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Thanks for choosing this podcast by New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church of East Toledo,

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including the sermon, Keeping Your Feet Under Ya.

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God bless you today.

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Every day, if you want it more.

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Every day, I'll follow after you.

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Every day, I want it in my life.

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Every day.

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Woo!

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Alright, just real quick, you see it on the screen, it's in your bulletins, Saturday, Saturday, Saturday.

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Coming fast, gonna be a big deal, I hope.

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That's the goal.

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Flash for the Lord, share the gospel.

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The kingdom's advancing even more in the city of Toledo.

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That is our back to school block party.

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It is the last block party of the summerish weather, probably.

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So, this Saturday at 1 o'clock, and I think we're targeting 1 to 4, is that not correct?

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1 to 3.

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So, notice it says live music by our phrase band.

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So, you know every time we do that, that means a little more manpower, a little more work.

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We're gonna have more people tied up with that, and so we need to all kind of pile in and get that done.

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That's gonna be exciting.

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We will preach the gospel.

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We will have backpacks of school supplies.

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Still have the opportunity to donate to school supplies to add to that if you want.

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We'll have backpacks of school supplies.

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This is like a basic four or five items in your backpack.

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And I think that they still need to be stuffed, don't they?

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The stuff has to go.

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We have the stuff, and we have the backpacks, and so if you want to stuff backpacks,

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we still have to purchase the rest of the stuff because it didn't show up.

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Oh, so we bought stuff online and it didn't show up.

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So, it's semi-perfumed, okay?

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So, thank goodness for supply line difficulties.

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Wherever we be.

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Jesus never has any difficulties supplying us, okay?

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And so, we'll get that done, and Saturday's gonna be a fun time sharing more with anybody that comes.

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We'll do some promotion again between now and then.

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And it's gonna be cool.

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Pray for good weather.

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Pray for souls to be saved.

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Pray for people to serve.

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It is better to give than receive.

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So, you comment, he gives, over your time and resources and so on.

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And then, there's one more thing.

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Okay, don't forget today, the God's kids, those of you who are in the school age, God's kids,

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that if they made their goal, they had to memorize the verse and earn 20 points on their point system.

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But if they made their goals, they're going putt-putting after service with Aaron and fellow Japanese.

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Aaron, are you gonna be able to putt-putt with your hand wrapped up like that?

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Yeah.

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Okay, Aaron is confident that he can deal with his hand wrap.

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Aaron Perkins, great for that, for healing.

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Right?

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I work, if not in your own pit, then I won't.

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Okay.

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All right, and then also today, after service, briefly, a meeting with Brother Josh for the Arts and Crafts team is scheduled.

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Brother Josh is back here, sorry.

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And so, if you'd like to stay and hear what the Arts and Crafts team is up to,

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give some input as to what we can do going forward, then please go to that meeting, which will be after service today.

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And those are the things that are pertinent to the email.

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The rest of it is in your bulletin.

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But we're really here to serve, to pray, to witness to one another, to worship God, the God of heaven,

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to reach new heights in Jesus as we go to His Word and as we live for Him again today.

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Okay?

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That's what it's really all about.

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And so, we're gonna pray together now and kind of just plow forward and let the Lord work in us.

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That sounds like a good plan.

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Let's do that.

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Remember, as I pray, you are praying as well.

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If I pray something that you don't want to pray,

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then you pray something different with your head or even out loud in your seat,

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and give God the glory and seek Him out.

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Okay?

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But we're praying together.

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It's not me praying for you.

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This is us praying together.

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Here we go.

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Father in heaven, you're an awesome God.

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You've done amazing things.

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Our minds swim sometimes at how blessed and how careful we are.

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Yet, at the same time, we do face trials and we do face temptations,

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and we do face distractions, and we do wander, and we do turn from the narrow path.

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And before we confess our need to you, we ask you now to redeem us,

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to hold us together, to make us firm, to lead us forward, to reach new heights in Jesus.

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Forgive us for we failed you in Jesus' name.

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Let me know that in Jesus' name, that forgiveness is available.

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Thank you for letting us be here.

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Thank you for letting us care about one another.

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Lord, thank you for letting us worship this way.

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We're crazy for instruments and chairs and the building and believers who do believe

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and workers who work and worshipers who worship.

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And it goes on.

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You are awesome.

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We have so many things to thank you for.

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We ask you now, Lord, to take over this service and lead it and guide it.

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We have a plan.

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But somebody said, I think, you know, you want to make God laugh, make a plan.

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That just came up again this week.

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And so what we we ask you to lead the guide.

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We ask you to handle every note and every voice and every heart and every thing that goes on in this room for the next part of our long work year.

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We turn it over to you.

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It's not our service.

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You serve you.

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And we're here to serve you.

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You know, you deserve a lot more than you can do.

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We worship you today, Lord.

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We declare your work.

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We ask you, Lord, to take over and make it possible.

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We pray all this in Jesus name.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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OK, stand up and join us.

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We're going to go back in time a little bit.

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Back in time.

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All right.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Oh, I love this song.

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Praise the Lord! That was awesome. High five.

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I haven't done that in a while.

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All right.

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So we come to that moment in time where we ask ourselves,

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How has the Lord been speaking to you this week?

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Listen, we have been talking about meditation,

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and so by now if it hasn't sparked your interest,

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I hope you have meditated on the Word at some point in time.

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We haven't done a few meditations together, right?

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We haven't done a few together.

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And so you get the basic gist of how to do it.

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Take any verse, any passage, any paragraph,

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any caricature, I didn't even know until somebody told me what I meant.

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You can get something meaningful from God.

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So what are you seeing this week? Go ahead, Casey.

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Um, one of my friends' grandma, um, her husband had surgery on his knee.

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Okay.

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And he... and his... and she had a wheelchair, but it's broken and she's been having some tough times on it with...

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Um, so she's been using that wheelchair for a while because she's...

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So when her wheelchair broke, she switched over to a car and she's...

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Um, okay.

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My friend's name is Colton. I want to play for his grand... grand parents.

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You can do that. Personally, frankly.

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You know, if God gives us...

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Colton.

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Colton.

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Colton. Okay. Colton.

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And, uh, God gives us a heart of compassion.

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We see people suffering.

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I hope you care. I hope you take the moment.

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You gotta... sometimes you gotta stop with all the business and care about what's going on around you.

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We've heard that recently and it's pretty cool.

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Alright.

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What else?

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You getting the word this week?

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See something that you don't need?

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I'll share one with you. Maybe it'll jog your memory about something you were thinking about.

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Ariana and I, um, I want to say first and I keep the record if I get three, she knows what night it was, but...

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We played a game. We bought this game.

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Uh, I bought it at, uh, Chippewa in the flea market.

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You may know what that is.

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Flea market over in Indiana, basically.

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It's an honest country, but they have this huge, vast, gravel-covered flea market.

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And, uh, we're going table to table to table and we went to this one section and the first thing I walked into, there was this game sitting there.

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And, uh, I bought it for like two bucks.

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And I thought, you know, because this guy's selling the game for two bucks, it's probably not going to be much.

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We'll try it once and we'll see, you know, whether we'll ever play it again.

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And, um, then Thursday night we broke that game on and we played it.

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And here's what happened.

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We played this game. It's variable, so depending on, like, you could play this with a preschooler very easily.

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You've got school-aged kids, youth, adults, whatever, because you select your level of hardness. It's questions about camping.

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It's about fun, it's about animals and things like that.

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We're playing this game and they come with this little insert on there.

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And, uh, it says you can click this QR code to go see a demo of the game.

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And I thought, well, that would be cool because then we would see somebody else playing it, see how it's supposed to go.

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And I clicked it and the QR code doesn't work anymore, but it took me to the catalog.

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And the game is for sale online right now for 25 bucks.

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And I said to Arianna, I said, you know, she said we could buy another copy of this game in case we're missing any parts.

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I was like, I don't know, I don't think so. 25 bucks. We're not buying it.

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You know, let's see if it's all here. And it was. It was all this brand new, it's still all shrimp wrapped and everything like that.

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Not the box, but everything inside it.

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We're playing the game and this is what the Lord said to me.

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This is how it often goes with Jesus Christ.

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We think, you know, hey, maybe there's something to that.

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And then you go and you buy in.

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You start to listen to the sermonist, read your Bible, you pray and whatever.

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You start thinking, hey, this is OK. This is cool.

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But because it didn't really cost you nothing, because he didn't really.

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It was a bargain, right? You didn't really spend a lot upfront, even though people are like,

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it took a lot for me to walk up front and tell people I believe in Jesus.

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It took a lot for me to tell my friends I believe in Jesus.

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So I had to overcome my fear or whatever.

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But the truth is you didn't die on the cross and your salvation didn't cost you a million bucks.

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Even though it was worth way more than that, with every penny of money that we would ever touch in our entire life.

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You didn't give up all your relationships, although it's worth all that.

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It would be worth giving up all of our relationships to be saved by Jesus.

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You didn't fight blood, sweat and tears your whole life to be saved.

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You just kind of went and listened and went, yeah, I get it. I believe that.

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That's really all it cost you, is believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Easy.

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So then you go, well, you know, maybe if Jesus doesn't solve all my problems

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or maybe if Jesus doesn't take care of everything for me, I'll just buy a new version.

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I'll just buy a new one. I'll have spent all my money, all my relationships,

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but I can just put a little bit of money or a little time or a little effort into some other kind of Jesus,

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some other kind of belief in God, some other way that people say it works,

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or some false religion altogether, right?

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That doesn't have anything to do with God.

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And then you're living that way.

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So then that way, meanwhile, God gave you cheaply, at least for our expense anyway,

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it was very expensive for Him, but for us He gave you cheaply the thing you wanted,

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the thing you needed, the game, the battle, the kingdom of advance, everything was all there for you.

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But because you didn't pay enough for it, you were ready to dismiss it and go and maybe try something else.

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Believe me, if you look into world religions, if you study world religions,

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you will find that they all place very heavy demands on the believer, very heavy demands.

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Think Christianity places heavy demands? The truth is, there are some heavy demands.

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We are obligated to God to follow Him, to do what He wants us to do, and so on.

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So there are some heavy demands.

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But that's no different than anywhere else.

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What is different than anywhere else is that Jesus is with you through thick and thin.

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He doesn't ask you to do what He asks you to do without being with you, without providing for you,

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without taking care of you, without teaching you how to do it, and so on.

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Don't trade the bargain salvation that you got for something you think is worth more because it costs you more.

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Pretty cool game. If you ever want to borrow it, come to my house and play it.

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I'll be happy to. By the way, we played this game, so most of you probably have played a board game or a card game.

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This game takes literally ten minutes to play and was very fun.

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We wound up playing it five times.

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In all fairness, Ariana beat me every single time.

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It's playable by any age, but she beat me every single time we played the game.

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The fact is, we had a lot of fun doing it.

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Another thing, take this massive, grandiose affair and invest in God.

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Take the little steps. Do the little things that God would have you to do, and watch how God blesses you.

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Now, you've had a chance to think. If not, we're going to pray and move on.

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Do you have a word you'd like to share?

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Going once.

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Yesterday, me and Aaron went out to powers in the refugio.

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I'm not an excellent shot, but I'm good at it.

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I was hearing the comment, and it had me getting it.

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I shot it already after he did, and it was a lot of peri-grouping.

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He said that it was not even a look at it.

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I was home and talking about it, and I was explaining how to improve.

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Late last night, when I was playing in bed, I was thinking about it.

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The biggest thing I can remember is the fundamentals.

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You have to get fundamentals down. You have to know how to stand. You have to know how to hold it.

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If you get the fundamentals down, then you can start working the littler stuff so you can get better.

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When I was laying down last night, that came back up again.

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If we can put that with Christ, if we can get the basic fundamentals with Christ down,

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and learn how to build off the basic fundamentals of what Christ teaches us,

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then we can work on the bigger picture. It's kind of like what you just said.

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You have to start with the basics. You have to start small.

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You can't just jump right in and expect to do something you've tried before.

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It's not going to work that way. It's like swimming, for example.

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You can't just jump in a pool and expect to automatically go out and swim.

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You have to work it. You have to know the basics. You have to know the fundamentals.

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Our walk with Christ, if we build off those basic fundamentals that God teaches us,

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then we can see the bigger picture. We can see the bigger blessings that God will give us,

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and we can work on those, but we have to remember what the basics are.

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Never forget the basics.

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You were an amazing help.

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One discipline, one thing that you're doing, and it can be looking at the waves,

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and diving, and shooting, it can be working on a car, or whatever.

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All of those things, God can speak to whatever you're doing and show examples.

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It always relates to His Word.

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You can find it in the book if you're listening to God in Austin, A.D.

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I just want to say one thing to build off of what both of you said.

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I don't like to do that because I don't want anybody to get offended

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that I'm thinking a certain way that they're not.

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Both of what you guys said reminded me of what Jesus said in the Gospels.

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He said if you can understand this one parable, you can understand everything else.

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That was the parable about the sowing of the seed.

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I think we need to take that into consideration.

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Our mind and our heart literally is just like a field.

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Jesus told Nicodemus, he said, if I told you about visible things,

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earthly things, and you don't believe, how are you going to believe if I tell you about spiritual things?

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Because inside us, it's just like how it is out here on this earth.

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If we plant seeds in our minds and our souls of the Word of God,

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and we nurture them and let them grow, then life is going to spring up

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in the forms of revelations and visions and out points of the Holy Spirit

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that are going to transform us and totally make us fit for the Kingdom of Heaven.

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Amen. That's a very good word.

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That did not suddenly be one bit, brother. That was awesome. Thank you so much.

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Alright, so we're going to pray together at this time,

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and we'll take a thousand offerings and we'll worship that and go to the Word.

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I'm going to ask whether Ron Mack, our Christian games leader, would you kindly lead us in prayer at this time?

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Remember, we're praying with him. So don't be distracted. Here we go.

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Father in Heaven, thank you so much for the opportunity to be here today,

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be with our Christian brothers and sisters, have right fellowship with them and with you.

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Lord, I pray for the rest of the service. I pray for the tithes and offerings that will be given,

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that it will be given with a joyful heart, that you will use them for the purpose of furthering your Kingdom.

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God help us and guide us to show us, so that we can know what it is your plan is

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and we can bring about your plan on this earth.

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Lord, please be with us the rest of the service. Be with Pastor Dan as he brings the sermon.

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I pray you help us speak with boldness and conviction.

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Lord, bless the music, help us lead everybody in worship of you.

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I pray, Lord, that it will sound pleasant to your ears. In Jesus' name, Amen. Amen.

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As the prayer team is coming forward, I just want to mention this to you so you can be aware.

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We give part of our tithes and offerings for our Co-operative Program.

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We have a team, a huge team in Louisiana. You've heard about the hurricanes.

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We have a team in Louisiana that began two days ago and they will prepare 10,000 meals every day.

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And then the program with our Salvation Army and they will distribute those meals all throughout the hurricane affected area.

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That is made possible by Co-operative Program getting with our Co-operative Part of.

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We also have a team from Ohio that are going down there. So continue to pray for those that are already in Louisiana

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as the teams that are going down. Always a lot of salvation and obviously there's a lot of people who need a hope down there right now. Praise God.

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Thank you.

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Now is the time to worship.

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Now is the time to worship.

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Now, just as you want to worship.

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Now, just as you want to be.

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Now you're right.

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Now, now is the time to worship.

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Now, now is the time to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to worship.

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Now, just as you want to be for your God.

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One day every child will confess your death.

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One day everything will bow.

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Till the finished treasure remains for those who can't be carved in half.

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Now, now is the time to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to worship.

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Now, just as you want to be for your God.

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Now, now is the time to worship.

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Now, just as you want to be for your God.

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Now, just as you want to be for your God.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to worship.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Now, just as you want to live your life.

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Praise the Lord

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I'm gonna lay me out and show me off

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I'm gonna lay me out and show me off

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I'm gonna lay me out and show me off

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I feel like I'm counting on you

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I felt another year

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This little brownie

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These little dragon ladies

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I feel pretty fine

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But still I'm feeling so itchy

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I feel like I'm up to the top

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With running water pull me out

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And show me how

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I feel like I'm up to the top

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With running water pull me out

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And show me how

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I'm sick of the seasong

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Going up and down

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I stay the rescue

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But when I'm down I drown

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The waves are lasting

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I never learn to

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I'm sinking baby

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And so I play a fool

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I feel like I'm up to the top

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With running water pull me out

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And show me how

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I'm laying my head to the top

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With running water pull me out

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And show me how

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You're gonna show me how

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Show me how

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A few thousand years later,

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Hannah has been teaching us

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from her song

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out of First Samuel

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and today we will conclude

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that series.

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And so we're gonna start

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with a little bit of

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a little bit of

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a little bit of

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a little bit of

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a little bit of

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a little bit of a series.

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And so we're gonna pray briefly

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because while we have

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we're gonna get a just a

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very, very short snippet summary

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and I know about half

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of the children's workers

399
00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:34,320
will know the first service

400
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about half will know the second

401
00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:36,320
but you gotta kind of

402
00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:37,320
plug it all together

403
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to get where I think

404
00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:39,320
she's going today

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and I hope we'll get

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to the same place.

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We don't we always want to

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try to learn in context

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learn that what the writer

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00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:46,320
was thinking and to

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people to whom

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00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:48,320
the writer was writing

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to do that. And so pray with me if you would. Father in heaven as we turn to

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00:37:51,800 --> 00:38:00,800
your Word, please add the blessings upon the reading. Please call us away from

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00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:06,680
self and sin, selfish nature, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life, out

416
00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:12,920
of trials and tribulations, temptations and distractions, to learn from you our

417
00:38:12,920 --> 00:38:19,460
source through your Word which you've blessed us with. And we pray this in

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Jesus' name, amen. So two weeks ago from the beginning of Hannah's song, the first

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00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:34,200
couple verses, we realized that there was joy of the Lord, strength of the Lord, and

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a big mouth. And that is the natural results of having been saved by the Lord.

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And we encouraged ourselves out of that text to use our joy of the Lord, strength

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of the Lord, and our big mouth to honor God. We also said to be very, very careful

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because the world does play games with this and attempts to mimic, if you will,

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the work of God. And so you have the joy of the Lord. If you have joy without the

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00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:05,680
strength of the Lord or without the big mouth, sometimes you might even still

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00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:10,360
have the big mouth, just not a godly big mouth, you wind up with happiness and the

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00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:14,160
world wants you to be happy or wants you to want to be happy anyway because that

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00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:17,240
way they can drive you after things, right, try to get you to go after what it

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is they say will make you happy. And so we caution ourselves in that. It is not

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happiness but joy of the Lord. We talked about strength and how boldness of all

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kinds does come out of people and people do things, people step up, go places, get

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promoted, make huge investments, work hard, etc. But it must be the strength of

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the Lord. And then the strength of the Lord without the joy that God provides

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will not last. It will not stand the test of time and it will fall apart. We'll

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00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:49,240
even see that again explained in the verses that we're about to read today,

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okay. And then so you need essentially to keep them together. We talked about how

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the joy of the strength of the joy of the Lord, strength of the Lord, and the big

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00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,520
mouth will yield a song and how that song cannot be held back even by

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oppression, even by your own sorrow, even by depression, which is a very real thing.

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And nothing will hold back that song. That if we do not enact that song, if we

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do not lift up our voices to speak of God, that the very stones themselves will

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cry out in honor to the Lord. So it wasn't meant for the stones or the

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cartoons as the song goes to praise God the way we can and so we should. Joy,

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strength, and a big mouth. Also, and we looked at this last week, we are not to

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be using that joy, strength, and a big mouth with an ingredient of pride or

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arrogance. And very simply put, pride or arrogance, pride is that moment at

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00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:48,560
which you feel okay or good about yourself because of the way things have

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00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:52,360
unfolded or what you've accomplished or whatever and you begin to feel okay

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outside of God. Where arrogance is that moment in which you feel like you

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00:40:57,240 --> 00:41:05,600
put yourself forward or you put some way forward outside of God. And how we are to

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00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:09,320
be using our joy, strength, and a big mouth with a primary topic of God our

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Father. And he is known to us. If you are saved, he is known to you and that is

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your primary topic. And so we encouraged ourselves to turn every discussion to

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God and what God would think on the topic and stop expressing your opinions

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without godly input. And I will tell you that that has come up in my thinking

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00:41:32,320 --> 00:41:36,840
over and over again this last week and I've tried to do it and I'm finding

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that I am not as prepared to do it as I should be considering I am not a brand

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00:41:40,400 --> 00:41:44,200
new Christian. I think what has happened over the years is that we have found a

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lot of topics to talk about. We talk about those things and we're okay

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00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:54,080
because we're saved and the topic is not sin per se. But the truth is the topic

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00:41:54,080 --> 00:41:59,240
should be invaded by God and anything less than that is a sort of pride and

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00:41:59,240 --> 00:42:03,520
arrogance and will even come to control you eventually if you're not careful. And

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then now an introduction if you will to what Hannah is saying. You already know

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we're in 1st Samuel chapter 2 and we're going to do verses 9 and 10 the last two

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verses of her song. Okay here we go. It says talking about God remember so that

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she's begun talking about God. He keeps the feet of his godly ones. So the phrase

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00:42:27,560 --> 00:42:31,960
here keeps the feet is similar to putting a hedge around. It's actually a

468
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:36,600
Hebrew co-oculism to put a hedge around and I was thinking was that God give me

469
00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:40,560
a picture of what you're talking about and Amalia will resonate with this and

470
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:45,960
some of the football players in the room will resonate with this. We have been at a

471
00:42:45,960 --> 00:42:49,400
number of football games Amalia was a cheerleader and most of our kids come on

472
00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,760
come on come on yeah find a seat you're good. Don't matter what time you show up

473
00:42:53,760 --> 00:43:01,000
brother you here now. All right we're good together. Okay so anyway the

474
00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:05,120
cheerleaders do stunts. They call them stunts right? Am I getting that right? They

475
00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:11,440
do stunts okay and the flyers of the cheerleaders will get thrown or stood

476
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:15,760
up in the air. So I'll ask this as a question Amalia when a flyer goes up in

477
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:22,120
the air to stand so they're your head above everybody else what parts of their

478
00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:32,960
body do the other cheerleaders hold on to? Okay so and in Jewish anatomy the

479
00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:36,440
ankle and the foot are the same right so they hold on their feet right and

480
00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:39,720
consider if you ever seen this you know exactly what I'm talking about they

481
00:43:39,720 --> 00:43:43,080
throw them up in the air and they get up there and then they hold their feet they

482
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,240
don't push their butt up they're not touching the back of their knee right to

483
00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:51,080
keep it straight they have to keep themselves straight and then they throw

484
00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:55,000
them up and they hold their feet and what they've done there is they've kept

485
00:43:55,000 --> 00:44:02,440
their feet per this text and so she says God does that for the God for his godly

486
00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:08,040
ones those who choose to go the way that God would want them to go and we'll

487
00:44:08,040 --> 00:44:12,000
break that down a little bit better later God keeps their feet now if you

488
00:44:12,000 --> 00:44:15,760
are not physically capable of standing up on your own then when you if you're

489
00:44:15,760 --> 00:44:19,800
thrown up in the air and God keeps your feet that is not going to be very good

490
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:22,280
because you're gonna your feet are gonna be held and then you're gonna fall over

491
00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:26,920
at the knees or fall over at the core and bend and topple and maybe hurt

492
00:44:26,920 --> 00:44:31,040
somebody on the way down hurt yourself and on that hard pavement whatever all

493
00:44:31,040 --> 00:44:36,400
right but God keeps the feet of his godly ones according to Hannah next it

494
00:44:36,400 --> 00:44:40,240
says the wicked ones it says but the wicked ones notice that word but there

495
00:44:40,240 --> 00:44:44,320
it's in contrast so the godly ones get their feet kept but the wicked ones are

496
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:50,480
silenced in darkness okay so the wicked ones wickedness in the Bible is an

497
00:44:50,480 --> 00:44:54,880
interesting concept okay we want to say that wicked is whenever they do

498
00:44:54,880 --> 00:44:59,080
something wrong okay remember maybe you remember the wizard of Oz and remember

499
00:44:59,080 --> 00:45:03,560
to show the Wizard of Oz and used to play every year at Halloween and newer

500
00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:07,160
versions often still do and sometimes even the older version does on TV you

501
00:45:07,160 --> 00:45:13,720
have broadcast TV around Halloween okay and there was a wicked witch in the

502
00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:19,480
story okay and we say well when I'm growing up I think wicked just means bad

503
00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:24,340
she's the bad witch there's the good witch and there's the bad witch but that

504
00:45:24,340 --> 00:45:30,480
is too simplistic of a definition of wicked okay wicked does not mean bad in

505
00:45:30,480 --> 00:45:36,320
fact in check me but in modern slag wicked actually means good right oh

506
00:45:36,320 --> 00:45:45,280
that's wicked right wicked means bad after being corrected or bad after

507
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:49,720
seeing the difference knowing right it's a choice to continue in a choice of

508
00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:53,360
action and so here what she is saying the wicked ones those who could choose

509
00:45:53,360 --> 00:45:57,400
to continue to go in the the direction that God would have them not go in

510
00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:01,440
right once they know something once they begin to figure it out once they have a

511
00:46:01,440 --> 00:46:05,640
hint or an inkling or a stopping point the wicked ones that continue on in that

512
00:46:05,640 --> 00:46:10,720
course of action are silenced in darkness let's take the darkness first

513
00:46:10,720 --> 00:46:16,800
darkness in the Bible most often is ignorance most of the time you see

514
00:46:16,800 --> 00:46:22,640
darkness is a picture of ignorance okay but this word here used for darkness is

515
00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:30,680
something a little different it means obscurity or you could say get this

516
00:46:30,680 --> 00:46:39,960
lost miss right wandering outside the realm of control so darkness and

517
00:46:39,960 --> 00:46:49,640
ignorance sort of but more like outside safety obscurity mm-hmm

518
00:46:49,640 --> 00:46:56,280
worthlessness right and then now let's back up to a second where it says they

519
00:46:56,280 --> 00:47:01,880
will be silenced this word here silence is maybe and other another translations

520
00:47:01,880 --> 00:47:04,720
don't necessarily say silence maybe that's not even the best translation as

521
00:47:04,720 --> 00:47:09,280
we would understand it I'll give you an example we were playing hide-and-seek

522
00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:13,640
happened to be a few times in fact at our house and I was playing hide-and-seek

523
00:47:13,640 --> 00:47:17,240
outside we call it night ball tag because the main person has a ball and

524
00:47:17,240 --> 00:47:22,800
I'll try to hit the person that's hiding and I and I hid and I was high and I

525
00:47:22,800 --> 00:47:26,640
hid in a way so there's a light on the house across the street and there's a

526
00:47:26,640 --> 00:47:30,800
tree and it casts a shadow in the opposite direction of the light so I

527
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:34,640
could have hid behind the tree and if you're behind the tree can't be seen

528
00:47:34,640 --> 00:47:38,320
right big tree stand behind the tree can't be seen but also know the way the

529
00:47:38,320 --> 00:47:42,840
human eye works so I actually hid in front of the tree so in plain view in

530
00:47:42,840 --> 00:47:47,360
the shadows okay by the way if you're a hide-and-seek player listen right now

531
00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:52,600
because I'm giving you how to win this game okay so I hid I sat in plain view

532
00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:56,440
in front of the tree with the bright light on the other side so if you look

533
00:47:56,440 --> 00:48:00,540
across the road at that tree I'm sitting in plain view but you can't see me

534
00:48:00,540 --> 00:48:04,860
because when you look in that direction your eye sees the light and the tree but

535
00:48:04,860 --> 00:48:10,140
the silhouette covers me so I'm sitting in front of this tree and the game

536
00:48:10,140 --> 00:48:13,380
basically ends you were walking around looking for me and there was me and a

537
00:48:13,380 --> 00:48:15,760
one or two other people that they just couldn't find and they're like okay

538
00:48:15,760 --> 00:48:21,120
that's fine we give up whatever and we're end the game start again and as

539
00:48:21,120 --> 00:48:25,240
this game is ending the person had just checked this big pine tree that was

540
00:48:25,240 --> 00:48:29,160
nearby and then they walk over and they're literally walking past me like

541
00:48:29,160 --> 00:48:33,120
within five feet okay but if they look toward me they can't see me because

542
00:48:33,120 --> 00:48:36,480
there's a bright light behind me and the tree shadows blocking me so they're

543
00:48:36,480 --> 00:48:39,400
literally walking by with five feet and they go okay that's it it's over and

544
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:43,680
every social and it's over and I stood up and I'm like by time I stood I jumped

545
00:48:43,680 --> 00:48:49,000
up and I'm like two feet away from them and they went back what where were you

546
00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:57,440
right that's silenced in this verse it's not

547
00:48:57,880 --> 00:49:05,760
silence it's flabbergasted amazed taken aback flat-footed now what do I do and

548
00:49:05,760 --> 00:49:09,960
so what Hannah has realized is that the wicked ones those who are plowing

549
00:49:09,960 --> 00:49:13,920
forward in their path doing what they kind of know they shouldn't do they will

550
00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:19,440
be taken aback flat-footed or silenced in obscurity now listen would anyone die

551
00:49:19,440 --> 00:49:24,920
in lostness if they had the choice would anyone die outside health life love

552
00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:28,800
happiness away from all that is good in the universe no no one would do that

553
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:36,400
but these people are taken aback they're caught unawares to use another term while

554
00:49:36,400 --> 00:49:39,560
they think it's good I saw somebody posted a post on Facebook and it was

555
00:49:39,560 --> 00:49:43,040
late last night and they said one day you're gonna go to bed thinking it's

556
00:49:43,040 --> 00:49:46,840
just a normal night or you're gonna wake up and start your day thinking you're

557
00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:50,560
gonna do all the things you normally do in a normal day and just a few seconds

558
00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:56,280
later Jesus is gonna come again and all that you had planned and everything you

559
00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:59,400
thought you were gonna do that day or that night is gonna not happen all your

560
00:49:59,400 --> 00:50:03,080
plans are gonna be shot and that's the way it's gonna be with the wicked but

561
00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:05,720
the difference between the wicked and us is as soon as it happens if you're a

562
00:50:05,720 --> 00:50:08,520
follower of Jesus Christ as soon as it happens and you go you can be with Jesus

563
00:50:08,520 --> 00:50:12,920
you're going this is it this is what I've been waiting for yes it's not it's

564
00:50:12,920 --> 00:50:20,720
not oh what it's yes now you just chose the right door on let's make a deal but

565
00:50:20,720 --> 00:50:23,480
for those who are plowing for wickedly at all their plans and everything stolen

566
00:50:23,480 --> 00:50:27,800
from them suddenly they're gonna go oh no what happened that's what it's like

567
00:50:27,800 --> 00:50:33,920
verse 10 those who contend with the Lord will be shattered so those is those

568
00:50:33,920 --> 00:50:37,160
people so these are the people who resist or who struggle with God they

569
00:50:37,160 --> 00:50:42,640
they don't necessarily agree and the word here contend is like to wrestle or

570
00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:50,040
to strive right those who strive or wrestle with the Lord will be shattered

571
00:50:50,040 --> 00:50:55,760
and you guessed it the word here shattered means dismayed broken amazed

572
00:50:55,760 --> 00:51:03,200
and wait for it discouraged struggling trying to figure things out now this is

573
00:51:03,200 --> 00:51:06,760
not just talking about the end right that we know because we talked about this

574
00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:09,320
a few weeks ago in our sermon about where we talked about the punishment is

575
00:51:09,320 --> 00:51:12,000
already God is already preserving people in the punishment or by the

576
00:51:12,000 --> 00:51:15,000
punishment through the punishment etc that these people are like that already

577
00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:19,720
so when you see discouragement one major source of discouragement is the fact

578
00:51:19,720 --> 00:51:23,560
that a person is contending with God you say well I'm a follower Lord Jesus

579
00:51:23,560 --> 00:51:25,960
Christ if I'm a follower Lord Jesus Christ I got all the blessings of the

580
00:51:25,960 --> 00:51:29,400
kingdom and God loves me and so on we're gonna get to why that doesn't work that

581
00:51:29,400 --> 00:51:33,000
way but let me tell you to preface it right now that is not that simple if you

582
00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:38,120
are contending with God even as a believer there is discouragement for you

583
00:51:38,120 --> 00:51:46,000
and it's a struggle those who contend with the Lord will be shattered which and

584
00:51:46,000 --> 00:51:53,440
again that word there means dismayed broken amazed discouraged says against

585
00:51:53,440 --> 00:51:57,680
them he will thunder in the heavens and this sounds bad when you first read

586
00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:00,880
about it right it's like oh my goodness that sounds terrible God's gonna thunder

587
00:52:00,880 --> 00:52:04,960
he's got all this power right God's gonna thunder against them that sounds bad

588
00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:10,360
and against them clearly it's talking about opposition like wrath right but

589
00:52:10,360 --> 00:52:16,000
actually this is a blessing this is God's grace shown because in this

590
00:52:16,000 --> 00:52:20,920
lifetime if you are opposing God God will speak up God will show you something

591
00:52:20,920 --> 00:52:23,800
God will give you a hint he will give you a clue he will direct you he will

592
00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:26,880
guide you he will lead you to sit under a sermon he will lead you to read a

593
00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:29,680
Bible study he'll lead you to see a verse on social media he will lead you

594
00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:34,120
to read your Bible and hear from him or whatever God will speak up he is not

595
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:39,280
silent even as his destruction or currently his wrath and punishment comes

596
00:52:39,280 --> 00:52:44,600
against people who are contending with him he thunders to let people know that

597
00:52:44,600 --> 00:52:50,200
this is not right almost done with the text the Lord will judge the ends of the

598
00:52:50,200 --> 00:52:55,080
earth the Lord there is the Creator God he is the ultimate in power he is the I

599
00:52:55,080 --> 00:53:00,400
am God he was before anything was and he decided what was and then because he did

600
00:53:00,400 --> 00:53:04,880
that he will judge the whole earth now this word here that's judge is different

601
00:53:04,880 --> 00:53:07,760
than what you see a lot of times in the Bible so it really stood out in my mind

602
00:53:07,760 --> 00:53:16,160
it means to contend with so God God is gonna go to fight against wickedness now

603
00:53:16,160 --> 00:53:19,160
he's gonna win the fight right because God doesn't lose fights but he's gonna

604
00:53:19,160 --> 00:53:24,280
go to fight against wickedness they are those who will contend against him and

605
00:53:24,280 --> 00:53:28,800
then he will contend against the wickedness and judge them because they've

606
00:53:28,800 --> 00:53:35,440
chosen to do that it does mean judge it also means govern he will rule over

607
00:53:35,440 --> 00:53:39,480
those who stand against him just the same as he rules over those who stand

608
00:53:39,480 --> 00:53:43,640
for him and the last one and I'll just tell you what it means and then we'll

609
00:53:43,640 --> 00:53:49,680
come back to it is he will plead it means we'll plead as if to say no please

610
00:53:49,680 --> 00:53:57,040
I love you don't do this and it's all wrapped up in the statement the Lord

611
00:53:57,040 --> 00:54:01,520
will judge the ends of the earth and then it says and he will give strength

612
00:54:01,520 --> 00:54:06,040
to his king this verse is particularly odd does anybody know why all right

613
00:54:06,040 --> 00:54:08,920
Bible scholars put your thinking caps on not rhetorical let's do a little Bible

614
00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:15,400
trivia here why is it so odd that Hannah would say that God will give strength to

615
00:54:15,400 --> 00:54:22,120
the king of his people come on Bible scholars anybody they've done get the

616
00:54:22,120 --> 00:54:24,720
answer or even have any clings to where it should study their Bible this week go

617
00:54:24,720 --> 00:54:28,600
ahead that's right they don't have a king yet is that what you're gonna say

618
00:54:28,600 --> 00:54:32,080
they don't have a king she doesn't have a king there's no king of God's people

619
00:54:32,080 --> 00:54:38,200
very good so it's powerfully important here this is to show us that this medic

620
00:54:38,200 --> 00:54:44,600
this message is both current and prophetic in fact there are scholars who

621
00:54:44,600 --> 00:54:49,400
wrongly think and I'm showing my colors in this in this all right there are

622
00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:54,000
scholars who wrongly think that this text was edited or added later because

623
00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:57,760
Hannah would not say strength to the king okay because she didn't have a king

624
00:54:57,760 --> 00:55:01,800
got to have a king but they wrongly think because all the way back in

625
00:55:01,800 --> 00:55:06,160
Deuteronomy Moses talked about a king all the way through all along they've

626
00:55:06,160 --> 00:55:08,720
been talking about that they would eventually call out for a king so she

627
00:55:08,720 --> 00:55:13,320
knows that God's people call out for a king right so that she knows God's people

628
00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:18,200
will have a king in fact in her day the people were surely already hoping for a

629
00:55:18,200 --> 00:55:22,440
king because they saw all the other nations had kings and because that adds

630
00:55:22,440 --> 00:55:27,160
lasting stability to a kingdom when somebody when you have a king when you

631
00:55:27,160 --> 00:55:32,680
have a kingdom right but it says and he will give strength to his king and this

632
00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:36,560
this is interesting when he says strength here because the strength that

633
00:55:36,560 --> 00:55:44,360
is given here is not the same as the strength that was earlier on in verse

634
00:55:44,360 --> 00:55:50,480
nine where we read which we read last week where it says for by might I'm

635
00:55:50,480 --> 00:55:53,560
sorry now I read it earlier and I skipped this part for by might shall a

636
00:55:53,560 --> 00:56:00,240
man not prevail or for not by might shall a man prevail right not by might

637
00:56:00,240 --> 00:56:05,440
shall a man prevail that might there is a different kind of strength the word

638
00:56:05,440 --> 00:56:11,200
there is firmness or vigor you can say health a strength the capacity to

639
00:56:11,200 --> 00:56:16,360
produce something so your ability if you would in modern language and now we get

640
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:20,680
the word strength and it isn't this is a generic word strength that's used in all

641
00:56:20,680 --> 00:56:27,480
kinds of applications it means it can mean majesty or boldness okay and so she

642
00:56:27,480 --> 00:56:33,080
would say that he would she God sorry will add strength to his king and it's

643
00:56:33,080 --> 00:56:38,600
all kinds of majesty holiness goodness to his king even though they don't yet

644
00:56:38,600 --> 00:56:43,400
have a king and then the last part it says and will exalt you know what that

645
00:56:43,400 --> 00:56:51,120
means will lift up the horn of his anointed the horn is the strength

646
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:55,960
again but it's this symbolic figurative language for strength what's so

647
00:56:55,960 --> 00:57:01,840
significant about the phrase his anointed also let's let us do it

648
00:57:01,840 --> 00:57:05,240
together somebody tell me what what if you if I said his anointed who would you

649
00:57:05,240 --> 00:57:12,840
say that is okay more than that a little bit more than that and yes it's pointing

650
00:57:12,840 --> 00:57:17,360
to the Messiah you know why this text is so significant this is it this is the

651
00:57:17,360 --> 00:57:23,520
very first time that the word Messiah which would be in the Greek but the

652
00:57:23,520 --> 00:57:26,240
original word that's translated Messiah into the Greek and then into the English

653
00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:32,600
is used in the Bible nowhere before this has anyone prophesied straight up the

654
00:57:32,600 --> 00:57:40,160
existence of an anointed one of God to whom get this God will add all strength

655
00:57:40,160 --> 00:57:48,400
all ability all power right okay now we've looked at it as I was reading this

656
00:57:48,400 --> 00:57:55,400
I wanted to make this sermon about the wrath of God and I'm gonna tell you what

657
00:57:55,400 --> 00:58:01,480
I came up with briefly I noticed that as Hannah was talking about the wrath of

658
00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:06,580
God she talked about whom it threatens who was that the wicked those who go

659
00:58:06,580 --> 00:58:09,920
against God those who contend with God those arrest that's whom the wrath of God

660
00:58:09,920 --> 00:58:15,200
who the wrath of God threatens also talking about the wrath of God in here

661
00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:23,880
God makes its approach known with warning signs God says listen to me I am

662
00:58:23,880 --> 00:58:29,600
trying to tell you something and that's the thunder that rolls into heavens how

663
00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:37,360
many times in Scripture is there thunder that rolls and even not followers of God

664
00:58:37,360 --> 00:58:41,120
there's a battle with the Philistines and the thunder rolled mightily in the sky

665
00:58:41,120 --> 00:58:44,200
out of nowhere there was no storm all of a sudden boom the thunder went off and

666
00:58:44,200 --> 00:58:48,440
the Philistines routed because they knew that God was on the other side of the

667
00:58:48,440 --> 00:58:58,040
battle the wrath of God its approach is covered in warning signs God makes it

668
00:58:58,040 --> 00:59:01,960
known and so when you are not doing what God would have you to do when you are

669
00:59:01,960 --> 00:59:05,520
opposing God and you're not doing right if you are a father Lord Jesus Christ

670
00:59:05,520 --> 00:59:09,040
you should well know that already by the conviction of the Holy Spirit but beyond

671
00:59:09,040 --> 00:59:13,520
that God makes it known that you are approaching the opposition of God God

672
00:59:13,520 --> 00:59:16,960
does not oppose you because he doesn't like you or because he doesn't love you

673
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:22,840
in fact he opposes you because what you are doing is not good for you God makes

674
00:59:22,840 --> 00:59:30,240
his the approach of his wrath known with warning signs and then notice that God's

675
00:59:30,240 --> 00:59:36,000
wrath is discharged against opposition those who oppose him you contend with

676
00:59:36,000 --> 00:59:39,280
God you wrestle with God think I want to do with it I know God doesn't want me to

677
00:59:39,280 --> 00:59:43,960
do that but I kind of want to do that anyway or you don't know that for sure

678
00:59:43,960 --> 00:59:46,680
that God doesn't want you to you start to go that way and God gives you an

679
00:59:46,680 --> 00:59:52,040
inkling a friend a verse something pops up he's like ah okay maybe maybe I've

680
00:59:52,040 --> 00:59:56,880
been given pause at least need to pause and stop and think for a second and then

681
00:59:56,880 --> 01:00:02,800
you go no I'm gonna do it anyway and you go on and God's wrath then his

682
01:00:02,800 --> 01:00:08,040
opposition to course is discharged against those who contend with him and

683
01:00:08,040 --> 01:00:16,600
then the last part that I had come up with was that this wrath has one main

684
01:00:16,600 --> 01:00:23,840
purpose to promote the perfection of God's kingdom God is himself opposing

685
01:00:23,840 --> 01:00:28,080
those actions which are not godly which don't fit in the kingdom of God except

686
01:00:28,080 --> 01:00:35,960
guess what that ain't it that's not the outline it's there but God showed me

687
01:00:35,960 --> 01:00:38,840
that there were three very practical I think they're practical I hope they're

688
01:00:38,840 --> 01:00:41,360
practical I hope you would find them practical hope you would put them to use

689
01:00:41,360 --> 01:00:46,000
three very practical things in there that we can see the first one is about

690
01:00:46,000 --> 01:00:51,640
strength does anybody know I think many of us do how strength works in a human

691
01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:57,400
body so you have a muscle in your arm or in your leg if you don't use that muscle

692
01:00:57,400 --> 01:01:04,880
what happens get smaller it's called atrophy right it gets bad it really only

693
01:01:04,880 --> 01:01:08,240
atrophies completely if you get you wounded in some way but what actually

694
01:01:08,240 --> 01:01:14,320
happens is the fibers get less and less dense the muscle same stays the same

695
01:01:14,320 --> 01:01:20,800
basic size but you're no longer using it and so unless something detrimental

696
01:01:20,800 --> 01:01:25,640
say the same basic size but it won't have the capacity to constrict the way it

697
01:01:25,640 --> 01:01:31,240
could years ago I wounded my knee right here I wasn't at the battle of wounded

698
01:01:31,240 --> 01:01:34,200
knee that's another thing altogether I just happened to be playing football or

699
01:01:34,200 --> 01:01:36,840
something and I wounded my knee right here and this little muscle got tiny

700
01:01:36,840 --> 01:01:40,520
little tear in it and I didn't know it at the time it hurt for a while and then

701
01:01:40,520 --> 01:01:43,880
it went away but I didn't know it was a muscle atrophied and by the time I went

702
01:01:43,880 --> 01:01:48,640
to the doctor it was as thin as a thread it was tiny like like really little like

703
01:01:48,640 --> 01:01:53,960
this because it had been torn and if your muscle is torn and it not does not

704
01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:57,440
heal properly that's what you get it shrinks down to next to nothing and so

705
01:01:57,440 --> 01:02:01,640
my kneecap would slide out of place and every time I go upstairs run anything it

706
01:02:01,640 --> 01:02:05,920
hurt and I had to go to physical therapy and they put electrical shock in there

707
01:02:05,920 --> 01:02:09,600
wake it up electrical shock wake it up wake it up and every time I they would

708
01:02:09,600 --> 01:02:12,760
have me step up on a step which should activate that muscle and put electrical

709
01:02:12,760 --> 01:02:16,280
shock in there that was wake it up and over time the muscle had little tears in

710
01:02:16,280 --> 01:02:20,960
it and it began to grow build new muscle fibers that's how it works and so we

711
01:02:20,960 --> 01:02:26,840
understand that strength breeds strength if you go out and mow if you go out and

712
01:02:26,840 --> 01:02:31,040
clean if you go out and fix cars daily if you go out and do if you do physical

713
01:02:31,040 --> 01:02:37,040
labor all the time you will get stronger right if you sit at the table literally

714
01:02:37,040 --> 01:02:40,560
just sit at your dining room table do nothing else this you can't up put your

715
01:02:40,560 --> 01:02:43,800
hand out you can't up put your hand out if you do that a thousand times a day

716
01:02:43,800 --> 01:02:48,280
your bicep and the other muscles on your arm will get stronger you don't have to

717
01:02:48,280 --> 01:02:52,560
run you don't have to lift weights just repetitions will make it stronger tiny

718
01:02:52,560 --> 01:02:56,680
tears develop the tears are repaired and then they get stronger so we have this

719
01:02:56,680 --> 01:03:02,720
belief that strength plus activity equals more strength and that is

720
01:03:02,720 --> 01:03:07,040
generally speaking how the world works that is how God created human bodies

721
01:03:07,040 --> 01:03:10,820
it's how things work if you work and you're working your job and you work

722
01:03:10,820 --> 01:03:15,720
your 40 hours a week and you do well on the job you'll have a job unless your

723
01:03:15,720 --> 01:03:19,040
company goes out of business something else happens whatever you'll be fine but

724
01:03:19,040 --> 01:03:23,160
if you pile in you do a little extra you work an extra hour or two you do a little

725
01:03:23,160 --> 01:03:26,720
extra ask for more responsibilities you do what doesn't have to be done you pick

726
01:03:26,720 --> 01:03:29,400
up the litter on the way into the building you take the garbage out when

727
01:03:29,400 --> 01:03:34,840
you leave you offer to do different things you will be recognized soon as an

728
01:03:34,840 --> 01:03:38,720
important piece and they'll start taking a little better care of you and if they

729
01:03:38,720 --> 01:03:42,480
don't you should get a different job but the bottom line is it if they're

730
01:03:42,480 --> 01:03:48,960
pouring in creates growth that's what that's what happens that's how the world

731
01:03:48,960 --> 01:03:53,320
works you can find it all over the book of Proverbs but what this text tells us

732
01:03:53,320 --> 01:04:01,480
is pouring in activating your strength in opposition to God does not result in

733
01:04:01,480 --> 01:04:07,360
greater strength but it literally said was that not by might shall a man

734
01:04:07,360 --> 01:04:11,960
prevail and we look at that word prevail a little closer I didn't do it before

735
01:04:11,960 --> 01:04:20,960
for this very reason in the Hebrew it is gober or maybe go bow depending anyway

736
01:04:20,960 --> 01:04:30,640
it means to have strength but then to have that strength still right it means

737
01:04:30,640 --> 01:04:35,160
to have strength but to prevail literally means to have it still so what

738
01:04:35,160 --> 01:04:42,360
the verse actually means is not by might shall a man have might still God is

739
01:04:42,360 --> 01:04:47,080
going to undercut and take you contend with God you face the wrath of God with

740
01:04:47,080 --> 01:04:50,160
a warning yes but you can tell with God you will face the wrath of God and all

741
01:04:50,160 --> 01:04:54,280
your strength and all your might will avail you not in the end you will wind

742
01:04:54,280 --> 01:05:02,360
up in the darkness in ignomy without an identity worthless to the Lord because

743
01:05:02,360 --> 01:05:08,120
you contended with him throughout your life instead of accepting who he is if

744
01:05:08,120 --> 01:05:15,520
you exercise your strength in a corrupt manner with morally wrong behaviors that

745
01:05:15,520 --> 01:05:21,680
equals not strength the math problem goes like this strength plus corruption

746
01:05:21,680 --> 01:05:26,640
equals not strength or does not equal strength you will have nothing you're

747
01:05:26,640 --> 01:05:32,400
strong now we're all strong in some capacity but Hannah realized that that

748
01:05:32,400 --> 01:05:39,600
strength she did not say that strength will not avail you she did not say that

749
01:05:39,600 --> 01:05:43,400
strength will not profit you she not say that strength will not take you

750
01:05:43,400 --> 01:05:47,200
somewhere or that strength will not do something all of those things are still

751
01:05:47,200 --> 01:05:50,960
true you're working functioning within the system strength will do all of that

752
01:05:50,960 --> 01:05:55,800
what she said is that strength will not cause you to still have strength in the

753
01:05:55,800 --> 01:06:01,320
end if you contend with God the wicked ones are silenced in darkness for not

754
01:06:01,320 --> 01:06:08,680
by might shall a man prevail second thing that was in there that I felt like

755
01:06:08,680 --> 01:06:20,640
God really wanted us to see is prophetic blessings to King and Messiah point to

756
01:06:20,640 --> 01:06:29,880
the first hope of God's eternal plan which is the alternative to facing God's

757
01:06:29,880 --> 01:06:39,040
wrath this Messiah who would come in him would be the exalted the horn the power

758
01:06:39,040 --> 01:06:42,880
the strength the might the ability the way for God to do what he's going to do

759
01:06:42,880 --> 01:06:55,760
and we now live on the other side of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Hannah's

760
01:06:55,760 --> 01:07:02,800
song God has already done it God has already exalted the horn of the Messiah

761
01:07:02,800 --> 01:07:09,640
which he did in a way that no one would expect he put him on a cross and then

762
01:07:09,640 --> 01:07:17,680
the amazing thing is that him on a cross became a stumbling block both to Jews

763
01:07:17,680 --> 01:07:21,760
and to Greeks people say oh man that don't make any sense why would God kill

764
01:07:21,760 --> 01:07:25,400
the anointed one of the Messiah I can't I can't follow a God that would do that

765
01:07:25,400 --> 01:07:31,040
because they didn't understand that sins and wrath of God must be paid for and

766
01:07:31,040 --> 01:07:35,520
then there were the Jews and they couldn't accept it because everyone who

767
01:07:35,520 --> 01:07:39,280
hangs on a tree is cursed so if he's cursed that can't be the anointed one of

768
01:07:39,280 --> 01:07:43,840
God and they couldn't accept it what happened they were taken aback what oh

769
01:07:43,840 --> 01:07:49,520
and they wound up stuck there for their life and died and I'm gonna say it

770
01:07:49,520 --> 01:07:52,520
plainly if they didn't accept Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior went to hell

771
01:07:52,520 --> 01:07:58,720
for an eternity this is the first mention in the Bible prophetic for sure

772
01:07:58,720 --> 01:08:08,120
of the hope that is God's plan get this Hannah's song which arises out of the

773
01:08:08,120 --> 01:08:12,840
joy of the Lord the strength of the Lord and a big mouth which must be sung had

774
01:08:12,840 --> 01:08:21,680
to include an aspect of God's plan Hannah's song is an example of the

775
01:08:21,680 --> 01:08:27,360
thunder that rolls in the heavens so that people can realize they are in

776
01:08:27,360 --> 01:08:35,080
opposition to God's plan in her day they had to say okay I accept the way that

777
01:08:35,080 --> 01:08:39,760
God would make I accept the anointed one that God would send I accept and we

778
01:08:39,760 --> 01:08:44,140
would use these terms they would not Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior as a

779
01:08:44,140 --> 01:08:47,760
way to go to heaven these prophetic blessings blessings here

780
01:08:47,760 --> 01:08:53,160
pronounced make it evident that they already understood that they were under

781
01:08:53,160 --> 01:08:59,280
wrath from God even as a chosen people of God and they had to be saved the

782
01:08:59,280 --> 01:09:05,560
third thing is it says God will judge all and I mentioned to you that that

783
01:09:05,560 --> 01:09:08,560
essentially means that he will contend with them he will judge them and

784
01:09:08,560 --> 01:09:13,400
especially he will plead with them not only is there thunder that rolls in

785
01:09:13,400 --> 01:09:17,160
heavens to announce God's wrath is upon you but on top of that God's wrath

786
01:09:17,160 --> 01:09:23,600
includes him personally in treating that person the Bible says no man cometh

787
01:09:23,600 --> 01:09:27,480
unto the father lest he be called and there is only one way unto the father

788
01:09:27,480 --> 01:09:33,640
which is Jesus Christ John 14 and so God actively calls people unto himself and

789
01:09:33,640 --> 01:09:38,400
then they choose not to be not to answer the call and they do not go to heaven

790
01:09:38,400 --> 01:09:43,160
they go to hell in some cases or they choose to they're tearing with the

791
01:09:43,160 --> 01:09:46,480
thought of answering the call or they've pushed past that are living in witness

792
01:09:46,480 --> 01:09:50,400
wickedness not answering the call and that is the place of a believer to then

793
01:09:50,400 --> 01:09:54,920
come in somebody who knows Christ who knows what Jesus has done to come in and

794
01:09:54,920 --> 01:10:02,320
say hasn't God called you isn't God already at work in your life don't you

795
01:10:02,320 --> 01:10:06,360
want to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior as God is calling you to do you

796
01:10:06,360 --> 01:10:11,880
act like we act like we're bringing up a new topic with non-believers when we

797
01:10:11,880 --> 01:10:17,040
don't share the gospel don't go there fairly readily don't teach about God

798
01:10:17,040 --> 01:10:22,320
remember the topic of the joy of the Lord strength the Lord to big mall the

799
01:10:22,320 --> 01:10:27,200
primary if anything the only topic that really matters is God you just have to

800
01:10:27,200 --> 01:10:31,200
go and say I know God and if they are already on the edge if God's already

801
01:10:31,200 --> 01:10:35,040
calling them they already have the nagging question and you have come not

802
01:10:35,040 --> 01:10:44,040
to ask the question but to answer the question because God points to the

803
01:10:44,040 --> 01:10:51,320
anointed one as they live in wickedness his wrath produces the momentum of the

804
01:10:51,320 --> 01:10:55,720
kingdom of God in their life I was at Tony Paco's at a mission guy it was

805
01:10:55,720 --> 01:10:59,640
actually youth pastor from Mississippi Alabama I don't remember and he brought

806
01:10:59,640 --> 01:11:04,560
two teenagers with him they're 14 15 years old maybe maybe one 16 I think one

807
01:11:04,560 --> 01:11:08,320
was 14 something like that we went to Tony Paco's for lunch and they were busy

808
01:11:08,320 --> 01:11:12,640
and so we sat in the bar area not at the bar but in the tables in the bar area and

809
01:11:12,640 --> 01:11:16,480
the bar the waitress became the bartender became our waitress and she

810
01:11:16,480 --> 01:11:20,000
came over to our table and while we were there I said we're gonna pray for you

811
01:11:20,000 --> 01:11:22,760
with our meal is anything to pray for you about and she said she gave me

812
01:11:22,760 --> 01:11:26,720
something to pray for her about but it was it was one of those kind of generic

813
01:11:26,720 --> 01:11:29,400
things just pray for peace for me you know it's kind of a generic things

814
01:11:29,400 --> 01:11:34,640
right and a little bit later in the meal I asked her I said you know can I ask

815
01:11:34,640 --> 01:11:41,920
you a question she said sure and I said do you have any spiritual beliefs and I

816
01:11:41,920 --> 01:11:45,040
listened to her while she told me what her spiritual beliefs was and right now

817
01:11:45,040 --> 01:11:47,560
I couldn't even tell you what the arts I guess I didn't listen all that well and

818
01:11:47,560 --> 01:11:50,440
then I said well do you know what the Bible says about that and I shared the

819
01:11:50,440 --> 01:11:57,560
gospel out of John chapter 3 you know John chapter 3 that's your homework now

820
01:11:57,560 --> 01:12:00,680
you know through John 3 16 but now you have to read the entire chapter all

821
01:12:00,680 --> 01:12:07,400
right so John chapter 3 okay and and she said you know I kind of feel like

822
01:12:07,400 --> 01:12:12,040
something happened that I got a fresh start and she began to explain to us how

823
01:12:12,040 --> 01:12:15,400
she'd been in a car accident coming out of the car accident she'd realized that

824
01:12:15,400 --> 01:12:18,320
she'd been very close to death and she started to try to find out the meaning

825
01:12:18,320 --> 01:12:22,800
of life and she was searching it out and she was starting to think about God but

826
01:12:22,800 --> 01:12:26,640
then she didn't know anything she's this her literal words were I was trying to

827
01:12:26,640 --> 01:12:30,360
think about God but I actually don't know anything about God and then she

828
01:12:30,360 --> 01:12:38,080
went on to say so tell me about what you're talking about and so I explained

829
01:12:38,080 --> 01:12:42,480
John chapter 3 being born again and she prayed standing in the middle of Tony

830
01:12:42,480 --> 01:12:46,000
Bacchus and we all cried and it was up very exciting and she accepted Jesus

831
01:12:46,000 --> 01:12:50,040
Christ as her Lord and Savior by her profession but the point is she could

832
01:12:50,040 --> 01:12:53,440
honestly say beyond a shadow of a doubt yes God has already been working in me

833
01:12:53,440 --> 01:12:57,120
bringing me to himself RJ and I went for coffee one night he was going through a

834
01:12:57,120 --> 01:13:00,640
difficult time we were gonna talk out some issues he was having we went for

835
01:13:00,640 --> 01:13:07,280
coffee down at still there today Coney Island on Wales and Oregon Wales and

836
01:13:07,280 --> 01:13:12,000
Oregon yeah across from the gas station and they have a pretty broad menu and we

837
01:13:12,000 --> 01:13:16,160
just basically I had hot chocolate he had coffee and maybe cost like four

838
01:13:16,160 --> 01:13:18,600
bucks five bucks something like that and we talked and they were getting ready to

839
01:13:18,600 --> 01:13:22,280
close at that time they closed at 11 I think and we were there at like 10 and

840
01:13:22,280 --> 01:13:25,880
they were getting ready to close and so we're talking and she comes to the

841
01:13:25,880 --> 01:13:30,000
table and I start talking to her about God and and her name was Kendra which is

842
01:13:30,000 --> 01:13:34,000
ironic because I have had the blessing of being present at three different

843
01:13:34,000 --> 01:13:36,880
young ladies named Kendra who have accepted Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior

844
01:13:36,880 --> 01:13:40,960
when I was there and there's a character that my wife plays one of the games we

845
01:13:40,960 --> 01:13:43,680
played named Kendra so it's kind of ironic joke in our family that we've

846
01:13:43,680 --> 01:13:47,840
seen more people named Kendra come to Christ than any other name anyway so her

847
01:13:47,840 --> 01:13:51,800
name is Kendra and we're sharing the gospel with her and asked her to pray to

848
01:13:51,800 --> 01:13:56,320
be born again to ask God to make her new and she said she would but then she left

849
01:13:56,320 --> 01:13:58,960
the table she had she had to go do something and she's not back at the

850
01:13:58,960 --> 01:14:01,800
table then it got the time they were closed so we RJ and I went up to pay the

851
01:14:01,800 --> 01:14:05,520
bill we're standing at the counter and she come up and and I and I said did you

852
01:14:05,520 --> 01:14:09,520
did you want to pray and she said yeah I do and she looked to her left and her

853
01:14:09,520 --> 01:14:14,360
boss who was the cook at the restaurant was walking toward her and mind you now

854
01:14:14,360 --> 01:14:17,800
by now it's after close at five minutes after close and I'm thinking oh she's

855
01:14:17,800 --> 01:14:21,560
not gonna get to pray or whatever so this guy was a practicing Muslim you

856
01:14:21,560 --> 01:14:24,880
know the Muslim is okay it ain't a Christian okay in fact they are

857
01:14:24,880 --> 01:14:30,000
anti-christianity and they believe in Jesus they believe he was a great prophet

858
01:14:30,000 --> 01:14:33,640
along the order of Muhammad but he was not the Savior they also don't believe

859
01:14:33,640 --> 01:14:36,840
that he died on the cross they and and there's a lot more that they don't

860
01:14:36,840 --> 01:14:40,080
believe the Bible lines they are not a Christian religion and he come up and he

861
01:14:40,080 --> 01:14:44,840
said oh I love to pray and I said okay so we were just getting ready to pray

862
01:14:44,840 --> 01:14:48,800
shoot Kendra was gonna pray to accept Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior and he

863
01:14:48,800 --> 01:14:54,000
said well I love to pray I'll pray with you and so we all this Muslim guy and

864
01:14:54,000 --> 01:14:56,920
she and me and argue we all prayed there she accept Jesus Christ to the Lord and

865
01:14:56,920 --> 01:15:00,320
Savior and you know what she said right after she got saved after she said Jesus

866
01:15:00,320 --> 01:15:05,640
in my heart she said you know what this has been coming for a long time you guys

867
01:15:05,640 --> 01:15:10,120
remember the block party on Main Street do you remember Danny anybody remember

868
01:15:10,120 --> 01:15:14,680
Danny Danny was the guy who came up and he had a choice I could spit in his hand

869
01:15:14,680 --> 01:15:21,040
or he could spit in my hand you remember him now some of you do and so he chose

870
01:15:21,040 --> 01:15:25,800
for me to spit in his hand and then right afterwards his daughter came up and

871
01:15:25,800 --> 01:15:32,940
she said daddy why why would you let that man spit in your hand especially in

872
01:15:32,940 --> 01:15:35,800
the middle of a pandemic I was so he told me after this that was not very

873
01:15:35,800 --> 01:15:39,720
good like public I stuff because we're in a pandemic and I'm spitting in his

874
01:15:39,720 --> 01:15:42,200
hand if I had cove it I'm giving him cove it and I could have gotten all kinds

875
01:15:42,200 --> 01:15:45,240
of trouble and blah blah but anyway and I was standing a little distance away

876
01:15:45,240 --> 01:15:51,560
and I heard him saying he said I told her he told her that God no mind you he

877
01:15:51,560 --> 01:15:56,900
wasn't saved he said God is big and I wanted her to understand that it's okay

878
01:15:56,900 --> 01:16:00,920
to do something for God but he was getting saved that day previously didn't

879
01:16:00,920 --> 01:16:03,800
know did God I said well you didn't know Jesus before that you know God before

880
01:16:03,800 --> 01:16:09,000
today right he said no but wait for it he said no but God's been working on me

881
01:16:09,000 --> 01:16:15,240
for a long time we have got to stop acting like when we show up and talking

882
01:16:15,240 --> 01:16:18,120
to somebody about Jesus that that's the first time anybody ever talked to them

883
01:16:18,120 --> 01:16:23,360
about Jesus even if no human being had ever talked to them before about Jesus

884
01:16:23,360 --> 01:16:28,380
the prophetic blessings of God are real he is calling he is pleading it says he

885
01:16:28,380 --> 01:16:32,760
will judge all meaning he will plead with all they will not die without

886
01:16:32,760 --> 01:16:36,640
hearing the gospel I understand it's in rudimentary forms it may not be in

887
01:16:36,640 --> 01:16:40,120
English it may be in a different language it may be through creation as

888
01:16:40,120 --> 01:16:43,640
it glorifies God and they go you know I think maybe there's something big here

889
01:16:43,640 --> 01:16:47,880
but I'm missing something they have already heard and if they have not

890
01:16:47,880 --> 01:16:52,400
already heard hear me now if they have not already heard then you will be the

891
01:16:52,400 --> 01:16:58,080
first encounter with somebody who is supposed to plead with them to retreat

892
01:16:58,080 --> 01:17:03,480
to stop contending with God to give God this place if you think they have not

893
01:17:03,480 --> 01:17:09,480
heard and therefore you are not going to talk to them about it you are contending

894
01:17:09,480 --> 01:17:16,400
with God yourself and we say well I don't think they want to hear it if you

895
01:17:16,400 --> 01:17:20,120
say I don't think they want to hear it you are contending with God because

896
01:17:20,120 --> 01:17:23,560
either a he has already shared it with them and he is waiting for you to do

897
01:17:23,560 --> 01:17:27,400
your part and do what you're supposed to do to help lead them to him personally

898
01:17:27,400 --> 01:17:30,920
because you say you know him personally because you say he lives in you

899
01:17:30,920 --> 01:17:37,160
personally because you say you know what he wants so either a you are contending

900
01:17:37,160 --> 01:17:40,040
with him because you are not sharing because you think he has not done his

901
01:17:40,040 --> 01:17:44,380
part or B you are contending with him because he is trying to use you to do

902
01:17:44,380 --> 01:17:53,360
his part there is no see that's it God will plead I recently watched the the

903
01:17:53,360 --> 01:17:57,160
series and I'm coming to my conclusion the series Star Trek Picard which they

904
01:17:57,160 --> 01:18:00,160
first just called it Picard and then I think maybe it wasn't good enough you

905
01:18:00,160 --> 01:18:02,980
know like people weren't getting enough then they changed it about like the

906
01:18:02,980 --> 01:18:06,920
third episode called it Star Trek Picard anyway it's based on Star Trek and

907
01:18:06,920 --> 01:18:10,800
there's a character in there who is a basically like a samurai but he comes

908
01:18:10,800 --> 01:18:15,400
from Romulan culture and they practice the way of complete candor which means

909
01:18:15,400 --> 01:18:18,320
you just tell your feelings like it is and and you put everything out there

910
01:18:18,320 --> 01:18:21,240
right and so you made if you've seen it before you know I'm talking about if you

911
01:18:21,240 --> 01:18:23,320
don't it doesn't really matter if you know because I'm going to explain to

912
01:18:23,320 --> 01:18:27,080
you the important part okay guys names Elrond by the way he's a master swordsman

913
01:18:27,080 --> 01:18:30,280
incredible like he can take on guys with blasters with a sword and win because

914
01:18:30,280 --> 01:18:38,040
he's so fast as the fight begins Elrond says please choose to live and at one

915
01:18:38,040 --> 01:18:42,920
point he explains why it is that he says that at the beginning of the fight all

916
01:18:42,920 --> 01:18:47,760
the time because to go and fight against a guy like him one of his kind if you

917
01:18:47,760 --> 01:18:54,400
will is to choose to die to fight against God to contend against God to

918
01:18:54,400 --> 01:19:01,680
face God's wrath willingly is to choose to die and he says please choose to live

919
01:19:01,680 --> 01:19:06,160
maybe you need to start interjecting a saying something like that please choose

920
01:19:06,160 --> 01:19:09,000
to live in your conversations about where you went out to eat and your

921
01:19:09,000 --> 01:19:12,800
coupons and your sports and your whatever maybe you start saying please

922
01:19:12,800 --> 01:19:15,960
choose to live and I say what are you talking about please choose to live well

923
01:19:15,960 --> 01:19:21,000
I mean please choose to live hear me now anyone who is contending with God is not

924
01:19:21,000 --> 01:19:25,880
choosing to live they are choosing to be in the darkness to come to an end to

925
01:19:25,880 --> 01:19:30,480
their strength and to be without to be an obscurity and to be silenced

926
01:19:30,480 --> 01:19:36,100
surprised amazed flabbergasted taken aback flat-footed the moment Jesus comes

927
01:19:36,100 --> 01:19:45,320
again and they go forever into hell away from God we come to our conclusion

928
01:19:45,320 --> 01:19:51,840
according to Hannah's great song God places a hedge about the feet of those

929
01:19:51,840 --> 01:20:01,000
who are pulling for the kingdom of God it's the tug-of-war of a sort you got to

930
01:20:01,000 --> 01:20:05,400
know which side you're on and you should be pulling every day all time you ask

931
01:20:05,400 --> 01:20:09,680
about everything that you do you say is this pulling for the kingdom of God or

932
01:20:09,680 --> 01:20:12,720
if it's in the middle and it's not pulling for the kingdom of God then

933
01:20:12,720 --> 01:20:16,760
understand it's contending with God because you are saying you're a Christian

934
01:20:16,760 --> 01:20:21,520
you're supposed to be pulling you're supposed to be working for God we went

935
01:20:21,520 --> 01:20:25,080
to Camp you can and there they had a tug-of-war which will forever go down in

936
01:20:25,080 --> 01:20:28,160
infamy because they used a rope that gave off these fibers and it made them

937
01:20:28,160 --> 01:20:35,840
itch and everything but but this tug-of-war our side our boys were all on

938
01:20:35,840 --> 01:20:43,520
the underdog side there were more people who were adult sized on the other they

939
01:20:43,520 --> 01:20:46,480
weren't adults or teenagers they know adults were allowed to participate but

940
01:20:46,480 --> 01:20:51,400
they were teenagers sized as adults on the other side and our team weighed

941
01:20:51,400 --> 01:20:57,760
probably 200 pounds maybe 400 pounds maybe 600 pounds less than the other

942
01:20:57,760 --> 01:21:01,280
team and so they were definitely the underdog and we our biggest guy was on

943
01:21:01,280 --> 01:21:05,240
the back and he wrapped the rope around his stomach and he was holding on but

944
01:21:05,240 --> 01:21:13,800
our biggest guy was maybe Jordan size on the whole team and we were outnumbered

945
01:21:13,800 --> 01:21:18,200
they had like two more people than us and and whatever and they balanced the

946
01:21:18,200 --> 01:21:21,280
team out as much as they could they weren't gonna keep swapping people

947
01:21:21,280 --> 01:21:26,040
around and say so okay we're gonna go we're gonna go and they started to pull

948
01:21:26,040 --> 01:21:30,840
and the first time they started to pull they were losing bad I mean it's got like

949
01:21:30,840 --> 01:21:33,960
their feet slipped out from anything they went right into the neutral area

950
01:21:33,960 --> 01:21:40,920
and they lost the tug-of-war but it had to win best two out of three and they

951
01:21:40,920 --> 01:21:45,200
this reset and they got he wrapped the rope around his waist and and I realized

952
01:21:45,200 --> 01:21:49,520
that when we lost half of our students were on their butts on the ground they

953
01:21:49,520 --> 01:21:52,760
were still pulling but they were on their butts and in case you didn't know

954
01:21:52,760 --> 01:21:56,040
this your butt is slippery on a gym floor your shoes are not right so as you

955
01:21:56,040 --> 01:21:58,600
get on your butt you're pretty much out of luck they're just dragging you along

956
01:21:58,600 --> 01:22:03,100
at about half your body weight and so I went up next to team and I said no

957
01:22:03,100 --> 01:22:08,680
matter what happens no matter what happens keep your feet under you if you

958
01:22:08,680 --> 01:22:12,320
start to slip if you fall down stop pulling for a second jump back up get

959
01:22:12,320 --> 01:22:15,800
your feet under no matter what happens get your feet on keep your feet you

960
01:22:15,800 --> 01:22:20,520
you're worthless unless your feet are under you and they all are listening to

961
01:22:20,520 --> 01:22:23,320
me and no one else was really talking in there it was loud but they were they're

962
01:22:23,320 --> 01:22:27,000
talking softly but no one was talking to the team and I said keep your feet under

963
01:22:27,000 --> 01:22:30,960
no matter what and and sure enough they did it they're like they started falling

964
01:22:30,960 --> 01:22:34,200
like I saw somebody slip and I said get back up get back up now get back up even

965
01:22:34,200 --> 01:22:36,560
though they were sliding on four they would stop pulling for a second get back

966
01:22:36,560 --> 01:22:39,400
up and they would get back on the rope and that 30 pounds that they were

967
01:22:39,400 --> 01:22:41,920
adding was which was next to nothing they could go back and they could get

968
01:22:41,920 --> 01:22:45,840
like 80 or 100 pounds 70 pound kid pulling with all his might getting more

969
01:22:45,840 --> 01:22:50,800
weight on the rope and they kept their feet all of them kept their feet more

970
01:22:50,800 --> 01:22:55,480
than 90% of the time and amazingly inch by inch by inch the root the rope the

971
01:22:55,480 --> 01:23:00,840
little flag in the middle crept across the line and they won and just as

972
01:23:00,840 --> 01:23:04,760
they won they pulled and the other team kind of was discouraged and they all lost

973
01:23:04,760 --> 01:23:07,680
their feet and they all fell down all almost all of them all fell down at once

974
01:23:07,680 --> 01:23:14,200
and now it's one to one the underdog team has won and the obviously larger

975
01:23:14,200 --> 01:23:16,800
stronger team has won and they're over there and they're talking and they're

976
01:23:16,800 --> 01:23:19,400
saying I keep your feet under you keep your whatever just keep pulling stay

977
01:23:19,400 --> 01:23:21,800
together just work together as a team you got to work together as a team and

978
01:23:21,800 --> 01:23:24,400
they're all kind of like encouraging each other and stuff and I thought okay

979
01:23:24,400 --> 01:23:28,600
that's gonna be even harder and I get and they get up there and I'm they're

980
01:23:28,600 --> 01:23:32,920
ready and everybody's ready or firm and I said keep your feet under you no

981
01:23:32,920 --> 01:23:38,680
matter what I said pull keep your feet under now this time they kept their feet

982
01:23:38,680 --> 01:23:43,480
under them like only one person fell down the whole time they kept back

983
01:23:43,480 --> 01:23:46,880
pedaling or or shifting their weight to make sure they didn't fall down at all

984
01:23:46,880 --> 01:23:51,080
and I and I didn't have to yell keep your feet under I just said pull and I

985
01:23:51,080 --> 01:23:55,520
said it over and over again we yelled as loud as I could pull pull pull and they

986
01:23:55,520 --> 01:23:59,880
kept their feet under them and inch by inch centimeter by centimeter the

987
01:23:59,880 --> 01:24:04,480
underdog team inch the rope across the line it took like five minutes you ever

988
01:24:04,480 --> 01:24:08,200
see a tug-of-war take five minutes I thought there was like strands breaking

989
01:24:08,200 --> 01:24:11,560
in the rope it's like a little bit a little bit a little bit and both teams

990
01:24:11,560 --> 01:24:14,720
had their feet under both teams pull with all their money I said just pull

991
01:24:14,720 --> 01:24:21,200
pull and finally I'm like yeah I'm losing my voice and the last time I said

992
01:24:21,200 --> 01:24:25,840
yeah and the last time I said pull the rope was across the line and they pulled

993
01:24:25,840 --> 01:24:29,160
across the line and the other team all lost their feet they all fell down and

994
01:24:29,160 --> 01:24:33,920
they all kind of back like this and they all stood there silently for a second

995
01:24:33,920 --> 01:24:37,920
and then they're jumping up and down they yell yeah we did it we won with our

996
01:24:37,920 --> 01:24:42,640
team we won we won we won and the other team was like you pull enough and you

997
01:24:42,640 --> 01:24:45,640
didn't send yeah and they're all getting all nasty each other and stuff and you

998
01:24:45,640 --> 01:24:48,880
should have done harder that's not right there's not fair they won they had more

999
01:24:48,880 --> 01:24:50,960
people they know they didn't have more people they actually had two less people

1000
01:24:50,960 --> 01:24:54,560
they're bigger they know look at them they're not bigger every excuse in the

1001
01:24:54,560 --> 01:25:06,320
book for why they lost wasn't me and it wasn't any kid on that team it was they

1002
01:25:06,320 --> 01:25:11,600
kept their feet under them and they pulled and that is what we are asked to

1003
01:25:11,600 --> 01:25:17,080
do as Christians that is what we are asked to do in the kingdom of God we

1004
01:25:17,080 --> 01:25:23,040
cannot be like the wicked you say real quick what the heck are you talking

1005
01:25:23,040 --> 01:25:27,040
about what am I supposed to do the Bible says first John 2 practice

1006
01:25:27,040 --> 01:25:33,880
righteousness do what's right the righteous will practice right so what I

1007
01:25:33,880 --> 01:25:38,200
mean by that righteous will practice righteousness well actually it says in

1008
01:25:38,200 --> 01:25:46,520
John 6 29 that the work of God is this believe in the one he sent believe in

1009
01:25:46,520 --> 01:25:50,440
the Messiah what did Hannah say God will give him all strength God will lift him

1010
01:25:50,440 --> 01:25:54,480
up God will exalt him in all ways we must believe in Jesus why do you believe

1011
01:25:54,480 --> 01:25:57,080
in Jesus you believe in Jesus because when you believe in Jesus you get

1012
01:25:57,080 --> 01:26:02,680
righteousness his God's righteousness he made him to be sin who knew no sin that

1013
01:26:02,680 --> 01:26:07,200
we might have no I said it that way wrong a number of times but if you look

1014
01:26:07,200 --> 01:26:15,280
it up it's not have that we might become the righteousness of God through him are

1015
01:26:15,280 --> 01:26:19,440
you becoming the righteousness of God that was gifted to you the moment you

1016
01:26:19,440 --> 01:26:23,120
were saved or have you never received that gift because you have never in fact

1017
01:26:23,120 --> 01:26:26,920
believed in Jesus Christ as Lord that means he tells you what to do and you do

1018
01:26:26,920 --> 01:26:30,840
it and as Savior that means he paid the price for your sins believe in the

1019
01:26:30,840 --> 01:26:36,680
Messiah that's the chief work of God you do that every day by doing what it is

1020
01:26:36,680 --> 01:26:42,120
that he would have you to do by not finding things outside or neutral

1021
01:26:42,120 --> 01:26:48,480
finding things that are right stay the course Paul told Timothy do his bidding

1022
01:26:48,480 --> 01:26:53,240
Jeremiah told every believer that ever existed in Jeremiah 7 do what God would

1023
01:26:53,240 --> 01:26:59,240
have you to do trust in his provision the psalmist wrote in Psalm 125 know what

1024
01:26:59,240 --> 01:27:03,440
he wants you follow his commands Jesus you're my friends you follow my commands

1025
01:27:03,440 --> 01:27:08,800
and proverbs says oh the writer of proverbs probably Solomon says over and

1026
01:27:08,800 --> 01:27:12,040
over again in chapter 2 and chapter 4 and chapter 4 again in chapter 7 and

1027
01:27:12,040 --> 01:27:19,120
chapter 4 over and over again just do what you know God wants you to do it is

1028
01:27:19,120 --> 01:27:25,760
that simple and if you will not and it does not mean that you have to go okay

1029
01:27:25,760 --> 01:27:29,120
well I'm gonna go sin against God I'm gonna commit adultery on my wife or I'm

1030
01:27:29,120 --> 01:27:32,720
gonna murder my neighbor because I hate his dog or I'm gonna whatever you don't

1031
01:27:32,720 --> 01:27:37,120
have to do anything that extreme all you have to do is find the things of the

1032
01:27:37,120 --> 01:27:41,960
world because he was a friend with the world is an enemy to God and you oppose

1033
01:27:41,960 --> 01:27:47,640
God and when you oppose God the thunder rolls and don't tell me you don't know

1034
01:27:47,640 --> 01:27:52,520
it does not take a Christian brother it can happen but it does not take a

1035
01:27:52,520 --> 01:27:56,280
Christian brother coming to you and saying listen what you are doing I think

1036
01:27:56,280 --> 01:28:01,800
is sin you already know and we stretch ourselves this is what we do we stretch

1037
01:28:01,800 --> 01:28:06,000
ourselves in Psalm 91 there's a great passage scripture I'm not gonna go there

1038
01:28:06,000 --> 01:28:09,560
and read it for the interest of time but it says that that your his angels will

1039
01:28:09,560 --> 01:28:12,400
take charge of you they will keep you from even dashing your feet against the

1040
01:28:12,400 --> 01:28:16,520
stone does that sound familiar to anybody from the temptation you probably

1041
01:28:16,520 --> 01:28:19,320
actually read it there probably didn't read it in Psalms the first time during

1042
01:28:19,320 --> 01:28:22,960
the temptation of Jesus Satan said leap off this temple down at the courtyard

1043
01:28:22,960 --> 01:28:28,960
because it says this about you do you know why Satan the devil was saying that

1044
01:28:28,960 --> 01:28:36,200
to Jesus to get him to screw up God's plan did Jesus deserve all honor yes was

1045
01:28:36,200 --> 01:28:40,520
he gonna be exalted yes but it wasn't his plant God's plan that he jump off

1046
01:28:40,520 --> 01:28:44,200
the temple be seen by everybody being saved by angels that wasn't his plan to

1047
01:28:44,200 --> 01:28:49,080
make a grand entrance a big splash that wasn't God's plan it was God's plan that

1048
01:28:49,080 --> 01:28:54,400
he would be crucified on the cross but that text hang on now that text is not

1049
01:28:54,400 --> 01:29:02,560
written to Jesus it's not written to the Messiah or the anointed one it is

1050
01:29:02,560 --> 01:29:10,760
written to those who follow God because it is a text about how God will hold

1051
01:29:10,760 --> 01:29:15,880
your feet firmly and give you the ability to do what you're supposed to do

1052
01:29:15,880 --> 01:29:21,200
if you will choose to follow him but we keep compromising we keep falling back

1053
01:29:21,200 --> 01:29:24,920
we keep only going halfway we keep adding things to our lives that are of

1054
01:29:24,920 --> 01:29:31,240
the world and have no place or business and that is contending with God and as

1055
01:29:31,240 --> 01:29:37,280
we contend with God like that the thunder rolls hear me now pandemic or no

1056
01:29:37,280 --> 01:29:44,720
pandemic you can never go wrong trusting in God we say tempting the Lord I

1057
01:29:44,720 --> 01:29:47,680
preached a sermon I encourage you if you're interested in this topic go back

1058
01:29:47,680 --> 01:29:52,080
and listen to the podcast is from about four to six months ago I think although

1059
01:29:52,080 --> 01:29:57,840
my time concepts are sometime a little bit off about how trusting God too fast

1060
01:29:57,840 --> 01:30:04,160
is not tempting God you trust God with all you are every day and stop playing

1061
01:30:04,160 --> 01:30:18,080
games with his truth if you trust in God but use your strength for the world or

1062
01:30:18,080 --> 01:30:22,800
for corruption you will wind up with no strength at all that's what the text

1063
01:30:22,800 --> 01:30:27,280
says your strength will not prevail you will not prevail the thunder will roll

1064
01:30:27,280 --> 01:30:35,840
God is calling you now into his race and into his grace God is calling you now

1065
01:30:35,840 --> 01:30:43,000
into his grace and into his race now it's amazing isn't it that God's race is

1066
01:30:43,000 --> 01:30:55,320
inside God's grace God's race is inside God's grace do not be dismayed be found

1067
01:30:55,320 --> 01:31:04,480
worthy as much as you can every day and if you need to as motivation remember

1068
01:31:04,480 --> 01:31:07,480
his wrath and his opposition will come against you if you're contending with

1069
01:31:07,480 --> 01:31:14,040
him then do that but you're not supposed to be fearing God I'm not supposed to be

1070
01:31:14,040 --> 01:31:20,560
fearing God fearing God is the beginning of wisdom and then one recognizes the

1071
01:31:20,560 --> 01:31:27,400
anointed one of God whom took the wrath of God for us and is free are you free

1072
01:31:27,400 --> 01:31:35,520
you're not if your feet aren't under you you're not if you're contending with the

1073
01:31:35,520 --> 01:31:41,080
Lord and you're contending with the Lord if you're not sharing God's grace with

1074
01:31:41,080 --> 01:31:45,200
your family with your friends with anybody you possibly can you're

1075
01:31:45,200 --> 01:31:52,240
contending with the Lord if you're tearing with the world messing around

1076
01:31:52,240 --> 01:31:55,680
with things that don't have anything to do with God it does not even have to be

1077
01:31:55,680 --> 01:32:03,920
sin but if it becomes important to you and you cannot specifically relate it

1078
01:32:03,920 --> 01:32:10,320
to what God is doing then you're contending with God and the thunder

1079
01:32:10,320 --> 01:32:18,800
rolls keep your feet under you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and let him

1080
01:32:18,800 --> 01:32:27,440
lead you in all actions at all times thanks for listening and I hope reaching

1081
01:32:27,440 --> 01:32:31,080
new heights in Jesus today this is pastor Daniel Stevenson I'm pastor of

1082
01:32:31,080 --> 01:32:34,600
New Heights Fellowship Baptist Church and also the director of the Southside

1083
01:32:34,600 --> 01:32:39,040
Life Station I encourage you to check us out online you can check out church

1084
01:32:39,040 --> 01:32:43,800
Toledo comm all aspects of the ministry are there presented we're always looking

1085
01:32:43,800 --> 01:32:48,920
for people to partner with us perhaps you'd consider praying for us in this

1086
01:32:48,920 --> 01:32:53,080
day when we are praying for those who are suffering from Hurricane Ida down in

1087
01:32:53,080 --> 01:32:56,800
Louisiana and those in Afghanistan are trapped sort of behind enemy lines

1088
01:32:56,800 --> 01:33:02,760
because of the pandemic and Delta virus variant or Delta variant we've got a lot

1089
01:33:02,760 --> 01:33:07,000
to pray for asked for protection in the ministry protection for the brothers in

1090
01:33:07,000 --> 01:33:10,920
the kingdom all over the world and healing for the sick and strength for

1091
01:33:10,920 --> 01:33:15,640
doctors and nurses and for medical personnel of all kinds and for

1092
01:33:15,640 --> 01:33:20,040
missionaries and for soldiers of the United States of America who serve to

1093
01:33:20,040 --> 01:33:25,320
protect our country and our freedoms for police for those who fear for whatever

1094
01:33:25,320 --> 01:33:30,560
reason because fear is an enemy that ought to be overcome in Christ and Jesus

1095
01:33:30,560 --> 01:33:34,360
Christ and being our Lord and Savior and having us on the highway of holiness and

1096
01:33:34,360 --> 01:33:38,640
protecting us providing for us and giving us purpose should put an end to

1097
01:33:38,640 --> 01:33:43,320
fear so we pray for those who are in fear there may be much more what you're

1098
01:33:43,320 --> 01:33:47,640
praying for please go to the your thoughts page on the church leader comm

1099
01:33:47,640 --> 01:33:51,320
website and share what you're experiencing whether it's what you're

1100
01:33:51,320 --> 01:33:55,200
praying for what you've read in the Bible what you're thinking about these

1101
01:33:55,200 --> 01:33:59,440
days what the Lord seems to be trying to get your attention the direction of your

1102
01:33:59,440 --> 01:34:03,040
ministry where God is taking you what you're trying to accomplish in the

1103
01:34:03,040 --> 01:34:06,800
meantime please pray that God's people will be able to have the resources that

1104
01:34:06,800 --> 01:34:10,680
they need to continue sharing the gospel the world over pray in particular for the

1105
01:34:10,680 --> 01:34:14,720
life station as the life station is in a difficult time right now where our grant

1106
01:34:14,720 --> 01:34:20,160
from previous days has run out and has not been renewed at the state level and

1107
01:34:20,160 --> 01:34:24,640
then we're risking financially being able to continue what we do we're

1108
01:34:24,640 --> 01:34:28,780
currently delivering food to the entire city of Toledo but we need help with

1109
01:34:28,780 --> 01:34:33,520
volunteers and financial donations and please pray that God would provide so we

1110
01:34:33,520 --> 01:34:37,960
can see you to do that you know honor him and to overcome evil with good much

1111
01:34:37,960 --> 01:34:43,720
more could be said just encourage you to check us out online on Facebook look at

1112
01:34:43,720 --> 01:34:47,160
our Google website if you want kind of review us and look at that there come

1113
01:34:47,160 --> 01:34:51,520
join us Sundays at 1130 if you want to worship in person or online at New

1114
01:34:51,520 --> 01:34:56,240
Heights Toledo on Facebook you can watch the services live God bless you today

1115
01:34:56,240 --> 01:35:00,080
next episode coming up