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Glorious Motivations To Share The Truth | 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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  if you can briefly Meet Me In The Gospel, According to mark,
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  And we're continuing through this book together.
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  And the portion that we will be discussing is in verse 21, 2
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  verse 23. Mark 4 21 to 23.
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  For a brief moment. I want you to place yourself in
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  the shoes of one of the disciples at this point, in the
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  ministry of Jesus. At very large meeting you here,
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  the master teaching and you pick up that the Lord is heavily
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  applying Parables to communicate to his audience.
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  And after wondering about this switch in his teaching style,
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  you inquire about it. And the Lord is gracious.
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  He's generous he is more than willing to disclose the purpose
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  behind this strategy. G.
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  And you learn that, a significant reason for why Jesus
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  is now teaching by using Parables was to conceal.
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  The truth from those who have been abstinent and constantly
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  rejecting who he was and what he has to say, while also provoking
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  the genuine heart to inquire further about his message.
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  And so from there, the Lord can obviously tell that you and the
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  other disciples are also asking because you didn't really
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  understand one of The Parables that he taught and that was the
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  parable of the sower. So he continues to give you the
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  meaning of that specific teaching.
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  And from there you discover that that particular riddle further
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  reveals how a majority of people who hear the truth.
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  Not just in Jesus day but even today a majority of people will
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  not truly accept the word for what it is.
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  And there will be a minority who will embrace the gospel on God's
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  terms now after hearing the reason for the parables and then
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  the purpose of one particular Parable and the meaning of it,
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  the parable of the sower, how would that make you feel about
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  sharing the gospel with others? Think about it.
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  Perhaps you would wonder if the Lord Jesus didn't really want
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  everybody to come to the truth and that he reserved his light
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  for those who are worthy of it in his estimation.
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  And if you don't think that then perhaps that kind of insight
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  with dampen your motivation to go out and put effort into
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  planting the seed and people's hearts, because there is a great
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  probability that you will be disappointed in the results.
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  And we have to be honest, perhaps this could be a
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  discouragement. For Christians to be serious
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  about preaching the truth. Because you already been told
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  that you should anticipate different kind of responses.
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  And some of them are unfruitful and that can really crush crush
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  you because we're human and we get discouraged.
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  So easily. Now it is not told whether or
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  not these disciples were thinking such thoughts, but
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  before, anything could be said, Jesus clarifies any potential,
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  misconception about the purpose behind his Parables and even the
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  meaning of one of those Parables that reveals what gospel
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  ministry will look like, And it's in these verses that we
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  have us before us today and verse 21 after explaining the
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  parable of the sower, he says, to them is a lamp brought in to
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  be put under a basket or under a bed and not on a stand for.
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  Nothing is hidden except to be made manifest.
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  Nor is anything secret except to come to light verse 23, if
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  anyone has ears to hear Let him hear.
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  Jesus asks a rhetorical question.
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  Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket.
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  Is it brought in to be put under a bed and not on a stand?
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  And the obvious answer is, of course, not to hide a lamp with
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  the to defeat the purpose of its design.
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  The very intention the very goal of a lamp and its purpose is to
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  illuminate its surroundings and to expel the darkness for the
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  sake of visual aid, it has no other purpose.
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  And when Jesus uses this analogy, what he is intending to
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  say. Is in like manner, the objective
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  of my truth living inside of you.
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  Dear Christian is no different. It's no different in essence.
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  What the Lord is saying, is he does not want his people to be
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  reluctant to be vocal to be intentional with their witness.
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  Just because there will be a flood of people who will be
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  hard-hearted, who will be superficial, and who will be
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  materialistic? Even in Jesus day, we are
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  familiar enough with his ministry to understand that his
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  audience included, stiff-necked Pharisees.
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  And with that crowds of people who are only interested in
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  Miracles and free meals. And yet we still see the servant
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  of God, the perfect servant of God and Mark plowing through the
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  vineyard and seeking the lost sheep of Israel.
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  And our hostel age today, gives us plenty of reasons to be
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  reserved with dispelling, the truth.
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  I mean, we can look out into this world just for a second and
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  you and I know this already and we perceive the rapidly
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  increasing resistance to God's righteousness and if we're not
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  careful that can tempt us to believe that there might not
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  really be a point. Hold on for dear life, that
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  clouds are going to split open soon.
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  But like a shining lamp you and I are not fashion to
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  discriminate against any kind of level of Darkness.
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  We're not we shine we continue to shine by God's empowerment in
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  his help. We continue to go as far and
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  wide as possible with the prayerful expectation, that some
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  will actually embrace the light. And so when Jesus says this, he
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  understands that the disciples just heard of the great
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  possibilities of hypocrisy or as time goes on that people will
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  prove to not really be born again and yet he still says but
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  it's not your job to determine that or to determine your
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  faithfulness and Zeal in the gospel because of that.
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  You keep going. You keep shining And if you
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  think about it further the analogy given by Christ here
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  has, another purpose has another purpose.
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  When you understand the context, what did Jesus?
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  Just finish explaining the parable of the sower, but he
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  ended on a specific note. Look at verse 20 of the same
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  chapter, but those that were sewn on the good soil, are the
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  ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit. 30
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  fold and 60 fold and 100 fold. For four weeks.
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  Every week, we touched on the different soils.
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  And the one soil, the fertile ground that that was distinct
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  was distinct because it was the soil, the type A Heart, That
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  embrace the truth and submitted to it.
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  And as a result beared fruit, true fruit lasting fruit,
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  Perpetual fruit And when we understand what fruitfulness
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  looks like, many things can come to mind, but when you genuinely
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  receive Saving Grace, something is going to happen.
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  And as time goes on, there will be a Conformity.
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  Yes, a patient Conformity, but you're going to look more like
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  Jesus. This is what he's saying.
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  But listen, when you think about bearing fruit, what comes to
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  mind when you think about being transformed in the New Birth,
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  what comes to mind? Well, some would say, the fruit
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  of the spirit, right? We know, then, Galatians
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  5:22-23, 3 it includes love joy. Peace patience.
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  Kindness goodness, faithfulness. Gentleness self-control.
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  Wonderful. That's true.
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  There's going to something's going to happen to your
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  attitude, to your thought, process to your relationship
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  with your wife, your husband, your children, your coworkers.
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  Absolutely. But Jesus didn't limit it to
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  that because in the mind of Christ, what is included with
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  fruitfulness when the person really receives the truth?
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  What is included in the result of that is that you will not
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  only hear the truth, but you also Proclaim it.
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  You're also going to share it. That's the reason the Lord
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  transitions from the teaching of bearing fruit.
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  To illuminating, the light of the message of the Gospel, they
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  are inseparable, they're Inseparable.
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  If your soul is saved, guess what?
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  You're going to be a soul winner.
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  It's not a negotiable to the Lord.
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  You one cannot hear Embrace and apply the saving message of
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  Jesus and then continue to be able to conceal it and not share
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  that news with others. And here's what it means.
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  When the seed of the truth meets a believing heart, it will not
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  only change your passion to know, God, it will not only push
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  you towards personal Holiness. It will now only Propel you to
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  now be in fellowship with Christians.
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  It will now birth, something, something else.
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  And that is a Conviction to know and to bring people to the
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  knowledge of the Christ who saved you.
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  So I hope that's clear. The transition of thought is not
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  a completely different teaching. Jesus is not expanding upon what
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  it means to bear fruit. What your life is going to look
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  like it includes shining your light and it's not speaking
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  about your conduct, the idea that preach the gospel, and when
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  you need to use words, you can't preach the gospel.
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  Without words, you need to open your mouth, you need to share
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  it. You need to testify and the Lord
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  is saying these things are connected.
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  If R truly are good soil then something's going to come out.
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  Well what's going to come out light?
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  Well yeah I'm going to be more loving and more patient.
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  And no no not just that like truth is going to an outcome and
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  radiate from you that will potentially win others to the
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  same Christ that you love. For any professing Christian to
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  admit that he has absolutely no thought or interest of sharing
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  their faith is an extremely concerning diagnosis.
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  And that's why the Lord in verse 23 of our text says, if anyone
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  has ears to hear, Let Him hear in essence, you saying pay
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  attention to the implication that I am making pay attention
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  to the conclusion of what I just taught, regardless of your
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  attendance, regardless of your appreciation for sermons Jesus,
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  makes it clear that the good soil is someone who will bear
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  fruit and bearing fruit includes a conviction to testify of the
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  truth. I use the word conviction
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  because if I use the word desire, it can be a misleading,
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  determiner of sincerity. Feelings.
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  Are not always good. Some days that your Ally and the
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  next day, they betray you, But I say conviction to share the
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  truth because conviction is something deeper conviction is
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  about Duty conviction, as about an ambition, a core ambition for
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  your existence. That drives you into a certain
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  direction, whether you feel like it or not.
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  And that is what the Lord is speaking about.
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  And I want to prove that to you, according to arguably, the
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  greatest missionary who has ever lived.
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  The Apostle Paul turn to Romans 1 quickly in verse 14 and 15,
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  and maybe this will motivate and encourage you.
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  To understand what the Lord is looking from us.
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  Romans 1, 14 to 15. The Apostle Paul says, I am
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  under obligation, both to Greeks and to The Barbarians, both to
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  the wise and to the foolish. So, I am eager to preach the
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  gospel to you also who are in Rome.
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  And in verse 16, he is not ashamed of the Gospel.
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  There's three things he's saying there about his his ministry,
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  his preaching Ministry, the first one is I am under
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  obligation. The second one is, I am eager.
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  The third one is I'm not ashamed.
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  Now, here's what's interesting. He begins by saying I am under
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  obligation. Obligation came first and then
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  eagerness followed Now the perfect place to be in our
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  journey on the earth as ambassadors for Christ is to
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  have obligation and eagerness hold hands along the way but
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  that's often not the case. What is often true is that you
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  and I have an obligation and that drives us and then some
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  days the eagerness will be there while other days.
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  It's not We don't go with the eagerness first.
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  It's the obligation. I goes first and then everything
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  follows, but you and I have known that that coupling
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  passion. Have we not especially after
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  we've been saved this. This, the surging energy that
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  just is bubbling in us the moment.
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  We have tasted freedom in Jesus and it required little effort
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  for you to go out and to open your mouth and to mention the
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  name of Christ. You remember what that was like,
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  right, you had a haircut appointment, and you were less
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  concerned. Bout your hair and more
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  concerned about the hopeful opportunity that in that chair,
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  you're going to share your testimony.
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  In those moments where you were a student and you got saved and
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  college and your daily prayers included, oh God.
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  Before the semester ends, give me the opportunity to say
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  something to those. In this particular group project
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  of mine. There was the strength there is
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  this flame and it seems Supernatural and it is
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  Supernatural. If you remember the altar of
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  sacrifice in the Tabernacle, the fire on, that altar was supposed
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  to be burning day and night. It was never to be extinguished.
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  But what's remarkable about that altar?
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  Is that the fire that initiated that burning Came From Heaven?
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  That's in Leviticus. It came from heaven and it
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  burned up the alternate authenticated, the priesthood
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  Ministry in the Tabernacle, being approved by God and it was
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  the responsibility of the priest to make it and continue for it
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  to burn. And that's the truth for you.
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  And I Christ puts that passion in us, the new birth opens our
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  eyes. There's something in us now
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  that's that's giving us this sense of Duty and there's an
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  eagerness with it. And yet what happened?
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  So often is that over time because of the Failure to
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  nurture that flame. It becomes Embers and yet, there
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  are people. After decades still have that
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  passion still loves Souls. Still are on a shame.
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  Still are excited about walking into a new environment and
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  knowing their main mission is I'm going to share the truth,
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  how? Because they fed the flame They
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  fed that flame. And my goal in the service
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  today. How providential in this
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  Christmas season? Is for you to hear some, just
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  some glorious, motivations to be a shining lamp.
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  That's my intention in this message today.
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  I'm only going to give you some. I'm not going to give you all.
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  I can talk to you about. Hell, I can talk to you about
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  the coming judgment. I can tell you about how we will
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  all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ.
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  I can tell you about the rewards that God, is reserved for us and
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  have it and those are all legitimate reasons.
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  But I'm just going to give you some Something that will stir
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  you prayerfully something that will recalibrate your efforts to
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  being intentional mindful that I am something for the glory of
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  God. I am a lamp and I'm not meant to
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  be hidden. And so on this brief Sunday
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  afternoon, may I point your attention to just three
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  different thoughts and my prayer behind this is that there would
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  be an excitement that would be unlocked as you here every
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  point. And the first one that I want to
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  mention to you you so that you would not hide or you would not
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  be forgetful or you not be kidnapped by slothfulness or
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  fear or embarrassment. Is the first idea and it is this
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  you have a treasure to Great to keep to yourself.
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  You have a treasure to Great to keep to yourself and I'm going
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  to point you to an illustration from the Old Testament, and
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  second Kings chapter 7. Six and seven something happens
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  Samaria which is a part of Israel was surrounded by the
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  syrians. And and because of this
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  encampment, they were besieged and this this surrounding was a
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  strategy and Military times to create a man-made famine.
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  The people that were surrounded would not be able to go in and
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  out to, to buy, or to sell or to receive Commerce.
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  They would be stuck. And hopefully, in due time, once
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  they start starving and thirsting and people are dying,
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  they would come out and surrender.
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  Under to their enemy and the the economic collapse at that point
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  during the ministry of Elijah was drastic.
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  It was horrible. You had women eating their own
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  children. And without getting into, too
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  many details, Elijah the prophet predicts and prophesize.
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  One day that overnight everything is going to turn and
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  Israel's favor. The prices are going to change.
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  People are going to survive by a sheer Miracle overnight.
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  Everything is going to drastically change for the glory
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  of God. And then while you're reading
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  that, you re chapter 6, you read chapter 7, the scene shifts, It
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  takes us two for lepers. For lepers who are at the gate
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  and they're having a conversation among themselves.
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  And the conversation is something like this.
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  What are we doing here? If we go into the city we're
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  going to die. If we stay here, we're going to
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  die. So we have nothing to lose.
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  Why don't we just go to the Syrian Camp present ourselves if
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  they Embrace us? Okay, we will live.
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  Will have some rations to feed on if they kill us.
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  Well what's what's the point anyway?
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  Because we're going to die if we just stay.
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  And so these lepers agree with one another, and they make their
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  way towards the Syrian Camp, crossing their fingers, perhaps
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  only to behold an unforgettable sight and second Kings. 7, 8, we
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  read. And when these lepers came to
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  the edge of the camp, they went into a tent and ate and drank.
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  And They carried off. Silver and gold and clothing and
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  went and hid them. Then they came back and entered,
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  another tent and carried off, things from it and went and hid
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  in them, what happened? Not a soldier in sight.
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  God had done something where he made it perceive that the
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  Israelites hired other nations to come against the syrians and
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  so all the soldiers by hearing things now, flee and leave
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  everything behind unguarded unsecured.
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  And it was at that time while these men were just taking a
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  50/50 chance show up to that site and everything is
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  abandoned. So they look at each other say,
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  this can't be but it is and so they now begin to eat and drink.
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  They haven't in drinking a meal for who knows how long They
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  begin to clothe themselves with with with garments of royalty
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  even perhaps and they hide other things to make an investment for
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  later on and so as they are just indulging and basking in this
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  miracle that God provided something Dawns on them.
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  This conviction falls upon them in this very happy moment and
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  the Holy Spirit, shows us exactly what it was.
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  That was troubling, their souls and verse 9.
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  And then they said to one another we are not doing right.
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  This day is a day of good news if we are silent and wait until
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  the morning light punishment will overtake us now.
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  Therefore come. Let us go and tell the Kings.
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  Household. So, you see here, they are
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  consuming indulging, and this was God's provision.
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  But then in this process, they stopped in their tracks and the
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  conviction. Settles in this isn't, this
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  isn't all right here because there still are people who are
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  back there and they don't know about this. so let's at least
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  tell them, And they make their way back and they tell the rest
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  of the city. And here's the point that I want
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  to make I believe one of the reasons that we are slow to
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  share about what God has provided for us in Christ.
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  Is because we have forgotten what it's like to be lost.
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  We have lived with hope for so long.
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  We forgot what it's like to live without hope.
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  We enjoy fellowship with our creator.
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  Our Savior on a daily basis. We can't remember what it was
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  like to go day by day without him.
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  We have tasted the goodness of the Lord in so many ways.
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  That's we don't recall what it was like to be a Slave.
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  To the false promises of iniquity and perversion.
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  And that's why I think in part, we are extra passionate right
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  around the first few months after we come to know Christ.
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  Because we're just steps away from the hellish life that we
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  were saved from. And so the smoke almost is still
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  on our garments and the the memories are still fresh and the
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  saving power of Jesus is in the Forefront of our minds.
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  And then we walk in that freedom, long enough.
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  And on top of that, this becomes our world.
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  And we're surrounded with other Christians who have also
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  experienced that joy and that salvation and over time, you
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  know what happens, we become more and more disconnected with
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  those who are still bound. and so, in part, what happens is not
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  intentionally, but because we're not constantly mindful, we're
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  not just like these lepers who remembered where others were the
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  same destitution that they were in our compassion grows cold,
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  And listen, you remember right? What was a priority in your life
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  and mind? We want to share that wherever
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  I'm going man, worship when you're going to that family
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  gathering. You're praying that there's
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  going to be an opportunity that one of your cousins are going to
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  hear your test all of that now changes to this, be honest, be
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  honest, you get on the plane and I'm really I really don't want.
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  I hope this person doesn't ask what I do or where I'm from, or
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  what I am not interested, isn't that happen?
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  I know you want to amend it. Now, it's almost a burden.
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  And what Paul says in, Romans 1, 14 where you just heard I am
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  under obligation, the Greek word, there is very powerful.
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  He says I am a debtor. I am a debtor, you know what
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  that means? I owe it to them.
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  I owe it to the Greek, I owe it to the Barbarian.
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  What I have been exposed to what I am in right now, compels me to
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  reveal to others, at least to know what is possible for them.
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  A preacher who is now in heaven said something.
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  So cleverly and I loved it. So I'll share it with you when
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  you and I fish for fish. What we do in that is we take
• 23:47
  these creatures out of a beautiful life and bring them in
• 23:51
  to death. But when you and I fish for men,
• 23:57
  we pulled them out of a horrible life and bring them into eternal
• 23:59
  life. Here's the thing.
• 24:03
  You and I have to understand that the message that you and I
• 24:05
  carry is the only message that can save.
• 24:09
  It's a hopeful message. It's a message of love.
• 24:12
  It's a message of forgiveness. In other words, there is no
• 24:14
  reason for you and I to be embarrassed about the gospel.
• 24:18
  Have you heard what people believe out there, by the way,
• 24:21
  have you If there's anybody, who should be hesitant to share,
• 24:25
  what they believe it's the world out there who have forsaken, the
• 24:28
  wisdom of God Utah, you talk to somebody who just had a
• 24:32
  promotion or something. He said, that's wonderful, man.
• 24:35
  That's good. I'm so happy for ya.
• 24:36
  The universe has been really good to me.
• 24:38
  Oh, the universe has been good to you.
• 24:40
  Can I tell you something rocks and stars?
• 24:43
  Don't care about you. The universe doesn't care about
• 24:49
  you. Go visit a planet and see what
• 24:52
  the universe will do to you. And so we look out into this
• 24:56
  world and we're so sheepish, and it is the message.
• 24:59
  The only message that can deliver and put hope in a person
• 25:03
  and opened their eyes and set them free.
• 25:07
  So Paul can also say right after I am under obligation, I am not
• 25:11
  ashamed. I want to point another thing
• 25:13
  out to you about these lepers who are out here in the field.
• 25:17
  They would not have been compelled to go back to the city
• 25:19
  unless they had first enjoyed what was provided to them.
• 25:24
  Do you understand what that means?
• 25:26
  It's no different with the gospel.
• 25:29
  One of the best contributions that you can make to your
• 25:31
  Evangelistic efforts is to take the time to savor who Jesus
• 25:36
  Christ is is to take the time to relish and what you have in
• 25:40
  Christ. And what happens there when you
• 25:44
  begin to like these men realize, what is before you the banquet,
• 25:50
  the joys the treasures and you begin to now grow in your
• 25:53
  Delight, in God's promise. In the person of Jesus Christ,
• 25:58
  evangelism becomes less of a duty and it's the Overflow of a
• 26:02
  delight. We've made this very complicated
• 26:06
  and it's a very easy formula. I can really prove this to you
• 26:10
  many examples. Let me give you a simple one.
• 26:13
  Who is more compelling to have? You spend a Saturday night with
• 26:18
  your loved one, or with your friends at a restaurant, the
• 26:21
  person who read the five-star reviews or the person who ate
• 26:24
  their themselves, let me ask it a different way.
• 26:29
  What would make you more animated to be an evangelist for
• 26:32
  that Hidden Gem that you found in the city?
• 26:34
  You reading the reviews and seeing what other people said,
• 26:37
  or are you having an experience with what was in there and
• 26:40
  tasting it for yourself? Do you see And so, when you come
• 26:46
  to the place where salvation is not just experiential is for a
• 26:50
  moment. But when you grow and go from
• 26:53
  glory to glory to glory, and you realize that the menu in God is
• 26:58
  endless and the treasures in his word are continued, to be found
• 27:03
  and discovered. You will be stirred in a way.
• 27:09
  But if you just think it's just the duty or responsibility will
• 27:11
  never be able to offer you. The deeper you go in the things
• 27:15
  of God the greater your drive will be for people to hear what
• 27:20
  you have and listen if your pursuit of the knowledge of God
• 27:25
  is shallow. So will you evangelism be If
• 27:29
  your pursuit of the knowledge of God is shallow.
• 27:32
  So will your evangelism you're witnessing?
• 27:35
  Your testifying be? You have a, you have a treasure
• 27:40
  to Great to keep to yourself. We've all known that at one
• 27:43
  point, but you have to realize that there is still so much
• 27:45
  territory to find, and when you find it, I'm telling you.
• 27:49
  It will bring a jolt to you. That will bring you to be more
• 27:52
  excited to reveal. What it is.
• 27:54
  That's been known. Number two, you are, the means
• 27:58
  by which God reaches the lost. You are the means by which God
• 28:03
  reaches the lost a few weeks ago, we heard about Cornelius.
• 28:06
  This men who is not saved but he was Hungry to know the truth and
• 28:10
  God sends an angel to visit him. And when his Angel visits him,
• 28:13
  he tells them to fetch for a man by the name of Peter.
• 28:16
  And this Peter will come and tell him the message that he
• 28:19
  needs to hear to be saved and we touched on this point.
• 28:22
  Did you forget it that God sent the angel not to preach the
• 28:26
  gospel to him? He could have and I'm sure that
• 28:29
  angel would have been much more eloquent and convincing than
• 28:33
  even the great Apostle Peter. But God in his good pleasure
• 28:37
  reserves, that responsibility for the redeemed.
• 28:41
  Think about that. Thought for a moment, think
• 28:44
  about that and I try to think about that.
• 28:45
  As often as possible, what a thrill, what an honor, what a
• 28:48
  privilege, even the seraphim, even the cherubim even these
• 28:52
  Heavenly Creatures as glorious as they are, have not been given
• 28:57
  permission to wear the badge of ambassador of Jesus Christ.
• 29:01
  On the earth. You have.
• 29:04
  I have By the grace of God. And now, I think about this and
• 29:09
  I know that some of you in here have been saved from a direct
• 29:12
  encounter with God himself and I'm not undermining, or
• 29:15
  discrediting such a testimony but God's method of reaching
• 29:19
  people. The blueprint, the strategy has
• 29:23
  always been forgiven Souls reaching lost souls and planting
• 29:27
  that seed in their hearts. That is really what it's all
• 29:31
  about and many of you in here, if you just think about it can
• 29:35
  testify. I would not be where I am today.
• 29:38
  Yes, we know by God's grace but the means think about the means
• 29:42
  if it had not been for fill in the blank, if it had not been
• 29:46
  for fill in the blank, Maybe it wasn't one person.
• 29:50
  It was one person who planted another person who water,
• 29:52
  another person who water another person who watered.
• 29:56
  And that's how God works. For many of you is the presence
• 30:00
  of Godly Parents who nurtured You by way of example, and
• 30:03
  taking the time to disciple you and you are where you are today.
• 30:07
  Because of them, even if you drifted off for a season for
• 30:10
  others, it was a college student who was unashamed of the truth
• 30:14
  and they invited you for a cup of coffee or they put a track in
• 30:17
  your hand when you're walking from one class to the other.
• 30:20
  And now here you are serving Jesus Christ and perhaps for
• 30:23
  others, it was a preacher that you heard, Maybe.
• 30:26
  On social media, someone who doesn't even know you exist or
• 30:29
  some service, you are invited to and you you heard the truth and
• 30:33
  it shook your soul. And here you are, you're loving
• 30:35
  the Lord, You're serving the lord.
• 30:38
  And the point that I'm trying to make is this, that there is this
• 30:41
  chain of redemption, there's this chain of souls, who have
• 30:46
  been saved since the Inception of the church and you are a link
• 30:49
  to that chain and you're not the end of it.
• 30:52
  If the Lord continues to Terry, you're a link to this chain,
• 30:55
  only for another link to be added to it.
• 30:58
  Until the Lord chooses to come back.
• 31:01
  And, you know, when it comes to studying the word, I'm always
• 31:04
  blessed by examining the lives of the men and women of God that
• 31:07
  are in the Forefront of our Bibles.
• 31:09
  But can I tell you something? That's even more exhilarating to
• 31:11
  me when you carefully read and you discover the unsung heroes?
• 31:17
  When you see these characters that show up in the pages of
• 31:21
  scripture like a flash of light and then they disappear, but
• 31:24
  they were instrumental in the grand scheme of things.
• 31:27
  And there's so many things I want to point out to you in
• 31:29
  that, but I want to just limit it to another example, you heard
• 31:32
  an example with syrians Leprosy and Elijah.
• 31:35
  I'm going to give you another example on this point with the
• 31:38
  syrians with leprosy. and with Elijah, It's a story of Naman
• 31:45
  that General from the Syrian Army, Naaman was told of this
• 31:50
  Prophet who had such a connection with the true and
• 31:54
  living God that he can heal disease and so name.
• 31:57
  And now comes and finds this man of God, and this man of God
• 32:00
  sends Messengers to meet him, and to give him instructions of
• 32:03
  what he should do. If he wants to be cleansed from
• 32:05
  this. This horrid thing.
• 32:07
  And he was told go to the Jordan and dip seven times into that,
• 32:12
  and you'll be healed. And what an insult, what an
• 32:15
  insult to this, men of status, there is far greater rivers and
• 32:19
  pools of water. And you want to take me to the,
• 32:22
  to the, the shallow thing, called the Jordan and he was, he
• 32:25
  was offended. And there's a gospel truth in
• 32:28
  that, that the Simplicity of our message confounds, the wise it
• 32:33
  calls for people in humility to submit to the imputed
• 32:38
  righteousness of God. It just asks you to surrender
• 32:41
  and stop and not thing that you have to do anything.
• 32:44
  Great to be able to attain what God wants to give you to heal
• 32:47
  your soul. But have you ever thought about
• 32:51
  what started it all? What brought Naaman to even come
• 32:56
  before Elijah. How did that even all begin?
• 32:59
  And that's what I want to show you.
• 33:01
  So you're there, hopefully in Second Kings 7, but scroll back
• 33:04
  to 2nd Kings 5, verse 2, and I want you to see this and I pray
• 33:07
  that it inspires you, you know, why?
• 33:10
  Because not all of you are going to have a platform to preach on.
• 33:14
  Now, all of you are going to have a widespread YouTube
• 33:16
  account. Now all of you are going to be
• 33:18
  invited to share a book that you wrote about the things of God.
• 33:22
  But look at this story and second Kings, chapter 5 verse 2.
• 33:26
  Now, the syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little
• 33:30
  girl, from the land of Israel and she worked in the service of
• 33:34
  Naamans wife. She said to her mistress, would
• 33:39
  that my Lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he
• 33:43
  would cure him of his leprosy. So Naaman went in and told his
• 33:48
  Lord, thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel and the
• 33:51
  king of Syria said, go now and I will send a letter to the king
• 33:55
  of Israel. This, this is before that Syrian
• 33:58
  scene where they besieged the city this is, this is before
• 34:02
  that, apparently, there were raids that the syrians were
• 34:04
  committing against Israel. And in one of those raised, they
• 34:07
  took a little girl took her from her family, took her from her
• 34:10
  parents, from her home from her safe neighborhood.
• 34:15
  They abducted her and they gave her a job.
• 34:18
  You're going to be a maid. You're going to serve Naamans
• 34:21
  wife and here's this little girl.
• 34:23
  We don't know her age, we don't even know her name.
• 34:27
  Not only is that Faith miserable and itself to the human
• 34:30
  perception. But on top of that, the house
• 34:32
  that she's serving in his extra gloomy, Because name and now has
• 34:36
  this incurable disease and it wasn't just irritating to the
• 34:39
  flesh. It was a social curse.
• 34:42
  He would never be able to relate to his wife in the same way.
• 34:44
  Again, he would never be able to go and see his friends.
• 34:47
  So, freely. He was stuck and he tried to
• 34:50
  cover that thing up as much as possible, but it was known to
• 34:53
  the household name in has leprosy.
• 34:57
  And here's this young lady, realizing, the opportunity of
• 35:00
  the moment, and she has enough audacity and boldness to open
• 35:04
  her mouth and say, I know somebody that can cure you.
• 35:08
  I know somebody that can solve this, I know somebody that can
• 35:11
  deliver you look that blesses me for many reasons.
• 35:14
  And let me give you one as you heard, this is not a favorable
• 35:17
  position. You were taken from everything
• 35:21
  that you've known and you are now a servant to the enemies of
• 35:25
  your people and the enemy of your God. and I, when I thought
• 35:31
  I looked at that I said I know many Christians to who are not
• 35:35
  in the most favorable position, nothing even close to this.
• 35:37
  It almost embarrasses me to use this as an example, but still
• 35:41
  you're in that job that you hate, you're not with the best
• 35:46
  family. You have very difficult people
• 35:49
  in your life. Providence has not necessarily
• 35:52
  brought you through the most glorious episodes.
• 35:56
  But you have a choice in those moments.
• 35:58
  I see this young girl as a woman who had Faith.
• 36:01
  She had Faith, she believed, who God was?
• 36:03
  She believed to the prophet of God was.
• 36:06
  And here's this woman choosing not to be bitter against God.
• 36:10
  You know how I know that because she's willing to testify about
• 36:13
  him And more than that, she's not willing to be bitter against
• 36:19
  Naman who probably was in charge of this raid.
• 36:26
  You know, she could have thought to herself on.
• 36:28
  A man has leprosy good for him. That monster deserves it.
• 36:31
  I hope he rots in that leprosy. Brothers and sisters.
• 36:37
  We have to be careful that as we look out into this world and see
• 36:40
  what they are doing with the truth, whether they're doing
• 36:42
  against the truth to not justify our righteousness by being
• 36:47
  critical constantly and failed to see them as a mission field.
• 36:52
  There's a very fine line between being righteous and being so
• 36:57
  critical that we look at them. As people that are not even
• 37:00
  deserving of our efforts, our love our service, this young
• 37:05
  girl has a compassion. And God's Providence, even
• 37:11
  through horrific means brought her into these courts.
• 37:15
  So that at the right time, this man can hear about a prophet who
• 37:20
  is the messenger of the true? God, and this man would receive
• 37:24
  his healing and not just healing.
• 37:26
  He would say your God is a true God, and I want to worship Him.
• 37:31
  What's your name? I don't know who she a prophet.
• 37:33
  Absolutely not had it not been for her.
• 37:36
  The prophet would never have been able to minister to him the
• 37:39
  way he did in the subsequent chapters.
• 37:41
  Think about that for a moment. This little girl in this awesome
• 37:45
  scene was really the one who started it all and you have
• 37:49
  heard me, quote often the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, the
• 37:54
  prince of preachers. But have you ever wondered who
• 37:58
  preach to Charles Spurgeon? Have you ever thought about it?
• 38:02
  Who preached to Charles Spurgeon?
• 38:05
  We are still reading his sermons, we have sort of
• 38:07
  borrowing from his commentaries long gone after he is in glory,
• 38:11
  but where did it start? For Charles Spurgeon.
• 38:13
  I'll tell you where it started. Because God has preserved the
• 38:15
  records of it. This man had these empty
• 38:20
  religious convictions, and he would practice prayer and he
• 38:23
  would read the Bible and he would go to church, but he was
• 38:25
  not saved. And here he was 15 years old, on
• 38:31
  a cold winter morning, deciding to go, perhaps to the church
• 38:35
  that he regularly attended. And as he steps out, he realizes
• 38:38
  that there is a blizzard. And so he tries to move forward.
• 38:42
  He tries to make his way into the front steps of that church,
• 38:45
  but the storm was so intense. That it deviated him and cause
• 38:49
  him to go in a different direction and here, he finds
• 38:52
  that a shorter distance, a small little Methodist Church.
• 38:56
  And so he enters in people, barely in attendance.
• 39:00
  And on top of that, the preacher of that church was in there
• 39:03
  maybe he was snowed in. And so what do you have?
• 39:06
  You have a Layman? Somebody from the church who
• 39:09
  goes up to take his place and this man, according to Spurgeon
• 39:13
  was not very impressive, he seemed to be like a Shoemaker or
• 39:16
  Taylor of some sort. There was no way that from the
• 39:19
  surface. He was a professional preacher
• 39:20
  and he wasn't because as he went up there from the King James, he
• 39:25
  quotes from his text and Isaiah 45:22.
• 39:29
  Look unto me. And be you saved all the ends of
• 39:34
  the Earth for I am God and there is none else and As he was
• 39:41
  explaining him breaking down this text Spurgeon.
• 39:43
  Remember that he wasn't even pronouncing some of the words
• 39:46
  correctly. But here goes as he's preaching
• 39:50
  and looking around and seeing that.
• 39:52
  There's people barely there, That this preacher from this
• 39:56
  Pulpit. Looks at this, young man.
• 39:59
  Charles Spurgeon. And he says, young man, you look
• 40:02
  miserable. You look miserable.
• 40:08
  Imagine that. That would grab your attention
• 40:10
  if you're half-asleep. Aspersion wasn't half asleep.
• 40:16
  He was gripped and he leaned in and the man continued to exhort
• 40:20
  him realizing that he was a stranger.
• 40:22
  He was not a common attender of this church.
• 40:25
  And so this Layman looks at him and says and you will always be
• 40:30
  miserable in life and in death until you obey my text.
• 40:36
  Look unto Jesus Christ. Spurgeon.
• 40:42
  Remembers something happening, the dark clouds of his soul,
• 40:44
  moving aside and sun shining in. And it was so obvious that when
• 40:48
  he went back home after that service, his mother without a
• 40:51
  word being said by spirits and looked at him and said,
• 40:53
  something wonderful has happened to you.
• 40:58
  Who's Charles Spurgeon? All of us know who is this
• 41:01
  preacher? We don't know.
• 41:03
  We don't know. But on a Sunday where people
• 41:09
  were barely there and the preacher couldn't even show up,
• 41:12
  was one of the greater greatest preachers who is Ever preached
• 41:15
  from the Bible born. You are a link in this great
• 41:23
  chain. You don't need a mic.
• 41:25
  You don't need a Pulpit. You don't need a jacket.
• 41:28
  You need to be faithful. You need to be hungry and to be
• 41:33
  willing and God can do Miracles through your life.
• 41:38
  Lastly, I'll end here. Not only do you have a treasure
• 41:43
  to Great to keep yourself? Not only.
• 41:46
  Are you, the means by which God reaches Souls?
• 41:49
  But the response of men, this is my final motivation to you.
• 41:52
  The response of men is not your responsibility.
• 41:56
  So let's go back to mark for. And look at verse 22.
• 41:59
  We looked at verse 21 as a lamp brought in to be put under a
• 42:02
  basket under a bed. And not honest.
• 42:04
  And then he goes on to say, for nothing is hidden except to be
• 42:08
  made manifest. Nor is anything secret except to
• 42:11
  come to light? What is this mean?
• 42:15
  Jesus is saying this because he just finished admitting That the
• 42:20
  purpose, the main purpose of his Parable was actually hide the
• 42:22
  truth from those who already admitted that they don't want
• 42:25
  it. But by saying what he says here
• 42:27
  in verse 22, he wants to also let his disciples and us know
• 42:31
  that The Parables that he was using was a strategy for a
• 42:35
  specific audience at a specific time and for a specific period
• 42:41
  of time. Because he's saying even though
• 42:44
  that I am concealing the truth here, the characteristics of the
• 42:48
  Kingdom will not remain hidden. Much longer, they will come to
• 42:52
  light. It will be revealed completely,
• 42:56
  this is just a temporary thing. Is just a partial hardening but
• 43:00
  the manifestation of what I have to say will explode and it did
• 43:04
  when he sent out his Apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• 43:07
  But it's interesting to know that the phrase here that Jesus
• 43:10
  uses was echoed in. Luke, 12 verse 2, when he was
• 43:15
  warning, his own disciples about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.
• 43:20
  What he was saying, was very similar things that the things
• 43:23
  that seem to be hidden, they won't be hidden.
• 43:25
  Much longer, they will be made manifest, it will come out in
• 43:28
  the open. And I think there's a second
• 43:32
  application to what the Lord is saying at this time.
• 43:36
  Because remember, the disciples heard some will reject it right
• 43:39
  away. Some will seem to receive it
• 43:41
  with great enthusiasm. Others will also seem to embrace
• 43:44
  it, but as time goes on, they're going to prove to be faulty.
• 43:50
  And Jesus wants to let them know.
• 43:51
  Listen. Don't get caught up in trying to
• 43:54
  distinguish who is genuine and who's not genuine Time Will
• 43:58
  Reveal. Time will expose it, time will
• 44:01
  make it known sometimes as a short amount of time.
• 44:04
  Often times it will be stunning to realize how many years it
• 44:08
  took for somebody to be exposed but it's almost as though he's
• 44:11
  trying to bring them Relief by using this.
• 44:15
  Don't get caught up in the responses, don't get caught up
• 44:18
  in the results just obey verse 21 and Shine the lamp.
• 44:23
  And when it comes to how people will actually React to what you
• 44:25
  have to say time will do its Duty.
• 44:29
  And don't be disappointed. Don't be overwhelmed.
• 44:31
  Realize that every person will be responsible for the truth
• 44:36
  that they hear. And that's really what verse 24
• 44:38
  verse 25 is, but I'm keeping that for another time, So you
• 44:41
  see what the Lord is trying to say, and it's a motivation for
• 44:44
  you. And I, the response of men is
• 44:47
  not your responsibility. Your responsibility is to Simply
• 44:51
  give what God told you to give. And I think that's important for
• 44:55
  many people because I know so many who are winded.
• 44:59
  And if they don't want to admit it, but they're almost just
• 45:01
  expecting disappointment. When they hear somebody came in,
• 45:05
  they heard the message they got saved and they want to get
• 45:08
  baptized and then a few weeks later they're just gone and it
• 45:10
  just like, you know, I don't know.
• 45:12
  And this is for you. This is for you don't measure
• 45:16
  your faithfulness, based on what people respond with, what did
• 45:20
  Jesus tell, Peter, Do you love me?
• 45:25
  Yes. Lord you know I love you feed my
• 45:27
  sheep. He didn't say do you love my
• 45:29
  sheep? Yes.
• 45:30
  Lord. I love your sheep.
• 45:31
  Then feed my sheep. Do you love me?
• 45:34
  Do you love me? Yes.
• 45:35
  Or then feed my sheep? Your love for Souls will not
• 45:41
  take you very far to reaching. Souls your love.
• 45:43
  For Christ will though. Don't forget that and so I look
• 45:52
  at this and I realize, okay, Lord I'm not going to be
• 45:56
  exhausting. I'm not going to get into the
• 45:58
  place where I preach the truth and have skepticism in my heart.
• 46:02
  I'm not going to I'm not going to do any of that.
• 46:04
  I'm not going to try to manipulate the person to try to
• 46:07
  keep them as long as possible because we don't need yet
• 46:10
  another person to walk out and prove to be rocky soil.
• 46:13
  It's going to discourage everybody else.
• 46:15
  None of that you don't need to do any of that.
• 46:18
  Just shine. And let the light do with the
• 46:21
  light can do. And the men who reject the
• 46:24
  light, they will be held accountable for it.
• 46:26
  Your responsibility is simply love me enough that you want to
• 46:29
  tell others about me. I'll share an end, a story and
• 46:33
  closing. I'll never forget the time.
• 46:39
  When I was a college student, some of you most of, you know,
• 46:42
  this where we would spend every Saturday to just go out and
• 46:44
  share with our college campus and we would go beyond that.
• 46:47
  We would go downtown Toronto and we would share and a group of us
• 46:51
  would come together and then we would break up into groups and
• 46:53
  go out into the Dundas Square of downtown Toronto.
• 46:56
  And then we would come back into our apartment and debrief about
• 46:59
  how our time was sharing the truth to people.
• 47:02
  Can I tell you something? You would be amazed to know how
• 47:05
  many people in the middle of the street.
• 47:08
  We're willing to have a conversation about God.
• 47:11
  It was astounding to me how many people were willing to stop and
• 47:15
  share and listen, but on this particular night, something
• 47:20
  happened, that was a very rare occasion.
• 47:23
  One of my friends went out to share with a group of his
• 47:26
  friends that were connected to that night and they came back
• 47:29
  and I've never seen him so disappointed, so discouraged.
• 47:32
  He sat with us and when we went through the circle, he opened
• 47:35
  his mouth. He says, look I got to be
• 47:37
  honest. Tonight was rough, we'll explain
• 47:40
  said me, and so. And so we came up to the group
• 47:42
  of guys around our age and we ask them questions and this this
• 47:46
  individual with that group began to just relentlessly mock us.
• 47:52
  And I could even get another word out, he would just stop me
• 47:54
  and continue to mock me. He just it came to the point
• 47:57
  where I said, look, man, I'm not going to, okay?
• 47:58
  You want to just at least take this.
• 47:59
  I'm done here. And I could tell that he was so
• 48:03
  dejected. So just overwhelmed by how he
• 48:07
  was just publicly mock like that.
• 48:09
  Because we had not seen it like that.
• 48:12
  And we encourage them. We said brother.
• 48:13
  Don't don't be overwhelmed. You did your part you planted
• 48:17
  the seed and that's it months. Go by months go by I'm out of
• 48:23
  that apartment. Even I get a phone call from
• 48:24
  this friend and he calls me says, you won't believe it.
• 48:29
  I said, what because you remember that night and he began
• 48:31
  to remind me what happened say? Yeah, he goes.
• 48:34
  Listen, you remember how I flew out overseas and went to Germany
• 48:37
  for a few days. I said yeah, you know, so there
• 48:39
  I am in the airport Pearson Airport.
• 48:41
  I'm getting some snacks before the flight, and while I'm in one
• 48:44
  of those little stores, I see that guy from that time, we went
• 48:48
  out evangelizing and I avoided him like the plague.
• 48:50
  He was walking one side of the story.
• 48:52
  I was walking the other. I was ready to just leave and
• 48:55
  before you know, it as my back is turned toward him, I hear him
• 48:59
  calling to me. And I turn around, I realize it
• 49:02
  is him. And this man looked at me and he
• 49:07
  says, do you remember me? Because he has a remember you?
• 49:13
  And he goes, I have to apologize for how I treated you that
• 49:17
  night. This is not a guy that we saw
• 49:18
  here and there was a guy on the street that we bump into.
• 49:23
  He said, I got to apologize for how I treated you that night.
• 49:29
  Because I have to tell you, the reason why I acted that way was
• 49:32
  because you and your friends who came up to me, convicted me so
• 49:36
  badly because I could not believe that on a Saturday
• 49:39
  night. There was a group of guys my age
• 49:41
  that were going around telling other people about Jesus.
• 49:45
  And it bothered me so much that my defense mechanism was to mock
• 49:48
  you and Scorn you and try to get rid of you as soon as possible.
• 49:53
  He goes on another thing. I'm a pastor's kid.
• 49:58
  And I walked away from all of that.
• 50:01
  But I got to tell you. Now, I'm serving as a youth
• 50:03
  leader in his church. And I'm walking with Jesus, Now,
• 50:15
  I Believe by God's grace. He allowed a stranger from the
• 50:20
  streets of Toronto to bump into that same person who witnessed
• 50:22
  him months later, to encourage him, and let him know.
• 50:26
  What is efforts did? But what if he had never
• 50:29
  revealed it to him? What if the last thing?
• 50:33
  That he saw and heard was a man who hated the things that he was
• 50:37
  saying and showed that he wanted nothing to do with the truth
• 50:41
  that he believed. I think we're going to have a
• 50:46
  lot of surprises waiting for us in heaven.
• 50:50
  Not just surprises of you're here, you're here.
• 50:58
  There's also going to be, we're sewing.
• 51:00
  So Isn't so-and-so supposed to be here.
• 51:07
  Are you saved? Are you born again?
• 51:12
  Are you a real Christian? Are you in for a surprise when
• 51:17
  you stand before? Jesus Christ, I will do to you
• 51:21
  today in the next couple of minutes.
• 51:24
  What that preacher did. For Charles Spurgeon.
• 51:31
  Some of you today, we're sitting here are miserable.
• 51:37
  You're not fooling anybody with your smile.
• 51:40
  Your miserable, your, enter your Void, you're just wandering in
• 51:43
  this life, trying to fulfill the void that every other purpose
• 51:49
  that you endeavored to accomplish.
• 51:53
  Has failed to deliver. But in God's Providence,
• 51:57
  perhaps. At a church that strangely has a
• 52:02
  service at 1 p.m. on a Sunday, you're here.
• 52:07
  And you thought to yourself, I would never come to church on a
• 52:09
  Sunday morning maybe. Yeah.
• 52:10
  But I have gardening to do and I got shopping to do.
• 52:12
  And, and so 1 p.m. is just inconvenient.
• 52:14
  But here you are one p.m. on a Sunday, were coming up to three.
• 52:18
  You're probably wondering. When are you going to stop?
• 52:20
  So I can have my late lunch. Not letting you go right away.
• 52:24
  Do you know Jesus? Have you been saved?
• 52:28
  Are your sins forgiven? Do you have a vibrant living
• 52:30
  relationship with the Living? God have you made a conscious
• 52:35
  decision that you will surrender to his saving work?
• 52:40
  Do you know in your heart that your name is written in the
• 52:42
  Lamb's Book of Life? Do you know that if God forbid
• 52:46
  on your way home today you were to slip into eternity which you
• 52:49
  are going at one point that you have, the assurance that the
• 52:52
  person you will meet. Who is your maker is indeed your
• 52:55
  savior? If not, then God in his goodness
• 52:59
  has presented you the opportunity before it is too
• 53:01
  late. That at this time, you will say,
• 53:04
  I realized the severity of my sin, I realized the goodness of
• 53:09
  his saving love, and I will not leave here without making that
• 53:12
  decision, that I will live for him, I will trust in him.
• 53:19
  I will repent of my sins and embrace his goodness.
• 53:23
  And his love by saying, wash me in the blood.
• 53:29
  Cleanse me savior? Or I die.
• 53:33
  Today, you can be saved today. You can be saved and all that
• 53:39
  you've been looking for. You will discover has been and
• 53:41
  always will be in Jesus. Believer.
• 53:46
  I pray that in the Simplicity of this message you will have a new
• 53:50
  found passion and desire to be mindful of the purpose that you
• 53:54
  have on the earth. And don't go with desire and how
• 53:58
  you feel as God as we close in prayer.
• 54:00
  Today, for a conviction, ask God for what Paul had.
• 54:04
  Oh God, put under me. The obligation that I have.
• 54:08
  The obligation and oh, God may not just be mere duty, but maybe
• 54:13
  that I've discovered such deep things in you.
• 54:16
  That the Delight of what I have discovered is now overflowing
• 54:19
  them bubbling over into the people who don't know you.
• 54:22
  Oh, he will do it, he will do it.
• 54:26
  And I pray that this church, this church, Would be filled
• 54:30
  with soul winners. God can do it.
• 54:34
  Let's pray. Lord in this afternoon, we've
• 54:59
  heard the Simplicity of What our identity is.
• 55:06
  What our purpose is as good soil, who bear fruit.
• 55:11
  Lord, we want not only the conviction, we also want that
• 55:15
  eagerness that Paul had. And so we just pray that there
• 55:19
  would be a personal Revival in each of our hearts.
• 55:24
  To be able to walk through this life.
• 55:29
  No longer apps in mind that the shoulders that we rub, their
• 55:33
  more than just business partners.
• 55:35
  The more than just co-workers, they're more than just family
• 55:39
  members. There are potential brothers or
• 55:42
  sisters in Christ. And we ask Lord that, we would
• 55:46
  know the wisdom of the spirit. Of how to go about this. and
• 55:51
  that Lord, we would just think a little longer and realize that
• 55:55
  there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about when it comes
• 56:00
  to your truth being shared. And so Lord we pray by your
• 56:04
  grace maybe realize that we have a treasure to Great to keep to
• 56:07
  ourselves. Maybe realize that we are the
• 56:09
  primary means by which you reach the loss.
• 56:12
  May be realize that there is the response of men is not our
• 56:15
  responsibility. And that on that final day, we
• 56:19
  will see the fullness of the fruit of our efforts.
• 56:22
  Oh, Lord. Just revive us again in this
• 56:24
  including the preacher revive us again.
• 56:27
  Lord to go beyond to go beyond these walls.
• 56:34
  And what we just worship you, we worship you.
• 56:38
  That you have indeed come and said for the sinner in this
• 56:41
  house, may they realize that you have singled them out.
• 56:46
  And you're calling to them what you said to Charles Spurgeon
• 56:49
  through that man's lips. Look unto me and Jesus name.
• 56:53
  Amen.