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What Do You Want Me To Do For You? Sermon · Beyond the Sermon

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You're listening to Beyond the Sermon, the podcast of First
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Methodist Church in Collingswood, NJ.
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On our podcast, the goal is not just to share our sermons, but
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to go beyond the sermon and talk about what we're learning and
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what God is doing in US and in our community.
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The sermon you're about to listen to comes from our Spring
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Mixtape 2025 Non Series Sermon Series.
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Rather than a series, this will be a collection of sermons based
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on what God is leading us to preach on this spring.
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You can find more information about our church at
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fumccollingswood.org. Thanks for listening.
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This morning scripture comes from the Gospel of Mark chapter
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10. Then they reached Jericho and as
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Jesus said, his disciples left the town.
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A large crowd followed him. A blind beggar named Bartimaeus,
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son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road.
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When Bartimaeus heard the cry that Jesus would now as the
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earth was nearby, he began to shout.
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Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, be quiet.
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Many people yelled at him, but he only shouted louder.
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Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me.
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When Jesus heard him he stopped and said Tell him to come here
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and so they called the blind man.
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Cheer up. They said come on he is calling
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you. Bartimaeus threw side his coat,
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jumped up and came to Jesus. What do you want me to do for
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you? Jesus asked my rabbi.
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The blind man said I want to see and Jesus said to him, go for go
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for in your go, for your faith has healed you.
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Instantly the man could see and he followed Jesus down the road.
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This is the word of God for the people of God.
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Thanks be to God, it's. Interesting to me.
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The way that. Different people.
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Handle change at. Different points in.
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Life right? Sometimes we don't.
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Like our current. Situation and.
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We're we're looking for. Change to come.
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Other times we're a little more reticent for that.
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Change to come. Still other times.
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We know. That there's a.
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Change that needs to take place. But we either.
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Don't know. How to start the change?
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Or we aren't willing to do what we know we need to in.
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Order to affect. That.
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Change. You ever had that experience?
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Have you ever wanted to make a change in life?
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But either not known where to start the process in order to
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get you from where you are to where you.
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Want to be or you know that you need to what you need to do?
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But you're unwilling. To actually.
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Do it either because it seems. Too difficult.
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Or maybe sometimes. Because it seems too easy.
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For me. One of those things is getting
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to a little. Healthier of a weight, right?
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Now, I'm not body shaming myself or anything like that this
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morning, but I know that I would.
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Feel better if I. Shed a few.
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Pounds right and I'd be more. Available to God, to my family.
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In the future, whatever. God might have for me down the
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road, and I know I need. To eat better.
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I already know that more. Whole Foods, more fruits and
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vegetables, less processed foods.
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But I really like ice cream and I really liked baked.
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Goods, right? And so I'm stuck in that place
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of deciding which. Hard.
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Am I going to choose? Am I going to choose?
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The hard of. Complacency.
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With my current reality and the trajectory that I'm on, or am I
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going to start? Doing the small things.
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That I already know I need to do.
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And lean into that hard right we we have a choice I've.
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Always been struck. By the times in the.
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Gospels where Jesus encounters someone.
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And often that someone is. A person who seemingly.
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Has a very obvious need. Right, like a.
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Healing and Jesus asks a question at the pool of
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Bethesda. The question was do you want to
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get well? Seems.
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Like a no brainer to me, right? Who?
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Wouldn't want to get well, but Jesus asks the question.
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Or in the story in today's scripture reading that Ben read
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for us. As Jesus is walking out of.
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Jericho. He's on his way to Jerusalem for
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the last. Time, right, He knows.
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He's going up to Jerusalem. To face his own death and his
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disciples. Are with him.
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There's a crowd. That's following them.
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And there's a. Blind beggar seated on the side.
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Of the road there as they're leaving Jericho and this blind
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beggar, he hears that Jesus of Nazareth is.
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Passing by so he begins to shout to.
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Try to get. Jesus's attention, he's crying
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out. Jesus, son of David, have mercy
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on me. You see he.
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Recognizes in what he's heard about Jesus the fulfillment of
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God's promises that a Messiah was going to come, that's what.
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It means when Bartimaeus. Says when he calls Jesus the son
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of David, he's looking for the messiahs.
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And so Bartimaeus is shouting, and the crowd is trying to hush
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him, and they're telling him to be quiet.
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They're trying to put him back in his.
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Place there on the margins. Of society.
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But Bartimaeus cries. Out even.
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Louder. Jesus, son of David, have mercy
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on me. And it's after this.
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Second round of yelling that Jesus.
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Hears Bartimaeus or. At least this is when he stops
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and Jesus. Calls Bart Bartimaeus.
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To him and the message is passed.
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Through the crowd and miraculously.
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That crowd's attention shifts on a dime.
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Right, their attitude. Shifts and they begin.
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To encourage him. Get up, take.
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Heart they say he's he's calling for you.
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And so Bartimaeus. This blind.
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Beggar who probably. Needed help even to.
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Find the right. Place to sit.
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On the side of the road so he could.
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Beg that. Morning, he jumps.
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To his feet. And he throws.
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Off his cloak and he goes to Jesus, and so Jesus is standing.
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There in the middle of the road. Face to face.
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With blind Bartimaeus. And Jesus, this time he he
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doesn't put his. Hands on Bartimaeus.
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'S face. He doesn't kneel down in the
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dirt and spit and make some mud that he puts on the face.
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Not this time. He does that somewhere else, but
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not this time. Jesus asks a question.
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What do you want? Me to do for you, and I don't
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think Bartimaeus even. Hesitated in that moment.
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My. Rabbi, he said.
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I want to see. I've come to really appreciate.
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What Jesus is doing here, I think it shows us something so.
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Central to the work. Of Jesus, not just in the
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Gospels, in these. Stories that we read in this.
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Word that's been passed down to us, but it shows us how, he
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continues. To work.
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With us today. Because Jesus asks the question,
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He doesn't. Force.
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Us into change. Sorry, I'm having trouble with
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this mic today. It's driving me nuts.
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I'll try to stop. Messing with it.
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But he. He doesn't.
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Force us to. Change, he invites us.
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Into transformation, right? He's.
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Willing to do. The work.
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Within us, but he wants. Our participation.
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With it he wants. Our cooperation.
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We call. This synergism.
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Like Jeremy told us. Last week, right?
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It's working together us. With God, it's how God.
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Has chosen to work in this world and.
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Specifically with us human beings.
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God's still. Sovereign.
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He's all powerful. He can.
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Do anything he wants to do. But it's rare that God.
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Moves in in a. Unilateral way.
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Right in a way where we're not involved.
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He he comes to us, he comes 90% of the way.
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And he's waiting for us to just. Meet him in that last.
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Little bit. But I don't.
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Think this story. With Jesus.
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And Bartimaeus. Is the only place where we see
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this dynamic. At work in the story of
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Scripture SO this morning. I want to tell.
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You briefly 3 more stories. That we find.
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In scripture that illustrate. How God invites us into.
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The work. That he's doing and how God
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limits himself according. To our response, right Notice
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you'll need to start writing your letters yet.
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Notice I'm not saying that we. Have the power.
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To limit God. Right, God.
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Can still do anything he wants to do, but in bestowing.
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Real authority. And real agency to humanity.
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God chooses to limit himself. To grant us.
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Real choices that have a real effect in.
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The world around. US.
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Right. So our first story this morning,
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well, I guess it's actually our second one because we already
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heard Bartimaeus, but our first story comes from.
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The Old Testament. It's the story of a foreign
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military commander. Who led?
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The military of a country called.
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Aram, one of Israel's enemies. And the thing about this?
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Aramean military commander. Was that he was.
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Suffering from leprosy, right This.
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Skin disease that. Was really pretty terrible.
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Not going to go into all the details, but Naman, his name was
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Naman by the way. He wanted a change in his life.
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He needed a change in his life because ultimately this disease
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was going to lead him to death. But Naaman didn't even know
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where to begin looking. For the change he needed.
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And and one day a young. Israelite girl.
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Who had come into? The the service.
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Of Naaman's wife. Through being captured in in war
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or a raid or. Something along those lines.
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This young Israelite girl says. To Naaman's wife.
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I wish my master would go and see.
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The prophet in Israel. He would heal him of his.
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Leprosy, so. You know how these things go.
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Naaman's wife. Hears this from the young girl
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she. Goes and she tells Naaman, and
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Naaman then tells the king of Aram all about it and the king.
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Of Aram says. Go go see and so when.
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They arrived there with carts full of gifts and a letter.
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Of introduction. From the.
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King Elisha the. Prophet in Israel.
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He doesn't even come out to see this.
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Powerful commander. Instead, he passes messages.
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Through his servant. Who instructs Naman to go and
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dip himself? In the Jordan River.
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Seven times. After which.
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He would be healed. So now we have Naaman standing
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outside of Elijah's house. He's angry.
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He's offended. The prophet didn't even come to
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speak to him. He didn't make a big.
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Deal of of. Showing Naaman and his healing
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to the people around them. Instead, he tells Naaman to go
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and wash. In The Dirty little Jordan
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River. When they had much bigger and.
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Finer rivers back. Home in Damascus he doesn't
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want. To do it.
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He now knows what he needs to do and he doesn't want.
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To do it. But listen to.
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What the officers who are with. Naman say to him this is second
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Kings chapter. 5 verses 13 and 14.
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But his officers tried to reason with.
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Him and said, Sir. If the prophet.
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Had told. You something very difficult.
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Wouldn't you have done it? So you should certainly obey.
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Him when he says simply go and wash.
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And be cured. So Naaman went down.
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To the Jordan River. And dipped himself 7 times as
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the man of. God had instructed.
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Him and his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young
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child and he. Was healed.
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So you've got Naaman this big? Military commander.
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And Elijah? Says just go dip in the river 7
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times. If Elijah had told Naman to do
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something. Difficult or heroic?
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He would have done it. In a heartbeat.
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Right, it would have seemed. Worthy.
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Of his healing, but instead Elijah told Naaman to do
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something very simple to dip. In the river.
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Seven times. It wasn't hard.
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It wasn't dangerous, it wasn't complicated, and in Naaman's
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mind, it was beneath him, right? So he almost didn't do it.
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Naaman almost allowed. His pride and his stubbornness.
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To keep him. From this miraculous.
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Healing that God. Had in store for him. 2nd.
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Story. Comes from the.
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Book of Acts. And.
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Features the Prophet or not the prophet, The Apostle Peter.
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Peter. Who had?
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Walked closely. With Jesus.
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Right, not. Just as one of his 12 disciples,
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but as one of the. Three on the inner circle,
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right? Those who had been with him on
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the mount of. Transfiguration.
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Who prayed with him in the Garden of Gethsemane, or at
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least fell asleep trying to pray with him in the Garden of
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Gethsemane. Peter.
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Who is now one of the? Key leaders of these people who
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followed the way of. Jesus, one day.
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Peter is up on his roof and he's praying.
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And he has. A dream he has his vision where
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God. Tells him to eat.
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Foods that were considered. Unclean in the.
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Jewish dietary laws. God's message.
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To Peter through. All this was that Peter should
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not call unclean what God had made clean the same time he's
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having these this vision then representatives.
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Of a Roman centurion named Cornelius.
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Show up at. Peter's door and they asked
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Peter to go. With them to Cornelius's house.
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Cornelius being a. Roman Centurion, not someone.
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Who's Jewish right and and? Jewish and Gentile people, they
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didn't mix all that much. But Peter?
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With the help of the Holy. Spirit, he begins.
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To put the pieces. Together of.
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What God might be doing and so. Maybe a little bit reluctantly.
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He goes to. Share with Cornelius.
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And I want you to listen to. Luke How Luke records Peter's.
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Testimony in acts. Chapter 11, beginning in verse.
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15 as I began to speak. Peter continued the Holy Spirit.
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Fell on them just as he fell on us at the beginning, then I
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thought. Of the Lord's words when he
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said. John.
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Baptized with water, but you will be.
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Baptized with. The Holy Spirit.
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And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift He gave
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us when we believed. In the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Who was I to stand in God's way when the.
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Others heard this. They stopped objecting.
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And began praising God, they said.
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We can see that God has also given the Gentiles.
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The privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving
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eternal. Life gentiles too.
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Peter wasn't looking for this. Kind of change that day when he
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went up on his. Roof to pray.
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Up until that point, most of the people coming to faith in Jesus
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were coming from a Jewish background.
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They had this commonality to them.
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But Peter chose to cooperate with what?
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God was wanting to do and even though Peter's.
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Cooperation might have been somewhat reluctant.
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God. Used it to do something bigger
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than what? Peter.
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Wanted. Peter said yes.
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To the change that he. Was confronted with.
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Yes to the. Opportunity that God.
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Gave him. And the door was opened for.
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People outside the Jewish faith. Gentiles to receive.
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Salvation. And the rest, as they say, is
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history, right? We're here today.
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Because of what God did that day.
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Our last story I want to touch on comes from the Gospel of
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Mark. It's found at the tail.
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End of A larger story, a longer story.
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Of Jesus delivering the man. With the Legion.
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Of demons, right if you. Know that.
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Story This man was living among the tombs.
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He had this supernatural strength.
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No one could control him. They could bind him with with
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chains and he. Would break them.
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He was living there. Among the tombs.
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And when Jesus casts the demons out of this man, he allows them
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to go. Into the herd of pigs that was
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there on the hillside over 2000. Pigs and when the demons enter
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these. Pigs, they rush.
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Down the hill into the lake and drown.
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And those who are caring for the pigs there?
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That they leave. They run away.
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And they go telling everyone, everywhere all that had.
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Happened to share. What they had just.
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Experienced and Mark. Continues the.
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Story like this in verse 14 the herdsmen.
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Fled. To the nearby town and the
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surrounding countryside spreading.
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The news as they ran. People rushed out to.
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See what had happened A. Crowd soon gathered around.
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Jesus And they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion
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of demons. He was sitting.
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There fully clothed and perfectly.
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Sane and they. Were all afraid.
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Then those who had seen what happened.
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Told the others about the demon. Possessed man and the pigs and
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the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them
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alone like. Peter, the townspeople weren't
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looking for a change. That day they had built a a nice
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little life and and even with the man who was demonized kind
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of. There on.
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The the. Outskirts of their.
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Community. They saw Jesus.
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'S work as a disruption. Of that life, a disruption they
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didn't want. And so they beg Jesus.
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To leave. Them and he.
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Does right Jesus? Gets back.
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In the boat if we were to continue reading it and he
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returns to the other side. Of the lake Jesus knew when he
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wasn't wanted, and so he left. And the people there, in those
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towns, they missed out on what God could have done, the
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transformation and life. He could have brought into their
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community. So we've got.
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These four stories. Bartimaeus.
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Naman, Peter. The townspeople.
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Four different people, four different situations, four
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different results. And it got.
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Me wondering. What do we want Jesus to do?
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For us, maybe more specifically, what do you?
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Want. Jesus to do for you.
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How are you responding? To the change that God is
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inviting you into, because he is always inviting us into.
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Transformation. He's always inviting us to.
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Cooperate with His grace. He's always inviting us.
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To go deeper. With him and maybe today.
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You're you're looking at your life.
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And you know. That there are some.
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Things. That you wish were different
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things. You want to.
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See changed. Maybe, like Naman, you know what
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God has told you to do. You've been unwilling to do
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those things, maybe even because they seem too simple.
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Too easy, too basic. Maybe today you feel like Jesus
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is inviting you in to change. But that transformation.
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Feels like a disruption to the life that you've built for
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yourself. And like the townspeople, even
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though you see the evidence of what God could do.
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In a person's life, you're begging him to.
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Leave you alone because the disruption seems.
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Too great. Maybe today you're like Peter
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and you aren't particularly looking for a change.
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Life seems to be going just fine, thank you very much, and
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the change feels like it'll take you.
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Outside your comfort zone. You see where?
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God is. Leading you when?
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There's a reluctance. To give an unreserved yes to
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Jesus. Maybe today you know exactly
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what needs changing in your life.
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And like Bartimaeus, you know the power for change can.
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Never come from. Within yourself, but you're
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ready to name. That need.
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You're ready to. Trust Jesus can do something
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about it so you can follow Him as he goes on the way.
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Wherever you are today. I believe Jesus is asking you a
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question. What do you want me to?
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Do for you and he's waiting for our response.
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Would you? Name your need today.
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Would you trust that he can do something about it?
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Would you? Ask him to make you willing to
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do what he's. Already told you to do no matter
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how. Basic it seems.
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Or how? Simple, would you?
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Surrender your reluctance. Cooperate wholeheartedly with
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His Spirit working in you. Would you be willing to see?
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Transformation. Not as a.
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Disruption to your life? But as an invitation to.
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Walk. With Jesus, because friends.
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It's worth it, whatever God is. Asking of you, whatever.
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Opportunity for. Change and transformation he's
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presenting to you it's. Worth it?
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It may not be easy, It may not. Feel comfortable.
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It may seem too simplistic too. Basic.
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It's worth it. And while the cost?
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For change the. Cost for transformation may seem
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high. I can guarantee you that in the
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long run, the cost. Of non transformation.
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Of staying. Where we are of settling for
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what is that cost is even higher.
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As we pray, as we close the service with a song this
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morning, I want to encourage you.
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I'm not the one giving the invitation.
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This morning, Jesus. Is making the invitation.
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Would you respond? To him, would you accept his
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invitation to the? Journey of transformation or the
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journey of deeper transformation?
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If so, as we pray and as we see the.
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Altars open and I think there's a.
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Symbolism. Something symbolic about.
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Leaving your Pew to respond. To what Jesus is saying to You
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don't have to. But the altars open.
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The invitation. Is there Jesus?
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Is asking what do you want me to?
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Do for you would you pray with me, Jesus, we're so grateful
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that you. Come to us in the midst.
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Of our brokenness. In the midst of the situations
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of life, in the midst of. Our complacency or contentment.
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You come to us. With an offer.
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Of life, true life. Deeper life.
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You come with an. Offer of transformation.
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That you can find us. Where we are and you can
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transform us, you can re. Make us.
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Renew us. You can give us the life we've
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always been longing for, even if we didn't know it was you we
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were longing for. So would you come now?
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Spirit, would you speak those words?
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To us again, what do you want? Me to do for you.
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Would you help us to respond? Would you help us to to take?
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A good hard look at our lives and respond to your invitation
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to be transformed. We love you and we thank you.
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And we just open ourselves up to.
29:32
What you want to do in US even now?
29:37
Pray this in Jesus. Name.