Latest / Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ) / Parenting Seminar 2026 - "God's Family Get Together" by Glenn Hitchcock

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Parenting Seminar 2026 - "God's Family Get Together" by Glenn Hitchcock · Cumberland Trace Church of Christ (Formerly Lehman Ave Church of Christ)

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Of the Lord's people here, Cumberland Trace
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Church. Now that
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should be better. One of the things that I
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uniquely appreciate about the Lord's people on the Lord's Day,
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we get to meet God each week around
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his table to commemorate the
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death of the greatest character, the greatest person that
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ever lived. Out of the providential
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abundance of We are able to give
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as we've been prospered, cheerfully— not
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tearfully, but cheerfully— to the Lord.
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On this unique day, we're able to speak,
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teach, and edify one another in psalms, hymns,
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and spiritual songs. That's why we don't
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need instrumental music, mechanical instruments of music, because We have
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a heart, and on that heart we're able
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to speak, to teach, and edify one another the way God
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has so commanded. On this unique day,
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the Lord's Day, we're able to
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teach from the Holy Scriptures those
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truths that will help us as families to stay
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bonded together, For those of us who are not Christian—
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for those who are not Christians to be able to come to faith by
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the hearing of the Word of God, to preach
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the truth in love, and to be able
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to edify one another through the Word,
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and to call upon God in prayer that he can hear our
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petitions and and put the
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kingdom first, living and
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communicating and work with one another,
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that our children may be able to grow up in
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the fear and admonition of the Lord, where he
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comes first. Someone asked me, now you never asked for the answer
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of the question you asked. Talked about the TL;DR
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question. That was, what can you say good
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about your children that doesn't
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involve, well, they obey, they do what I tell them to do?
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What else can you say about them? Well, the ultimate
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goal of the Christian family is for us all to say that
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our children love the Lord.
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And our quest as Christian parents is
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to so live our lives, to so demonstrate our lives,
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and to disciple our children to
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the point that one day not only will it
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be said of you about your child, but even
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God will say, well done, thy good and faithful servant,
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enter into the joy of my kingdom. That's what we live for.
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So let's get together and talk about the family of God in another
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way, altogether somewhat similar
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and somewhat differently.
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I want to go to John chapter 17, verses 20
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through 23. The foundation to
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end all struggles in this world is was
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prayed by the greatest hero of the world,
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Jesus Christ. His prayer for unity.
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In verse number 20, he says, I do not pray for these alone.
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This is all-encompassing. He is keeping in
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his heart the souls that are lost, the souls that
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are confused, the families that are scattered.
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So this is a prayer of unity. It is
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also to the people, a prayer that they
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might unite, but also for those who will
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believe on me through their word.
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It's enlisting all those to submit to divine
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authority. Now you pardon me as I look this way
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some. I can look that way, but when you're old like I am,
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you got to look at something that's a little bigger. So Hang with me.
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They're all right. The pattern of unity: that
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they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
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that they also may be one in us. It's embracing,
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uniquely formulated to every soul under
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God's creation. The purpose of unity: why? That they
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may believe that you sent me.
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The preparation of unity. And the glory which you gave
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me I have given them, that they may be one just
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as we are one— I in them and you in me— that they may
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be made perfect in one, that the world may know that you have sent me
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and have loved them as you love me.
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God envisions authority being
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intervened over the whole world.
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Thus all men and women are amenable to the authority,
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to the Word of God. If this world
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will find unity, if this world will find peace,
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it will be because of the Word of God. But people struggle.
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Why? Because of lack of vision.
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They have no strategy. They struggle
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due to worldly division. The devil's in the mix.
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The devil's trying to keep you from submitting
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to his will. The thief cometh not but for
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to steal and to kill and destroy. I am come that you might have life
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and have it more abundantly. This is Jesus contrasting himself from
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Satan. Satan brings division. People struggle due to
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lack of direction. They have no shepherd that they wish to
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follow. They have a shepherd. But not one that they wish to follow.
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And that one, if they do follow him, is taking them in
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the wrong direction. But we know that God has
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a Good Shepherd, and the Good Shepherd leads his
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people. People struggle due to lack of spiritual growth,
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and they ask a lot of questions because they don't know the Scriptures.
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And so the need for study— and people struggle due to lack of resources.
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And God, who's the, who's the provider of all spiritual blessings,
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can give them that if they but yet yield to him.
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So God's family, being a team here today,
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being able to worship God uniquely in the format that we are doing
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today, constitute God's body on
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this earth, the Church of Christ. Paul says, unto me, who am less than the
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least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles
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what? The unsearchable riches of Christ.
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And he talks about the manifold wisdom of God and the church,
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which is the manifold wisdom of God. And the church is the manifold
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wisdom of God as displayed in our text,
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Ephesians 3. Now you may want to know why I asked for Psalm 27.
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The truth be known, brothers, I— it was Psalm 127,
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but Psalm 27 is good. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed that,
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and there's some truth to that too. The manifold wisdom of God displayed here
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is found in the church. He accomplished it in Jesus
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Christ our Lord. This is the church,
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the many sides of the church. And I presented some of this material
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before while I was here with you at Equip, so I won't labor it too
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long, but I do want to talk about the dynamic
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unity of of the church as
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it relates to the wisdom of God. God's people come together in
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one family to be able to do something that is special and
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unique, and that's to display to the world that
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we are one in Christ Jesus and that
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it's no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.
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Galatians 2 and verse 20. The manifold
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or the many-sided wisdom of God might be made known as it is unfold
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in the working of his church,
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starting first with the, the law of
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pardon. Man has a need for salvation,
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folks. Families have a need for direction.
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That need for salvation, that need of direction comes through
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the love of God. There's 2 sides involved.
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There's God's side, it's known as grace. Man's side, which is known as
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obedience. God has done his part.
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The law of pardon requires us who haven't obeyed the
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gospel to do our part. Obedience being
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man's part, a decision thus is required.
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Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in Christ,
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God so loved the world that he gave his only Son. Yes,
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but to that end, we must obey the will of his only Son.
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John 14:15. We must go through
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water. We must go through repentance.
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We must go through gospel obedience in order to
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be saved. The alternative is damnation.
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We do not wish that. We want to be delivered from our sins.
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That's the law of pardon. A person can
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play around with their religion, a person
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can practice false religion, but a person cannot be
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pardoned until they are delivered from their sins.
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You cannot be saved in your sins, you have to be saved out of your
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sins. And Titus says, for the grace
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of God that bringeth salvation has appeared unto all men.
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And grace teaches us some things: to deny ungodliness,
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to deny worldly lusts,
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and to live soberly, righteously, godly in this present world.
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Don't tell me you can't live soberly, righteously, and godly when
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God is supporting you. The law of pardon says this
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is available to you. And when you obey the
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law of pardon, guess what? God does something
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marvelous. The Bible says that
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God will add you to his church. Acts 2 and verse
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47, praising God and having faith with all the people, the Lord added to the
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church daily those who are being saved. In 1
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Corinthians 12, for a moment, let's go there for a second. 1 Corinthians chapter
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12, because in 1 Corinthians 12 we have what's known as the law of placement.
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That's saying that— verse 18,
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but now God has set the members, each one of them in the body,
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just as he pleased.
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Notice, he pleased. It's not as the preacher pleased or the elders
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pleased or, or your pastor pleased,
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but as it pleased God. This is
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a dynamic part of unity known as the
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law of placement. After you
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heard the word, after you repented of your sins,
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after you confess the name of Christ with your mouth before men,
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after you've been baptized in water to have your sins washed away,
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God adds you or places you in the body of known
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as his church.
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This church represents a place of belonging.
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When our membership is placed in the Lord's church, we belong here.
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When we moved in 1977 from Newport
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News, Virginia to Oklahoma City,
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there were a lot of congregations there. And we
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went to— and we had gone to Moore, Oklahoma, and we
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placed our membership with the congregation there.
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The second week after we placed our membership there, someone came up to us and
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said, hi, I'm Brother So-and-so
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and this is my wife So-and-so. Are you visiting with us?
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I said, you know, no ma'am, I belong here.
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I'm your brother. This is my wife. She's your sister.
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And they say, oh, well, I haven't seen you before.
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But the law of placement says we belong here.
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We're unfamiliar because we haven't been here for long, but we belong here.
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You know, our college students are back this week. Isn't that right? Guess what?
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They belong here. They belong here. Law of
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placement says so. Our college kids are coming back in Hampton
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where we, where we, uh, worship from
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Hampton University, William Mary, Old Dominion University.
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A number of other universities are there, but they belong
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in that congregation when they're there. They place their membership.
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It's about diversity, and our diversity is our strength.
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We have a multi-number— a
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multitude of different people Diversities of faces and
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races, paychecks and all that, but we are all
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one in Christ. Amen. And if
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God didn't place it in there, then it does not belong.
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I don't have to argue about who's a member of the Lord's church. I can
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just open up my Bible and know that. This is a lot of placement,
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but I got to move on because you want to go and eat today.
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Once I'm added to the body of Christ, In the law of placement,
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I have the law of purpose. I'm here for a reason.
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The Bible teaches us in 1 Corinthians chapter 12,
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look at verse 19. And if
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they were all one— well, back up at verse 18. But now God has set
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the members, each of them in the body, just as it pleased,
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as he pleased. And if they were all one member, where would
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be the body— where would the body be? But now
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indeed there are many members, yet one body.
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And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you,
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nor again the head to the
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feet, I have no need of you. Let me make it simple.
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Every part of the body of Christ has a purpose.
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I can't be a knee trying to look out and see what people are doing.
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I don't have that capacity. The eye does that. My big toe
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cannot take me places where my
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head can. My big toe is designed to do what
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it's supposed to do. There are no unimportant members
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in the body of Christ. Every member has a purpose.
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The primary purpose, ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters in Christ,
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is to glorify God.
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In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we've been bought
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with a price, therefore we're to glorify God. That's my primary
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purpose in life, to glorify God. And there are no
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unnecessary members in this unique
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family of God. Every member has a purpose.
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Isn't it wonderful to know that I can come to God's
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table every Sunday meet with God around
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the Lord's tables, memorialize the death of Christ,
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and have a purpose to worship him, to glorify
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him. By living for him, I glorify him. I let my light shine.
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My children see it, my neighbors see it, my enemies see it.
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And I'm altogether trying to do more to try to better myself.
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People ask me, how am I doing? I said Pray for me. I'm doing all
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right. I'm mean as ever. Pray for me. That means I mean to do
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better today than I did yesterday, so pray for me.
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And folks say, well, that, that's, that's pretty good. I'm always trying to
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do better than I did yesterday. Why? I have
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a purpose to glorify God.
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There's also the understanding that
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when I know my place because
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I've been pardoned, and I know my purpose,
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I can have peace doing what God has commanded
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me to do. If I'm that elbow,
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I'm doing what elbows do. Don't your elbow do that?
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See that? I'm doing what the elbow does.
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Is that elbow having any problem doing that? No. That's the
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law of peace. He's so busy doing his job, he doesn't
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have time to tear up the church. Hello,
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that's the law of peace. We have unified
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members working in harmony with one another like this congregation seeks
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to continue to do, directed by an authoritative head,
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disciplined by the Word. There's no cause for alarm. Why?
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Because everyone cares for one another. Have peace.
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Look at 1 Corinthians verse 25.
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But our presentable parts have no need, but God composed
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the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks,
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that there be no schism in the body, but that the
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members should have the same care one
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for another. Another.
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No need to panic, no confusion.
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Why? There's harmony. The elbow is doing its job,
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the fingers are doing their job, the head's doing its job, the feet are doing
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its job. We're all working in harmony, in concert with the
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Word of God, to his glory. Isn't that beautiful?
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That's the law of peace. Now folks,
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that's my introduction. I'm still gonna get you out on time.
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All that said to get to the law of perseverance,
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because this is, this is where problems ensue with a lot of our
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brothers and sisters in Christ. The law of perseverance
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says we are strong when we're united.
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We're strong as we study God's Word and mature.
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We have our defense against struggles.
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That's the Word of God. When we come together collectively to deal
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with problems as God's SWAT team— and I said this morning, if you have problems,
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you need to humble yourself before
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God and your brethren and seek the help
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of your godly elders or godly men
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and women who can help you, people that you feel bonded and trust.
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And let them work with you, because the devil is busy.
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The devil is as a roaring lion. He seeks to devour the
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body of Christ. Our law that
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works against the devil is the law of perseverance.
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We strive through struggles, we strive through problems, we strive
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through issues because we're not alone in this.
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God who cares for us goes ahead of us.
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God who loves us is there with us. The head is
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directing each member to continue to work harmoniously as
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we struggle through sin, as we struggle through temptation.
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1 Corinthians 10:13. And so these are
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some of the things that I want to talk about. The law of perseverance instructs
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us through struggles. We don't suffer
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as a busybody. We don't suffer as a murderer. We don't suffer as anything
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other than a Christian, because through that name we glorify God.
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The law of perseverance says Christians are family.
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We're a team against adversity. We know
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that our place is where we belong in the church.
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Sadly to say this, and I'm gonna say this because it needs
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to be said, sometimes brothers
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and sisters who have problems will run away from the body of Christ rather
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than run to the body of Christ. Christ.
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Something that happened in our life and they just quit.
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What's the problem? I've got a lot of problems. I don't think you
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can handle it. You have no problem that Jesus
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and his family cannot handle together.
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This is where you come to, not where you run from. And so
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we belong here. The law of placement. We have purpose
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and we are a dependent team because of the law of purpose.
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We can know our peace because we
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are producing within our lane.
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We're working in our lane. We have peace. The law of productivity
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or the law of peace. We're a care team.
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No cause for alarm. When we know
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perseverance, we're strong.
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That's a dynamic concept of the
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law of unity in the Church of Christ that keeps us
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structurally sound and spiritually fortified
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to fight against the devil. And so God
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gives us practical ways who— those of us who know
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of the law of perseverance Those who know their place,
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who know their purpose, who know pardon.
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God gives us adversity to direct us.
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God gives us problems to inspect us, to correct us, to protect us,
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and to perfect us. How is this possible?
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Because we are members of the body of Christ.
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We belong in the body. We have purpose in the
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body. We know our place in the body.
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We know about God's peace,
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and there's nothing you can do to keep me from enjoying God's peace
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because the law of perseverance says I'm not in this by myself.
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I have my brother, Brother Hiram. I have my elders, Roger and others.
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I have my brothers and sisters in Christ. When I fall down,
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I hurt myself, I know God's family is going to respond. That's God's SWAT
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team. They're gonna respond. Aren't you glad God
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gives us adversity to direct us? Sometimes life can bog us down with
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insignificant matters. We fail to put God first. I told you about KFC.
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In ignorance, some attempt to serve 2 masters. God has the right
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to light a chastening fire to direct movement in the proper
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direction, and when he does, you're gonna know it.
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Blows that hurt cleanse away evil, as do stripes the
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inner depths of the heart. Proverbs 20 and verse 30.
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So God gives us adversity,
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allows us to have problems,
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to direct us to a better path,
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to move us in a direction that will glorify him rather than
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glorify yourself or to honor Satan.
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God gives us this adversity in such
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a way that it impacts our human comfort zones. We don't like to
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be moved off our comfort zones, do we? I have
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a certain chair in the house. You know, when you're 6'7 and
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you're broken down playing basketball for all these years and stuff, your bones
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hurt, you got arthritis— I won't go into all that. Yeah,
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you've got a favorite chair somewhere.
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But when company comes,
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you have to move somewhere else. But it's
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temporary because I know what— they're gonna leave sooner or later. And when they leave,
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I'm getting in my chair. So this
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adversity may be momentary, but live with it.
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Allow God to move you to a different place.
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Satan is full of wiles, and God wants to direct us to
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a place of healing. Hebrews chapter 12,
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11 through 13. No chastening is good
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for the present, but it has the effects that God intended
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for it— to move us to a place of safety.
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So God gives us adversity to also inspect us,
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to remove the demerits in our lives that we can stand upright
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as faithful Christians. Much like members in the military who must stand rigorous
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inspections, the Christian armor is subject to inspection.
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When I was in the Air Force, we had inspections. Part of
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my problem was they didn't make some clothes long
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enough to fit a tall guy like me, and I had some issues.
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They got— they— my TI would say Shirt's too
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short. I said, make one longer, sir, and I'll wear it.
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But I wore what they issued.
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My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations,
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knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience
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have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
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Adversity matures us. This impacts the free agency of Christian
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compliance. No soldier in the Lord's army wants to receive a
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demerit due to noncompliance. 1 Peter 5:6-9. God wants
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us to submit to his will.
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Adversity or problems are
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brought our way to inspect us.
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You have to have that proverbial checkup from the neck up.
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So adversity is that mirror that we trust, that we must all
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view. God cares enough to offer us the perfect law of liberty
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to free us from the demerits of sinful conduct.
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James says you've got to receive with
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meekness and grab that word to save— to save your soul.
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James says be swift to hear, slow to speak.
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Tune in, tone down, and sweeten up. Why? Because the word shows
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us where the demerits in our lives are,
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and we need to cleanse ourselves accordingly.
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He gives us adversity to correct us.
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God will use problems to correct one's course. The course corrections
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prevent apostasy among Christians. 2 Corinthians 13:5.
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That's that checkup from the neck up. Therefore let
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him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
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Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have kept thy word.
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God gives us problems, folks, to correct us.
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It's good for me that I've been afflicted, that I might learn thy
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statutes. The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands
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of gold and silver. Psalm 119, verses 71 through
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72. God gives us problems under
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the law of perseverance to protect us.
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A problem can be a blessing in disguise if it prevents one from
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harming someone far more serious.
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Consider the life of Joseph, who was sold by his own brothers into slavery in
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Genesis 37. How did God protect Joseph?
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First, he moved Joseph to a place of usefulness.
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See, problems can move us. Joseph's life
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was improved via tragedy. Thus, it increased his surrender before God.
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Genesis 39:3-6.
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As a slave, God protected Joseph. As Joseph developed
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his capacity for service, his humility and compliance to God was more important
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than honor. So God gives
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us problems to protect us.
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When there are problematic delays in life,
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trust the caring Father to protect us as we
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covet or convert obstacles into opportunities.
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When we see problems as obstacles
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rather than opportunities, we stay
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up, we stall, even as Christians.
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And that's when some, when they stall, they leave the church rather
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than come to the body of Christ. They leave.
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Don't stall and fall. Get up and come.
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Why? Because God loves you. You have a
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support network that is uniquely qualified to support
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you in every way, but you have to come. No one
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can force you or coerce you to come. Joseph's timetable
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for reunion with his family could have been problematic delay, but he never allowed
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family matters to detour his walk with with
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God. And that's the point.
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You know, we have families that are single families,
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we have nuclear families, we have blended families.
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I have a friend who lives in Louisville, Tennessee— Louisville,
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Kentucky. His wife died of
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cancer. He remarried Not too long afterwards.
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His wife— his daughter, his son, they both
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cut him off. How dare
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you marry someone after Mama died? You dishonor her past.
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We won't have nothing to do with you. Well, the son came around eventually,
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but the daughter won't allow
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him— allow them to see his grandchildren.
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All because she thinks
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that she can control her parent.
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That the problem is bigger than her father.
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Her problem is bigger than her father's problem. The problem that you
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dishonored my mother's legacy by remarrying. Now I know that's
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kind of silly. Well, I'm gonna be honest with you. In Virginia, we call that
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stupidity. And the college kids say, that's a YBD,
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you big dummy. And that's indeed what
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it is. Listen,
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problematic delays should never allow family matters
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to deter our walk with God. If you've
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got a son or daughter, in-law, outlaw,
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whatever the case may be, trying to control your adult
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life, because of problems. You better
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live and walk and
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trust God because you signed that Declaration
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of Dependence with God, not with your daughter, not with
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your son, not even with your grandkids.
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I better say amen on that and say I love you when I say that,
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because some folks don't like that, but that's the way it is.
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Let's move on because If we're unable to
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traverse through adversity, perhaps God will carry us around it.
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But it never— but never give
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up or give in. Joseph's life is a testimony
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of trials that happen for our good and
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for God's glory. It worked out to the glory of God
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and to the good of Joseph. And whether you're in a blended family,
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a single family, or whatever the case may be, it's going to work
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out for you because of the law of perseverance.
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You're not in it alone. We're working together.
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You know your place. You know your purpose. Don't forget it and
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keep living for the master. And that's
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what it's all about. And then adversity
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Finally, it's there to perfect us.
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Problems, when responded to correctly, are character builders.
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You will learn a lesson from problems
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and issues, won't you? You'll learn how not to do it again,
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and you'll learn to teach your children how to traverse around it when it comes
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their way, should it come their way. God forbid,
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but if it does, they'll know how to traverse it.
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Because you were honest enough and demonstrated
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before your children and before God and the world that
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God comes first. KFC. And nothing's
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gonna push you away from your sacrifice and service
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to God to do the things that you need to do to
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stay right with God. As Christians growing in
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grace and knowledge of our Lord through the Word, we take
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joys in trials and tribulations, not because of the experience of tribulation, but we rejoice
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because of our declaration of dependence on God's care. I said that. The perfecting
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via adversity impacts Christians' discernment.
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It's obligated to continue in the righteous path.
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1 Corinthians 15:58.
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What must I do to receive this care? Learn the lessons of adversity.
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Understand that adversity teaches humility. Understand that adversity
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teaches reliance upon God. Understand that adversity
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teaches the powerful need of prayer.
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Adversity teaches obedience to the will of God. It is submitting to his authority
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rather than our own authority. Galatians 6:7-8.
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Master your struggles. Rejoice in the Lord.
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Rely on older Christian women and men. Learn to
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forgive self and others. Study God's word regularly. Worship God
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and pray regularly. Spread good news, be evangelistic. Know your place in the body.
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Know your purpose in the body. Know your peace in the body.
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Know to be productive in the body and persevere in the body.
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I cheated, I gave you 11 instead of 10.
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In the family of God, you're not alone. God cares. Let's get
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together. Through trauma and drama, God really do care
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for you, and so does his body, the Church of Christ.
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Though loss of wealth, loss of health, God remains and he
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cares, and God is what you have left.
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God continues to manifest his care through his church.
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Let's get together. Friends, if you're not a Christian,
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I beckon you to respond. If you have needs,
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respond now while together we stand and sing this song of invitation.