Latest / Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms / #210. Living Water, Lasting Joy & Biblical Parenting | John 7–8

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#210. Living Water, Lasting Joy & Biblical Parenting | John 7–8 · Dwelling Place: The Bible for Moms

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  Steph: This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
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  Steph: I'm Stephanie Hickox In today's reading of John chapter seven and eight, we can stand in admiration at the boldness of Jesus Christ to confront the wayward Pharisees as Jesus rejects the legalism and the arrogance of these religious leaders,
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  Steph: he declares to the people that religion does not bring satisfaction, if you've ever been wronged or hurt by a church leader?
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  Steph: I pray that you hear the heart of the Savior in these chapters And recognize That those who sinned against you did not rightly represent the Lord Jesus Christ And I pray that it moves you and I to discern
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  Steph: how we call our kids to righteousness without falling into legalism.
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  Steph: A couple episodes ago, I talked about the intertestamental period, It was during this time that the Pharisees and the Sadducees came about.
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  Steph: Initially, their intent was admirable.
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  Steph: They recognized that the people had gone into exile because they had not followed the word of the Lord To prevent that from occurring again they devoted themselves to learning and honoring the word of God and to further prevent
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  Steph: sin they developed additional guardrails around God's commands so that they wouldn't even get close to disobeying Him Can you understand how this might be a good thing?
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  Steph: But in the 400 years before Jesus came on the scene even these good intentions We're susceptible to human sin and pride and part of Jesus' mission was to confront this legalistic attitude to call out the pride that they
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  Steph: had in obeying every letter of the law telling them that they were actually completely distant from the Father's heart Everything Jesus said and did that's recorded in the Gospels is of incredible importance.
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  Steph: But I'll highlight some key verses from both chapters for our reading today.
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  Steph: Beginning in John seven, verse one.
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  Steph: After this Jesus went about in Galilee.
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  Steph: He would not go about in Judea because the Jews were seeking to kill him.
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  Steph: Now the Jews' Feast of Booths was at hand.
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  Steph: So his brothers said to him, Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works that you are doing.
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  Steph: For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly.
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  Steph: If you do these things, show yourself to the world.'
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  Steph: For not even his brothers believed in him It's been hinted at in our previous readings, but this verse makes it undeniable.
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  Steph: Even in Jesus' own home and family, they did not recognize Him as Messiah I can't imagine the level of rejection that Jesus experienced through them, and also the pain that Mary would've endured As she saw the lack of
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  Steph: unity and peace in her children.
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  Steph: You know, I frequently tell my kids the testimonies of God's faithfulness in their lives.
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  Steph: I tell them their birth stories and how God showed up I tell my son that was born on an ambulance stretcher how God's hand was faithfully upon him.
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  Steph: I tell another son that I'm entirely convinced God wanted him here because after his previous brother's tragic birth, I wasn't ready to get pregnant again, but God had a better plan I recount to them these moments, and I'm
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  Steph: quite sure that Mary did as well.
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  Steph: Don't you think she told her kids about the angel appearing to her?
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  Steph: Did these sons believe in the purity of their mother?
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  Steph: Did they believe the testimonies of Jesus' birth and Mary and Joseph's betrothal?
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  Steph: I think her sacrificial call went far beyond a controversial pregnancy Jesus tells his brothers that he's not going to the feast yet.
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  Steph: So the Feast of Booths is also known as the Feast of Tabernacle or the Feast of Tents.
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  Steph: This occurred for eight days in autumn after the harvest, occurring in our months of September and October, and it was to remember Israel's wandering in the wilderness During this time, they would celebrate God's faithfulness by building leafy tents,
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  Steph: and they would camp out in fields or on rooftops Speaking of talking about God's faithfulness to our kids, do you tell your kids how God provided the home they now live in?
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  Steph: You might wanna add that to the calendar and say, "This is a day we can celebrate in our family that God provided a good place for us to live in."
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  Steph: And that's what the Jews were doing they were rejoicing that God had brought them into the promised land Jesus told his brothers that he wasn't going to go to the festival yet.
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  Steph: Keyword yet, but he does later.
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  Steph: But he doesn't go for his brother's reason.
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  Steph: Let's pick back up at seven fourteen.
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  Steph: About the middle of the feast, Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
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  Steph: The Jews therefore marveled, saying, How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?"
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  Steph: So Jesus answered them, My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
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  Steph: If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
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  Steph: The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own authority; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
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  Steph: Has not Moses given you the law?
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  Steph: Yet none of you keeps the law.
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  Steph: Why do you seek to kill me?"
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  Steph: The crowd answered, "You have a demon.
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  Steph: Who is seeking to kill you?"
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  Steph: Jesus answered them, I did one work, and you all marvel at it.
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  Steph: Moses gave you circumcision and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
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  Steph: If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man's whole body well?
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  Steph: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment."
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  Steph: don't you love how perfectly logical Jesus is?
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  Steph: He's saying, why do you have a problem with making someone well?
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  Steph: You should be rejoicing this man's body was restored so often I wanna live an honorable life.
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  Steph: And I can really struggle when I feel like my good intentions were misunderstood This verse is so good for me to meditate on.
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  Steph: Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.
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  Steph: Jesus was not concerned with being controversial for the glory of God.
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  Steph: And I would argue he is the most controversial man that ever walked the earth We are promised that when we live for Christ, we will face persecution.
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  Steph: We're not to go looking for it.
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  Steph: But if you, when doing what is righteous, are persecuted, the Sermon on the Mount promised that we would be blessed.
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  Steph: It reminds me of 1 Samuel 16 where God said, Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
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  Steph: Are we concerned by what people think of us or by what is true before the Lord?
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  Steph: Even with our kids, we need to give them that opportunity to explain their intentions.
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  Steph: Next, the people claim that this can't be the Messiah because they know where he came from and they claimed that when Messiah comes, no one will know where he came from.
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  Steph: But that is actually not biblical.
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  Steph: Scripture's just recording that the people believed that to be true thankfully, verse 31 tells us, Yet many of the people believed in Him.
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  Steph: They said, When the Christ appears, will He do more signs than this man has done?'"
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  Steph: It's nice to see some logic coming from the crowd as well, isn't it?
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  Steph: But true to their character, the Pharisees hear the crowd being convinced that Jesus is the Christ, and they can't handle it.
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  Steph: They send officers to arrest him But I love reading the result The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them?
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  Steph: Why did you not bring him?"
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  Steph: The officers answered, No one ever spoke like this man."
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  Steph: The Pharisees answered them, Have you also been deceived?
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  Steph: Even the temple officers that they sent to arrest Jesus, they started listening to him and they started wondering, "I think this guy is legit they decide not to arrest him.
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  Steph: I love it.
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  Steph: Because we know that Jesus' hour has not yet come, as John repeatedly tells us We can't miss An incredible declaration Jesus makes on the last day of the feast.
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  Steph: But in order to understand the context, I wanna read you something from my Moody commentary John F.
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  Steph: Hart writes, "According to the Talmud, each day during the Feast of Booths, a priest would carry water from the spring fed pool of Siloam to the temple and pour it out on the altar in expectation of the coming
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  Steph: Messiah."
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  Steph: This also celebrated the supply of water given through the rock Moses struck in the wilderness Another commentary explains that as these priests would come through the water gate and into the temple court, three trumpet blasts were made to
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  Steph: mark the joy of the occasion, and the people recited Isaiah twelve three.
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  Steph: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation."
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  Steph: At the temple while onlookers watched, the priests would march around the altar while the temple choir sang the Hallel, which is Psalms one thirteen through one eighteen the water symbolized the blessing of adequate rainfall for crops.
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  Steph: Picture those priests daily pouring water on the altar.
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  Steph: But on the last day, they don't bring the water and John seven thirty-seven tells us, On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, If anyone thirsts, let him come to me
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  Steph: and drink.
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  Steph: Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'
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  Steph: Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive.
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  Steph: For as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified."
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  Steph: If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink Does this make you recall Isaiah fifty-five?
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  Steph: Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!
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  Steph: Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
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  Steph: Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
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  Steph: Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
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  Steph: Incline your ear and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, Some say that Isaiah 55 is one of the clearest Old Testament gospel presentations Jesus wants joy for
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  Steph: the people.
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  Steph: He offers these words at a feast of celebration.
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  Steph: He wants the people to be delighted in God's goodness but they're being bogged down by the religiosity of the Jewish leaders It's not living water It's checklists and to-dos we get to continue this conversation with the Pharisees.
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  Steph: But many Bibles insert the story of the woman caught in adultery You'll probably notice a notation that says the earliest manuscripts do not include John 7:53 through 8:11 many treat it as the truth.
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  Steph: But I want you to understand that what was discovered of the earliest manuscripts did not have this story.
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  Steph: In fact, it doesn't appear until hundreds of years later Now, the Word of God is absolutely inspired and inerrant, but not every person that copied it down was inspired.
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  Steph: It's possible that this truly occurred as a historical account and someone added it in later we can see how it fits with much of the character of God, but I want to be careful that we don't elevate the
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  Steph: story to the level of scripture Because it was added later.
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  Steph: I just listened to an incredible sermon on this passage by Johnny Artavanis, and I'm gonna link to that in the show notes.
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  Steph: Because he used this opportunity to explain why we should be so confident that the Word of God is the Word of God.
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  Steph: The amount of manuscripts that we have and the proximity that they were written to when they occurred is unparalleled amongst other ancient texts I could summarize it for you, but I really would love for you to listen about
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  Steph: why you can trust everything that's in God's Word.
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  Steph: While this story may have happened his conclusion was that it wasn't worthy of meditating upon at the same level that we meditate upon the rest of scripture.
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  Steph: The storyline flows much better without it because picking back up in 8:12, Jesus is responding to the Pharisees They tell him his testimony is not true?
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  Steph: And as always, he has the perfect response, that the Father himself testifies that Jesus is the Christ Jesus doesn't shrink back an iota.
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  Steph: He keeps calling them out In verse 21, he tells them, You will die in your sin."
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  Steph: In 23, he says, "You are from below.
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  Steph: I am from above.
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  Steph: You are of this world.
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  Steph: I am not of this world."
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  Steph: For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.
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  Steph: Jesus is so clear In 8:12, he declares, I am the light of the world.
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  Steph: Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."
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  Steph: But the Pharisees don't believe his testimony They don't understand how all of their efforts could amount to nothing, and that this man who seems to walk in such rebellion to God's Word could really offer the people abundance But
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  Steph: they're oblivious to the heart behind God's rules.
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  Steph: They don't recognize that Jesus is the complete fulfillment and embodiment of everything God required He further encourages those in the crowd that are believing in him, If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you
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  Steph: will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
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  Steph: When we walk in obedience to Christ, it brings joy.
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  Steph: It brings freedom.
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  Steph: This is so contrary to what the world thinks.
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  Steph: Jesus isn't a to-do list.
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  Steph: Following Christ doesn't mean that we give up everything that is fun it means that we walk with an unwavering confidence that God is working all things for our good.
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  Steph: We know he will win unequivocally in the end And His goodness and love and care for us brings us peace and joy on this earth until we wait for eternal glory In contrast, in verse 34, Jesus explains that
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  Steph: the Pharisees are slaves to sin.
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  Steph: oddly they say that they've never been slaves.
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  Steph: I mean, what?
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  Steph: These men have much of the Old Testament memorized, and they don't remember the four hundred years of slavery?
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  Steph: In Egypt, the Babylonian and then Assyrian captivity But they're also a slave to the enemy.
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  Steph: Jesus declares, "You are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires, he was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth."
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  Steph: Finally, in verse 56, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am."
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  Steph: This declaration is more than they can take And they pick up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple when you get to heaven, don't you wanna see glimpses of what it
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  Steph: looked like for Jesus to evade them?
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  Steph: Because his hour has not yet come and he doesn't surrender himself into their hands All right.
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  Steph: So what does all of this have to do with us as moms?
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  Steph: First and foremost, are we walking in the freedom that Jesus purchased for us?
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  Steph: or does it feel like you're following a list of checklist and rules?
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  Steph: I don't say this to condemn you, but I do want you to recognize how difficult it is to pass down a joyful faith to our kids if we're not experiencing it ourselves today, no matter how tired or overwhelmed
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  Steph: you are or burdened by the things you need to do I pray that you would hear Jesus saying, come drink living water I pray that the joy of your salvation would be restored, that you would feel the spring
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  Steph: of living water So we're gonna pray to that end.
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  Steph: But first, I also wanna say As I was reading about the Pharisees and considering these guardrails that they intended for good, it made me think about my own parenting.
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  Steph: Are there times where I'm trying to be so diligent to train them in righteousness that I don't allow their relationship with the Lord to transform their character?
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  Steph: I think this is a give and take here, but I do think it's worthy of evaluating.
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  Steph: Let me just give you an example.
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  Steph: obviously, I haven't wanted my kids to say the Lord's name in vain and from a young age, I taught them that because we love God so much, we want to say His name in an honoring way.
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  Steph: But I realized as they were learning to talk, if they said, Oh my gosh," you couldn't always hear the shh it sounded too close to the other.
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  Steph: I wanted them set apart.
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  Steph: So I taught my kids to say, "Oh my goodness," and I provided other options, too.
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  Steph: As they got older, I realized it sounds pretty silly for 12-year-old boys to walk around saying, "Oh my goodness There are just different things where I've wanted to set up these guardrails.
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  Steph: how will we be set apart as believers to honor and elevate the Lord in our hearts?
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  Steph: But I think we need to be really careful.
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  Steph: When is it a biblical conviction?
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  Steph: When is it a personal conviction?
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  Steph: It's just something I'm pondering and processing before the Lord but I certainly want my kids to feel, that I led them to the stream of living water, that I pointed to the source where their thirst would be satisfied
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  Steph: And not that I gave them a list of rules to follow the beautiful thing is, even when I have done it poorly The Lord's purposes will prevail and I can trust Him to work even those moments for His
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  Steph: glory.
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  Steph: Let's pray.
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  Steph: Heavenly Father, thank you that in you there is fullness of joy As we walk through life, we long to experience the complete freedom that you purchased for us.
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  Steph: Teach us how to abide in you and to dwell with you regardless of where we are, regardless of how busy we are And of how much we need to do I pray that your presence would transform our every
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  Steph: day and that our love for you would be contagious to our children.
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  Steph: I pray we would not offer to them food and drink that we have not partaken of ourselves We ask that we would be women that would bring you glory, that you would help it to click in our hearts
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  Steph: That the watching world would understand we have been transformed by your presence And I pray that this transformation is just as evident when we close the doors to our home May our kids understand that Jesus equals joy.
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  Steph: It is in your beautiful, delightful name that we pray, Savior.
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  Steph: Amen