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#20240121 - Living With Strength Through Grace - 2 Timothy 2:1-7 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the Study of God's Word, recorded live at Calvary
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Church in Aurora, Co To learn more about the many resources
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available through Abounding Grace Media or to tune into our
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live stream services, visit us online at Calvary Co dot Church
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or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now let's open our Bibles and study God's Word.
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OK, this morning I'm going to be teaching from second
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hesitations, and that's in chapter 5.
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And you can you will not be able to find second hesitation in the
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index of your Bible because it's not existent.
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I hesitate to say it. OK, we are in Second Timothy
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chapter 2, so if you're new to your Bible, use that index in
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the front of your Bible and find the page in your Bible where
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Second Timothy shows up. Go to Chapter 2 because our text
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is going to be from verses one to seven.
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In chapter 2 this morning, Pastor Ed invited me to teach
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one of the four exhortations this month with the topic of
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Have it All, which is a reference of pouring out
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everything in our life to the Lord, opening up all the doors,
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everything, holding nothing back to the Lord.
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Because we trust him, We don't have to fear him in the sense
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that he's going to do evil to us.
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We have to trust him with who he is, focusing on his character as
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he's revealed himself to be in Scripture.
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And so 2024 can be a year that's full of anxiety for you because
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when you came through 2023, you look like you just been ran over
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by a Mack truck, and so you're worried about 2024 and what's
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this going to hold? But listen, God is there
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already, and your focus has to be on him, not on the
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circumstance or the potential or trying to figure it out.
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It has to be on him. Because you see, he wants to
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calm the storm in your heart before he calms the storm
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outwardly. And so if you're waiting for him
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to calm the storm first, outwardly, before you'll give
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your life to him, man, you've got the cart before the horse
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because you'll never have an experience, that peace of God
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until you let him do all that he wants to do in your life.
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And that. And that's just a word for some
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of you who are just so full of anxiety over what's ahead.
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Could be a health issue, could be the finances, could be your
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children or your marriage, could be your job situation.
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There's going to be layoffs. What are we going to do?
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The yada, yada, yada. And.
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And your mind is just going crazy.
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Stop it. Slow down.
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Get your eyes back on the Lord. We're going to talk about that
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today. Pastor Ed started the month with
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a study called Live with Loyalty.
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Loyalty to the Lord, not having a divided heart toward him.
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One foot in the world, one foot in the Kingdom.
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And then his second study last week was called Live with Total
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Commitment to the Lord. And so as you make those
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commitments, yes, there will be trials and challenges and tests
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that test your commitment, but the grace of God will be with
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you to help you carry through the commitment that you make.
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And so today, what I want to do is take the third part of this
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and and call it living with strength through.
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And that comes from our text in Second Timothy, Chapter 2, which
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we'll see. And as we look at these 7
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verses, Chapter one, excuse me, verse one becomes a foundation
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for the five exhortations that Paul will give to Timothy.
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And remember, this is Paul's last letter.
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He knows when he writes this to Timothy that in a few weeks he's
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going to lose his head literally.
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Because as a Roman citizen, they were never crucified, but as a
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Roman citizen who committed capital crimes, they were taken
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outside the city and beheaded. And so Paul's Paul knows that,
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you know, at the end of the day, the Lord is in charge of it all.
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And it was a difficult, but when you read the letter, you don't
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see him whining and complaining of how wrong it all is.
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He's focused because he knows where he's going, he knows what
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the Lord has done and he knows what's ahead.
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And that's that's got to be our focus as well.
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We can get so distracted. So I'm going to divide these 7
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verses into 6 sections and I'll talk about them as we go through
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it. Those of you taking notes, the
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head of your note needs to be living with strength through
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grace. And then you can write down each
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of these six sub headings here. But just open your heart, not
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just your pen. Open your heart to what God may
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want to speak to you about, because he knows you're here and
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this random old guy is here talking to you.
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And God wants to use this text to reach you because He loves
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you, He cares for you. So I'm going to read verses one
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through 7. We'll start with prayer and
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we'll launch into this second Timothy 2 verse.
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One. You therefore my son.
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Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and the things
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that you have heard from me among many witnesses.
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Commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others
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also. You therefore must endure
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hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
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No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the
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affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him
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as a soldier and also if anyone competes in athletics he is not
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crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
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The hard working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
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Consider what I say and may the Lord give you understanding in
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all things. Let's pray our Father in Heaven,
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we're asking that you by the Holy Spirit would use this text
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this morning in our hearts, in our lives.
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And we ask God that you would reason with us.
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You know how we process our world.
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You know our habits. You know the things that trip us
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up. You know the ways the enemy
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tries to get us distracted. And you are more powerful than
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all that. And you want to give us your
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strength to pursue, to carry through, to do what's right
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until the very end. And so, Lord, speak to us this
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morning as we open your word in Jesus name.
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Amen. Amen.
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OK, let's start with Roman numeral one.
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And we're going to call it grace that brings continuous strength.
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Grace that brings continuous strength.
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You therefore, my son be strong in the grace that is in Christ
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Jesus. Of course we know that Paul is
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writing to Timothy, his son in the faith.
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Timothy there is overseeing the churches there in Ephesus.
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Paul is in prison in Rome. But as we read this I want us
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also go beyond this and understand this is the word of
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the Lord to us. This is as if Jesus is talking
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to us and he's using this. Put your name in there.
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You therefore my son, Bob. You therefore my son or my
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daughter? Be strong in the grace that is
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in Christ Jesus. That is true right this second,
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just as true as it was with Timothy and his exhortation.
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Be strong is a choice to be made on Timothy's part, because he
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could just ignore and going, wow, you're just an old man,
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you're going to die soon. No, no, no, He took it
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seriously. There's a command here.
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As a matter of fact, the word in the Greek is a command for be
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strong, and it is in the verb tense called present imperative,
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which means a command to do something in the future which
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involves continuous or repeated action.
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We see that is is not a one time be strong.
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OK, I was strong. Now what?
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No, no, no. It's it's every single day,
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every moment. Lord, I need your strength.
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Regularly. Continuously.
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Not continually, but continuously.
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Which is a constant action, the present imperative.
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One familiar example for those of us that are believers in here
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is found in Ephesians 518 where Paul tells the Ephesian church
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don't be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be
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filled with the Holy Spirit and the word be filled is in the
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present imperative meaning be continuously filled.
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Keep on being filled because he pours us out and we need to be
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filled with him so that he can pour out into the lives of
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others. But then also do not be drunk
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with wine. Be be not not drunk is also in
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that present imperative where which is refers to you.
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You go back and back and back to the alcohol to try to deal with
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all the pressures and the the the anxiety and everything and
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it's an outside source to try to calm the storm inside.
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But listen, only God can calm the storm inside and he wants to
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give life. Notice that Paul put being
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drunk, which is where your blood alcohol level reaches a certain
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state of saturation which affects your life.
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And it affects it in a dissipation, which means it
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starts falling apart. But be filled with the spirit is
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put parallel, which means a saturation with him because that
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when the Holy Spirit saturates your life, there's life, he
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says. You'll end up speaking to
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yourselves in psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, singing and
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making melody in your hearts to the Lord, giving thanks always
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for all things. I mean, how is that a bad thing?
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I mean that's that's like life instead of just trying to cover
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the pressure with an outside source and then it when it all
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leaks out. Sorry about that illustration.
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When it's all out, you're in worse shape and you have to go
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back again and the Lord says, man, I want to give you life.
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Present imperative condition be being filled and here in the
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exhortation it's as if Paul is saying Timothy keep on being
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empowered as a regular life experience in Christ Jesus no
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matter what life has to offer. It reminds me of the strength to
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strength exhortation we see in Psalm 84 and this section here
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I'm ready to. I'm developing a Bible study
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separately out of it. Psalm 84, verses 5 through 7.
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Blessed is the man whose strength is in you, whose heart
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is set on pilgrimage. Now this of course, speaks to
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the Hebrew people that three times a year they made their
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their walk, their journey up to Jerusalem, to the temple, to
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attend the three feasts there in the temple.
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But our pilgrimage is in the heavenly Zion.
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We're not going to church. This is not a thing saying, OK,
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Our pilgrimage is to go to church on the weekend.
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Dude, that's not the context here.
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Our heavenly Zion, according to Hebrews, is is the heavenly
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Jerusalem. And because we want to be where
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he is, that's our goal. Our life on this planet is a
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pilgrimage. As a believer to be with Jesus,
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whose heart is set on pilgrimage, that means it or it
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it affects everything you do during your pilgrimage.
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Because that's my goal and you keep your eye on the goal and it
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adjusts everything that you deal with here in this life, Verse 6
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of this Psalm 84 says as they pass through the valley of Baja.
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Now Baja means in Hebrew weeping because frankly there are times
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in our pilgrimage where there's there's brokenness and our
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hearts break and and we begin to to weep because of of the
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sadness or the difficulty. But even in the midst of passing
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through that valley we can have a spring because that's what it
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says. They make it a spring because
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it's it's it's like an artesian well on the inside when the Holy
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Spirit fills your life. And man, we so need that.
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Especially in this year of 2024, because people are going to let
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you down. People are going to lie to you,
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People are going to try to take advantage of you.
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And there's all of that potential.
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But you want, you know what? I draw my life from a source of
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life that's ever bubbling up in the Holy Spirit.
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It says here, the rain also covers it with pools.
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That's from the outside. God brings times of blessing.
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They go from strength to strength.
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Each one appears before God and Zion.
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Strength to strength means that there are seasons of strength,
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which implies there are seasons when you feel absolutely without
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strength. And that's where you draw upon
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the Lord. To say God, you have to be my
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strength. There is strength in you in the
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grace that's in Christ Jesus. That's a foundational Kingdom
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truth, and that's the basis of his of his exhortations here.
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But the grace that is in Christ Jesus, what does Paul mean by
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grace? It's the Greek word charis.
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And I looked up in Thayer's Greek definitions to give you a
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technical definition of grace so you can have it.
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So we're going to leave it up on the screen for a while because
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it's technical. Those of you that are writing,
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good luck. OK, here it goes.
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Grace. Thayer's Greek definitions.
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The merciful kindness by which God exerting his holy influence
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upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens,
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increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and
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Kindles them to the exercise of Christian virtues.
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Technical definition. But the grace of God, His favor,
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His kindness. I mean, those of you that are
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believers in here, think back on the fact that God actually
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pursued you. He chased you down, He blocked
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your way, He knew the war that was in your heart against him,
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and yet he still pursued you. That's called grace and love.
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And how did that grace come? Strength.
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Dunamis is the Greek word power. Keep on being empowered in the
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strength that's there in Christ. Roman numeral 2.
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This is the second part, verse 2 Grace that produces gospel
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teachers and the things that you have heard from me among many
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witnesses. Commit these things to faithful
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men who'll be able to teach others.
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Also. Verse one be strong in this
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grace in the strength. Be strong in the grace that's in
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Christ Jesus is foundational for this first exhortation.
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Why did Paul put this first? Because they were living in a
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time when the gospel truths were being attacked by every
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philosophy on the earth and people were coming into these
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small house churches there in the 1st century and bringing a a
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gospel or a a so-called good news that was corrupting the
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truths, the basic truths of the gospel.
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And I want to tell you that the gospel, the biblical gospel of
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Jesus Christ is unique among all the religions of the world.
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Cause all the religions of the world, when you examine them are
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all based upon self effort to work yourself into a better
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state. But Christianity is the only
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religion. Religion where the God who has
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been offended by the sins of man and has wrath determined upon
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those sins himself, provides himself to take his own wrath,
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to take our sin upon himself through his Son and offer His
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Holiness and righteousness as an exchange, exchange for our sin
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and all the realities of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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I mean, you can take the Bible and reinterpret the words like
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some religions do right now. It's not the true gospel.
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You have to leave it alone. Paul addresses it in the first
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chapter of the book of Galatians.
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It's not another gospel. It's a perversion of the truths
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of the true gospel. And so this exhortation is find
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men who will hold fast the pattern of sound words, and
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that's chapter one, verse 13. When you find them, commit these
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gospel truths to faithful men who will be able to teach
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others. The word commit means to deposit
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or to be an investment. And we all know what that's
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about in this day of trying to make solid investments for the
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future and setting up your retirement and all that, and the
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Bitcoin and the different other ways you can spread out your net
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worth and all. But but you know, sometimes you
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get so wrapped up in investing for the physical future you have
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neglected to invest for the spiritual future.
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Jesus commanded us to lay up treasure in heaven where the
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whole thing doesn't go belly up like it can in this life.
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It's not. Then investing in this life is
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wrong. It's just that we so trust in it
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and we get our eyes off of the Lord.
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And sometimes it's to the neglect of our families.
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And we're saying, well, you know, I'm, I'm developing for
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their future, but you haven't invested into your kids the
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truths of the gospel. Well, I don't want to change
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them. I don't want to influence them.
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Where do you get that from? That's not in here.
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As a matter of fact, cover to cover, It's like invest in your
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children. It's your responsibility as a
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parent. Yeah, but what if they don't
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hear? We'll pray for them.
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Sorry, That chokes me up. Yeah, pray for them.
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That's at least you can do. That's investment.
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That's a deposit. You're asking God to send
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intercontinental ballistic missiles, bam, into their life
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through prayer. Because they're not listening to
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you. They just roll their eyes and go
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whatever, you know and and it's like, come on, stop that and and
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you just love them. Keep your heart right to
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minister them. Yeah.
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But you don't know how they've hurt me.
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You don't know how wavered they are.
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You don't know how painful it is.
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Yes, I do. My, our, our youngest son had
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that season. And I know those feelings and I
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know that sense of of hopelessness and out of control
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and unable to change it, That's where you got to hide yourself
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in the sovereignty of God and his love and truth care for
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them. And now my son, you know, he's
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walking with the Lord tight. Praise God.
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But it was. And now he's got kids.
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He's got a train and and they're going through the same things
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that he was going through. And he he keeps telling me, Dad,
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I'm so sorry. I I don't realize it was going
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to be this hard. I'm so sorry.
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I'm going. Yeah.
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Yeah. I wanted to.
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I wanted to do some damage to you, actually.
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So anyway, invest. Commit these truths.
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To faithful men, Discipleship is super important.
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Don't let the truths of the gospel die out.
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Commit them. That was the word to Timothy,
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but it's also the word to us. Know what you believe, and in
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love and in grace, commit those things as a deposit into the
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next generation. Let's go on #3.
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Grace that leads to endurance. Roman numeral 3 verse 3.
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Look at Look at this verse closely.
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You therefore the word therefore based is based on verse one.
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You therefore because you have strength.
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Timothy that's in the grace that's in Christ Jesus.
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You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of
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Jesus Christ. Look at the word must circle it.
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It implies no alternatives. You must do it, not think about
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maybe toying with it if you if you so feel like it would be
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good. No, no, you must do this,
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Timothy. It's a non.
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It's it's a non. Negotiable.
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It's not an option. And the Greek word Paul used for
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endure hardship, includes the idea of enduring hardship along
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with me. So it's not just Timothy.
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You're on your own. It's Timothy.
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We're in this together in this war.
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Endure it along with me. But I want you to hear the Lord
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Jesus speaking to us, saying endure hardship along with me.
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I suffered for your sins. I want you to and fellowship
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with me and that suffering, that's what Paul says in
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Philippians. I want to know the fellowship is
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suffering. So I want to know experientially
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what that is, because there's grace and there's life on that
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comes along with it. And I want to taste and see that
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the Lord is good, endure along with me.
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The Greek word is cacopatheo, which reminds me of kaol pectate
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for some reason. But but cacopatheo, for those of
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you that are interested, and Thayer's Greek definitions,
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gives that definition as to suffer or endure evils,
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hardships, troubles to be afflicted.
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Wait a minute. I didn't sign up for that.
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You know, I I want my sins forgiven.
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But come on now I've I've already had a hard life.
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I want things easy. I'm sorry you got on the wrong
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bus. Because Jesus said in the world
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you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, for I have
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overcome the world. In me you will have peace.
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In the world you will have tribulation.
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But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.
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As difficult as life can be, and by the way, there are believers
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right now suffering, being tortured in prisons around the
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world for their faith. Nobody knows about them.
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They've been given false charges to be a cover for persecuting
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them, and they're going through it And and the pressure is to
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give up their friends who are meeting or their leaders and
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all. And they're going through
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heinous treatment, saying I am going to be faithful to the Lord
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no matter what, even if they take my life, God give me
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strength and grace to make it through the beating.
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And that's the truth. That's the reality of what's
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going on right now. And we got all weird because we
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wake up and we go, Oh my goodness, I got a flat tire.
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God, how could you allow this to happen to me?
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I mean really, just perspective. We have to get it back.
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Timothy endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ
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because we are in a spiritual warfare.
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When you come to Christ, all of a sudden you're a soldier,
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you're in the battle. If physical armed forces have
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the capacity to endure this hardness, then how much more can
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we endure the hardness that comes in life through the
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strength that comes available through the grace that's in
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Christ Jesus? That's, that's the gist here of
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this whole section. To Timothy and to us, Jesus is
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our commander in chief, and he has given us different counsel
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based on how the Father has been toward us.
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In Matthew 543 through 45, Jesus said this.
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You have heard that it was said you shall love your neighbor and
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hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your
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enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate
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you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute
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you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
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For he makes his son rise on the evil and on the good and sends
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rain on the just and on the unjust.
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How do you love your enemy when everything in you wants to
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retaliate? How dare them?
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I can't believe it. That's so wrong.
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That's unjust. That's unfair.
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I'm going to teach them that you know and and your and your mind
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just goes wild and it stirs up the emotions.
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And your nostrils are big, like a snorting horse, man.
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Because you're so upset. Don't even get around you.
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And here's Jesus saying bless those who curse you.
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Yeah, I'll bless them all right. You know, I'll bless them with.
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I mean, I mean, come on, dude. Here's, here's the truth.
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You cannot do this on your own. I can't love my enemy on my own
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because everything on my own wants to retaliate and give.
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Oh, yeah, you give me 5. I'll see you 10.
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But Jesus is saying, here's what I want to do in you so I can
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work through you. I want to give you my love so
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that you can love them even though it has been a curse on
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you, even though they have spitefully used you and
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slandered you. That kind of love only comes
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from heaven and it comes with the Holy Spirit because the
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fruit of the Spirit is what love, God's love.
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I cannot manufacture that kind of love in my life.
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So when someone has done you evil and there's this sense of
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of retaliation and and has gotten you wound up, you got to
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go to the Lord saying this is a light on the dashboard.
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Speaking of driving, when all kinds of thoughts come as you
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drive through the Denver area. OK, enough said.
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And that's when it's like the light on the dash, you know, You
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know that it's annoying on a cold morning when when all of a
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sudden the like low air on the tire comes in and it's going,
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no, no, really, come on, it's just cold.
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Well, that's there for a reason. And the Lord speaks to us in
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times of are being wound up. And he says, men, you're low on
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oil, the oil of the Holy Spirit. And so you need to just say look
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what I've done with you. Look how I loved you when you
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were so unfair to me. Look how I pursued you when I
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shouldn't have pursued you at all.
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And and it's just perspective. God, give me your love so it
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will change my life on how I deal with others.
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Because my my purpose, my goal is to reflect to the world
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around me what you look like, what your love looks like.
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And that's why he said love your enemies and do good.
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Bless, pray for it may take a while.
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I'm just saying, it's not like, OK, I'm over it.
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No, you're not over it. You're over it right this second
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until the thought comes back up and you can sense this bile
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coming up in your in your throat.
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When their memory comes to your mind, you're not over it.
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And God has to heal your heart. He wants to heal the wound so he
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can use you, let him heal you. But some of you don't want to be
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healed because it was so unfair. If God, if you heal me, no one
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will know. Please let him heal your heart.
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Let's go on #4 grace that keeps focus.
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No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the
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affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him
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as a soldier again. This exhortation is based upon
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verse one, the strength that's available through the grace
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that's in Christ Jesus. And notice the words in warfare,
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because there are soldiers who are in the barracks resting.
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They're not in warfare, but when you're out in the midst of of
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confronting the enemy, you've got to watch out for IE DS.
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You got to watch out for incoming armament and and and I
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mean you are in warfare. It's a whole different mindset.
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And Paul is telling Timothy here, listen, as a Roman soldier
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is engaged in warfare, he can't allow himself to be entangled or
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distracted, because if he loses focus, it's going to endanger
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not only him, but the rest of his troop and his platoon.
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You've got to have each other's back.
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You've got to keep focus. And that's the exhortation to
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Timothy here. But it's an exhortation to us.
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How do we lose our focus? We get distracted sometimes.
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The distractions are innocent things.
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They're not. They're not sinful things, but
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they're just things that end up consuming volumes of time.
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And pretty soon you realize you haven't had a time with the Lord
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for several days or even weeks, Because after all, you've got to
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do this. Why?
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It's kind of an addiction and you get used to doing this and
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you want to do it because I just want to conquer that game or I
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just, I just want to be involved there.
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I just want to find a, you know, a new set of clothing or I just
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want those special boots and and it just consumes you.
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It becomes a distraction. Not that they're bad in and of
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themselves, but look how much time and look how much of A
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distraction it's become to you and you got to pull back.
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But there are some entanglements that are actually sin, and
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you've gotten involved maybe in a relationship with someone
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else. And now you're involved in
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sexual sin, you're involved in lying, you're involved in
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hiding, you're involved in compromise.
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You're one way in front of other believers and another way in
34:12
secret. I mean, what is happening in
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your life? How did that start fear?
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Fear that you might lose that person if you were straight with
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them, if you told them the truth.
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That's a that's a sandy foundation that won't hold up in
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your life. These aren't in my notes, but
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I'm just, it's on my heart to say the word entangle means to
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become involved in difficulties or complicated circumstances
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from which it is difficult to escape.
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Have you ever come to anybody and said how's your relationship
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going? And they say it's complicated.
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That's means they're entangled because you know, an affair
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starts, first of all emotionally before it ever happens
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physically. And God wants you to put a guard
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on your heart and think clearly and don't let the world be the
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influence in your life, but let the Holy Spirit and trust in Him
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be the influence in your life. The word entangled only occurs 2
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times in the New Testament here and in Second Peter.
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Second Peter chapter 2, verse 20 says for if after they have
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escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
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the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
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in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the
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beginning. If the Holy Spirit brings things
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to your mind and heart and you realize that you have become
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entangled, maybe distracted with a non sin issue or a sinful
35:59
issue, it's time now to say I need the strength that's
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available in in Christ through His grace to turn away from that
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entanglement to take the the the weeds that have blocked my way
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also reminds me of Hebrews 12. Let's run the race with
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endurance, laying aside every sin, every weight in the sin
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which so easily ensnares us. Let's look to Jesus, the author
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and finisher of our faith, You know, keeping focus.
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Most of you have a a cell phone. You take pictures with that
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phone and you got to keep it in focus.
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You have to, you know, work it so that you know, the picture
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comes out crystal clear. Sometimes you can be looking
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right at the object and you're out of focus.
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And you know, the really the truth is we can be looking at
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our relationship with Jesus, but we're out of focus.
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How do we get out of focus? We've gotten distracted.
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A focus means that you take and you you hone in, you sharpen it.
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When you're listening to Grace FM 9089.7, if you're on 89.5,
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you're going to get OK you're out of focus.
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You got to take that silly dial and bring it one more notch to
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89.7 and then it comes through clear.
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Same thing with our relationship with the Lord.
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Don't just do religious things because you're not in focus.
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Focus is just not about religion.
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It's about him. Does that make sense?
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It's not about the things you do.
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It's about him. Focus on him.
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Keep the focus that comes from the strength that's in Christ
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Jesus #5 Grace that encourages obedience and also if anyone
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competes in athletics he is not crowned unless he competes
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according to the rules. And this focus is is obedience.
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Those athletes in the Olympic Games spend time honing their
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skills in their particular sport.
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A person who does shot put in the field games has to
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strengthen certain muscles and certain movements and certain
38:34
timing to be able to get that that that heavy iron ball out to
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where it needs to be. But a person running a marathon
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doesn't encourage those big muscles.
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Can you see a big guy, you know, trying to run a marathon?
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OK, he's great for shot put, but he stinks at a marathon.
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OK, well, he's not trained for that.
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If if athletes can do it in discipline, believers through
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the strength that's provided can do it as well.
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What are the rules of the game for us?
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The rule of the Kingdom comes down to one thing.
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God's love in you and through you because all that you find in
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the in the New Testament is is connected to that Kingdom law,
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the law of love in Christ. For 2024 may we be filled with
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the love of God and have our focus on Jesus and not just
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religious activities. Amen.
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Finally number six, grace to continue to labor verses 6 and
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seven, the hard working farmer must be first to partake of the
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crops. Consider what I say and may the
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Lord give you understanding in all things.
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I want you to realize that hard working is different than
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enduring hardship because it's there are different Greek words
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and it's a different context. Enduring hardship has to do and
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verse three has to do with things that come against you,
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the hard working farmer. Working hard has to do with the
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condition and the necessity of the case.
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A farmer. Is one of the most hard working
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men and women that you'll find because they just can't take
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their ease. They have to continually work.
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You know the herd of bessies that are waiting to be milk
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aren't going to be milking themselves.
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You know, they they have to do the hard things.
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Why do they do the hard things? Because unless they do it,
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there's no reward at the end. And so in the Christian life, in
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the context, the Christian life is going to include hard work.
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I'm sorry, that's not the Western culture mindset of ease,
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convenience and comfort. It's going to be hard work.
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Obeying the Lord is going to end up being hard work, doing the
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right things, when it's going to potentially cause wrong things
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to happen in your life by other people.
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You have to do the right things and walk with integrity before
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the Lord, and there are times it's going to be hard.
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We must, through much tribulation, enter the Kingdom
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of God, Paul says to the churches there in his first
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missionary journey. Hard working, to feel fatigue,
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to toil, to be wearied. Some of you are ready to give up
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praying on your wayward kids because it's been so hard and so
41:54
painful and God is saying to you, the hard working farmer
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must be first to taste the first fruits.
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I've got a reward for you at the end.
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Do what's right even though your hard work you don't see any
42:11
result because your reward comes at the end.
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The reward comes with Jesus when he returns.
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When He comes for us. Well, what about blessings?
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Aren't blessings the reward? No blessings or distribution of
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his grace. The reward comes at the end
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because you can work hard and do what's right and end up not
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receiving any proof of the effect because it's treasure in
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heaven, not on earth. For the reward when Jesus with
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his own voice will say to us, well done.
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He's not British either. You know the Brits say well done
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all the time, but he says well done, good and faithful servant.
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You have been faithful over a few things.
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I want you to rule with me and my Kingdom.
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Men are into the joy of your Lord.
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Do the hard work in 2024 through the strength that's in the grace
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that's in Christ Jesus, Not on your own strength.
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Lord, I can't do this. Be honest with him.
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Tell him. Philippians chapter 2 verses 12
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and 13 says, Therefore my beloved, as you have always
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obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my
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absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
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trembling. For it is God who works in you
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both to will and to do for his good pleasure.
43:53
Working out your own salvation doesn't mean you're working for
43:57
salvation, it means that you are living out what God has put into
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you. And how does that happen?
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Because God works in you to with your willingness and the
44:10
strength to carry it out is how this verse is is telling us.
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And finally in verse 7 consider what I say now the word consider
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is also in that present imperative form which means a
44:24
command to do something in the future which has continuous and
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repetitive action. Keep considering.
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Don't let it slip your mind. Endure hardship.
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Keep focused. Obey implicitly.
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Do the labor all based on the ongoing strength that's yours.
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From the grace that's in Christ Jesus great section.
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Let's close with the word of prayer.
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Our Father in heaven. We thank you this morning for
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your word and there may have been a moment here and there
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where there's something has pierced our heart and and we've
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sensed you your fingerprint on our soul and and saying this
45:10
needs to be straightened out. And Lord we thank you for your
45:15
kindness in getting our attention.
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But as we pray, Lord, we also realize there could be some who
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are listening online or here in the sanctuary or downstairs or
45:27
listening on Grace FM even. And as they think about their
45:32
life, they've never really surrendered their life to the
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Son of God, Jesus Christ. And only can that strength be
45:42
yours when you have taken that step and you are in Christ
45:46
Jesus. If this happens to be your state
45:51
right now, there's a remedy for that simply by asking.
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And how do you do that? You come to the Lord and you
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say, God. I admit I've been at war with
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you, and I I believe that if Jesus died for my sins, then my
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sins will be forgiven completely.
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And the gospel tells us that that's true.
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And you stand ready to forgive me of all the sin of my life, if
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I will believe on the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
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And so right now I turn over my life to you, God.
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I ask you to forgive me of all the sins of my life.
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I repent of those sins, and I turn to you.
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Fill me now with the Spirit of God and make yourself real to
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me. Make your home in my heart this
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morning. If this is your heart and your
46:57
desire, let's solidify that. Let's make it done once for all
47:03
time as we continue to pray. If this is you, at the end of
47:11
our time of worship here, please come forward and communicate
47:15
with the prayer partners and the pastors who will be up here to
47:18
receive you. And let's get this settled in
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your life and God. We want to thank you for your
47:25
word this morning and help us take these things You've been
47:28
speaking to us and go forward for 2024.
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In Jesus name, Amen. We.
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Pray that you've been encouraged by this Bible study delivered
47:40
live from the sanctuary of Calvary Church.
47:43
For prayer, call us at 87730 Grace.
47:47
That's 877304 7223. To listen to this message in its
47:53
entirety or to join us for our live stream services, visit us
47:58
online at Calvary, Co dot Church or download our free Calvary
48:03
Church app. Be blessed as you worship Jesus
48:05
this week.