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Even Death on the Cross · Stornoway Free Church of Scotland - Sermons

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We'll begin our worship by singing to God's praise in Psalm 95 in the Scottish Psalter,
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page 357 of the psalm book, Psalm 95. We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 6.
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O come, let us sing to the Lord. Come, let us, everyone, a joyful noise make to the rock of our salvation.
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Let us, before his presence, come with praise and thankful voice.
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Let us sing psalms to him with grace and make a joyful noise.
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We'll sing from verse 1 to verse 6, and if you're able, we stand to sing.
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Let us sing to the rock of our salvation.
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Let us, before his presence, come with praise and thankful voice.
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Let us sing psalms to him with grace and make a joyful noise.
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Thank you.
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God, our great God, our great King, above all gods He is.
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As of the earth are in His hand, the strength of His blisses.
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Through Him the spacious sea belongs, for He the same did me.
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Let Thine land also from His hand, His form at first to take.
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O come and let us worship Him, let us bow Him with all.
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And on our feet before the Lord, our Maker let us fall.
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Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer. Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven, we thank You for being able to gather in Your name today.
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We thank You for the blessing and the privilege that is ours to come and worship You.
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As You command us, even in that psalm that we have been singing,
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we are to be a people who recognize who You are.
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That You are our Maker, that You are our God.
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And we pray that as we come today, as we come to seek You and to hear You,
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through Your Word, that You will speak to us, Lord, and help us to know more of who You are
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and the wonder of all that You do and have done for us and will do for us.
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We thank You that You are our God who is always active, that You never sleep,
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that You are always watching over us.
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And we pray, Lord, to know Your blessing and Your presence over us at all times.
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Throughout this holiday period, for all our young people, we pray that You will bless them and watch over them.
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As we see visitors in our midst, we thank You for them, Lord,
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and we pray that You will refresh them at time of visiting and holiday with family and friends.
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And that together, Lord, even today, we would know that You are here with us, that You are for us.
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So bless us in all that we do in our worship here.
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And as the young ones go through to the tweenies, we thank You for all who are there to help with these things.
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And we pray that together today, we would just know the wonder of what it is to worship You
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and to hear Your voice speaking to us.
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So, Lord, hear us, we pray, and answer our prayers according to Your will.
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So we ask it all in Jesus' name and for His sake. Amen.
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I'll just say a few words to the young ones.
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If you're going to go out to the holiday tweenies in a moment,
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and even if you're staying in, and even the adults, always listen in as well,
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because there's always something to hear as we think of what God's Word says to us.
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Does anyone ever pretend to be somebody else?
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Maybe when you're young, you do, but even when you get old,
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sometimes people pretend to be somebody else or act like somebody else.
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Maybe it's not just the young ones.
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Maybe it's your parents or even your grandparents.
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You see them trying to pretend to be somebody else.
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For example, maybe you're playing football out in the garden
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and Grandpa decides to try and imitate Messi,
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and he ends up just falling over on his backside.
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He makes a fool of himself.
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Or maybe when you're going out running, you often think,
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I wonder what it's like to be Laura Muir running in all these big competitions
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in a big stadium.
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We sometimes pretend to be people in different ways.
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Maybe you love singing, and when you're singing,
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you hold something up to your mouth and pretend to be Taylor Swift
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or somebody else as you're belting out the songs.
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Maybe somebody you know, when they're driving,
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they pretend to be Lewis Hamilton,
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driving so fast around everywhere.
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I'm sure there's a few adults in here who we could say that about.
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You see them driving around at high speed.
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But we often maybe try and pretend to be somebody else.
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But our lives isn't about pretending to be somebody else.
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It's being ourselves and recognizing who we are
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and what we need to do.
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We need to come and put our trust in Jesus.
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That's what the Bible says to us.
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And yet, in the Bible, as we read through it,
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we find a man called Paul in the New Testament.
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He tells us to imitate somebody else.
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He tells us to be like somebody else.
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And he tells us to be like Jesus.
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In 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1, he says,
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Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.
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So we're to be ourselves,
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and yet at the same time to imitate somebody else.
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That can sound a little bit confusing.
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But what it means is that whatever we do
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and however we behave as ourselves,
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we are always to think of it in light of,
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well, what would Jesus do?
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How would Jesus speak?
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How would Jesus act?
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How would he be towards others?
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And how we act in that way.
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So that challenges us.
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And to be an imitator of Jesus
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means first and foremost
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that we have to put our trust in him.
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When we pretend to be somebody else
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like Messi or Taylor Swift
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or somebody who's got all these gifts and talents
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that we don't,
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we know we won't reach that.
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And in many ways we could say that
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when it comes to imitating Jesus as well.
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We will never do what Jesus has done.
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But we are still to strive to be like him.
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That one day we would see him
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and be like him fully.
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For we want to put our trust in him
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because he is worthy of imitating in every way.
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And that is where we find joy.
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That is where we find life.
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So when we think of being imitators,
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being like other people,
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let us remember to be ourselves first and foremost,
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but also to put our trust in Jesus Christ
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and imitate him.
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Well, we'll say the Lord's Prayer together now.
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Let's say the Lord's Prayer.
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Our Father which art in heaven,
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hallowed be thy name.
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Thy kingdom come.
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Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
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Give us this day our daily bread
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and forgive us our debts
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as we forgive our debtors.
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And lead us not into temptation,
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but deliver us from evil.
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For thine is the kingdom,
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the power,
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and the glory forever.
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Amen.
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We'll again sing to God's praise.
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Now we're singing in Psalm 27
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in the Sing Psalms version,
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page 31 of the psalm books.
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Psalm 27 on page 31.
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We'll sing from verse 1 down to verse 5.
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And during this singing,
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the young ones can go out to the tweenies.
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The Lord's my Savior and my light
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who will make me dismay.
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The Lord's the stronghold of my life.
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Why should I be afraid?
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We'll sing from verse 1 to 5 to God's praise.
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Amen.
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The Lord's the stronghold of my life.
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Why should I be afraid?
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When the world doers threaten me
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to take my life away,
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My other shodings and my foes
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Will stumble in my face.
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Oh, an army hens me in,
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My heart will feel no dread.
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Though what against me should arise,
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I will lift up my head.
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One thing hath lead before the Lord,
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And this I'll seek the way,
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That I may come within your sight,
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And dwell there all my days.
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But on the beauty of the Lord,
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I constantly gain his,
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And in his eyes may seek to know
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Direction in his way.
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All in his dwelling he will keep me
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Safe in troubled days.
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Live in his hand,
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He'll shelter me,
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And on our rock he reigns.
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We return to read in God's word now.
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We're going to read in Philippians.
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In the New Testament,
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Paul's letter to the Philippians.
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Taking up our reading in chapter 1,
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At verse 27.
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We're going to read down into chapter 2,
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Down to verse 11.
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Philippians chapter 1,
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At verse 27.
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Let us hear the word of God.
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Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ,
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So that whether I come and see you,
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Or am absent,
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I may hear of you,
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That you are standing firm in one spirit,
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With one mind,
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Striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
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And not frightened in anything by your opponents.
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This is a clear sign to them of their destruction,
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But of your salvation,
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And that from God.
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For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ,
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You should not only believe in him,
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But also suffer for his sake,
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Engaged in the same conflict,
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That you saw,
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I had,
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And now hear that I still have.
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So, if there is any encouragement in Christ,
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Any comfort from love,
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Any participation in the Spirit,
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Any affection and sympathy,
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Complete my joy by being of the same mind,
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Having the same love,
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Being in full accord,
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And of one mind.
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Do nothing from rivalry or conceit,
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But in humility count others more significant than yourself,
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Let each of you look not only to his own interests,
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But also to the interests of others.
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Have this mind among yourselves,
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Which is yours in Christ Jesus,
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Who,
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Though he was in the form of God,
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Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
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But made himself nothing,
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Taking the form of a servant,
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Being born in the likeness of men,
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And being found in human form,
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He humbled himself,
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By becoming obedient to the point of death,
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Even death on a cross.
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Therefore,
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God has highly exalted him,
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And bestowed on him,
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The name that is above every name,
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So that the name of Jesus,
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Every knee should bow,
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In heaven and on earth,
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And under the earth,
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And every tongue confess,
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That Jesus Christ is Lord,
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To the glory of God the Father.
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And so on.
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May God add his blessing to that reading from his word.
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We'll again come to God in prayer.
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Let us pray.
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Our Father in heaven,
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As we worship you,
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We acknowledge our dependence,
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And our need of you at all times,
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To recognize your word,
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To recognize your voice,
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To hear it in the midst of all the other distractions,
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That can go on around us,
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In our lives,
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And in our world.
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We can so often be caught up,
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In the many things that take place,
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But yet,
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We know that there is one thing,
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Most needful of all,
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And to come and sit at the feet of Jesus,
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And to hear what you have to say.
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And so we ask today,
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That as we come in your presence,
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As we come to seek you,
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As we come to hear from you,
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That you will help us,
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To still ourselves before you,
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And to come with that longing,
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And that desire,
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To be built up by you,
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To understand you,
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And your ways,
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To understand your wonderful love,
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Towards us,
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Your humility,
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Even as we have read of it here,
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The wonder of these words,
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That we have read,
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That so often we cannot grasp,
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Just the depth of them,
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That you made yourself nothing,
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That you became obedient,
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To the point of death,
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Even death on the cross,
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Help us to see,
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What has been done for us,
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Even though it may have been,
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So many years ago,
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Even though it may be,
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As something that seems,
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So distant from us at times,
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And yet,
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How we need it so near to us,
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Even this day,
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To recognize the wonder of the cross,
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For all our days,
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The wonder that Jesus,
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Came into this world,
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To lay down his life,
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For sinners such as we are,
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We thank you too,
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Lord,
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That today is a reminder to us,
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That he rose from the grave,
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That on the first day of the week,
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As they gathered at the tomb,
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As they came to it,
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They saw a stone,
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The great stone,
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That had concealed him inside,
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Had been rolled away,
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And he was not there,
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For he was risen,
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And we thank you,
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For every recollection,
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That we have in your word,
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Of how he met with people,
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He met with them,
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In so many different ways,
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And situations,
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Reminding them,
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That he was risen,
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And that he would ascend,
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To the father in heaven,
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That he would receive,
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All that glory,
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That was due to his name,
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That he has been highly exalted,
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And has a name,
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That is above every name,
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And we pray to know more,
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Of that name today,
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The name of Jesus,
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As our Lord,
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And as our God,
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And so we pray,
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That as your word is proclaimed,
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Throughout our communities,
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And islands,
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And nation,
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And world today,
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That the name of Jesus,
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Would be praised,
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That the name of Jesus,
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Would be lifted high,
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On lips of many,
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That the name of Jesus,
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Would be confessed,
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Confessed even in our own hearts today,
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That you would be our Lord,
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And be our God,
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So hear us in these things,
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Lord,
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And guide us in our worship,
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And hear us in our prayers,
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For all that goes on around us,
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Lord,
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We pray for our homes,
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And our families,
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And our communities,
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We pray for all the different needs,
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That we see,
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And the needs that we know,
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That you only know of,
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Lord,
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We know that there are so many,
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But yet you know the people around us,
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You know us intimately,
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You hear our prayers,
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You hear our cries,
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And so we ask,
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Oh Lord,
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That you will come in your power,
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That you will minister in ways,
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That we cannot,
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That you will be that peace,
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That only you can give,
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That healing,
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That only you can give,
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That forgiveness,
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That only you can give,
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We pray,
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Lord,
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For people to know,
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What it is to call,
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On the name of the Lord,
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And that you will be heard,
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That you will be heard,
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By them as well,
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As you hear from their cries,
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Lord,
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We ask for your comfort,
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To those who mourn,
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We think of,
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The Finlayson family,
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And commit them to you,
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Catherine and Rothy,
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And the grandsons,
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James and Joel as well,
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And all the extended family,
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And ourselves as a congregation,
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May you continue to bless,
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And to minister,
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To each one,
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To comfort,
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And uphold,
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And give strength,
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Remember those in hospital,
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And homes,
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Remember those confined,
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In their own homes,
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For different reasons,
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Even today,
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Lord,
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Remember those who tune in online,
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We thank you for this facility,
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And not just for locally,
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But even so many parts of the world,
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Where different people,
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Will tune in to hear,
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The gospel,
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We pray that you would bless it,
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To each one,
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Remember our nation,
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And our world,
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As we think of all that goes on around us,
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We think even of,
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The events in America,
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Last night,
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With the attempted assassination,
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Of Donald Trump there,
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We see it in shock,
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And we see it as,
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The kind of world that we live in,
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Where there's so much hostility,
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So much anger,
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Lord,
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We pray,
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That in these days,
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You would remember us,
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That you would have mercy upon us,
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Remember our nations,
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Lord,
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How we need you,
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To be Lord over all,
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To be our Lord,
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And our God,
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As a people,
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May you hear,
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Your praying people,
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Near and far,
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As a church,
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As a body,
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Of your people,
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May you,
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Lord,
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Come down upon us,
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Be in our midst,
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Guide us,
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In all that we do,
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And may we do it,
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For your glory,
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And yours alone,
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As we ask all,
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With the forgiveness of our sins,
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In Jesus name,
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Amen.
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Amen.
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Before we turn back,
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To look at our passage,
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In Philippians,
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We'll sing again,
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To God's praise,
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In Psalm 110,
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In the Scottish Psalter version,
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Psalm 110,
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We'll sing from verse 1,
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To verse 5,
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We'll sing from verse 1,
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To God's praise,
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The Lord is in,
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To my Lord,
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Sick thou at my right hand,
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Until I make thy goals as true,
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Where all my feet stand,
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The Lord shall earth of Zion send,
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The rod of thy river,
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In midst of all my enemies,
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In the Lord,
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The governor,
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The willing people in my day,
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All fire shall come to thee,
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And holy duties,
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From our moon,
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Thy youth,
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Thy truth shall be,
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The Lord himself,
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The Lord himself,
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Have made a road,
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And will repent him never,
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Of the order of them is,
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Starолов day,
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The Lord apart the peace
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Forever,
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And will repent him never,
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Sonia, Son, mighty Lord, that sits at thy right hand.
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Salim is he, O Christ, like who kings that do him withstand.
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We're going to turn back to our reading in Philippians chapter 2.
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Our focus this morning is on verse 8 to verse 11.
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As we sang there in Psalm 110, there's these words in verse 5.
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The glorious and mighty Lord that sits at thy right hand.
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You're reminded there of where our Lord is, exalted at the right hand of God.
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That is through today.
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As we read here in Philippians chapter 2, we are reminded of how that came about.
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Of how he humbled himself.
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How he came down in the form of man.
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How he came obedient to the point of death.
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Even death on the cross.
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It says there in verse 8.
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And then in verse 9, it goes on to say,
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Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.
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It's a wonderful thing to think about what Jesus has done for us.
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And the depths of it we so often can't understand.
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The glory that was his that he left behind.
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But the glory that he now has at the right hand of God.
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When you think of that word glory, how would you go about bringing glory to yourself?
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We can talk about bringing shame to ourselves in different ways.
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Or someone who's brought shame to the family in some ways by doing something bad.
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Or by doing something that leaves a kind of feeling of disgrace upon them or upon the family.
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But how do we bring glory?
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Or should we try to bring glory to ourselves?
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Well, as you read on in these verses, verse 11 says to us that we are to give glory to God.
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That is the glory that we are to seek to bring.
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Not to bring glory to ourselves or our families through success or fame or riches or doing good or any of these things.
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But that we always would seek to give glory to God.
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And that's what we see with Jesus here.
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Giving glory to God the Father.
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And how did he do this?
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Well, he did it in obedience.
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He was obedient to his Father.
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You see it in verse 5 through to verse 7.
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The mind of Christ.
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There it is.
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It speaks of.
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Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.
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From the great heights of glory with God the Father.
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He came down to the depths of this world, into this sinful fallen world.
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He took on the form of man.
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He humbled himself in obedience to God the Father.
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And there he gave glory to his Father.
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And as we look at this passage in Philippians here, we are just reminded of the enormity of what Jesus has done for us.
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And to always have that in our minds.
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His obedience to the point of death.
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And as Paul puts it here, as we look at a little later on, even death on a cross.
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The shame that there was in that death.
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But that brought glory to God the Father.
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And the purpose behind it all.
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That he came from heaven to earth.
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That he came down in the form of man.
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For what purpose?
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To give his life as a ransom for many.
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To give his life that we might have life through him.
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And life to the full.
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We are sinners.
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And we need his power.
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We need his glory.
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Not our own.
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And that is the glory that we see that the Lord Jesus shows us here.
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His obedience.
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His power.
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And his glory.
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That is ours through faith.
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Shame would normally bring disgrace.
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And those who looked on at Jesus as he was crucified.
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They saw it as a disgrace.
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They saw it as the lowest of low.
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And that is what the world did to him.
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That is what the world put him through.
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That they brought him to that point of death on the cross.
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But he was obedient.
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He was doing the Father's will.
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It was shameful.
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There was humiliation.
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But after it all there was glory and exaltation.
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As the hymn writer puts it.
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It says,
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Bearing shame and scoffing rude.
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In my place condemned he stood.
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Sealed my pardon with his blood.
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Hallelujah.
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What a savior.
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Bearing shame.
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He had that shame.
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He gave his life.
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He gave his life to that death that he died.
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Even death on the cross.
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But God exalted him and gave him a name.
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And that is the name that we need.
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Because a day is coming as it says here.
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That every knee will bow.
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And in heaven and on earth and under earth.
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And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
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But it's night and day the difference.
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Of how we may confess him on that day.
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Will we confess him as our Lord and our God and our Savior.
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As the one who we know as the Lord who loved us and gave himself for us.
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Or will it be Lord and God in the sense of only then recognizing the word of God is true.
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That he is Lord.
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That he is God.
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But that we have rejected him.
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Do you want to be part of his glory.
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And to enjoy his glory forevermore.
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Well as to see what he has done.
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And to put our trust in the one who has given himself in obedience to the point of death.
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Even death on the cross.
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And so there's three aspects of this I want to look at together this morning.
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As we think of what Jesus has done for us here on this cross.
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And the first thing is we want to see the low point.
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The humiliation that there was in it.
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Then we'll see the turning point.
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And then we'll see the high point.
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So we begin with the low point.
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And then the sense the humiliation.
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Christ becoming nothing was part of what we call Christ's humiliation.
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And you see it so clearly in here when you think of verse 6.
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Where it says who though he was in the form of God.
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Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
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He was with God the Father.
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And yet he didn't see that as something to be grasped.
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To be held on to.
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No instead he came.
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He made himself nothing.
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Taking the form of a servant.
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Being born in the likeness of men.
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Made himself nothing.
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Emptied himself of all that was his at the right hand of God.
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To come down into this world as a man.
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And to live among a people in this world who were sinners.
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Have you ever been humiliated?
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Have you ever gone through an experience of humiliation.
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Where something has happened to you.
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Or somebody has done something to you.
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And it just leaves you with a sense of humiliation.
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That everybody is looking at you in this way.
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And looking down on you.
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And you just feel small and insignificant.
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Maybe someone has humiliated you at work.
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And given you a task that seems to be so much below what you would normally be doing.
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Can you imagine for example.
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The king coming into Stornoway and being told.
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Go and sweep the streets of Stornoway next weekend.
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After the Heb Kelt festival.
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He wouldn't do it.
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He wouldn't come and do that.
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There would be humiliation for him to do that.
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And yet you think of what we call the humiliation of Christ.
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The glory that was his with the father.
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That he did not grasp and hold on to.
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But that he made himself nothing.
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He came in the likeness of men.
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This is God in the person of Jesus.
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This is the king who is deserving of all glory.
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And yet he comes in this form.
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And he comes humbling himself.
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Humbling himself in obedience.
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To the point of death.
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Death.
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Even death on the cross.
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And just what does that mean for us?
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Do we understand what Christ has done for us?
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When you see someone who has done something powerful to you.
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Something you don't deserve.
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You're left just in a sense of awe at that person.
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You don't know how to thank them for it.
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And yet do we see what Christ has done for us.
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In his humiliation.
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In his coming down.
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In his leaving all that glory behind.
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And humbling himself to the point of death.
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It would have been amazing enough that God came down to this world.
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In the form of a mighty king.
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A mighty warrior.
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It would have been amazing that he would come in the form of a humble servant.
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That we read here.
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But it almost just goes on further and further.
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When it comes to what we cannot comprehend.
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That he would come and humble himself to the point of death.
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That he came to die.
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And then it's like Paul adds this.
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To leave us even more staggered by it all.
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That even death on a cross.
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He didn't just die any death.
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He didn't die a noble death.
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He died the cruelest of deaths.
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The death that was for the extreme criminals of that day.
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The cross was a weapon of torture and suffering.
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And that's what he endured.
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Even death on the cross.
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People who saw Jesus die on the cross.
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They saw the shame of it.
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Because that's what people understood of the cross.
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Those who knew the Old Testament.
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They were reminded that God's word says that cursed is the one who hangs on a tree.
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Just what Jesus did.
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He hung on a tree.
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The cross is what that was.
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And there was the curse of God.
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And for those who didn't know the Bibles or didn't understand scriptures.
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Still there was the shame of crucifixion.
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It was the lowest and most despicable form of death.
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Reserved for criminals.
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And on his right hand and on his left hand were criminals who were deserving of it.
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And yet here was the sinless son of God.
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Come down from glory to this low humiliation.
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Humbling himself.
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Obedient to death.
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Even death on the cross.
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And here is the wonder of the love of God for us.
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The love of Jesus Christ for lost sinners.
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That he was obedient in this.
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Not my will but yours be done he said.
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The shame of it.
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Martin Luther, the reformer.
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As one said he was reading as part of family worship from Genesis 22 with his wife.
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And he was reading through about Abraham offering up Isaac on the altar.
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And how God provided a lamb in his place eventually.
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But Katie, Martin Luther's wife said to him.
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I can't believe that God would have treated Abraham's son like that.
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But Martin Luther said he did.
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He did for his own son.
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He gave his own son.
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For Isaac he gave a lamb in his place.
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But for his own son Jesus he offered him.
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He gave him to the point of death.
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Even death on the cross.
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So there is this low point.
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This humiliation.
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That he emptied himself.
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He made himself nothing.
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Obedient and humble to the point of death.
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Even death on the cross.
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Do we understand what that means?
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Do we appreciate what that means?
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That he gave himself for our sins.
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The second thing we see here is the turning point.
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And that's what we see as we go into verse 9.
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As we see the humility of Christ.
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We maybe recognize how far short we fall ourselves.
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In our own humility.
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In our own obedience to God.
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In our own lack of thankfulness to God.
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And what he has done for us through his son.
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But the second thing here that we see is we are by nature a people driven by purpose.
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We like to have purpose in our lives.
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But so often the purpose is self.
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And that's what Paul is highlighting for us here.
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We need to change that.
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We need that changed for us.
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By trying to trust in the Lord Jesus.
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He has spoken at the beginning of chapter 2.
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Of humility and counting others as more important.
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Looking out not only to your own interest.
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But the interest of others.
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Have this mind among you.
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Yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus.
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This is the foundation of everything that we're looking at.
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Who did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
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And yet we're grasping for our own glory.
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Instead of looking at the glory of God.
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But here we see that pride can so often take hold of our own hearts.
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Pride and boasting in ourselves.
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And C.S. Lewis in one of his books in Mere Christianity.
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He wrote this.
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As we come up against God in the midst of our lives.
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He said this.
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In God you come up against something which is in every respect.
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Immeasurably superior to yourself.
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Unless you know God as that.
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And therefore know yourself as nothing in comparison.
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You do not know God at all.
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As long as you are proud you cannot know God.
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A proud man is always looking down on things and people.
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And of course as long as you are looking down.
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You cannot see something that is above you.
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He is there talking about us recognizing God in that sense of the one who is above us.
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But in our pride we cannot see him because we are looking down on others.
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But that's what Paul is getting at here.
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Look not only at your own interest but the interest of others.
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Have this mind among you which is yours in Christ Jesus.
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And when we see that.
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When we see that we begin to see how our hearts are changed from pride and self.
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It's to see Jesus.
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And as we see him on the cross.
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As we see him in that humiliation.
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We are reminded here of what came after.
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That in his obedience.
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In verse 9.
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Therefore it says.
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Related to what came in verse 8.
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How he was obedient to the point of death.
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Even death on the cross.
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Therefore God has highly exalted him.
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And bestowed on him the name.
42:39
That is above every name.
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All that he had.
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Before he took on that humiliation.
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All that he had.
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All that he left behind.
42:53
That he emptied himself of.
42:55
Once again.
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He is exalted.
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Once again.
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He is lifted up.
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And that it is his name.
43:02
That is above every name.
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There is the turning point.
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That he was that low servant.
43:12
And Jesus did not exalt himself.
43:14
He could have.
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He could have taken himself off the cross.
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He could have saved himself from all of that.
43:20
But he didn't.
43:22
He was obedient.
43:24
Therefore.
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God the Father has exalted him.
43:29
God the Father has given him the name.
43:32
That is above every name.
43:35
The name of Jesus.
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The name of the one that we are to look to.
43:42
The name that is proclaimed.
43:45
The name that is preached.
43:47
The name that is the way to forgiveness of sin.
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It is through him.
43:52
As Peter proclaimed Jesus in the book of Acts.
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Acts chapter 5.
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Before the Jewish Sanhedrin.
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What he said to them was this.
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He said.
44:01
The God of our fathers raised Jesus.
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Whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
44:08
God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior.
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To give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sin.
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The one you killed he says.
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Your sins and mine killed Jesus.
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It was that that led him to death.
44:30
Even death on the cross.
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But God the Father raised him.
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God the Father has exalted him at his right hand.
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Therefore.
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As it says here.
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God has highly exalted him.
44:47
And given him.
44:48
Bestowed on him.
44:49
The name that is above every name.
44:52
That sacrifice.
44:54
That obedience.
44:54
That was done.
44:57
That Jesus gave his life.
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Back in 1943.
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In the midst of the second world war.
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There was a ship that left America.
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Called the SS Dorchester.
45:14
It had been a ship that had been used for.
45:17
Ordinary cargo.
45:19
Pre-war.
45:20
But it had been converted into a troop carrier.
45:23
And it had set sail from America.
45:26
Heading across the North Atlantic in February 1943.
45:31
Carrying just over 900 troops to go and fight in the war.
45:35
And they knew that going across the Atlantic was dangerous.
45:41
German U-boats were always on the prowl.
45:45
And they were told the men on board the ship.
45:48
That they were to sleep at night.
45:50
Fully clothed.
45:52
And wearing their life jackets.
45:53
Just in case.
45:55
But because of the nature of the crowds in the midst of the boat.
46:01
It was so warm inside.
46:03
That many refused to wear all their clothes.
46:05
And their life jackets.
46:08
But on the morning of February 3rd 1943.
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At around 1am.
46:14
The boat was struck by a torpedo.
46:16
And they were told that we are sinking.
46:21
The boat is going down.
46:23
And it was going down fast.
46:26
Well as well as the troops on that ship.
46:28
There were four army chaplains on board with them.
46:33
And in the midst of all the chaos that ensued after the torpedo struck.
46:38
These four chaplains began to try and bring order.
46:42
And to try and help.
46:44
They were there guiding people.
46:47
Getting them life jackets from boxes.
46:50
Praying over those who were wounded.
46:53
And eventually in a short space of time as the boat was going down.
46:57
There were people panicking who didn't have life jackets.
46:59
So all these chaplains.
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The four of them.
47:02
They gave their own life jackets to those who didn't have.
47:07
And as others made it off the boat onto rafts and lifeboats.
47:11
They stayed on the ship as it went down.
47:13
They stayed there praying.
47:15
And there's testimonies told of people who could see it after they got off the boat.
47:20
These men there praying as others went down with the boat.
47:24
It's an amazing story of sacrifice in so many ways.
47:29
Why did they do it?
47:32
Why were they helping in this way?
47:33
Why weren't they just trying to save themselves?
47:37
Because they knew what people needed was to hear about Jesus.
47:41
And these kinds of sacrifices.
47:43
They make such an impression on us at times.
47:46
Of the nine hundred.
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Probably nearly a thousand men on board.
47:51
Only a quarter of them survived the sinking.
47:53
And the four chaplains went down and are so spoken of to this day for their act of bravery.
48:01
And the way that they showed that power of prayer.
48:04
But they were doing it not for their glory.
48:09
Not for glory of self.
48:12
But for the glory of God the Father.
48:15
Because they knew that those who were perishing without Christ were lost for all eternity.
48:21
And here we see the greatest sacrifice of all.
48:28
That God the Son humbled himself to the point of death.
48:32
Even death on the cross.
48:37
And so as we see there in verse 9.
48:40
That name that is above every name.
48:43
What does that name do for us?
48:44
Well if you tie that in with what it says in Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 45 verse 22.
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It says turn to me and be saved all ends of the earth.
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For I am God and there is no other.
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This is the name.
49:02
This is God.
49:03
This is where there is salvation.
49:05
And there is no other.
49:08
There is no other way to salvation.
49:11
There is a turning point here for us.
49:16
As we think of Jesus.
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He was highly exalted and given a name.
49:22
But what about ourselves?
49:25
Is there a turning for ourselves?
49:27
Are we turning to him that we might be saved?
49:31
Because there is no other way.
49:33
There is no other way to be saved.
49:37
But through him.
49:38
Let us turn to him.
49:44
Finally we see here.
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The high point.
49:49
The high point.
49:51
From that humiliation.
49:54
God gives him a name.
49:55
He highly exalts him.
49:57
So that the name of Jesus.
49:58
Every knee should bow.
50:00
In heaven and on earth and under earth.
50:02
And every tongue confess.
50:04
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
50:06
To the glory of God the Father.
50:10
Those who mocked him.
50:12
Those who despised him.
50:14
Those who rebuked him.
50:15
Those who had him crucified.
50:17
Those who still mock him to this day.
50:20
The day is coming.
50:22
When every knee will bow.
50:24
And every tongue confess.
50:26
And say that he is Lord.
50:28
But are we trusting?
50:33
Gambling.
50:34
Is something that so many people do.
50:36
And so many people struggle with in life.
50:40
It's a dangerous thing.
50:42
It's about the hope.
50:45
Of a change in our circumstances.
50:47
The hope of that big win.
50:51
But that's for most.
50:52
And many never comes.
50:54
Many buy a lottery ticket.
50:56
In the hope it could be you.
50:58
And what's the chances?
51:00
One in 45 million.
51:03
And yet.
51:03
We'll put our hope.
51:05
In that.
51:07
Don't be a fool.
51:08
To think that that is what will change your life.
51:10
Don't be a fool.
51:11
To think that it's these things.
51:13
That will give you the security you need.
51:15
There is only one thing you need.
51:17
For security.
51:19
And that is Christ.
51:22
And yet we all gamble.
51:25
In so many ways.
51:26
We're all gamblers at heart.
51:29
When we think of not putting our trust.
51:31
In Jesus.
51:33
Why gamble and take the chance.
51:36
That what God is saying in his word today.
51:38
Is not true.
51:39
It's not for you.
51:41
You don't need it.
51:43
You do.
51:45
And that's what these verses remind us of.
51:48
The day will come.
51:50
When every knee will bow and tongue confess.
51:53
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
51:57
But is he Lord now?
52:01
Christ humbled himself to the point of death.
52:04
Even death on the cross.
52:08
But he has a name.
52:10
Above every name.
52:12
That he is Jesus.
52:14
And that he is Lord.
52:18
It was once said.
52:20
If he is not Lord of all.
52:22
He is not Lord at all.
52:25
And that's the challenge to ourselves today.
52:30
Is he Lord?
52:33
Do you see what he has done?
52:37
His humiliation.
52:39
His being brought low.
52:41
His emptying himself.
52:42
His obedience to death.
52:44
Even death on the cross.
52:46
But that God has raised him up.
52:49
That he is exalted at the right hand of God.
52:52
And that a day is coming.
52:54
When we must appear before him.
52:58
And give an account for ourselves.
53:02
Is he Lord?
53:03
Is he God?
53:05
In your heart today.
53:08
There's a poem I read.
53:11
And it says this.
53:13
I am not sent a pilgrim here.
53:17
My heart with earth to fill.
53:19
But I am here God's grace to learn.
53:23
And serve God's sovereign will.
53:25
He leads me on through smiles and tears.
53:29
Grief follows gladness still.
53:32
But let me welcome both alike.
53:35
Since both work out his will.
53:38
No service in itself is small.
53:41
None great though earth it fill.
53:43
But that is small that seeks its own.
53:46
And great that seeks God's will.
53:50
Then hold my hand most gracious Lord.
53:53
Guide all my doings still.
53:55
And let this be my life's one aim.
53:58
To do or bear thy will.
54:04
One aim.
54:06
To do or bear thy will.
54:09
When we see what he has done for us.
54:14
His will.
54:17
His will that he gave his son.
54:21
And Jesus' obedience.
54:23
Obedient to the point of death.
54:27
But how he's exalted.
54:29
How he's lifted up.
54:30
And how his name is the name through which we can be saved.
54:35
We ask ourselves.
54:38
Is he Lord?
54:40
Is he God for us?
54:43
It is through his death.
54:46
That he gave glory to God the Father.
54:51
Do we see glory for ourselves?
54:54
Or do we see the shame that he endured?
54:58
That we might enjoy his glory.
55:02
And that we would give glory to God the Father.
55:06
May we see Jesus.
55:09
His obedience.
55:10
His death.
55:12
His humiliation.
55:13
But above all his exaltation.
55:16
And the power of his name.
55:18
That is there to save.
55:20
Let us pray.
55:23
Our Father in heaven.
55:24
And we do thank you that we have a God who understands our needs.
55:29
We have a Lord who came and met our needs.
55:32
And that we have a spirit.
55:33
A Holy Spirit.
55:35
Who is here for us today.
55:36
To draw us closer to the one who is able to help.
55:40
In all our different needs.
55:42
And we do ask oh Lord.
55:43
That you will go before us in all things.
55:46
That you will humble us.
55:47
That you will remind us that there is one name exalted above every other.
55:51
And the name is Jesus.
55:53
And that we must appear before him.
55:56
That we must bow and confess.
55:58
That he is Lord.
56:00
But help us even today.
56:02
To know him as Lord and God of all.
56:04
As we ask it in his precious name.
56:07
Amen.
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We're going to conclude by singing to God's praise in Psalm 118.
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Psalm 118.
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Psalm 118.
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We'll sing from verse 5 to verse 9.
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These three stanzas.
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It's Sing Psalms version page 155.
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Psalm 118 at verse 5.
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I cried in anguish to the Lord.
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He answered me and set me free.
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The Lord is with me.
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I'll not fear.
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What harm can people do to me?
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We'll sing from verse 5 to 9 to God's praise.
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I cried in anguish to the Lord.
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I wish to the Lord, He answered me and set me free.
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The Lord is with me, I'll no fear, what harm can people do?
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To me, the Lord is with me constantly, He is the one who gives me aid.
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I look in triumph on my foes, I will not need to be afraid.
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It's better far to trust the Lord, I'll move for help to man's defense.
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It's better far to trust the Lord, than in a prince of confidence.
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Amen.
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After the benediction, I'll go to the door to my left.
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We'll close with a benediction.
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Now may grace, mercy and peace from God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
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rest upon and abide with you all now and forevermore.
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Amen.
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We'll be right back.