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Come Away with Christ | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series) · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Many Sundays. Let me put it this way.
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Almost, every Saturday night. I feel like the next day is
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Christmas. For many reasons.
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And one of those reasons is, I am eager to preach the word.
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And even there, as I'm singing with you, I feel that excitement
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and I pray and ask the Lord to help.
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But there are also many Sunday's including this one, where I just
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wish we can keep singing. We will continue to sing but for
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now we will go to the word of God.
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And so meet me in Mark chapter 6 As we look at three simple
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versus today, Mark 6. It may be there in verse 30.
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My goal today is to invite the Willing heart. to take the time
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and to sit before this text and to stare at this snapshot of the
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Lord Jesus Christ, long enough that you would be able to
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comprehend on some level The mindfulness, the compassion and
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the gentleness of Jesus. And that your heart would be
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more convinced and more compelled regarding such
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qualities in the Savior than ever before.
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My Hope. And my prayer is that these
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lingering observations over these three verses would
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stimulate higher exaltation of Christ in your life and in mine.
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That with every minute that passes by through the word of
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God, this afternoon, the Lord himself would be elevated in our
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affections elevated in our meditations and eventually
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elevated in are imitations by his power.
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And by his grace If you're wondering what the topic of this
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sermon will be, if you're wondering what will dominate
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this presentation, it's very simple.
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It's very clear, it's very plain.
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It's Jesus Christ. There is no greater subject than
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him. He is the golden thread that
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weaves through the holy scriptures.
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He is the Bedrock that every narrative, every story, every
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psalm, every proverb every prophecy every epistle, Is built
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on. It's Christ, it's the Lord
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Jesus, the son of the Living. God The Treasure of the father
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and the object of our adoration. The great Apostles said
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something and it is no wonder in Colossians 2 3, that Christ in
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whom is hidden all all what the treasures of wisdom and
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knowledge. That wonderful Apostle also said
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in Romans 16:25 now to him who is able to strengthen you,
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according to my gospel and get this and the preaching of Jesus
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Christ. Did you catch it?
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There is a strength that is reserved for and imparted to the
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Saints who are willing to give their ear to the preaching of
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the man Jesus Christ. Iced.
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There's something powerful about Christ, being heralded Christ,
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being expounded, Christ being discovered, just Christ.
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Just Jesus. And what do we have before us
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today? That will help us no, this
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strength that Paul speaks of let's read together.
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And verse 30 in Mark 6. The apostles returned to Jesus
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and told him all that they had done and taught.
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And he said to them, come away by yourselves to a desolate
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place and rest a while. For many were coming and going,
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and they had no leisure even to eat.
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Lord. May you bless us with the
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strength that your servant Paul spoke of as we simply Behold The
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Glory of your son. In Jesus name, amen.
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The Holy Spirit. Has just finished concluding a
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flashback concerning, John the Baptist martyrdom, the gruesome
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execution that he experienced under the Filthy Hands of Herod
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and herodias. And after giving us a very
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detailed account, he now brings us back to real time and reminds
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us that the disciples were sent out by Jesus on their first
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Evangelistic campaign, and apparently they came back
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successful. They came back with a completed
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mission. And for the first time in the
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gospel of Mark in verse 30 the Disciples of referred to as the
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apostles and it's very fitting because these disciples fulfill
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the very meaning of that word, the word Apostle simply means
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one who is sent out? Or you can expound upon that.
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Definition one, who is sent out with orders and these men
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Faithfully fulfilled? Exactly.
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That they were given a commission, they were given
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orders, and they went out and they came I'm back.
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Satisfying. What Christ had asked of them?
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But these Apostles did not just go out.
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They did use not fulfill what the desires of their master was.
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No, we read here that they knew instinctively to come back to
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Jesus. To return to Jesus.
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A transitional comment here, that's worthy of Greater
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meditation. Something that offers us more
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than just an awareness that they were indeed faithful in what
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Jesus told them to do. Here we have some kind of a
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model here. We have some kind of a brilliant
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example. Of the steps that we should
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follow in in our service here we have some kind of a balance a
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principle for us when it comes to serving God and I pray that
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you want to serve him. I pray that you are serving him.
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And what is that? Exactly.
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These disciples who were committed to activity for
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Christ. At the same time, did not lose
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sight of their fellowship and their accountability to Christ.
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Unfortunately, this is not the case for many people.
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Many laborers in the kingdom of God today, they understand their
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assignment They've been able to successfully identify the gifts
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that they've been given by God. They know the holy orders
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according to the word and they give their strength to observing
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exactly what has been given to us and this sacred blueprint.
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and yet, at the same time, they rarely report to the one who
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commissioned them in the first place.
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Not these men. What these disciples are
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demonstrating here. And this one occasion is what
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every believer should Endeavor to make a holy habit.
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And that is to know a dependency upon the Lord.
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And dependency upon the Lord is communicated through communion
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with the Lord. No matter where he sends you, no
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matter what you do for his name, you and I must have it
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conviction of continually and regularly bringing before him
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our successes. Our concerns.
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Our worries, our fears, our confusion, especially your
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ideas, and your plans. And at the same time, we must
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not fail to come before him regularly to give him his due.
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Praise. To bring it to spread before his
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feet are anxieties. And to express our faith in him
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for our tomorrow's. Come to Christ.
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Come to him regularly. In the midst of serving him,
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don't lose sight of that, wherever he sends, you think of
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yourself as someone with a rope around your waist and that rope
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is held in the hands of the Savior.
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And he threw the messages like this.
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Tugs on you. And to remind you the source of
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all of this. And not to go, too far, and not
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to go too long without returning to him and looking at him and
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speaking to him. And telling him all that you've
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done and saying all that you have taught and expressing
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exactly what it is. That is going about in your
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life, especially as you live under the banner of glorifying
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him. The disciples did this more than
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once the disciples did this. Again, when they were sent out
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on another mission, this time, with dozens more namely 272.
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And in Luke 10, we see a little closer look at what this kind of
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dance of service and accountability to Christ looks
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like, can I show it to you in, Luke, 10 17?
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And Luke 10:17 says that the 72 returned with joy.
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Saying Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
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They returned with joy. There are many dangers ahead for
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the servant of Christ. There are many hazardous things.
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There are many warnings, there are many challenges, but can I
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tell you something the matter? How difficult it may seem no
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matter what kind of things we see in the word of God,
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concerning being hated for his namesake and being despised for
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righteousness and persecution from our family.
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In the difficult choices, in order to express our
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consecration to the Lord. It's A Joyful thing to serve
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him. It's a joy filled thing to serve
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him. They returned with joy after
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serving him. And if you're not experiencing
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that Joy, not saying that you will not know difficulty, but if
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you don't have joy, you maybe are doing it wrong.
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Maybe for the wrong reason. And they come to Jesus.
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Again, what a thing to imitate to remain connected to Christ.
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Not just when you are in need, but also in your triumphs And
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your accomplishments. With trophies that have been
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placed in your hand with crowns that have been placed on your
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brow, where do you bring those things?
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Do you put them on the shelf of your self-confidence?
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Do you put them in a glass casing for you to look at to
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give you some worth. Or do you bring them to the feet
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of Jesus? And give him the glory.
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That is due his name. They come to him with joy and we
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see that in this place of serving but also fellowshiping
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of going. But also coming.
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We see what crisis willing to give in principle in return for
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the one who knows how to come before him.
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Looking what we see here in Luke 10 again.
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If you scroll down after verse 17, what Jesus says to them in
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verse 18 and in verse 19 it says here and he said to them, I saw
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Satan fall. Like, lightning from heaven.
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Behold. I have given you authority to
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tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the
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enemy and nothing shall hurt you.
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I see Revelation there, greater Revelation, I saw Satan fall
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down like lightning from Heaven. Oh, there's a revelation of the
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authority of Christ of the glory of Christ of the strength of
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Christ, but more than just Christ's Authority.
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There is this reassurance to the Disciples of the authority that
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he's given them. M of the promises that belong to
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them. The TaylorMade Graces that
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belong to them. And this is what you can expect.
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When you come to Christ greater revelation of him, greater,
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assurances of his promises for you as his child.
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He is faithful to do that and you need that.
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I need that. I was reading Psalm 1:19 this
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week. I'm in the Book of Psalms.
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You heard me say that last time and when I was reading Psalm
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1:19 that chap. I'm so familiar with that
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chapter. Many of us are very familiar
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phrase theologies and truths about the glories of the word of
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God. But there is something.
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Is that a surprise? There is something that I saw
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and oh, did it stir me and it still stirring me now.
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Go to Psalm 119. I have to share it with you.
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I'm sorry. Verse 96.
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I just want, I want you to believe.
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That when you take time for the Lord, he will honor that and he
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will meet you in one way or another.
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And in Psalm 119 verse 9600, this blessed me This is this is
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a commentary about the word of God and this is what the
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psalmist says. I have seen a limit to all
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Perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly, Broad.
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What a verse, what is he saying here?
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Well, and the realm of all creation. no matter what
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terrain, you entertain, if you're in the realm of nature,
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if you go to the Arts, if you go to the Sciences, if you look at
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clever inventions, If you study scientific discoveries. if you
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peek into the complexities and the joys of languages, All these
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things have their limits. All these things have their
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limits in their brilliance. They're exhilaration and their
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stimulation but the psalmist says the word of God is
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exceedingly Broad. Exceedingly brought it has no
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borders. There are no Dimensions.
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Climb as high as you will. You will not find a ceiling dive
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as deep as possible. You will not find a bottom When
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you come to the word of God, unlike the objects of this life
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though, the author is the creator that we worship.
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Realize this. You cannot exhaust, its
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excellencies. You cannot say I've reached the
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point of complete Revelation and application.
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No, it's never ending. It is never ending in its supply
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of aw. Humbles.
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You it teaches you a comforts. You it makes you wiser than your
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teachers. It brings light to your path.
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It Whispers, wisdom. And it never ends all your
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commandment is exceedingly. Broad.
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Christ. When you come to him, he'll give
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you, he'll give you Revelation, he'll give you Assurance.
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He'll remind you of promises, but we see him even granting
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more to the one who makes that habit, and that practice of
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coming to him, not just serving him, not just doing things in
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his name, but sitting before him coming to him.
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Look at verse 20 of Luke chapter 10.
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What does he say something that you and I are very familiar
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with. He says here after talking about
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their Authority. Nevertheless do not rejoice in
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this that the spirits are subject to you, but Rejoice that
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your names are written in heaven when you come to the word of
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God, when you come before the presence of God?
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Yes, there will be Revelation. Yes, he will grant you some
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Assurance, but he also in his love bring correction.
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And he'll realign your thinking, you see, they had this Joy but
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Christ saw that, it was a misguided Joy, or that there is
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a priority issue here in the object of their joy, and he
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gently reminds them. The ultimate thing is my grace,
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not what you do, not how you perform.
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But what I have done, let that be the supremacy of your
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Delight. And listen, if I'm saying this
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because it's true, if you do not, I'm talking to the servant
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of the Lord, if you do not make it a regular practice to come
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before him. When I mean before, I mean his
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word, his presence in the Simplicity of silence and
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Devotion to him, then you can be misguided in your priorities,
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even in your service. Then you can lose sight of what
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really matters. You can begin to be tempted to
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put your joy and the authority. He has given you instead of who
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he is. And what he's done on your
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behalf. So we see a wisdom here.
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We some see something, wonderful.
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These are more than just transitional comments in the
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Gospels. If carefully interpreted there
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is wonderful, instructions for the Saints.
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And one might object to these kind of applications with these
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verses and say brother you are you were trying to pull
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something out of a time in church history, time and
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Redemptive history. That doesn't apply.
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They had access to Jesus. They could come to him at any
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time. He was physically there to,
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which I would respond. Do you think they were any less
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dependent upon Christ after he ascended into heaven?
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All, there's so many examples of that may give you one.
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In Acts 15 when the elders came together to speak and to
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converse it to come to a conclusion about how these
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Gentiles who believe in this Jewish Messiah.
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How should they live what? Jewish laws apply to them?
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And there was debate, there was back and forth and finally,
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there was a settlement, there was clear Direction and I love
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with the letter, says the letters at the these elders and
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leaders wrote to the Gentiles. And this is the part that I want
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to draw to your attention, an axe, 15:28, it reads in that
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letter quote for it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to
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us to lay on you, no, greater burden than these requirements.
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And then They spell out those requirements.
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But did you see that? It seemed good to the Holy
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Spirit. And to us.
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Yeah, I get it this this is this is a clear indication that these
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distinct representatives of Christ.
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The apostles had access to divine revelation and direct
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access to the Lord to have, what is necessary to lay the
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foundations of the doctrine of the church.
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I get it, but can you feel the familiarity and the intimacy of
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that statement? It seemed good to the Holy
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Spirit and to us as though the Lord was in their midst and was
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numbered among them. As though, the Lord was present.
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So, present in that vital crucial council meeting, As
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though the Lord graciously. Was given access by these
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Apostles. They had access to him with such
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immediacy and availability and he was willing to bring a
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comforting conclusion to this difficult time for the church,
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it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us indicating
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that. They consulted them indicating
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that in that room filled with Saints.
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They did not fail to turn to their God.
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And to seek him and to ask of him and they receive something
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from him. Is he any different today?
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I'm not speaking about him, giving you more Revelations of
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the word of God. That's a different Spirit
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speaking to you. I'm speaking about how he is
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there and he can speak and he can guide and he can lead and he
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can illuminate. Surely he is the same.
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Surely he is the same. He is with us now.
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He's with you at all times. And this is one of the great
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Thrills of our faith. We're coming to celebrate today
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and this is one of the great Thrills of our faith.
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Yes, the gospel, but who is our God, what kind of God is he?
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Can I tell you what kind of God is?
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He is a personal God. He is an approachable God and
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more than that, he is a God. Who is acquainted with each of
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us? He is acquainted with each of
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us. And that is what you see in,
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Mark, 6, and Mark 6 when these men came to tell them, all that
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they had done and taught, Jesus said to them, come away by
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yourselves to a desolate place. And rest a while.
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What care, what attention? What love What's sympathy?
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What understanding you know what I love about that?
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This was Jesus. As idea this Retreat to rest was
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not a protest from the disciples after a long journey out.
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Preaching saying, Lord, we've been, we've been working really
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hard. We need some kind of a vacation
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here. Can you work something up?
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Because we need a few days to just kick back and relax.
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That's not what these disciples is.
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This was the Lord Jesus who looked at his men and after
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they've given him the account of their service, he says come
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let's go. Now, that's rest.
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Why? Because he knew that they needed
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rest. There's no indication that these
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men expressed that need or that desire.
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And I think that's by Design, is to show us that the Lord was
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aware of something that perhaps, they were not even aware of
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themselves. And the lord gave them, what?
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Perhaps? They did not know they needed.
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He knew what his servants needed and he provided exactly what was
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needed. That's Christ, he he just
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doesn't send you off to do things.
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And in says, I'll see you on Judgement Day to give you your
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grade He's there observing and watching, as long as we are
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close to him, we are safest and as long as we are close to him,
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we will know. his presence in this way, I thought to myself,
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looking at this, you know, when we think about the omniscience
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of God, when you even here that the very word demands are right
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on the emissions, that the the doctrine of God being
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all-knowing, And usually what comes and what Spring sport in
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the imagination. Is the massive implications of
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that ability. God knows all things and when we
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just even begin to entertain what that looks like.
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We usually can't get Beyond his perfect awareness of the future
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and his ability to solve every mystery and matter known to man.
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And all of that is true. God knowing all things Christ,
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knowing what was happening in the lives of their disciples and
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beyond all of that. Should the man such amazement of
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the, the depth and the breadth of that kind of characteristic.
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Just like the other Omni characteristics of God. but you
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know what, the Holy Spirit help David, recognize something about
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the Omni omniscience of God, rather and what he realized
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about the omniscience of God is that it was not just something
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that was so Grand and powerful and Beyond what we can
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contemplate, it was deeply personal And individually
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applicable. You know, the text that I'm
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perhaps referring to Psalm 139, Psalm 139, the plain reading of
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it, alone can melt the heart. Let me read it to you.
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And then, let me show you some things about it.
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What is David say, as the Holy Spirit brooded over his mind and
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showed him something, just something about the mind of God.
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Well, this is it. Oh Lord, you have searched me.
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And known me. You know, when I sit down and
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when I Rise Up, you discern my thoughts from afar, you search
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out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my
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ways. Even before a word is on my
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tongue behold O Lord you know it all together.
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You hem me in behind and before and laid your hand upon me.
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Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.
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It is high. I cannot attain it.
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Generally, it is not a comforting thought to know that
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somebody is watching you all the time.
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It's not usually a comforting thought to know that somebody is
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evaluating and watching your every move.
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And I agree. That's disturbing.
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It really depends who's doing it and why they're doing it.
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And when it comes to understanding how God
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investigates, There is an element of that that should
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cause a fear of God to arise in the heart of a rebel or a
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hypocrite to reconsider their ways.
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And yet David when this download comes to him, he understands
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that this aspect of who God is is worthy of Wonder and
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admiration. This is something that he's
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enjoying as much as he is perplexed by.
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He is enjoying it, he's writing about, he's writing a song to
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it. And again, I just read it and
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it's clear, it's obvious. But when you just take the time
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to really pick it apart and see what this really implies, oh,
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your heart would be stirred even more.
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Let me give you a couple of examples.
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Look, back at verse 3 of The Psalm.
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He says you search out my path and my lying down and are
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acquainted with all my ways. You know, the word search there
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is not the same word, a search in the Hebrew as verse 1.
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He says in verse 10 Lord you have searched me but that's not
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the same word. Now our hebrew-speaking pastor
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here is going to confirm that later on to me at least.
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The word for search here. In verse 3 is the Hebrew word
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Zara. A word that is associated in
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that is winnowing, you know, the process of taking grain mixed
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with Chaffin to throw it up into the air.
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So that some kind of wind would Gus through it and remove the
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chaff so that grain that the substance of Desire remains And
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that is what David is using here when he says that he says you
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search out my path, you are win, knowing you are casting off
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certain things. You are removing certain things
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about my path and when I, when I laid down, why that word?
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Why bring that here at this point?
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What is he trying to say? Well, I believe this is what he
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is trying to say that in some way, when the Lord looks at you,
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And the Lord's knowledge of you is so precise.
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So true. So perfect that he is able to
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distinguish in you that which is false and that which is true.
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He is able to evaluate you to such a degree that he can make a
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distinction between the insincere and the sincere, the
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genuine and the disingenuine. He's Able with x-ray vision to
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know, the truest of your motives, the deepest parts of
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your thoughts, you may be able to fool your pastors, you may be
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able to fool your wife, you may be able to trick your parents,
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you may be able to put on a smile and convince the church or
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the crowds or your employees. You may be able with your
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introvert Tendencies to pull away from those who are closest
29:24
to you. But this God will scrutinize
29:27
you. He carefully examines you and it
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takes him no effort to do so. Same brother.
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That's kind of scary. Not if you think of it in the
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right way. David is saying your knowledge
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so penetrates whatever, shall I think is shielding me and you
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are able to grasp my true substance, you know, it all And
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yet you still want to walk with me.
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You still want to provide for me.
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You still want to lead me. You still want to fellowship
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with me? You still want to use me.
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Be honest. If some people even the closest
30:13
people knew, you knew just 10% of your deepest hearts, are your
30:17
deepest thoughts. They might want nothing to do
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with you. But not this God.
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He considers it all your imaginations, every passing
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thought, every sigh, every idea everything that is there in your
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heart, in the middle of the night.
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And then you see this in verse 5.
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What does he say? In verse 5, you hem me in behind
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and before and lay your hand upon the you have Mian.
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Something about surrounding. There's something here about
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protection. Yes.
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It's an idea of the omnipresence of God, but it's more than just
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the presence of God surrounding me.
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Remember, the context you're leading up to this point, it's
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the knowledge of God that surrounds me.
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Every area of who I am. Every thoughtless, step every
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every word that I don't have intention to mean something.
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Every plan, every idea, every everything that goes by the
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quarter of my mind, all of that, you're there.
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You're just there. I never, I never make you
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surprised and I can't hide from you.
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And what's so brilliant about verse 5 is that he goes from the
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mind of God to the hand of God. And you lay your hand upon me.
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Think about that, you lay your hand upon me, the idea of your
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hand, his hand being Upon Us implies personal interaction,
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you see, you need to understand that part.
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If you're going to understand the omniscience of God, because
31:58
if you just hear the doctrine of the omniscience of God, you
32:00
might be tempted to think that all God is, is some Divine
32:04
supercomputer with a massive database that has no affection
32:08
tied to, or connected to the knowledge.
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He possesses He's not just somebody who has surveillance
32:15
cameras in every corner of the universe and sits in some box
32:20
somewhere in the heavens. No, the very knowledge, the
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great knowledge of God even with you.
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Yes, you son of Adam, you son and daughter of a fallen parent,
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Fallen parents redeemed in Christ.
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Yes. Even that knowledge of all your
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Brokenness in your inconsistencies, it doesn't
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distance God from you, it draws him to you in a make some extend
32:46
his hand upon you that protection that provision.
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That chastisement when it's necessary, that concealing of
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you is all provided as a result of what he knows about you.
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Everything about you. And yet still he comes to you
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and he commits to you. And ultimately, we see that in
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Jesus Christ, that he comes into the world.
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With all that he knows about us. And he recruits, and he calls
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for people to come to him. And when there's disciples that
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do come to him, he displays his Shepherd heart and he said to
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them, come away by yourselves to a desolate place, and rest
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awhile. He's so real.
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You and I can praise God. This afternoon that we don't
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worship a cruel and insensitive unfeeling Taskmaster.
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As much as he is concerned about how we serve him, he is
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concerned about the servants. And he looks at you not just
33:52
what you do, but at you and he cares.
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And in his Providence, he knows what to bring, what to remove,
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what to add, what to subtract, he gets your attention.
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He tries to get your attention when you do Veer off.
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And in many ways, he communicates to us, primarily,
34:11
yes, through his word. He's just a glorious master.
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Who deeply cares about us. You know, it's amazing.
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How you forget some things. I'm 31 and I forget things.
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And I heard it doesn't get easier as you get older.
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But I was reading this late last night, I was looking over this
34:38
and I was just trying to, you know, it's very hard for
34:40
preachers. Have mercy on preachers.
34:43
To try to get up before people and to even attempt to
34:47
communicate, the excellencies of Christ is such a wearisome task.
34:56
I don't know of one true faithful preacher who who
34:59
attempts to preach on Christ and walks off the pulpit satisfied.
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Satisfied yes and trying to be faithful to the text, but never
35:05
satisfied and attempting to try to color his glories with words
35:12
and with passion and with emotion, and more importantly,
35:14
by the power of the Holy Spirit. I was looking at this as
35:18
thinking about just the Lord, just Jesus Beyond Doctrine him
35:23
personally. And this this came to mind and
35:26
would, you know it? I forgot it and it came to mind.
35:29
So I'd get to journal some things.
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Your brain will forget but paper doesn't And this is what came to
35:35
mind. Many years ago, just walking
35:37
with the Lord and I'll end with this testimony before we break
35:39
bread together. I remember those first first few
35:44
months that first year and a half so busy so wonderfully
35:48
busy. No, no complaints.
35:50
So wonderfully preoccupied with the things of Christ, so had
35:56
school had work but Friday's was Youth Night.
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Friday's was youth night with some of the young adults where
36:02
we helped lead the youth and Saturday.
36:04
Saturday was evangelism night was prayer worship and we would
36:07
go out and then Sunday, we had church church not at 1 p.m. and
36:12
morning, 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. 11 a.m.
36:16
And then Sunday night, young adults meeting too late into the
36:19
night and in Fellowship afterwards, and then restart.
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Heaven on Earth. Those days, heaven on Earth, and
36:28
remember that going week after week after week, and I began to
36:31
realize I'm human. And I actually need to eat and I
36:37
need good sleep. And so I was beginning to feel
36:43
the weight not of the difficulties of it, not of the
36:47
displeasures of it. No it was the most enjoyable
36:49
thing. You could not convince me to do
36:50
anything else on a weekend. There was a band of brothers and
36:54
sisters who felt the same way. And what began to happen was
36:59
because of wise people in my life older people.
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Who observed. My Life, One in particular
37:06
reached out and said, brother. It's wonderful.
37:08
It's great but just consider how this might work out in the long
37:13
term. And I began to even feel that
37:17
weariness. And I would begin to talk to the
37:22
Lord about it, and I had to had to take a city bus to take the
37:25
subway to take the street train, just to get to the internship
37:28
for the week. And so this friend advised me he
37:32
just gave me biblical principles of rest not rest in the way you
37:37
and I understand dressed to go on a vacation somewhere for, you
37:40
know, it's amazing that you go on vacation thinking, you need a
37:42
break, you come back from vacation.
37:43
You need a vacation from your vacation because true rest true.
37:49
Rest comes from Christ. You're going to go on vacation
37:52
that's fine. Go on vacation with Jesus and
37:55
not from Jesus. And so the true rest.
38:01
True rest. There's a place for physical
38:03
Repose. I get it.
38:04
Don't hear me wrong here. And it should begin to talk to
38:08
it. Talk to about about these things
38:10
to the Lord. I was just walk to the bus.
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I remember walking to the bus and just in my heart with my
38:13
backpack, just talking to the Lord, talking to the Lord about
38:17
it. Lord, this is where I'm at.
38:18
This is what I'm feeling. I have a wise brother, who's
38:21
speaking it to my life and telling me just to get a
38:24
different kind of rhythm going on and And it was challenging to
38:28
me, because usually, when you hear about people, taking a
38:30
break from serving the lord, they were using that even really
38:33
doing anything for the Lord. They want to take a break from
38:36
worldly Pursuits. They barely attend church.
38:38
They're not part of any Ministry yet.
38:39
They want to take a break. I'm aware of that and I don't
38:44
see serving Christ as a difficult thing, but just like,
38:48
in Mark 6, we're human. He remembers that we were
38:51
destined, but flesh. Spraying to the Lord about it.
38:54
And it wasn't a one-time prayer, was just a few days, praying and
38:57
even going to the next week, praying about this praying about
39:00
this. And what I want to serve you, I
39:02
want to do this for you. But how do I go about this one
39:05
day? I'm walking to the bus.
39:08
When I got on that bus, was the same bus at the same time.
39:12
I would always sit in the same seat.
39:15
If you take me to Etobicoke Ontario, now I can tell you
39:18
where I sat on that city bus. It's right there.
39:22
So clear in my mind and there I am.
39:24
The same prayers being prayed, trying to understand this
39:29
wanting to serve the Lord, but wanting to know his will in even
39:32
serving him. And as I get on the bus which
39:34
was usually empty at that time of the day, I went up and I
39:38
climbed the back of that bus where was elevated?
39:41
And I sat in my chair and when I look down on my seat, I saw a
39:45
pamphlet And when I looked at the pamphlet, I was stunned
39:50
because on that pamphlet is said Sabbath.
39:52
Biblical principles for rest. I looked around.
40:00
There is nobody around. I picked that pamphlet up, I
40:04
made sure it wasn't some weird thing as Seventh-day Adventist
40:07
kind of teaching about the Sabbath or anything like that.
40:09
So no this is sound. This is clear.
40:15
Put it down and I took a picture of and I send it to the person
40:17
who's been speaking to me for days and weeks and all these
40:20
sent back was something on the lines of God is loud.
40:28
The bus took off. And I sat there, looking at
40:32
this, you can interpret this however you want.
40:38
I thought to myself. You know me.
40:45
You know me. You search me and you know me,
40:52
you know, my going, you know, my coming, you know where I sit on
40:54
the bus. You know what I say on my way to
40:59
the bus? You care.
41:05
You don't just cross your arms in the heavens and look down and
41:07
say, you're going to actually even peep these kind of prayers
41:10
to me, you know what I did for you?
41:12
You better get busier. Your gentle Shepherd.
41:18
I just began to praise God on that bus.
41:23
And I put that away and I think it's somewhere, I don't know
41:26
where it is. I find it.
41:27
Maybe I'll show some of you show and tell.
41:34
He's so real. He's so close.
41:40
You're saying, yeah, but you're a Ministry and your impassive
41:44
know. I was 22 years old, finishing,
41:46
my advertising degree. Barely able to make spaghetti
41:51
for lunch. Not knowing what tomorrow holds
41:56
not knowing what I'm going to do with my degree, not knowing
41:58
where I'm going to live, not knowing what I'm going to not
42:01
knowing anything other than this is the word.
42:03
I want to live for him and love him and then that place of my
42:06
life. The Lord and some providential
42:09
way. Just gave me a nudge.
42:10
I believe. Again, you can interpret it how
42:12
you want but I'm here to tell you more than my testimony more
42:17
than any Authority. This word you can trust and this
42:23
word wherever you see of Christ, even that little Glimpse where
42:26
he says, come away, I know what you need.
42:29
I'll lead you all guide you. I'm here with you even when I
42:32
send you out, don't forget to come to me.
42:34
Don't forget to open your heart to me.
42:37
From time to time, I'm sure in many ways.
42:42
He'll remind you. He'll reveal himself to you.
42:45
He will instruct you. He'll correct.
42:47
You and he'll make you fall in love with him more and more.
42:52
Do we do? Thank you.
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and we ask Lord that this afternoon, we would simply
43:13
Relish in the revelation of the personal Christ. and Lord, as we
43:19
prepared to partake in this meal, Help us remember that your
43:25
ultimate Act of love the very thing that started it all.
43:29
Was the cross. You died for us, you bled for
43:38
us. So that you can have us.
43:45
Pray for the weary heart. The heart that is weary for.
43:52
Natural reasons. Lord, pray that this time
43:56
together would have just given fresh strength to serve you with
43:59
greater Zeal and passion. I pray for the weary heart whose
44:03
we read by sin who does not know you who does not know how you
44:06
can make our burden light. Your yoke is easy.
44:10
I pray Lord, with my brothers and sisters for The Sinner.
44:14
To find that Sabbath rest in Jesus Christ.
44:20
And Lord, we pray that our hearts would be clean as we come
44:23
to this table. That you would not be grieved by
44:26
our motives, you who know all things.
44:29
Lord, we can always find something that makes us
44:31
unworthy, but for conscience unrepented, sin.
44:35
Show us your what we need to do before we eat and drink. would
44:39
you be blessed, would you be blessed as we remember, you
44:44
Faithfully soundly and with worship, we look to you now and
44:52
Thanksgiving. Amen.
44:57
Let's stand and Worship the Lord.
45:02
What are we singing about? We're singing about the truth of
45:05
the Gospel were singing about what he's done for us on that
45:09
night. When Jesus was betrayed, when
45:13
Jesus knew what he was going to suffer, when Jesus knew the
45:16
agonies of the Cross, we're told there that they sang A Hymn,
45:21
they sang A Hymn. Listen, how can someone sing
45:25
knowing what they are about to suffer?
45:29
And I think there's a principal there for us.
45:31
You can sing while you suffer, why?
45:34
Because he's worthy of your song, sing of his grace, sing of
45:38
his glories, because he is worthy.