Latest / Time with God with John North / Becoming Strong in the Lord Pt. 1

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Becoming Strong in the Lord Pt. 1 · Time with God with John North

• 0:05
  Speaker 1: Here we are at the beginning of another week. And
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  Speaker 1: as we start this week, we want to start it
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  Speaker 1: the best way possible.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to God, that's what we do each weekday morning
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  Speaker 1: at this time. Just stop and listen to God. We
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  Speaker 1: read a bit in His word. We ask Him to
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  Speaker 1: speak to us.
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  Speaker 1: And we have our hearts open to receive from him.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: You may not be in the habit of doing that.
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  Speaker 1: It may feel a little strange to you to think
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  Speaker 1: of coming to God in that way.
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  Speaker 1: But that's what God wants to do in your life.
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  Speaker 1: He wants to change the way you live, change the
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: way you think, change the way you relate to Him,
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  Speaker 1: so that you are constantly growing spiritually in your life.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know what God wants to do in your life,
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  Speaker 1: but I know He wants to do it through His word,
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  Speaker 1: through the Bible.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: Is your heart ready to receive from the Lord this morning?
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: We want to talk this week on the theme of
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  Speaker 1: becoming strong in the Lord, strong in the Lord.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: In Ephesians chapter 2, the apostle Paul is writing to
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  Speaker 1: the Christians in the city of Ephesus.
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  Speaker 1: He says starting in verse 19, so then you are
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  Speaker 1: no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens
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  Speaker 1: with the saints and are of God's household, having been
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  Speaker 1: built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, that is,
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  Speaker 1: the things they've written.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: building being fitted together is growing into a holy temple
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  Speaker 1: in the Lord, in whom you also are being built
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  Speaker 1: together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Well, what are our lives built on? The foundation of
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  Speaker 1: the apostles and prophets, that is.
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  Speaker 1: The writings of scripture.
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  Speaker 1: The apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,
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  Speaker 1: the foundation of your spiritual life is your relationship with
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  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. That's where you have to start.
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  Speaker 1: God has done an incredible thing for you when Jesus
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  Speaker 1: Christ died on the cross.
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  Speaker 1: You have moral failure in your life that makes you
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  Speaker 1: guilty before God that separates you from Him and His
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  Speaker 1: holy nature.
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  Speaker 1: There's nothing you can do. No amount of good works
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  Speaker 1: can remove that separation between you and God that causes
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  Speaker 1: major problems in your spiritual life.
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  Speaker 1: But God has done what's necessary. Jesus took your place,
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  Speaker 1: faced God's judgement, so that you could be forgiven, accepted
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  Speaker 1: by God, and begin a life.
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  Speaker 1: In meaningful relationship with Him, have you ever yet put
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  Speaker 1: your trust in what Jesus Christ has done for you?
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  Speaker 1: You can do that right now. Simply pray to God
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  Speaker 1: and say, thank you for what you have done for
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  Speaker 1: me that I could not do for myself. I receive
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  Speaker 1: your forgiveness, and I want to live my life for you.
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  Speaker 1: That's the foundation
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  Speaker 1: But how do we build on that foundation? How do
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  Speaker 1: we make sure that we are always growing in our
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  Speaker 1: spiritual lives? Well,
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  Speaker 1: The blueprint for being strong, and nothing can be built
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  Speaker 1: without a blueprint, without a plan, nothing that is meaningful
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  Speaker 1: and lasts.
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  Speaker 1: Well, the Bible is the Christian's blueprint. It tells you
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  Speaker 1: how to think, how to behave. It impacts every area
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  Speaker 1: of your life.
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  Speaker 1: You must learn to keep the Bible at the centre
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  Speaker 1: of all you do. You must learn to read your Bible,
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  Speaker 1: to think about your Bible, to talk about what God
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  Speaker 1: is teaching you to other people.
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  Speaker 1: Put the Bible at the centre of your life, and
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  Speaker 1: all of your life will come together because God will
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  Speaker 1: be involved.
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  Speaker 1: I'm John North.