, I
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have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord
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might. God commanded me that you should
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do thus in the land where you are entering to possess it.
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So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your
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understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all
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these statutes and say surely this great nation is a wise and
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understanding people. Wow, just keep the statutes.
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Just just obey the statutes and everybody will know that you're
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a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there
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that has a God so near to it as the Lord our God whenever we
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called on him? Or what great nation is there
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that has statutes and judgments is righteous as this whole law
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which I am studying before you today?
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Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently set.
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You do not forget the things which your eyes have seen and
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they do not depart from your heart all the days of your life,
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but make them known to your sons and your grandsons.
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What are you made known to your sons and grandsons?
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They says this in chapter 5 of Deuteronomy verse 29.
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Oh, that they had such a heart in them that they would fear me
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and keep all my commandments always, that it may be well with
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them and with their sons forever.
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What a testimony that it may be well with them and their sons if
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they just hear the Word of God and keep the Word of God.
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And then he says over in Deuteronomy 6 verse #1 Now this
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is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord
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your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do
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them in the land where you go or where you are going over to
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possess it. Excuse me, so that you and your
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son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God and keep all
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His statutes and His commandments which I command you
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all the days of your life and that your days may be prolonged.
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O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may
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be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as
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the Lord the God of your Father's has promised you in the
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land flowing with milk and honey.
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He says God, God wants to make you well in the land.
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He wants it to be well with you in the land.
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That's why he goes on to say in verse 24, he says the Lord has
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commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord
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our God for our good always and for our survival as it is today.
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This is the key to surviving in this generation.
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It's the key to surviving in any generation, in any community, in
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any culture. It's learning and listening to
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the laws of God and keeping the statutes that it may be well
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with you. No matter how bad the culture is
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around you, no matter how bad the city is around you, no
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matter how bad everybody is at your school or at your work,
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keep the commandments. Love the Lord, honor the Lord,
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worship him, serve him. It will be well with you.
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This is for your survival. Wow, such great words.
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Having said that, let me go back to my outline and say this.
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The godly man goes to God incessantly in prayer #2 obeys
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God instantly without reservation and hesitation.
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The godly man disciplines himself implicitly.
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The godly man is the one who loathes his sin intensely, and
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the godly man is the one who yields to the Holy Spirit
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intently, and the godly man is the one who manages his own home
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impressively. That's how far we have come in
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the last three weeks. That's what we have covered.
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Let me give you the last two this morning.
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The godly man aspires to imitate the Lord intimately.
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He aspires to imitate the Lord intimately.
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The Bible says that if we say that we have come to know him
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first. John 26 that we are to walk as
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He himself has walked first. John 2 verse #6 In Ephesians
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chapter 5 verses one and two, it says that we are to be follows
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the Christ, we are to be imitators of Christ, and we are
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to walk in love. We, we are to mimic the Christ,
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and the godly man wants to imitate the Christ.
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Listen, every one of us imitates somebody or someone in some way
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throughout our lives, but we should be focused on imitating
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the Christ and walking with him. That requires that you walk very
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closely with the Lord. Remember Peter in Mark's gospel,
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it was they, they had left the, the upper room and they, they
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ascended the Mount of Olives, having crossed the kids run,
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kids run Brooke and they ascended the Mount of Olives
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and, and, and Christ takes his men there.
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He takes Peter, James and John a little further into the garden
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and says, stay with me, stay with me and, and, and pray with
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me for one hour. And Christ then goes a little
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further into the garden, begins to pray, and comes back to his
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men, and they're asleep. And he says to them, Could you
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not pray with me for one hour? I'm about to die for your soul.
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I'm about to give my life for the sins of man, but you
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couldn't pray with me for one hour.
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Pray, he says, lest you enter into temptation.
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So he says, you know what? I'm going to go away again and
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just just pray, lest you enter into temptation.
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So he goes away. He comes back again and guess
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what? They're still snoozing.
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It's like, really, fellas, you've got to be kidding me.
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But they couldn't stay awake. So listen to the words of Mark's
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Gospel in the 14th chapter when it says in verse 53, they led
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Jesus away to the high priest and all the chief priests and
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the elders and the scribes gathered together.
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Peter had followed him at a distance.
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That phrase right there was a killer for Peter, and Peter
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followed him from a distance. It says earlier that all the
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disciples had already forsook him and fled.
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They'd already left the scene even though they had seen the
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power of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.
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Peter followed at a distance. If you aspire to imitate the
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Lord intimately, you cannot follow the Lord from a distance,
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from afar. You must follow Him up close and
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personal. You must be with him, communing
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with him, praying with him, reading His word, being close to
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him every day. Christ had told Peter, Peter,
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Satan, his ass has sift you like wheat.
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But I prayed for you that after you fall you will come back and
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strengthen your brethren. Christ had prayed for him.
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In spite of all that, Peter couldn't stay awake to maintain
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intimate communion with the Father of the Universe in spite
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of great turmoil. And so you end up following from
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a distance. You can't do that.
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You got to follow close Christ up close and personal.
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You must be with Him all the time.
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You must walk in the Spirit so you don't fulfill the lust of
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the flesh. You must live in communion with
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the true and living God. For every godly man aspires to
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imitate the Lord intimately, to walk with God.
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Remember Noah, Genesis 6? He walked with God, He did.
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And the culture he lived in was more corrupt in our culture.
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How do we know that God destroyed that culture?
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It was so bad, But the flood, so it can be done.
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It can't. You can't walk with God in
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intimacy. You can walk with God closely
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like Noah did because he did it in a culture that rejected God.
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The Bible says in Genesis 6 that the Lord looked upon upon man
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and saw that his heart was only evil continually and every
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thought of a man was only evil continually, and sin had run
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rampant throughout the world. But Noah, he walked with God.
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He aspired to live close to his God.
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He was a righteous man. That culture was so bad that God
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destroyed everyone and everything except that which was
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on the ark. Enoch was another who walked
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with God. He also aspired to live first.
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God. How about you?
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Do you aspire to imitate the Lord intimately, To walk in
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love, to walk in light as He is in the light, to walk in wisdom,
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to walk in humility? Lastly, to finish our outline,
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the godly man narrates the gospel instinctively as well as
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insightfully. Narrates the gospel
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instinctively and insightfully. He's like Jeremiah when Jeremiah
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said in Jeremiah 20 verse #9 but if I say I would not remember
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him or speak anymore in his name, then in my heart it
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becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary
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of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.
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That that's the godly man. If I try to hold in what God has
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said, if I had to hold back the word of God, it's just like,
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it's like burning in my bones. I got to let it out.
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Jeremiah says even though he ain't letting it out, nobody
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paid attention and nobody listened.
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Jeremiah was still going to preach it and teach it because
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it was instinctive to his lifestyle, because he was a
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prophet of the living God. Amos.
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Amos said this way. Amos chapter 3 verse #8 The Lord
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God has spoken. Who can but prophecy?
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If God has spoken, how can you keep quiet?
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And the godly man just can't keep quiet about the truth about
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the holiness of God, about his his God and His Kingdom.
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He just can't keep quiet about it.
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So he narrates the gospel instinctively and insightfully
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because his whole life centers around the gospel of Christ.
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That's the godly man. That's the man that God's
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looking for, the stand in the gap, gap to, to, to stand as an
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intercessor on his behalf. The kind of man that God uses
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for the glory of His Kingdom. In my prayer, that God will use
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us in that capacity. As fathers, we have a huge
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responsibility. We have a huge responsibility.
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There is nothing greater than being a father.
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Again, my concern is not that you you will fail as a father,
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but that you succeeded doing the wrong thing.
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Outside of being a father, outside of being a husband.
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That's where you need to be great.
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I, you know, I don't care if you're, you're a great preacher.
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I don't care if you're, you're, you're a great coach.
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I don't care if you're, you're a great teacher.
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I don't care if you're a great doctor or great nurse.
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Those are a dime a dozen. But be a great father, be a
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great husband, be a godly husband, a godly father.
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Those are few and far between. That's what psalmist said.
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Help Lord, the godly man ceases to be.
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Where is he? That's what you need to pursue.
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You pursue that. Wow.
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Your life, your family, your legacy will live on for
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generations to come simply because you said I want to be
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that godly man. Let me pray with you.
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Father, thank you for today. Lord, You are a great God and we
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as your people want to represent you and honor you.
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And Lord, we do fail many times. We fail our families, we fail
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our church, we fail our workplace.
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Most importantly, we fail you so many times.
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But yet, yeah, you pick us right back up again that we might move
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on to maturity in Christ to live for the glory of your Kingdom.
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My prayer, Father, is that each and every one of us would
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realize the great responsibility we have before you are God.
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Sometimes we forget about that. We we think of our
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responsibility at home or our responsibility at work or at
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school. And those are those are all good
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things, but our responsibilities to you, primarily our God, our
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King, our Master, our Lord, and we want to represent you.
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That's the key aspect that we represent you and our
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communication. We represent you and our
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conduct. We represent you and our
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conversation. We represent you everywhere
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because you Lord are everything. Pray this in Jesus name, Amen.