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The Issues about Women's Liberty pt 15 · Near East Christian Fellowship Sermons

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Hi there. Welcome to NECF. We're excited to share
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today's message with you. Don't go anywhere.
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Stay with us till the end for some valuable resources
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to enrich your faith. Here's today's sermon.
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Now, we've been trying to... Go through a series
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for some time on the matter or the topic issues
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about or around women's liberty. So if you are
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coming newly or you have not been following us,
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it will be good to find the teachings online.
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Whether you're a man or a woman, this teaching
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is for you because ministry is not done in isolation.
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It's a collective responsibility, which means
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that you will need to always work with other
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people to accomplish God's purpose on earth.
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So if there is a problem with part of the church
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where you're supposed to collaborate, where you're
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supposed to cooperate together, and you despise
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the gift of God, you're not going to be blessed
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by it. Are we together? So if you're a man...
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And you despise it. And it happens between, oftentimes,
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sometimes between husband and wife. When the
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husband always think, and that's where we try
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to correlate with the few teachings, I think
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the past few, two teachings, to understand that
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when it comes to the grace of life, that you
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are equal partners in Christ, there is no male
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or female. Scripture says, Peter was discussing.
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1 Peter 3, 7. Husband, likewise, dwell with them
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according to knowledge. Are we together? It's
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a giving honor. You can't give honor to your
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wife when you have no understanding that you
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are equal partners of the grace of life. And
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that's why, you see, sometimes husbands will
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be... struggling on some certain things, and
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the solution is there in their house. You know,
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I was telling some of our sisters, they said
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one of our sisters was sick, and I said, what
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did you do? She said she's not going to be able
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to come to cell meeting. And I said, what did
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you do? And then I tried to encourage them to
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know that they have the grace to heal. why didn't
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you lay hands on her? I said, when you go back,
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and I will ask them, when you go back, go and
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lay hands on her. And I told them that sometimes
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my body is doing me because I listen to my body.
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When I begin to feel something small, my wife
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will lay hands on me. Did you understand what
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I'm trying to say? If you're a coward of a husband,
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you will neglect the gift of God. Did you understand
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what I'm trying to say? You will neglect. Recently,
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we were talking with Pastor Chidi. I told him,
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Pastor Chidi, since you know this thing, I'm
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not going to read about it. I'm not going to
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do anything. I'm coming to you. Just tell me
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this. Just tell. How can I see a gift closer
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and then I'll be going to suffer somewhere? You
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remember what Pastor Ima told us? In the sun.
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So to partake from the gift of God, from the
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blessings around you, you have to acknowledge
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the greatest thing that destroy or that that
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makes you not to partake of the grace and the
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blessings around you is dishonor. Are we together?
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So this teaching is so that just because we say
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women's liberty, you say, it's not for me, it's
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not for me. You are joking. Are we together?
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And if you have been following, you know that
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it's for you also. So we have discussed a number
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of things, whether it's scriptural for a woman
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to speak. or to keep quiet because there are
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scriptures that appear to look as if they say
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women should keep quiet in church. You know,
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one thing you don't ask, and they use those texts,
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and you have not asked, why is it that you, you
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are a lady, you are still talking in church?
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Even the church that they say they shouldn't
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talk, they are still talking. I mean, there are
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scriptures that you know that, even if you don't
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know scripture, you know that that interpretation
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is wrong. because it's not practicable that every
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of these ladies should come here and keep quiet.
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They never talk again. Even if you say, bless
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your sister. Hallelujah. And then we looked at
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that way. We looked at true scriptures and we
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checked also, is it permitted? One of the biggest
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problem, is it permitted for a woman to lead
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a church? You understand? To lead a church or
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to pastor a church? You understand? Or to teach
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men? And we looked at that and we gave the answer
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through scripture. And then we are in the next
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thing which we have been on it for a long time.
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What is God's original plan or intention in creating
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a woman? What's God's intention? And then we
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move and start looking. And there are other issues
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we need to talk about. But we're still on this,
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and there are a number of things that I want
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us to address. First, let's look at that scripture
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I call 2 Corinthians 5, verse 16. It says, Therefore,
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from now on, we regard no one. Please, let's
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read together. It's here. Okay, one, two, three,
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go. Therefore, no one. Even though we ourselves
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have known Christ according to the flesh, yet
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now, hallelujah, we say we know no one, both
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male, female, according to the flesh. Even Christ
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before, this is Paul saying, we used to look
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at him, meaning from the natural standpoint.
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That means you cannot know anyone. from what
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you see, from the natural. Some versions will
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say from the worldly point of view. Meaning that
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if you want to know Jesus, you cannot know him
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through his ethnicity. And say he's a Jew, you
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understand? He came from Israel. Are we together?
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And on and on. You cannot know Christ through
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that way. You know, we did a teaching in the
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cell and we noted that even his brother, like
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James, When he was writing his epistle, he wrote
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nothing about the life of Christ. His physical
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life. Nothing. They knew him. They grew in the
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same place. They ate together. They slept together.
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He knew his childhood. You understand? Although
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he was his younger brother. You understand? According
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to the flesh. Are we together? Yet when he was
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writing, he wrote nothing. Remember? They were
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the ones who were telling him, go and show yourself
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now. If you are the Christ before. But when the
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reality came on them, when their eyes opened
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and they knew him, they knew he's not this one.
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Are we together? That I've been sleeping with.
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He's my savior. Hallelujah. Amen. The same way
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in this regard, you cannot know a woman in the
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sun after the flesh. We have to see her as God
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sees her. From the supernatural standpoint. From
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who she is. Matthew chapter 19. We are our brother
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red. Matthew chapter 19. Now, if you look at
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it, go to verse 4. Now, we have studied this
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passage before. And we said, the Pharisee came
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with a question about divorce. In responding
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to them, Jesus pointed them back to Genesis.
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He quoted two scriptures there, one from Genesis
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1 .27 and another from Genesis 2 .24. And we
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studied that part to see how Jesus responded
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to them. The first response was, In Genesis chapter
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1. Look at verse 4. And he answered and said
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to them. Have you not read? He who made them.
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Where? At the what? At the beginning. Made them
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male and female. So in the past couples of teachings.
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We have explored. The second one. Which is verse
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5. And said. For this reason. A man shall leave
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his father and mother and be joined to his wife,
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and the two shall become one flesh. The two shall
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be one flesh. And we studied the idea of one
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flesh, bones of my bones, and we got to understand
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that this scripture is not actually about marriage,
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but about a realization, you understand, that
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you... And the one you are uniting with, that
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you are of the same stock. You understand? You
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are of the same stock. And we studied Ephesians
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chapter 5. We saw that when you stay in the context,
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you understand, you don't lift any scripture
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out. You will understand that what Paul is discussing
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is about making the believers understand they
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are of the same family. Are we together? The
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same way we are of the same family with Christ.
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That's why he said, we are his body, the bones
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of his bones, and the what? The flesh of his
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flesh. Hallelujah. And Peter, where I also quoted
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1 Peter 3, verse 7, is admonishing husbands to
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come to their reality, what Paul was discussing.
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He said, giving honor unto her. You understand?
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As unto a weaker vessel, he said, and also heirs
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of the grace of life. Meaning that you are equal,
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you are of the same family. What she has, you
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have. That the husband ought to, that scripture
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is not talking about marriage, but is admonishing
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husband to come to a realization that their wives
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are equal partners in the grace of life. And
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it is by that you give honor unto her. is that
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by that you give honor unto her. So, today we
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will actually dwell, we will start to dwell on
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the first response. We didn't deal with it much,
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you understand, because we focused on the second
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response, which is verse 5, the one you quoted.
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No, no, I mean second scripture you quoted from
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Genesis, not response. So, we will start to deal
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with... The first part of the scripture he quoted,
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which is verse 4. And he answered and said to
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them, have you not read? He who met them at what?
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The beginning. Who met them at the beginning?
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Who met them at the beginning? Now, I want to
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note something very fast before we continue what
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we noted earlier. And I don't want you to miss
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that. I don't want you to miss that. is look
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at the response of the Pharisee. I mean the questions,
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rather. He said, the Pharisee also, verse 3,
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came to him testing him and saying to him, is
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it lawful for a man to divorce his wife just
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for any reason? To divorce. Some other versions
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say to put away. Look at how they are thinking.
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To do what? To put away. To put away. I want
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you to note something. See. See what's. Genesis
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chapter 3. See what Adam said. When God brought
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the woman to Adam. Adam knew why God brought
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the woman. Look at. We have studied that in chapter
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2. But I want to add something. In chapter 3.
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Verse 12. Look at verse 12. He said. Then the
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man said. The woman whom you gave to be with.
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Oh, talk with me. To put her away. He said the
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woman, which he do what? To be with. But then
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why is the Pharisee, he says, to put her away?
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So this is not just only about marriage, but
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their idea about how they see a woman. The idea
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of how they see a woman, not as equal partner,
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as one, just like an object, you know, somewhere
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you can just put it away because you have not
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recognized. her part in the agenda of God. Because
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if you have understood her part in the agenda
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of God, you will not be thinking of putting her
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away. Are we together? You will not be thinking
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of putting her away. Never. So Jesus answered
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and told them that no, she's not for putting
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away. Never. She's not for putting away. Hallelujah.
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And he pointed them that you have not been reading.
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There's something wrong with your way you read.
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We talk about that word, read, anagnosko. That
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is how you pay attention to details. You are
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scholars. You know these days, scholars. Whereby
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you pass in here, you pick this one, pick this
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one, pick that. Those of us who have been, especially
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PhD student and master's student, yes, must have
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understood this. Where you just pass here, pass
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here, you carry somebody's thought, you put here,
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carry this one, put here. You don't even care.
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I know some students have been doing that. You
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give them an assignment, they will go to Wikipedia
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and copy it and paste. Then bring anything and
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put here. You understand? They don't know that
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anywhere you pick, we can find the place. So,
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and I gave, recently I gave one of my PhD students
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an assignment. And he did something. He went
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and just did anything. When I sat down to read
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the first line, I mean, the first paragraph,
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I knew he used AI. You understand? I don't have
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a problem with using AI. I told him already.
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We can guide you how to use it ethically. And
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I taught him how to use it. I don't have a problem.
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But I see a man who has become lazy. You know,
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every field has a resistance. Meaning there are
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words that you use that are only applicable to
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certain fields. But you see, Chad GPT, I mean,
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you see, because you want to make your professors
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see that you didn't use the AI to generate it.
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So you use humanized AI to humanize it. But you
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see, the humanized AI does not understand registers.
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Do you understand what I'm saying? So the word
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that Chad GPT have tried have brought a lot of
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technical word that has to do with that. By the
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time you are humanizing it, humanized AI will
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use English. You understand? To humanize it.
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But because you did not read it, you are lazy.
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So you pick whatever the humanized AI gave you
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and then bring it. Like in biochemistry, you
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cannot say that the authors theorize or the theory.
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No, we don't use those words as theory. You understand
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what I'm saying? You go to physics, that's okay.
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We cannot use him by chemistry theory. You can
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use hypothesis. You can use propose. Do you understand
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what I'm saying? So there are words that once
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I start reading, I already catch you. Do you
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understand what I'm trying to say? So I guess
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the Pharisees are in that category. They will
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just go over without actually paying attention.
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Do you understand what I'm trying to say? So
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Jesus told them, have you not read? They say
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they are the teachers of the law, but they have
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skipped details. They have not been thorough.
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Today, we have a lot of this type of professionals.
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Some of you, unfortunately, you are becoming
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that. We don't like it. I've told pastors, I've
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seen some people who go online. If you check
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their LinkedIn profile, you wonder, this is a
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professional. This is a professional. And you
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are lying. We know you, you don't know it. You
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don't know it. You understand? You'll be speaking
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BB grammar. In fact, if you know, you know that
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this is... I said, I'll just shake my head. And
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some people who are far away, they didn't know.
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I saw one professional from US. Even shared the
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thought of one of... I will not say the name.
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He said, that is how. I think I'm encouraged
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when I see this. I say, hey, hey, hey. Don't
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do that because you'll be implicating yourself.
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You understand? When you go to look for work,
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now they can go through your linking profile.
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And then when they are asking you questions,
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they don't see what is matching their heart with
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this one. Be sincere. If you have no reason,
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don't say it. You understand? Hallelujah. Let's
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return back to the Pharisees. What I'm trying
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to say is that he said, Have you not read? Have
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you not been thorough? Checking the details that
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in the beginning. In the beginning. He pointed
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to the beginning. Look at Matthew 22. The reason
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why there's a problem was that there is no knowledge
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of scripture. And you can't know scripture without
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paying attention to details. 22 verse 29. This
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time around, you meet another sect. They are
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called the Sadducees. And look at what he told
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them. When they asked you a question, he said,
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you are in error. You are in error. And he told
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them why they are in error. 29. He said, Jesus
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answered and said to them, you are mistaken.
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Not knowing the scripture, nor the power of God.
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Not knowing. That is, you see, that word mistaken
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means you are deceived. It's not just like a
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mistake like that, that happened like an accident.
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No. It's that you are let into the error. That
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is, this thing you are saying, actually you are
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being deceived. I've said it often times. You
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refuse to grow and know the scripture, you will
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be a candidate of deception. It's not a prophecy.
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It's that it's a reality. Are we together? He
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said, you are mistaken, meaning you are deceived.
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If we check the original word, it's that you
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are deceived. You err. Why? You did not know
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the scripture. You did not know the scripture.
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So Jesus exposed their idea. That their idea
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came from sin. Go back to that Matthew 19. Look
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at verse 8. Hallelujah. Look at verse 7. He said,
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they said to him, why then did Moses command
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to give a certificate of divorce and to put her
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away? Because when Jesus said, no, no, no, no,
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no, no, that's not it. They said, okay, but Moses,
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this is what Moses. Look at what Jesus said in
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verse 8. And he said to them, Moses, because
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of the hardness of your heart, they are still
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naked people. They are hardened people. They
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are unbelievers. They refuse to believe. He said,
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Moses, the reason, he said, he permitted you
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to divorce your wife. Why? The reason of divorce
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is not Moses. The reason of divorce is the hardness
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of your heart. Is the hardness of your heart.
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He said, but from the beginning it was not so.
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He again referred them back to the plan of God.
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It was not so in the beginning. Now let's go
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back to that beginning. Hallelujah. Genesis chapter
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1. In the beginning it was not so. You haven't
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read what you are saying. It is your sin, your
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unbelief. That means the hardness of heart. That
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hardness is refusing to believe in the plan of
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God. Refusing to agree to be part of the plan
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of God. Moses have written already this thing
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before the issue of divorce. Moses has written
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to them. He has preached to them. They refuse
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to believe. He said, in the beginning, it was
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not so. Hallelujah. Verse 27, he says, so God
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created man. Let's start from verse 26. Then
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God said, let us make man in our image. According
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to our likeness, let them have dominion over
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the fish of the sea, over the breath of the air,
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and over the cattle, over all the earth, and
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every... And over every creeping thing that creeps
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on the earth. Verse 27. So God created man in
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his own image. In the image of God, he created
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him. Male and what? And female. He created them.
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Male and female. He created them. Now, if you
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are distracted, wake up. Hallelujah. Wake up.
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Now, I want to, there are some things earlier
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on about this text. Now, the first, some interpretation
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I want to news to you before we go. Remember,
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this text, Jesus quoted, was in the response
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to Pharisees' question, you understand? Pointing
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them that in the beginning, you understand, it
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was not so. What is was not so? Putting away
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is not in God's agenda. That God brings a woman
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and a man together and his plan is that they
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will be part of his new humanity. Are we together?
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There are parts to be his house. Are we together?
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When a man does not recognize that or a woman
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does not recognize that, she will abuse the relationships.
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Do you understand what I'm trying to say? So
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he pointed them back to this. And I want you
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to pay attention to this. The first interpretation
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which I was growing, I got, the first one, was
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that Adam, that this scripture is talking about
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Adam. That God made Adam in the image of God.
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Now, don't worry. Whatever that image is, we're
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going to explore it. That's the reason why we're
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studying it. Because when we understand the image,
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we will understand why Jesus has to point to
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this scripture. Do you understand what I'm trying
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to say? So, Adam is made in the image of God.
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And when he ate the tree of good, I mean, the
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knowledge of good and evil, or he disobeyed God.
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Are we together? That. He lost the image. Follow
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me. That was what we were taught earlier on when
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I was growing. So Adam lost the image and then
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got the image of sin by his disobedience. And
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then they use this verse. Come to me, chapter
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5. Chapter 5, verse 3. And Adam lived 130 years
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and begot a son in his own image. After his what?
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His what? Are we together? And he named him who?
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Seth. He named him Seth. They said Adam was in
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the image of God. And then Adam sinned and he
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lost the image. That's why he gave birth to a
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son. in his image, that that image that he gave
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birth to Seth from, that is the image of sin.
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And then that is a genesis of how people begin
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to think, are we together, of what we call the
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original sin, the concept of what is called the
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original sin. That when Christ came, was to restore
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us back from what Adam lost. Do you understand
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the concept? So they call it the original sin.
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which refers that the inherent state of all humanity
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to be at a state of sin, that is everybody on
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earth is born in sin. You understand? You've
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not done anything. They just get back to you
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and you're in sin. All humans share an inherited
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from Adam and Eve. You understand? Due to their
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fall. Now, let me tell you the problem with this
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interpretation, which later, as we grow, we found
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out. Now the problem with this explanation is
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that it makes sin, which is a spiritual problem,
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are we together? Like a genetic disease. Did
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you understand what I'm saying? Like a what?
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Genetic disease. Because sin is a spiritual problem.
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So sin is unbelief in the gospel. Because you
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believe in the gospel. It's an action of what
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somebody will do for him to be in sin. or to
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be in righteousness. Because how do you become
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a believer? By believing. Are we together? So
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you cannot become righteous because your parents
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are righteous. Are we together? The same way
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you cannot become a sinner, you understand, because
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your parents are sinners. Oh, are we together?
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So because it's a spiritual problem. So it has
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to be by the action of every individual. Hallelujah.
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So sin is an unbelief in the gospel. It is not
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like a genetic disease that can be transmitted
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from parent to children. And I want to note you
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that if you, because Genesis from Genesis was
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read that way, that was not the teachings of
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Moses. Who wrote Genesis? Moses. It was not the,
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that means you have moved away from the teaching
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of Moses. Moses never said that sin can be transmitted
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from parent to children. Are we together? 2 Chronicles,
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look at that. 2 Chronicles chapter 25. 2 Chronicles
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chapter what? 25. I will read from verse 1. He
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said, Amaziah was 25 years old when he became
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king, and he reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His
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mother's name was Jehodan of Jerusalem, and he
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did what was right in the sight of the Lord,
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but not with a loyal heart. Verse 3, now it happened
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as soon as a kingdom was established for him
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that he executed his servant who had murdered
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his father, the king. If you have been following
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the canonical, the Bible through, you must have
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read this place. Are we together? Verse 4, however,
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he did not do what? Oh, talk with me. Let's read
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4 together. 1, 2, 3. However, he did not execute
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children. but did as it is written by what? Oh,
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wait, wait, wait first there. So there's something
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that the law of Moses wrote that he did as. What
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did he do? Let's continue. Where the Lord commanded
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saying, fathers shall not be put to death for
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their children, nor shall the children be put
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to death for their fathers, but a person. shall
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die for his own word. Oh, read that last line.
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But a person shall die for his word, for his
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own sin. That was the teaching of Moses, that
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you cannot transmit sin, that everybody will
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die for his own sin. Hallelujah. Now, look at
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it. Where did Amaziah quoted? Go to Deuteronomy.
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Just move to Deuteronomy quickly. Deuteronomy
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24. So Moses have taught, so you cannot pick
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from Genesis what is not in Genesis. Are we together?
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Look at what Moses said in Deuteronomy 24, 16.
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Genesis, Deuteronomy 24, 16. I want us to read
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together. One, two, three, go. Fathers shall
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not be put to death for their children. No children
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be put to death for their fathers. A person shall
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be put to death for his own what? For his own
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sin. For his own sin. For his own sin. And it
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is from Moses. That was why when Jesus said in
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Luke 24, O foolish ones, low of heart to believe
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all that the prophets have spoken. Right? Ought
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not Christ to have suffered these things and
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to enter into his glory? Verse 27 says, and beginning
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at what? Beginning at what? Moses and all the
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prophets. Now, the theology of scriptures starts
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from Moses. Other prophets, you know that's the
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way we used to say, the prophets didn't know
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themselves. You understand? At all. And they
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were able to write something the same. Sir. They
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know themselves. Some of them, yes, they are
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not contemporary, but they read from each other.
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Every of these ones read from the other. See,
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all the prophets that came after Moses, it was
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Moses' theology they used to communicate to the
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rest. Did you understand what I'm trying to say?
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Jesus, when he came to teach about himself, he
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started from Moses. So Moses never... So you
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can only read Genesis and say Adam was in the
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image of God. He lost it. And then... Everybody
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is born in sin. You understand? And then, no,
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no, no, no, no, no. That's nothing like original
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sin. That was not the message of Moses. Last,
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let me just read some few verse about some other
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prophet. You understand? Ezekiel. Come to Ezekiel.
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Quickly. Ezekiel chapter 18. Hallelujah. I'm
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trying to move as steady as possible by the grace
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of God. Because I don't want you to come back
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to these ideas again. Are we together? You have
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sufficient... You know, study of scripture is
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what? Evidence. He said, for what? For reproof.
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That's evidence. For reproof. Evidence. What
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did I say? Ezekiel 18, right? Look at verse 1.
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Ezekiel 18, verse 1. The word of the Lord came
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to me again saying, what do you mean when you
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use this proverb concerning the land of Israel?
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The fathers have eaten soil grapes. And the children's
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deeds are set on what? So where did you think
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the concept of children can inherit the problems
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of their fathers came from? It was a what? It
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was a what? It was a proverb in Israel. Proverb
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from God? Not at all. So these people were circulating
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proverb. You understand? That's what they believe.
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This is how they pick that. So don't walk with
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the proverb of men. Go back to Genesis, the true
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history. Look at verse 3. He said, As I live,
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says the Lord God, you shall no longer use this
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word, this proverb in Israel. Behold, all souls
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are mine and the souls of the Father and as well
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as the souls of the Son is mine. The soul...
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Whose sins shall do what? Shall die. Go to verse
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20. Verse 20. Then the soul whose sins shall
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do what? Oh, talk to me. Shall die. The son shall
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not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father
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bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness
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of the righteous shall be upon himself. And the
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wickedness. of the wicked shall be upon himself.
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Jeremiah repeated that, Jeremiah 31, 29. Jeremiah
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31, 29. I'm trying to tell you that these men
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are actually preaching the words of Moses. Jeremiah
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31, 29. In those days, they shall say no more.
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The fathers have eaten sour grapes. Did you see
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that? and the children's teeth are set on it.
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That means this idea was not from God. This idea
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that children inherit the sin and the problem,
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that is, you take a sour... Who have taken a
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sour something here? That you couldn't understand
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your teeth again. How can you take something
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and then you are expecting that your children
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should face it? But now, even though they are
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doing that in our nations, our leaders mark our
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money and they are suffering. Are we together?
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But that's not good. That's not the idea of God.
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Look at what's starting. He said, but everyone
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shall die for his own word. Iniquity. Every man
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who eats the sour grape, his teeth shall set
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on the word. So don't think that you use Dabaru
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your life. You know, I was telling one of our
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sisters. I said, Dabaru is a Greek word of scattering.
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You know, you scatter it like. Hallelujah. Amen.
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You understand Greek word? This is a Greek word
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from Northern Nigeria. You see, when you dabaru
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your life, don't dabaru your life and think somebody
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will suffer for it. Are we together? Hallelujah.
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So what are we trying to say? We are trying to
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say that if you read Genesis, that there is original
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sin, that every human being on earth is born
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into sin. That is not Moses' message. You pick
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it from the rumors around. from a proverb that
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has been going on since in those times. That
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was not the word of God because that's a wrong
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thing. So you cannot interpret that text like
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that. Are we together? When Jesus came himself,
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let me read Jesus' words before we move away
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from here. When Jesus came, what did Jesus do?
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Look at John chapter 3. So it was never the message
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of Moses, neither the message of the prophet,
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nor the message of Jesus or the apostles. John
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chapter 3 verse 18. He said, he who believes
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in him is what? Is not condemned. But he who
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does not believe is what? Condemned already.
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Because what? He has not believed in the name
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of the only begotten son of God. That means everybody
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will have to take decision of himself to either
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become insane or become a sinner or be righteous
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to be in righteousness. Are we together? So salvation
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or sin is not a genetic disease. I mean, it's
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not by genetic transmission. Are we together?
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So the first one is not correct. Hallelujah.
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Are we together? Amen. Now, the second part,
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which I will introduce, because I have just few
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time, I mean, just limited time. The second interpretation,
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which of course we need to examine it also closely,
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which we have preached. I have preached that
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also. But then there are some texts that we have
36:59
not also included in the interpretation. Remember,
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if you have been in this church, you will understand
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that each preaching we preach is in itself how
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to interpret scripture. Did you understand what
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I'm trying to say? Yes, it helps you to know
37:14
how to interpret scripture. Now, let's go back
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to that Genesis. Genesis 1. Genesis 1, 26 and
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20. So the first one, I mean, the second one
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is that, the second interpretation of this Genesis
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1, 26 is that, that this Genesis 1, 26 and 27,
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that is talking about the man in Christ. You
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understand? That is talking about the man in
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Christ. That is the image of God is the man in
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Christ. Or the image of God is Christ. So if
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he said he made man in the image of God, that
37:56
means he's talking about the man in Christ. Well,
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that is true, but not fully. Because there is
38:06
a part that we need to include. And that's why
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I want you to pay attention with this. Please,
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I beg you to pay attention. I want us to think
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through together. So in this interpretation,
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it means that... Adam was not in the image of
38:20
God. In this interpretation, because Adam was
38:22
not in the image of God. So to be in the image
38:25
of God, he has to believe in the gospel. But
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unfortunately, Adam disobeyed. Are we together?
38:32
He disobeyed. So Adam is not in the image of
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God. Now, there are two. The problem now with
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this interpretation is that it fails to take
38:42
into consideration at least two other scriptures.
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In Genesis. Genesis first and foremost. Because
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we have other scripture that talks about the
38:52
image. Remember Moses. We have to follow Moses
38:57
to know what he communicated. Are we together?
39:01
And also understand from the audience. What did
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they hear? Are we together? What did they hear?
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Now let me just read before I conclude. Read
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these two texts. That normally when we interpret.
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Genesis 1, 26 and 27, we don't normally include
39:20
them, you understand? It's chapter 5, you understand?
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Verse 3, chapter 5, verse 3. This is a book of
39:28
the genealogy, verse 1, of Adam in the day that
39:31
God created man. He made him in the likeness
39:36
of God. He created them, male and female. Verse
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1 and verse 2 is just repeating Genesis chapter
39:43
1, you understand? Verse 26 and 27. Right? Look
39:47
at verse... He blessed them and called them what?
39:51
Mankind. In the day they were created. That is
39:55
male and female. Look at verse 3. And Adam lived
39:59
130 years and begot a son in his own likeness,
40:04
after his own image, and named him what? So,
40:09
if Adam was not in the image of God, and we have
40:15
noted already from chapter 3 that he failed,
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you understand, to be, I mean, or he disobeyed.
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So, normally we would now regard that he is not
40:26
in the image of God. The question is that, which
40:28
image did he pass to Seth? Which image did he
40:33
pass to Seth? His son. Is it the image of sin?
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Remember, we have already clarified that you
40:39
cannot transmit sin. Did you understand what
40:42
I'm trying to say? So it cannot be that the image
40:45
of sin that Adam passed to his son. So what image
40:50
did set God from who? From Adam. So you see,
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this is another thing we haven't explained. Go
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to Genesis chapter 9. That's the last one I'll
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say before now. When we come next, I will start
41:04
from there and continue. Genesis chapter 9. This
41:07
is the second scripture in Genesis that talks
41:10
about the image. Hallelujah. Let me just read
41:13
verse 9, I mean verse 6 alone, because I'm going
41:16
to come back to study, we'll study this text
41:18
also. He said, Whosoever shed man's blood, by
41:22
man his blood shall be what? Shall be shed. For
41:27
in the image of God he made what? He made man.
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So what he's trying to say is that, now look
41:34
at it. If we hold that according to the interpretation
41:38
we give, that Adam was not in the image of God,
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or that to say man is not in the image of God.
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Now if we hold that, that the image of God talked
41:49
about in Genesis chapter 1, 26 and 27, is talking
41:52
about the man in Christ. The question now is,
41:56
is this text, talking about not shedding the
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blood of those in Christ alone? Is this text
42:04
saying that, because he said, whosoever shed
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a man's blood, that means his only believers,
42:11
because his only believers will be man's blood.
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So are we saying that, that shedding the blood
42:19
of those not in Christ is acceptable? Because
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if you say, The image of God is only those in
42:27
Christ. Are you saying that those not in Christ,
42:30
of course, they don't have the image of God.
42:32
So that means if you shed their blood, no problem.
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Did you understand what I'm trying to say? Hallelujah.
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So that's where our problem lies. This is where
42:43
the problem lies. So that means already we know
42:48
throughout scripture. I don't want to take some
42:51
because we are already aware of it. Murder is
42:53
murder. Whether it's a person that is a believer
42:56
or not a person that is a believer. Do you understand
42:57
what I'm trying to say? We don't need to go through
42:59
that. So it's a sin to kill another man. Hallelujah.
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So we're going to start from there. This means
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that we need to now interpret what is the image
43:12
of God in the reality that includes these two
43:16
texts. You understand? Genesis 5 verse 3 and
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Genesis 9. verse 6 to make sure that our interpretation
43:27
is consistent throughout scripture. Are we together?
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I think we taught that during cataclysmos. We
43:33
said that when you interpret a place and you
43:36
discover that it contradicts other areas of scripture,
43:40
that means you need to read it again. Are we
43:42
together? So I want you to think through me and
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you can go back again to sit down on this text
43:47
shortly before we come. We're coming on Wednesday
43:49
to continue from there. Are we together? Can
43:52
you just thank the Lord and appreciate him and
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say, Lord, thank you?