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The Will of God for Believers pt 2 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Welcome to NECF. We're thrilled you're here.
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Make sure to stay with us till the end, where
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we'll share some great resources to deepen your
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faith. Now, let's dive into this week's sermon.
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In Jesus' name we pray. Let's have our seat and
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we'll pray some more, but let's have our seat.
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Let's turn to John chapter 2, verse 7. We'll
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see. Where Jesus Christ, Jesus' action was ascribed
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to zeal. So this is the immediate promise that
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will not help me today. No timer, no screen scriptures.
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John chapter 2. Okay. John chapter 2. My neck
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will turn. John chapter 2. Verse 7. Jesus said
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to them. No, no, no. Not verse 7. Is it John
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chapter 2? Where he cleans the temple? Hmm? Which
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verse is it? Yes, verse... Down from verse 13.
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Verse 17, not 7 rather. Then his disciples remembered...
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Okay, rather let me read from verse 16. Or from
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verse 13. Now the Passover of the Jews was at
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hand and Jesus went up to Jerusalem and he found
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in a temple those who sold oxen, sheep and doves
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and the money changers doing business. They were
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doing merchandise in the house of God. In the
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house of God. When he had made a whip of coats,
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he drove them all out of the temple with a sheep
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and oxen. pour out the children's money and overturn
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the tables. And he said to those who sold doves,
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take these things away. Do not make my father's
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house a house of merchandise. Now verse 17 says,
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then his disciples remember. I think this is
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Psalm 69 verse 9. They remember a prophecy by
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the psalmist which says a zeal. For your father's
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house, some translations would put, especially
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the Old King James, zeal for thine house has
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consumed me. Zeal for thy house has consumed
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me. Hallelujah. Now, zeal is like fire. Amen?
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As we pray for zeal, zeal is like fire that burns.
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You can use fire for a destructive purpose or
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you can use fire for what? For a constructive
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purpose, right? You can use it to cook or you
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can use fire to do what? To burn the house, to
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destroy the entire house. But the problem is
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not with fire, isn't it? The problem is what?
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It's with the use, right? How it is channeled.
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Okay? How it is channeled. And we see in Colossians,
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we read in Colossians chapter chapter 4 verse
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12 You see for verse 13 it says For I bear him
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witness. That what? That he has great zeal for
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you. So what we see happen in verse 13. Where
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he prays fervently. His fervency. Alright. Where
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we see his fervency. We see his desire for them.
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What we see here. That for I bear him witness.
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That he has a great zeal for you. And those who
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are in Laodicea. And those in Peripolis. He has
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zeal for you. Alright. And the zeal that he has.
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Was channeled towards what? The work of ministry.
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Towards praying for the people. But then. We
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see in Romans chapter 10. I'm leading somewhere.
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Romans chapter 10. Where Paul was making comment.
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Concerning the people of Israel. He says. My
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brethren. My heart desire and prayer for God's
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Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear
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them witness that they have what? They have a
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zeal for God. But what is wrong with your zeal?
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Huh? The zeal is not what? It's not according
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to what? According to knowledge. Alright? They
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have a passion. They have a desire. But their
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desire is not according to knowledge. Let's look
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at why he says it's not according to knowledge.
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For they have been ignorant of God's righteousness.
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What did they do? They seek to establish their
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own righteousness. They have not submitted to
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the righteousness of God. So, Instead of submitting
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to the things of God, submitting to the way of
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God, they carve out a way for themselves because
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they are ignorant, right? They are ignorant of
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God's plan. They are ignorant of God's ways.
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They are ignorant of the will of God for man.
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So zeal without knowledge is dangerous. Zero
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knowledge is dangerous. That is why we will see
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in that Colossians, back to that Colossians chapter
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4, we'll see the prayer of Epaphras. We'll see
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the prayer of Epaphras. What was his prayer for
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the church? Verse 13. Yes, verse 12. It says,
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Who is one of you, a born servant of Christ,
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greets you? Always what? What is his labor? I
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will go back to chapter 1, verse 9 of that same
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Colossians. We see that it was the same prayer
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that Paul was praying for the church in Colossae.
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Colossians 1 verse 9. Being fruitful in every
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good work. And increasing in the knowledge of
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God. Hallelujah. So knowledge and zeal are very,
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very important in doing the will of God. You
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can be consumed with zeal and don't have knowledge.
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You will do the wrong thing. Hallelujah. And
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if you have knowledge without the desire burning
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in your heart. To do the work of God, no work
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will be executed. So we started talking about
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the will of God for the believers on Sunday.
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And we see from these things that Paul's prayer
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is that what? Is that this church in Colossae
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will be filled with that knowledge of God's will.
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That there will be engulfed in the knowledge
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of God's will. And we say that this knowledge
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is not just a haphazard knowledge. Do you know
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that Paul, Apostle Paul himself, was very satirical
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for God, isn't it? Before he became a believer,
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right? He was very passionate about the work
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of the kingdom. When we read through Philippians,
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the book of Philippians, especially chapter 3,
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we see where he was expressing his seriousness,
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his passion for God. But he says that his passion
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was what? was in ignorance. And what do we see
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was a result of his passion without knowledge?
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He was what? He was persecuting the church. He
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was against the church. So it is essential that
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we understand the will of God, the knowledge.
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And let me tell us, this knowledge, right, of
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the will of God is not gained from special revelations.
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You know, we get this zeal, we get this knowledge
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from the teaching of God's word, from training
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in the word of God. In 1 Peter 2 verse 5, we
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saw on Sunday, 1 Peter 2 verse 4 and 5. Of course,
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we say that the precise knowledge of God's will
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is essential for us to fulfill in God's will.
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And we saw the believer's identity in 1 Peter
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2, verse 4 and 5 and verse 9. It says, acceptable
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to God through Jesus Christ. But you, verse 9,
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but you are a choosing generation, a royal priesthood,
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a holy nation, His own special people, that you
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may do what? That you may proclaim the praises
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of Him who called you out of darkness. into his
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marvelous light. Therefore, we say that our identity
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as living stones, as God's own people, who are
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built up into a spiritual house, comes with what?
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With a priestly responsibility. A responsibility
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of proclaiming the works of God. And for us to
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proclaim the works of God, we must know the works
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of God. We must know what God has... done in
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Christ Jesus. We must be trained in these that
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God has done in Christ. So you are a priest unto
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God because you have believed in Jesus Christ.
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In other words, you are a minister of God unto
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good works. You are a minister of God unto good
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works. Now let's look at God's plan for the earth.
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What was God's plan? Or rather, what is God's
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plan for the earth? Now God's plan for the earth
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is to fill the earth with the knowledge of his
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glory. Hallelujah. God's plan is to do what?
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Is to fill the earth with the knowledge of his
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glory. Habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14. Habakkuk
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chapter 2. Verse 14. It says, For the earth will
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be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
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the Lord, as waters, does what? Cover the sea.
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As waters cover the sea. Contextually, from this
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text, from the original text, when we read through
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the book of Habakkuk, it's referring to The destruction
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of Babylon and the rescue of Israel from the
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Babylonian exile. The judgment of the enemies
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of God's people and their redemption from bondage.
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And this will be marked further, you know, revealing
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the divine glory of God in this activity of salvation
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of the nation of Israel from Babylon. So the
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prophet Habakkuk... was prophesying of the deliverance
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of the people of Israel from Babylon. And in
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this, the knowledge of the glory of God will
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be seen in this act of God's deliverance for
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Israel. So the nations will see the Lord as the
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all -powerful Savior of his people. Of course,
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we'll see a similar prophecy emphasized again.
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By the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 11 verse
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9. The same prophecy. As Isaiah 11 verse 9. So
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we see that this prophecy. Of the knowledge of
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God. Filling the earth. Is a result of what God
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has done. Especially when it comes to redemption.
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In Habakkuk we see his relation toward. The redemption
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of Israel from Babylon. As a result of what God
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will do, the nations around will see the all
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-powerfulness of God, the works of God, the salvation
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of God. And in Isaiah, it says, Isaiah 11 verse
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9, it says, They shall not hurt nor destroy in
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all my holy mountain. From the Old King James,
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I'm ready. The earth shall be full of the knowledge
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of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Isaiah
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11 .9 points to a future time. This prophecy
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is referring to a future time under the rule
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of the Messiah. A descendant of David. In this
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world, in this restored world, all the people
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will know and honor God. And his truth will fill
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the earth just like the waters cover the sea.
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The knowledge of the glory of God is from what
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God has done. Hallelujah. It's from what? It's
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from the activity, what God has done that men
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will see the glory of God. Of course, we know
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that this is from his prophecy. This is the origin
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from the writings of Moses. Numbers chapter 14,
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verse 20. Numbers chapter 14, verse 20 to 21.
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Then the Lord said, I have pardoned according
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to your word. I have what? I have pardoned according
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to your word. What God has done. I have pardoned
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according to your word. But truly, as I live,
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all the earth will be filled with the glory of
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the Lord. Hallelujah. Now the question is, how
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is or how does God accomplish the task of making
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the earth full? Of the knowledge of his glory.
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How will God bring about the accomplishment of
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his glory? The knowledge of his glory on the
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face of the earth. As waters covers the sea.
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Of course, we know that it's through men, right?
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The modality by which God will accomplish this
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is through men. It's through the activities of
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men. It's through the action of men. First, we
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see God becoming a man and in Jesus Christ. That
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is the first step. We see God himself coming
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in the form of a man, bringing us what the understanding
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or the knowledge of God. We see the glory of
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God in Christ Jesus. We know. who God is in Christ
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Jesus. We know the will of God in Christ Jesus.
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We know the activities or the intention of God
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for the earth in Jesus Christ. Then Jesus dwells
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in us. When he died, he rose again. He ascended
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into our hearts. We who believe becomes the carrier
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of this assignment. Jesus dwells in us today
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and we carry the ministry of Jesus on the earth.
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So as priests, we proclaim the good work, the
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work of God that he has accomplished in Jesus
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Christ. 1 Peter 2, verse 9, we read earlier on.
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We proclaim what God has done in Christ. Now,
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It is important for us to note that it is men
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and not angels. Amen? It is men and not angels
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that are called to the work of ministry. It is
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men and not angels that are called to the work
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of ministry. God has released his spirit in men
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to be witnesses to men. In God's dealing with
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the world, With men, he had to become man, come
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in the form of man, in the likeness of men, in
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order to communicate to us his plan and also
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to execute his plan. And for us, for this message,
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this knowledge of God's will, for this knowledge
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of what God has done to be spread across the
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earth, it takes men. To do what? To do the work
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of spreading this message, this work that God
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has done in Christ Jesus. Which means that God
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is counting on man to do what? To make the knowledge
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of his glory cover the face of the earth as waters
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cover the sea. God has released his spirit unto
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us. Let's look at Acts chapter 1 verse 4 and
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see what he did when he gave the spirit. Acts
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1, verse 4. Therefore, when they had come together,
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they asked him, saying, Lord, will you at this
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time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said
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to them, it is not for you to know the times
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or the seasons which the Father has put in his
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own authority. Verse 8 says, but you shall what?
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You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit
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has come upon you. And you shall be witnesses.
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Say, I am a witness. I am a witness to what God
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has done. Hallelujah. You are a witness to what?
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To what God has done. To be witnesses to me in
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Jerusalem and in all Judea, Samaria, and to the
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ends of the earth. To the ends of the earth.
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As the waters cover the sea. To the ends of the
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earth. The earth will be full with the knowledge
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of the will of God. The knowledge of the glory
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of God. So we see through scriptures that it
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is actually men that does this, not angels. Amen?
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So when we are praying for the will of God to
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be accomplished, know that you are a candidate
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by which the will of God will be accomplished
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on the earth. When we are praying, Lord, let
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your will be accomplished in your church. We
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are equally praying that, Lord, use us to do
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your work. Because the will of God cannot be
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accomplished by spirits or by men. God has decided
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in eternity to collaborate with men in order
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to minister to men. Hallelujah. We see examples
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of of this in in the life of peter peter and
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and john uh acts 3 let's go to acts 3 and see
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an example acts chapter 3 from verse 1 let me
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just read through it says now peter and john
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went up together to the temple at the hour of
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prayer the ninth hour and a certain man lame
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from his mother's womb was carried from whom
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they laid daily at the gate of the temple which
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is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who
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enter the temple. Who seeing Peter and John about
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to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing
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his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, So he
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gave them his attention, expecting to receive
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something from them. Then Peter said, silver
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and gold I do not have. Hallelujah. But what
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I do have, I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ
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of Nazareth, rise up and work. And he took him
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by the right hand and lifted him up. And immediately
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his feet and ankles and bones received strength.
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So he leaping up. stood up and walked and entered
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the temple with them, walking, leaping and praising
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God. And all the people saw them walking and
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praising God. Then they knew that it was he who
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sat begging alms at the beautiful gate of the
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temple. And they were filled with wonder and
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amazement at what had happened to him. Now as
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the lame man who was healed held on to Peter
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and John, all the people ran together to them
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in the porch, which is called Solomon's, greatly
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amazed. When Peter saw, he responded to the people,
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Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Why
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look so intently at us? As though by our own
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powers or godliness we have made this man work.
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The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God
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of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus Christ,
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whom you delivered up and denied in the presence
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of Pilate when he was determined to let him go.
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But you denied the Holy One and the dust, and
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asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and
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killed the Prince of Life, whom God raised from
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the dead, of which we award... Which we are what?
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Now, this witness here is different from my own
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witness. Hallelujah. Do you know why I say so?
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They were eyewitnesses. You are not an eyewitness.
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Are we together? Your own witnessing, right,
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is a product of revelation. of what the Spirit
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has revealed to you. But in this context, their
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own witnessing is what? Is that they saw, they
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were eyewitnesses, they saw what happened. I
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read together. And they were testifying. So take
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note. And his name through faith, and his name
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through faith in his name has made this man what?
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Strong. Whom you see and know. Yes, the faith
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which comes through him has given him his perfect
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soundness in the presence of you all. Yet now,
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brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance
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as did also your rulers. But those things which
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God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets
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that the Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled,
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he has thus accomplished. Repent therefore. Be
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converted that your sins may be blotted out so
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that times of refreshing may come from the presence
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of the Lord. And that he may send Jesus Christ
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who was preached to you before, whom heaven must
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receive until the times of restoration and all
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things which God has spoken by the mouth of all
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his holy prophets since the world began. For
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Moses truly said to the fathers, the Lord your
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God, then raise up for a prophet like me. For
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you, a prophet like me, from your brethren, him
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you shall hear in all things, whatever he says
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to you. And it shall be that every soul who will
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not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed
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from among you, from among the people. Yes. And
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all the prophets from Samuel and who follows
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as many as have spoken have also foretold these
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days. You are the sons of the prophets and of
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the covenant of which God made with our fathers,
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saying to Abraham, and in your seat all the families
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of the earth shall be blessed. To you first.
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Of course, we know what it means to you first
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because they are the oracles to which we receive
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the truth. God, having raised up his servant
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Jesus, sending him to bless you in turning away
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every one of you from what? From iniquities.
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So we see through what they did, brought about
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the preaching of the gospel. And we'll see the
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encounter of Philip, you know, also the encounter
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of Philip in Acts 8, verse 26, where, you know,
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the Ethiopian Enoch was reading the book of Isaiah,
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right? And then he had... Of course, the Holy
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Spirit led Philip to join him in the chariot.
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Let's just look at Acts 8. Let me read from verse
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26. Now, an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip,
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saying, Arise and go towards south. along the
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road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.
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This is desert. Why didn't the angel go and preach
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to the Ethiopian eunuch? Why didn't the angel
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go? Why would the Ethiopian eunuch ask Philip
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to go and meet? You know, some of us, we want
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angelic visitation. Right? want so much of supernatural
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experiences and you rather would prefer an angel
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to speak to you than your brother in Christ speak
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to you. Amen? You prefer, you know, this supernatural
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and then there's an opening of the heavens and
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then an angel appear to you and speak. You prefer,
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you know, you rather that an angel appear to
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you than to trust a testimony. of God in the
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mouth of a brother or a sister in Christ. We
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see here that God's way, right, of saving men
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is through men. The angel appeared to him and
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said, see, go. And we will see further on what,
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you know, he will go on to do. Also in Acts chapter
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10, we'll see another instance where Acts chapter
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10 from verse 1. There was a certain man in Caesarea
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called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called
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the Italian regiment, a devout man who feared
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God with all his household, who gave alms generously
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to the people and prayed to God always. About
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the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in
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a vision, what? An angel of God coming in and
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saying to him, Cornelius. And what was the message
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of the angel? And when he observed him, he was
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afraid and said, What is it, Lord? So he said
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to him, Your prayers and your alms have come
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up for a memorial before God. Now send men to
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Joppa and send for Simon, whose surname is Peter.
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He is lodging with Simon Eterna, whose house
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is by the sea. He will tell you what you must
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do. And when the angel who spoke to him had departed,
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Cornelius called two of his servants and a divorced
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soldier from among those who waited on him continually.
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So when he had explained all these things to
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them, he sent them. And let's jump to verse 24.
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And the following day. They entered Caesarea.
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Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called
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together his relatives and close friends. And
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as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and
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fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But
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Peter lifted up and said, Stand up. I myself
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am also a man. So, you know, the man, he fell
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down on his knees. And who did he worship? He
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worshipped Peter. And we see the action of Peter,
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right? You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish
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man to keep company with or go to one of another's
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nations. But God has shown me that I should not
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call any man common or unclean. Therefore, I
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came without objection as soon as I was sent
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for. I asked them, for what reason have you sent
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for me? And then we'll read down to verse 34
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and we'll see what happened in the house of Cornelius.
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But I want to draw your attention to that. The
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angel spoke to the man, Cornelius. Why didn't
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the angel declare to him the works of God? Why
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didn't the angel preach Christ to him? Why didn't
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the angel minister? Why did the angel have to
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go around and look for a man to do the work of
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ministering Christ? It is because God has made
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in his plan that men will do what will minister
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to men. Pointing to the necessity of men in bringing
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about the fulfillment of the will of God on earth.
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And I want you to understand that you are necessary
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or you are important in the plan of God on earth.
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You are important, you know, in the plan of God
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on earth. So witnessing and proclaiming the wonderful
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works of God in Christ to men is for men. Hallelujah.
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To witness Christ to men is a responsibility
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of who? It's a responsibility of men. It's not
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the responsibility of your offering. Even though
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your offering is good. Some people think that
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I can just give some thousands of dollars. And
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then that's all I'm preaching. No, no, no, no.
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It's good to support the work of God financially.
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But essentially, believers have a responsibility
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of doing what? Of proclaiming, of preaching,
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of taking responsibility, of making ourselves
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available for God to use. Because each and every
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one of us that have believed are equipped. By
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the Spirit of God, are empowered by the Spirit
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of God to proclaim God to this world. And we
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will see from the Scripture that this has been
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the plan of God right from the beginning. This
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has been the plan of God. God has revealed His
34:44
plan right from His dealings with the nation
34:47
of Israel. This has been His plan. Let's see
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the example of Israel. Exodus chapter 19, verse
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1. Exodus chapter 19, verse 1 to 6. And when
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you're reading Exodus chapter 19, Verse 1 to
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6. It seems to you as though you are reading
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1 Peter. Because actually Peter, in his epistle,
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was writing in the context of this text. In the
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third month, after the children of Israel had
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gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day
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they came to the wilderness of Sinai. For they
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had departed from Rephidim, and had come to the
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wilderness of Sinai, and had come to the wilderness,
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so Israel came there before the mountain. And
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Moses went up to God, and the Lord called him
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from the mountain, saying, First you shall say
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to the house of Jacob, and tell the children
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of Israel. And look at what he says to them in
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verse 4. You have seen what I did to the Egyptians,
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all right? And how I bore you on eagles' wings
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and brought you to myself. This is the work of
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God, entirely the work of God, the act of God,
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attended the God doing it by himself. Now, therefore,
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if you will indeed obey my voice, And keep my
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covenant. Then you shall be what? A special treasure.
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Is it familiar to 1 Peter 2 verse 9? A special
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treasure to me. Above all people. For all the
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earth is mine. Verse 6. And you shall be to me
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a kingdom of priests. This sounds like royal
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priesthood. A kingdom of priests. and a holy
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nation. These are the words which you shall speak
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to the children of Israel. And 1 Peter 2, verse
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9 and 10 says, But you, a chosen generation,
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a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special
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people, that you may proclaim the praises of
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him who hath called you out of darkness, Who
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have called you out of Egypt. Who have called
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you out of Egypt. Pass you through the sea. And
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the wilderness. Into his marvelous light. To
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proclaim the praise of him. Who called you out
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of darkness. Into his marvelous light. Who was
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with another people. Once you were not safe.
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Once you were not qualified. But now. The people
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of God. who had not obtained mercy, who had not,
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that is in the past, obtained mercy, but now
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obtained mercy. So in Exodus 19, we see the word
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voice in verse 5. If you will obey my voice.
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That word voice there refers to a message, not
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just a sound. If you will hearken to my message.
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If you listen to my message, the word obey there
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is translated from the word shama, which implies
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to hold on to the passage or hearken to it. If
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you hearken to my message, the voice there is
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not just a sound, but it's a message that was
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delivered. The word covenant refers to the promise
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that God has made. And where did God make that
39:05
promise? God made that promise to Abraham. Even
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before Moses. Before Moses came, they had a promise
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which God said to Abraham. It was called, they
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call it the oracles of God. And we see God reiterating
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the promise, a kingdom of peace. The term peculiar
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treasure refers to God's own property, God's
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own... He owns them. They were at this point
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yet to be God's property because there was a
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condition. What was the condition? The condition
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is that they will what? They will hearken. That
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they will obey. That they will believe. That
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they will listen and believe what God has given
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to them as a promise. It will only occur when
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they believe it is faith that will give God access
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to man's life. It is by faith that God has access
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to our lives that we can become vessels that
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he will dwell in and do his work on earth. So,
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if ye obey my voice, in verse 5, God's promise
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here was to make them a peculiar treasure and
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a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Of course,
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we've always been explaining the word holy here.
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Holy here will imply sacred. People will set
40:54
apart. People that are differentiated and being
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set apart is for his peculiar purposes, for purpose.
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And the word nation implies a people, a definite
41:08
people. So there were men coming out of Egypt
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that had been involved in all kinds of idolatry.
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But God, by virtue of their believing in his
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message and his promise, will set them apart
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for himself. If they will heed to the promise
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and they will believe the promise. And God's
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dealing now for the nation of Israel is a foreshadowing
41:47
of what God will do for all humanity. It's a
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picture of what God will do for all humanity.
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And what has God done for the people of Israel?
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He has delivered them from Egypt. He has passed
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them through the sea and the wilderness. And
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gave them a purpose. And that purpose is to be
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a kingdom of peace. And also God has delivered
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us from the kingdom of darkness. As many of us
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that have believed. He has delivered us from
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sin. He has delivered us from the dominion and
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oppression of Satan. Into the kingdom of his
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son. And he has given us a purpose. Equally the
42:37
purpose is what? is that we will be priests unto
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him. Colossians 1 verse 9 For this reason we
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also since the day we heard it do not cease to
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pray for you and to ask that you may be filled
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with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom
42:52
and spiritual understanding that you may walk
42:54
worthy of the Lord fully pleasing him being fruitful
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in every good work and increasing the knowledge
43:00
of God strengthened with all might according
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to his glorious power for all patience and longsuffering
43:05
with joy. Giving thanks to the Father who has
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qualified us to be partakers of all the inheritance
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of the saints in light. We are no longer in darkness,
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but we are in light. And we have an inheritance.
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And this inheritance is a responsibility. He
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has delivered us from the power of darkness and
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conveyed us into a kingdom. of the son of his
43:36
love, in whom we have redemption through his
43:39
blood, even the forgiveness of our sins. And
43:44
then 1 Peter 2 verse 4 emphasizes, it says, To
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offer up spiritual sacrifice except to go through
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Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is also contained
44:13
in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
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cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes
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on him by no means shall be put to shame. Therefore,
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to you who believe, to us who have belief, to
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each and every one of us who have believed, he
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is precious. But to those who are disobedient,
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the stone which the builders rejected has become
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the chief cornerstone and a stone of stumbling
44:45
and a rock of offense. That is to them. They
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stumbled, being disobedient to the word which
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they also were appointed. But you are a chosen
44:55
generation. What are we? We are a royal priesthood.
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We are a holy nation. his own peculiar people,
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his own special people, that we may proclaim
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the goodness, the praises of him who has called
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us out of this darkness into his marvelous light.
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We were once not a people, but we are now the
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people of God. We belong to God. Who had obtained
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mercy? Who had not obtained mercy before? But
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now, obtain mercy. Hallelujah. We are not God's
45:40
chosen people. But he has now chosen us. And
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in him choosing us, we belong to him. We are
45:50
part of the family. And we have a heritage. We
45:54
have an inheritance. Alright? We have a heritage
46:00
in Christ. What belongs to Christ belongs to
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us. Amen? The responsibility of Christ belongs
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to us. Hallelujah. The responsibility of God
46:16
in Christ belongs to us. He is working in us,
46:22
through us, to execute His plan on the face of
46:25
the earth. The purpose is priesthood. You and
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I were priests to proclaim, to preach the gospel
46:37
to people. So the salvation you receive is not
46:45
to make you a superstar. It's not to turn you
46:49
into a celebrity. It's not to turn you into a
46:53
billionaire. is not to turn you into a professional
46:57
in the field of whatever you're studying. The
47:00
essence of what God has done in you is not to
47:04
turn you into a political emancipator. The essence
47:10
of what God has done in you is not to create
47:13
in you a human rights activist. The essence of
47:20
what God has done in you Is to create in you.
47:23
A man and a woman. That through you. He will
47:28
save lives. That he will deliver. His eternal
47:32
purpose. Of saving men. Of restoring men. Of
47:38
delivering men. Just as Moses was an instrument.
47:42
The picture of Jesus. A deliverer. Who delivers
47:47
people. With the message of God. You are also
47:51
a man and a woman. That have. equally an assignment
47:53
of priesthood. That in your dealings and the
47:58
activities in your relationship with men in the
48:00
world, that you reveal to them the knowledge
48:02
of God. That you bring them into the knowledge
48:05
of God. That you teach them about what God has
48:09
done. That you explain unto them what God has
48:11
done in Christ. Yesterday in our class, I asked
48:17
a question. I said, can a man who is not born
48:23
again, accurately preach Christ. It's impossible.
48:38
You can attempt to preach Christ, but not with
48:43
knowledge, not according to knowledge. Until
48:46
Christ is revealed to you, you cannot accurately
48:49
preach him. Hallelujah. And for us that we've
48:55
come to Christ and we believe in him, we continuously
48:58
depend on him. We continuously follow his leading
49:04
in order to do his will on the earth. God's will
49:11
for his kingdom of priests on earth is to preach
49:15
the gospel of the kingdom. The primary will of
49:20
God. For us, it's to ensure that the earth is
49:25
filled with the knowledge of His will. Now, have
49:32
you surrendered to the will of God? Have you
49:37
surrendered to the will of God? Or you are passionate
49:41
about other things? We are passionate about our
49:47
careers. We are passionate about how we can build
49:49
our families. We are passionate about how we
49:52
can explore the world. I want you to think about
50:03
this. And I want you to make up your mind. By
50:09
the Spirit of God, I want you to make up your
50:12
mind. That to live this earth, you have one goal.
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And your goal is to ensure that Christ is known.
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Hallelujah. Your most important responsibility
50:26
on earth is not to chase after living on earth.
50:36
Your sense of purpose is not making money. The
50:42
reason why you are alive is not to gather degrees
50:44
and certificates and all your qualifications.
50:51
But your essence in life is something that is
50:54
eternal. And I equally want us to always have
50:58
eternity in mind as we go about our normal activities,
51:03
our daily activities, our endeavors. What shapes
51:06
our decisions? What shapes our... what shapes
51:12
our living on the earth is actually the will
51:19
and the purpose of the road on the earth. Because
51:25
God's eternal plan for you who is a believer,
51:29
it's not only that you are a child of God, of
51:32
course, it's only that you are part of God's
51:34
family, of course, this is all that we are. This
51:37
is our identity. This is what God has done for
51:39
us in Christ Jesus. But God equally has given
51:42
us a duty. Hallelujah. And God is depending on
51:47
you. He's depending on me. And what we do here
51:51
in church always is to remind you of this. What
51:56
we do here always in church is to prepare you
51:58
in this knowledge. It's to keep resounding to
52:03
you, number one, who you are. What God has done.
52:06
What he's doing. And what he wants to do with
52:09
your life. Is to train you. But on Sunday we'll
52:14
see. That knowing the will of God. To know the
52:16
will of God. You have to be trained. You have
52:19
to be equipped. You have to be. To be fully equipped.
52:25
So that you can do this work. So as you are with
52:31
us in church. You must know that. Whenever you
52:34
come to church. Just know that you are here.
52:35
To be exercised. So that you will be sharpened.
52:39
So that you will be prepared. So that you will
52:41
be empowered. To do your father's business. Hallelujah.
52:49
And it comes with correction. It comes with rebuke.
52:53
It comes with encouragement. It comes with edification.
52:59
It comes in different shapes. And the goal is
53:03
that you will be perfected. in all the will of
53:08
God, that you'll be equipped, you'll be enriched
53:11
with the precise knowledge, with the precise
53:19
knowledge of what God demands. Not only what
53:21
He demands of you, but with the message that
53:23
you go out to preach. Hallelujah. So I want you
53:29
to pray, and the prayer you're going to pray
53:30
is a prayer of commitment. Amen? Firstly, God
53:38
has committed to you. God is committed to you.
53:43
He has committed himself to us. God has committed
53:50
himself to us. He gave us his life. He gave us
53:54
his spirit. We've been brought into union with
54:03
him. But I want you to pray for yourself and
54:09
commit yourself to God's work. You remember what
54:11
we prayed earlier on? That a zeal for the Father's
54:15
house will do all that can consume you. That
54:22
you will be embraced, engulfed in the desire,
54:25
that the desire of God will be your desire. That
54:29
what moves God, the passion of God will be your
54:31
passion. Please, pray for yourself. Don't be
54:35
looking at me. Pray. Pray for yourself. Pray.
54:55
Your life is dedicated to one cause. My life
55:03
is dedicated to one cause. That my focus is one
55:08
thing. Pray for yourself. Pray for yourself.
55:23
Of course, we know we will be involved in careers.
55:26
We know we'll be involved in family life. We
55:29
know we'll be involved in many things. But in
55:31
the midst of all this, that I will not be distracted.
55:35
That I will not be distracted. There will be
55:37
no distraction. Our distractions are not necessarily
55:42
things that are evil. The devil is to distract
55:47
us with things that are evil. He will bring things
55:49
that are good. But I will discern that this is
55:54
a distraction. He will bring very wonderful job
55:57
offers. Very wonderful opportunities. He will
56:04
bring opportunities for recognition. Opportunities
56:07
will make us famous. Opportunities will make
56:10
us powerful. Opportunities will make us rich.
56:16
But that you will know the will of God at every
56:19
point in time. That you are a man and a woman
56:25
that is loyal and committed to the work of God.
56:30
That you are a man and a woman that is committed
56:32
to the will of God on the earth. Our decisions
56:42
will be influenced by the will of God. Our actions
56:51
will be defined by the will of God. Our choices
56:56
will be defined by the will of God. Our relationships
57:06
will be defined by the will of God. How we utilize
57:15
our resources will be defined by executing the
57:19
will of God. We look forward to having you with
57:37
us next time. God bless.