Latest / Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons / "Fishing for the Temple Tax," Matthew 17:24-27; 2.1.26

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"Fishing for the Temple Tax," Matthew 17:24-27; 2.1.26 · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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Fairview family It is It is snowing hard outside
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and we've made the call About today's service
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and so I know you're listening to this online
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and that's just not the same Certainly we miss
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being together our second Sunday in a row, but
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I do pray that this sermon would be edifying
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for you and that it would help you to know even
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more about your Savior and who you are as a disciple
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of Christ. And I pray that as we are separated
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from one another with these wintry conditions
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that this would cause you to yearn and long even
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more for together worship. and prayerfully we'll
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be back at it for next Sunday and prayerfully
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we'll have Wednesday together as well. Before
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I preach I want to direct your attention to some
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announcements here and so if you want to have
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your Bible open to Matthew chapter 17 we're looking
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at verses 24 through 27. While you do that I
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want to highlight just some announcements that
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were in our bulletin. And the first one I want
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to announce is that next Sunday is a second Sunday
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of the month, which means it's our normal time
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for observing, having the Lord's Supper. And
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so I pray that you would take time within this
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next week to prepare yourself for that sacrament.
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It's very important that we prepare our hearts,
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that we examine who we are in Christ, considering
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what we're doing before we come to the table.
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And if there are ways in which we need to further
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prepare ourselves, maybe from the last time that
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we took it. And so I encourage you to do that.
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And looking at passages that may help you, 1
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Corinthians chapter 11 is a great help in considering
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how we prepare for the Lord's Supper. Also just
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some other announcements, things that are coming
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up or events. We last Sunday were again not together,
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but we are supposed to have our fourth Sunday
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evening worship service and after that was going
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to be a missionary presentation from Corey with
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the dinner and I was really looking forward to
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that. We're going to postpone that and I will
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let you know when we're going to have that. Also,
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please note that Prayerfully, we'll be back to
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having table talk this Wednesday at 5 30. I don't
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know how we're going to do sign ups for food.
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That's OK. I'll probably just order a bunch of
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pizzas and salad and whatnot, but I hope you
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can come out for that as we are able. You'll
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you'll notice that we sent out communication
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earlier this week about the memorial service
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for Mike Williams that was supposed to be yesterday.
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at 1 30 p .m. That's been rescheduled to March
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the 7th at the same time of 1 30 there in the
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afternoon. I want to encourage you to To write
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letters and cards to Joe and Pat Payton their
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address change is listed in the bulletin. They
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are at 3727 Wade Cobble Drive Apartment 210 in
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Burlington, North Carolina 27215 again see your
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bulletin We sent these out in the Fairview columns
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our weekly newsletter And so you can see that
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listed in the bulletin if you're not getting
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our newsletter You can go onto our website And
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there, go to Resources. And under Resources,
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you'll see a tab, a page for the Fairview columns,
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and you can actually subscribe yourself. You
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can also reach out to Amy Lawless, our admin
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assistant, and she can get you added on there.
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Her email address is FPC1786 at Gmail. And so
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let her know if you're not subscribed or subscribe
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yourself by going to our website Just a few things
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that are coming up our wick evening circle Meeting
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is on February 8th at 5 p .m So that would be
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next Sunday. And then Men of the Covenant, that's
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actually on February 14th. However, stay tuned
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whether or not we're going to have that. I recognize
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that's Valentine's Day and you may wish to stay
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home. Just stay tuned for further announcements
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on if we're having Men of the Covenant. And then
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February 22nd is fourth Sunday evening worship
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at five. And looking forward to that. and then
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we didn't get to go to FIKE, Fountain Inn Kid
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Enrichment. We didn't get to go to that in January.
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The one for February is February 23rd at Capstone
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Church at 3 .30 p .m. And I hope you can participate
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in that if you would like to. Well, let's take
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some time now to read the text that we've actually
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had scheduled for the last two Sundays here as
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we continue in our sermon series through some
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of the miracles of Jesus. And so the text, as
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I said earlier, Matthew chapter 17 verses 24
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through 27 I'm gonna read this text for us and
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then I'm gonna pray and then we'll get into it
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when they came to Capernaum the collectors of
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the two drachma tax went up to Peter and said
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does your teacher not pay the tax he said yes
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And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke
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to him first, saying, What do you think, Simon?
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From whom do kings of the earth take toll or
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tax? From their sons or from others? And when
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he said, From others, Jesus said to him, Then
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the sons are free. However, not to give offense
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to them, go to the sea and cast a hook. and take
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the first fish that comes up. And when you open
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its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that
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and give it to them for me and for yourself.
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This is God's holy word. Let's pray. Father in
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heaven, we thank you that in your word, we have
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what we need. We know that we don't live by bread
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alone, but by every word that proceeds from your
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mouth It's the Lord you have given us this you
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have nourished us with your word And I pray that
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you will continue to do so through the preaching
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of this word that you would open up our hearts
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and our minds to understand what is here and
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to apply it and that Through this word you will
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continue to sanctify us to grow us in the grace
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and knowledge of our Savior Jesus in whose name
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we pray amen I Don't know who might be listening
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today who is a fisherman But if you are have
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you ever caught a fish and found something strange
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inside? This week I ended up doing a bit of a
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deep dive on the internet about Fish that were
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caught and the things that were found inside
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of fish People talked about finding other animals
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with inside fish People talked about finding
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jewelry inside of fish one man shared that he
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found a spark plug in a fish that he caught Even
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one man if you can believe this He said that
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he found his car keys in a fish which Naturally
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surfaces questions like well How did the car
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keys get there and how thankful if he's telling
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the truth? How thankful was he to find his keys
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inside the fish that he caught those questions?
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We may ask her actually the questions we may
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ask similarly about this text How in the world?
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Did the coin get there inside of the fish and
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how thankful was Peter to catch that fish? Friends,
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what we're looking at, this is not a wacky tale.
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There is real truth within this episode about
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who Jesus is and who we are. But what we're really
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going to see from this is that Jesus does more
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than just pay the temple tax for us, for all
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of his disciples. Jesus pays it all. Now, this
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is a sermon series on some of the miracles of
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Jesus, as I said, and you might look at this
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and say, well, where is the miracle? It's not
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actually recorded. It's just that there is instruction
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from Jesus to Peter to go fishing, and then the
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miracle, if you will, will be inside of the mouth
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of the fish. Now, just because we don't see Peter
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do that. Think we should rightly assume that
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he does out of obedience. It doesn't take away
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from the miracle Because if it did Why would
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Matthew even include this? Additionally, I think
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Matthew is very interested in this episode about
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taxes because who was Matthew? Matthew was a
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tax collector. It kind of makes you wonder what
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stories Matthew heard From people about not paying
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for taxes the excuses that they made the dog
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the dog ate my drachma, you know But you see
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within the text there is this question from the
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collectors to Peter Now the setting of this is
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they are in Capernaum. It's perhaps likely that
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they're in Peter's house Peter was from Capernaum.
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And this may explain why the collectors go to
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Peter to ask about Jesus. They go to the homeowner,
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not to the guests. And so they ask this question.
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Your teacher pays the temple tax, doesn't he?
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There is something clearly behind that question.
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And we're perhaps wondering if Peter understands
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the weight of the question. He simply answers,
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yes. Now let's think about this. Is there any
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reason why Jesus would not pay the temple tax?
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There could be three that I've come up with.
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Three possible reasons, and some of them more
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possible than others, why Jesus would not pay.
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First of all, some groups disagreed with paying
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the temple tax. Some groups of people thought
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in Jesus' day that the temple was corrupt and
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therefore were just not going to pay that. I
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don't think that that's Jesus, do you? Secondly,
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there were charitable groups that were not required
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to pay for this. So we're thinking of rabbis
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and priests who were not required to pay this
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tax. So perhaps Jesus falls into that category.
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After all, he is called a teacher, a rabbi throughout
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this. As for the third reason, maybe just hold
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on to that thought because the third reason I'm
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going to give to you relates to who Jesus is.
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It's also important for us to say this. The temple
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tax was not... bad. It was not a Roman tax. There's
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really no problem with paying for most people
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because it supported the work of the temple.
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Matter of fact, we can see in scripture that
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this tax was commanded by God. I'm going to take
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you to Exodus chapter 30. I'm going to read just
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a little bit of this starting in verse 11. The
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Lord said to Moses, When you take the census
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of the people of Israel Then each shall give
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a ransom for his life to the Lord when you number
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them That there be no plague among them when
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you number them each one who is numbered in the
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census shall give this half a shekel According
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to the shekel of the sanctuary the shekel is
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20 garaz half a shekel an offering to the Lord.
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Everyone who is numbered in the census from 20
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years old and upward shall give the Lord's offering.
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The rich shall not give more and the poor shall
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not give less than the half shekel when you give
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the Lord's offering to make atonement for your
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lives." And so people have called this and I
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think rightly a ransom. It's symbolized salvation
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for people and their need for God. Additionally,
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it wasn't all that expensive. We're talking about
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half a shackle or two drachma. And so it's not
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like Jesus couldn't pay this, as we're gonna
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see. Jesus is not limited in his resources. And
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so what does Peter say to the question? He simply
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replies, yes. But let's think about the implications
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of this. What would be the implications if Jesus
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says no to this? Well, it could imply that Jesus
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is in these groups of exemption. Perhaps that
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he is a rabbi or a priest, which he kind of is,
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but how would that sit? with other priests back
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in Jerusalem, they might not like that. Also,
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the tax is commanded again by God, just like
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I read from Exodus chapter 30. And so if Jesus
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doesn't have exempt status, but he says no, this
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would appear to be a disobedience to scripture.
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But let's think about this. If Jesus says yes,
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which you see here, Peter answers for him. If
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it's yes, well, what does this imply about Jesus?
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To the tax collectors is Jesus just a regular
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guy with no special standing before the tax collectors
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even though the collectors are asking and So
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there's a kind of a lot on the line here Peter
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as you see he says yes and Then Jesus talks to
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Peter look if you will back into the text at
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verse 25 So he says yes, and when he came into
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the house Jesus spoke to him first saying what
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do you think Simon? From whom do kings of the
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earth take toll or tax? from their sons or from
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others And Peter answers rightly from others,
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but you might think well Why is Jesus suddenly
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talking about kings and sons? What's going on
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here? Jesus is laying out the case for why he
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and his disciples don't have to pay. Remember
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how I said there's a third reason. Jesus is giving
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the real reason that he is exempt and yet he's
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going to pay the tax anyway. This relates to
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a couple of discussions from Paul. his letter
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to the Romans in chapter 14 of that book and
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1st Corinthians chapter 8 this discussion from
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Paul on food sacrifice to idols and whether Christians
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should eat such food so I want to take you to
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1st Corinthians chapter 8 verses 3 through 9
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and it reads in this way But if anyone loves
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God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the
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eating of food offered to idols, we know that
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an idol has no real existence, and that there
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is no God but one. For although there may be
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so -called gods in heaven or on earth, as indeed
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there are many gods and many lords, yet for us
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there is one God, the Father, from whom are all
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things, and for whom we exist, and one Lord Jesus
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Christ, through whom are all things, and through
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whom we exist. However, not all possess this
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knowledge. But some Through former association
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with idols eat food as really offered to an idol
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and their conscience being clean is defiled or
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being weak is defiled Food will not commend us
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to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat
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and no better off If we do but take care That
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this right of yours has not somehow become a
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stumbling block to the weak and I included there
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in verse 9 what's What what does this have to
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do with the temple tax you may asking what Paul
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is saying here is It wasn't wrong to eat the
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food sacrificed to the idols because the idols
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are what they they are nothing And so he essentially
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says go for it Unless and unless is an important
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word here unless you are around a weaker believer
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He is getting at Christian Liberty people confuse
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Liberty with the freedom to do whatever you like.
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You say, well, I've been saved by Jesus. I've
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punched my ticket to heaven. But Christian liberty
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isn't really that. Christian liberty says you
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have freedom and that you are freed from your
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enslavement to sin. But you're not just freed
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from something, you're freed to something. You
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are freed in Christ to serve him and his church.
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And so even though you may not be under this
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obligation or that, there are other considerations
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at hand. Jesus, he's considering other people.
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He's considering the tax collectors, and he's
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not looking to bring unnecessary trouble upon
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him or his disciples. The text says not to give
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offense, and so seeking not to give offense,
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Jesus seeks to pay the temple tax. Consider these
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words from a commentator who said Even though
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Jesus could exercise his right to kingship He
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did not want to give offense Especially not by
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cute excusing himself as well as Peter from paying
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taxes Jesus did not want to cause any trouble
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from the tax collectors and their superiors They
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certainly would not have accepted his claim to
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kingship They wouldn't have accepted it, right?
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Jesus is not looking to cause, as I've said,
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trouble for the sake of trouble, right? Jesus,
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he'll ruffle feathers at times sometimes, but
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not without reason, not without cause. Jesus
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seeks to keep the peace, doesn't he? He shows
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he has a great concern for tax collectors. He
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doesn't seek to offend them and there's something
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here for us. Do you Christian bring unnecessary
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trouble on yourself or upon others with your
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speech or your actions? Do you Christian enjoy
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offending others or are you considerate of others?
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Do your actions, do your words make it easy or
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more difficult to share? the gospel. Do you like
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to stir the pot for the sake of simply stirring
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the pot? Friends, Jesus did not behave in this
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way, did he? There's purpose to every single
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thing that Jesus does. Think of the times that
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Jesus does ruffle feathers when it was necessary,
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like the time when he drives out the money changers
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and he says, you've made this place a den of
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robbers. That was necessary to doing something
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very wrong. Or Matthew 15, where it says the
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Pharisees were offended by Jesus' teaching on
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uncleanliness and uncleanliness. Why does he
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offend them? Well, the people were leading, the
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leaders were leading people astray, and so Jesus,
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he corrects their teaching, and they're offended
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by that. But he doesn't do it unnecessarily.
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And so please see that this episode is not that.
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Jesus pays the tax. Even when he didn't have
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to Really what Jesus is doing is he's upholding
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the law and beyond that and so are we? Looking
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to offend unnecessarily Friends the gospel will
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offend because people don't want to hear that
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they are sinful They don't want to hear the truth
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But we're gonna get we're really not gonna get
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very far in our evangelism for looking to offend
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unnecessarily. I like how another commentator
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put this, who said of this, a miracle is worked
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rather than offend a tax collector. A miracle
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is worked rather than offend a tax collector.
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And so we need to learn here from Jesus. It's
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also interesting here is we've looked at other
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miracles of Jesus. This time we actually see
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the miracle benefiting Jesus, which we really
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don't see very much in the other miracles. Because
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who was supposed to be paying this? The tax collectors
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are asking, does Jesus pay this or not? And so
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when he sends Peter to go fishing, he's saying,
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go get this money to pay the tax. But really,
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Jesus is not looking to benefit himself. What
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I think Jesus is really doing here is making
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a statement about his deity. Since the tax supports
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the temple and the temple is for the worship
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of God, think about it. Would God, the father,
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require the tax of his son? Think about it this
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way. Think about restaurant owner real nice restaurant
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really good food reasonable prices doing pretty
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well for itself popular place let's say the son
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of the restaurant owner comes for a meal is the
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father gonna charge the son for the meal probably
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not right well Jesus here he is the son of God
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and therefore is exempt but he pays it anyway.
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Now notice something when he talks about sons
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the word sons here is plural and so we should
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think that this includes the disciples specifically
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here in this story Peter. But please see this
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Jesus does something far greater than pay the
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temple tax for himself and for Peter. What this
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should illustrate to us as sons of the King is
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how we can become sons. How do we join the family?
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Today, if we were working our way through the
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entire liturgy, the service, we had our affirmation
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of faith from Westminster Shorter Catechism number
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34, and it asks this question, what is adoption?
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And the answer is this, adoption is an act of
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God's free grace, whereby we are received into
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the number. and have a right to all the privileges
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of the sons of God. We join the family by God's
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grace as the Holy Spirit applies Christ to our
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lives as we have faith. I was in a discussion
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recently with somebody who told me that all people
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who are created are God's children. And maybe
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that sounds nice, but it's just not true. We
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are made children of God by Jesus' redeeming
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effort. Consider some verses to back this up.
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1 John chapter 3 verse 2 puts it like this, beloved,
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we are God's children now. and what we will be
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has not yet appeared. But we know that when he
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appears, we shall be like him, because we shall
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see him as he is. We are, friends, we are God's
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children right now. John's writing to believers,
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but also consider just from the gospel of John,
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chapter one, verse 12. But to all who did receive
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him, who believed in his name, He gave the right
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to become children of God who were born not of
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blood Nor of the will of the flesh nor of the
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will of man but of God we are made children of
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God by God as He justifies us with the righteousness
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of Christ and adopts us into his family We are
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only children of God if Jesus is our Savior and
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our brother So please see as this as Jesus is
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telling what Peter what to do. He's he's teaching
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him Isn't he he's teaching all of us as we as
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we examine this great word from him Jesus turns
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this simple question from these collectors into
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a teaching moment right now look at verse 27
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as Jesus tells Peter to do something He has done
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probably hundreds of times, I'll read it again.
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However, not to give offense to them, go to the
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sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that
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comes up. And when you open its mouth, you will
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find a shekel. Take that and give it to them
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for me and for yourself. Jesus tells Peter to
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do something he's done. So many times, go fishing.
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And as this instruction comes and we see what
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is really miraculous, we see something about
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Jesus, his sovereignty over creation, right?
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You kind of wonder. What is Peter thinking about
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Jesus with this instruction is Jesus losing it
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here perhaps remember this is chapter 17 So we've
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seen a lot of things happen here Peter's seen
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it all so he's trusting in Jesus Friends this
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is not a weird story about catching fish with
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money inside Jesus is demonstrating his divine
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knowledge and power and the accomplishment of
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adoption for his people. Remember the point of
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the story. Jesus is making this claim that he
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is the son of God. And so Jesus doesn't simply
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remind Peter of this. He shows him this by doing
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something that would have hit home with Peter
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as a fisherman. That Jesus has unlimited resources.
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And this will be crucial. This will be crucial
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because Jesus is preparing his disciples for
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when he will go to the Father and they will continue
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his mission. Jesus is saying through this miracle,
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trust me and I will supply your needs. Perhaps
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Philippians chapter 4 is one that you've memorized.
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Perhaps it's one that has given you comfort in
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the past. Philippians 4 .19 says this, and my
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God will supply every need of yours according
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to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. And so
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Christian, what do you need today? Do you trust
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that Jesus can meet your needs? Do you really?
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Jesus tells Peter to cast that line and find
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that shekel. But also consider this, the tax
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is only two drachmas. So why the shekel? Well,
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clearly Jesus isn't paying for himself only.
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He pays for Peter too. And inside that fish is
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the exact amount needed for one shekel equals
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two drachmas. Jesus indeed provides exactly what
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we need. And Jesus exhibits humility in paying
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when he didn't have to. It's not expected that
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a king would pay his own taxes. It's actually
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beneath the king. And so this whole thing is
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showing the humility of Jesus. and the presence
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of God because this tax went towards the work
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of the temple and the temple represents God's
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presence. We've just gone through the Christmas
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season, Emmanuel, God with us. Rick Phillips
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at Second Pres says, why pay for the symbol when
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he himself is the reality to which the symbol
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points? Jesus lowered himself for us. Jesus lowered
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himself for this and for so much more. Consider
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Philippians chapter 2 verses 3 and 4. Do nothing
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from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility
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count others more significant than yourselves.
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Let each of you look not only to his own interests
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but also to the interests of others and let's
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keep going verse 5. Have this mind among yourselves
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which is yours in Christ Jesus who though he
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was in the form of God did not count equality
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with God a thing to be grasped but emptied himself
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by taking the form of a servant being born in
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the likeness of men. being found in human form
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he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the
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point of death even death on a cross and therefore
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God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him
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the name that is above every name so that at
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the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven
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and on earth and under the earth and every tongue
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confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
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of God the Father And so you see all of this
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is more, it's more than just about paying taxes,
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isn't it? I said how Jesus is really preparing
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his disciples for the cross. And this is very,
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very true because what appears just before this
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episode, if you still have Matthew 17 open. Go
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just before our sermon text and look in chapter
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17 verses 22 and 23 as they were gathering in
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Galilee Jesus said to them the son of man is
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about to be delivered into the hands of men and
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they will kill him and he will be raised on the
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third day and they were greatly distressed He
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doesn't want them he doesn't want peter any of
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them to forget that He, Jesus, is the Son of
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God. And so what is the Son of God doing on the
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cross? Well, we saw it from Philippians 2. He's
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securing our salvation. Remember the very thing
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the temple tax pointed towards, atonement. This
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is what Jesus accomplishes for us. And He's free
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to do it. Jesus had the power to call down the
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angels. But He doesn't do it. Because... He went
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to the cross because it was the only way. He
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goes to the cross to exclaim, it is finished
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for God's children. What this story means then
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is really that because of Jesus, his life and
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his death and the gift of faith and being adopted
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into God's family, that we have special status
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as God's children, that God gives us what we
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need. You see, Jesus doesn't just pay the temple
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tax for us. No, friends. We should understand.
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We must understand that Jesus paid it all. You,
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Christian, were bought with a price. And Jesus
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pays the exact amount. Nothing more and nothing
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less. He paid it. He paid it with His own blood.
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Christian, you indeed were bought with a price.
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Jesus has purchased you to bring you into his
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marvelous light. Let us praise God for that today
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and every single day. Let's pray. Glorious Father
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in heaven above, how we do thank you. How would
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he praise you and bless your name for salvation
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in Christ alone he Who has set us free from all
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the power of the devil and taken us out of darkness
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and into light father Thank you that jesus would
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pay Pay it all for us Lord help us to be more
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and more Thank you and thankful and would you
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give us the humility of Christ the mind of Christ?
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Help us not look to offend unnecessarily But
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help us to look out for others And share the
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gospel these things we ask in Christ name. Amen
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The The hymn of response in your bulletin is,
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I surrender all, number 366. And I would encourage
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you to look up the lyrics for that. Take time
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today to sing that. What a great hymn that is,
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because quite frankly, as we sing those words,
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I surrender all, we realize that Jesus really
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surrendered Himself for us. And so the reason
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that we can sing that is because of Him, right?
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And so take time, if you will, to sing that.
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It's okay. It's a good thing to sing in your
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homes. I know that you do. And so we can sing.
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We should sing good, good hymns, even from our
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homes, even on a day like today. Well, friends,
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thank you so very much for listening today. and
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prayerfully we will be back together on Wednesday
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and certainly on the next Lord's Day. If you
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have any needs that we can help with, please
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reach out to a shepherding elder, reach out to
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a deacon, reach out to just one another. Let's
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bear one another's burdens. Let us be there for
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one and all, for each other. And now would you
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just give attention. To this benediction from
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2nd Corinthians chapter 13 verse 14 the grace
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of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God
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the fellowship of the Holy Spirit Be with you
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all Amen