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I had proposed this morning as on last Sunday to highlight the lesson that will be talked

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about on this coming Tuesday night but I want to say a word to our youth and young people

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who are here today from Matthew at chapter 27 commencing in verse number 15. Now at the

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festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd anyone whom they

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wanted and that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas so after they

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had gathered Pilate said to them whom do you want me to release for you Jesus Barabbas

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or Jesus who is called the Messiah for he realized that it was out of jealousy that

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they had handed him over while he was sitting on the judgment seat his wife sent word to

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him have nothing to do with that innocent man for today I have suffered a great deal

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because of a dream about him now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds

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to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed the governor again say to them which of the

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two do you want me to release for you and they said Barabbas Pilate said to them then

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what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah all of them said let him be crucified

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then he asked why what evil has he done but they shouted all the more let him be crucified

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so when Pilate saw that he could do nothing but rather that a riot was beginning he took

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some water and washed his hands before the crowd saying I am innocent of this man's

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blood see to it yourselves then the people as a whole answered his blood be on us and

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on our children so he released Barabbas for them and after flogging Jesus he handed him

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over to be crucified thank you you may have your seats the grass withers and the flower

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fades but the word of our God shall stand forever I want to talk this morning about

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a real star test a real star test if you are a parent chances are you are among the millions

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of us households with school-aged children that have experienced some kind of standardized

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testing while each states implementation and use of such tests has its critics most educational

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experts agree that testings are means of how well students comprehend and apply knowledge

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moreover they also agree that high scholastic achievement is a worthy undertaking so until

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someone devises a more effective measure of accountability standardized tests are here

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to stay Arizona's tests are called aims a im s Arizona's instrument to measure standards

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here has the star test spelled with one a standardized testing and reporting Utah administers what

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they call you pass Utah performance assessment system for students my home state of Louisiana

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has what is called the leap test Louisiana educational assessment program here in the

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state of Texas is what is determined as the star test s t a a r state of Texas assessments

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of academic readiness students are tested on state curriculum standards in the core

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subjects of reading writing math science and social studies these tests are given to primary

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and secondary students and controversies that surround standardized testing not withstanding

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no child is allowed to opt out of the star test without penalty or consequence whenever

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a pupil fails the star test the school district is obligated to provide tutorials during the

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school year or accelerated instruction during the summer break some people myself included

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a keen grasp of the subject material but we are not good test takers some of you like

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myself panic at test taking time I would not have passed geometry where I'm not copying

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off a cat that batiste paper because I'm not good in math I never have been I'm not a good

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student I even panic at going to the doctor for a test if I have to take a test at the

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doctor's office the blood test or anything like that when I get to the doctor's office

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they have to take my blood pressure over and over again because my pressure keeps going

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up because I have to take a test sometimes during the year I have to take an MRI because

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of my brain tumor diagnosis and I say to the nurse or whoever the technician is if you don't

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want to pay for 25 million dollars of equipment take me out of this little machine because

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I feel like I'm in a casket they have to put me in the large open MRI machines because

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my blood pressure just goes up at test I am not a good test taker many of us here know

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the subject matter but we struggle when it comes to taking tests so this morning I want

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to give you a star test everybody relax come on relax do your shoulders like this relax

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breathe now I'm your friend I'm not going to give you questions that are too hard for

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you to answer this morning we are going to take a star test not the state of Texas assessments

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of academic readiness but do you know the one who holds the seven stars in his right

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hand pilot asked the people at the trial of Jesus three questions that will need to be

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asked and answered this morning and how you answer these questions could determine how

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and where you will spend the rest of your life as well as where you will spend eternity

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question number one when the people were there after Jesus had been betrayed by Judas arrested

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by the soldiers brought from judgment hall to judgment hall he comes to pilot pilot sends

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him to Herod Herod sends him back to pilot he's he's back and forth in this kangaroo

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court and when he comes before pilot the question pilot asks the crowd is whom should I release

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to you Barabbas a known criminal or Jesus who is Christ the question young people could

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have easily been asked who do you want to run with who do you want to spend time with

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who do you want me to release into your concentric circle whom should I release to you this known

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robber or this known redeemer who should I release to you this this violent man or this

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virtuous man who should I turn loose in your company this violent insurrectionists are

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God incarnate who do you want to run with young people who do you want in your circle

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who do you want as your Facebook friend who do you want to contact in your phone who is

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it that you want in your life who do you want to run around with because the Bible says

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bless is the man that walks not in the council of the ungodly nor stands in the way of sinners

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nor sits in the seat of the scornful but his delight I wish I had a Bible reader is in

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the law of the Lord and in that law does he meditate both day and night and he shall be

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like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season

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his leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he do is shall prosper but the ungodly are

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not so they're like the chaff that the wind drives away therefore the ungodly shall not

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stand in the judgment nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous for the Lord knows the way

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of the righteous but the way of the ungodly shall perish because who you are around says

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something about you who you spend time with doesn't say much about them but it says everything

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about you if you spend time with foolish people the Bible says evil communication spoils

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good manners the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord you can't hang around with fools

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unless you become a fool and parents if you don't want to raise a fool check out who that

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company is the late dr. evie hill the late dr. evie hill said that this this young man

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came to his house rang the doorbell for his daughter because he wanted to take her out

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he came there with his big bushy afro and a piercing in his in his in his ear and shaggy

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shabby disheveled and he rang the doorbell dr. hill said he slammed the door he opened

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it slammed the shut his daughter ran downstairs and said daddy was somebody at the door he

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said not for you be careful who they run with you spending all that money to send that girl

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to school and she come back home with some boy with a piercing in his tongue and his

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pants hanging down talking to me talking about what's up nothing you idiot learn how to be

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respectful learn how to pull your pants up learn how to look a man in the eye and shake

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his hand firmly learn how to say yes ma'am and no sir because when you got good manners

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the world will open doors for you who do you want to run with but rabbits are Jesus who

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do you want to hang out with a pho or a Christian because brothers and sisters here are life

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without Christ is out of control Ephesians chapter 2 verses 1 through verse 3 says and

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you have he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins wherein in time past you walked according

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to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air that spirit

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that now worketh in the children of disobedience among whom also we all had our conversation

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in time past in the lust of our flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and the mind and

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were by nature the children of wrath even as others a life without Christ is a life without

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peace Isaiah 48 and verse 22 says there is no peace said the Lord unto the wicked parents

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you can't run with your children you can't dress like your young daughter you can't

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go to the school and jump on the teacher when your child is wrong somebody ought to help

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me preach it you got to teach them some manners you got to teach them respect you got to teach

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them discipline let them know I'm not your friend I'm your daddy my daughter said to

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me some some years ago she said daddy I can talk to you now but when I was growing up

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I was scared of you I said mission accomplished I want you to be scared of me matter of fact

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you better be scared of me right now and I remember growing up in my mama's and my

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daddy's house when we would start arguing with each other my mama wouldn't raise her

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voice she just twiddle her thumbs and she said look like y'all talking louder than

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me nobody talk louder than me in this house because my parents let us to know let us know

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that they were in charge they determined when we came in they determine when we went out

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they determined what we ate what we wore who our friends were somebody ought to help me

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talk it and I know we don't want them to have it as hard as we had it and we don't want

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them to work as hard as we were but it didn't kill us to get a job it didn't kill us talk

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back to me if you can to come in at night to study your lesson to do what was right to

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go to church to learn to love God because I'm a Christian right now because somebody

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prayed for me life without Christ is a wicked life but life with Jesus is one of salvation

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blessings from God brothers and sisters a life with Christ is a life under control with

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God in charge Romans chapter 8 in verse 1 says there is therefore now no condemnation

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to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit young

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people who do you want to run with who should I release to you this morning Barabbas are

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Jesus and the choice you make is a question of desire you want to be a fog go right ahead

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but there are consequences for your furgiveness you want to be a fool go right ahead there

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are consequences to your foolishness again I mentioned to my to my own child and I'm

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not I'm not saying this to to to try to get some parent to do what I do or the rate I've

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done all the reason I'm gonna do all I can do is pray for you right now but but but I

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said to her if you want to be a fool I will go meet you under the pierce elevated bring

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some spam and some and and some Ritz crackers get a root beer for you and a coke for me

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have lunch with you and you and you know good friends get back in my G wagon and go home

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because I have discharged my Christian duty as a parent and parents when you do the best

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you can make sure you've done the best you can make sure you have laid before them life

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and death blessing and cursing good and bad through your godly example because you can't

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teach what you don't know you can't lead where you won't go who should I release to you this

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morning Barabbas or Jesus that's a question of desire but if you look with me in verse

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number 22 it's not only a question of desire it is a question of destiny pilot tried again

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he asked him in verse 17 he tries again in verse 21 to get Jesus off the hook and firstly

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getting himself off the hook he asked him the question twice who should I release Barabbas

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or Jesus they said give us Barabbas and let Jesus be crucified and then pilot raised a

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question that has reverberated through history and time for over 2000 years what then shall

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I do with this Jesus who is called Christ that's a weighty heavy question pilot had to answer

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Caesar had to answer it Martin Luther had to answer it John Swingley had to answer it

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Paul had to answer it Martin Luther King Desmond Tutu Nelson Mandela everybody born

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got to deal with that question and so I raise it in your hearing this morning what will

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you do with this Jesus who is called Christ here's what pilot tried to do Mrs. pilot came

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and told him I had a dream last night and I suffered many things because of this man

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in a dream have nothing to do with this just man he is innocent and pilot tried to do what

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many people in the world now try to do he tried to wash his hands and say I don't have

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anything to do with or yeah you're gonna have something to do with because you can't wash

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your hands with Jesus you can't wash your hands with him cuz you're gonna meet him in

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Bethlehem you can't wash your hands cuz you're gonna meet him in Samaria with a woman at

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a well you can't wash your hand because you're gonna meet him as a woman is on her way to

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bury her only child you gonna meet him in the wilderness because the devil is tempting

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him. You are going to meet him on a ship because a storm is going to blow up. You're

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going to meet him in the crowd because they're on the two fish and five loaves of

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bread. You're going to meet him at the tomb of Lazarus because he's got to

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raise somebody from the dead. You're going to meet him at Peter's house because

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Peter's mother-in-law is going to have a fever. You have to meet him in the crowd

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because a woman's going to have an issue of blood. What shall I do with this Jesus?

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Who is called Christ? And this morning I want that question to sit on you.

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What are you going to do with Jesus? Are you going to lift him or act like you

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don't know him? Are you going to praise him or deny him? Are you going to worship him or

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are you going to be in your feelings? Because you didn't get a promotion. You

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didn't get a friend. You didn't get what you wanted. Life hasn't turned out the

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way you think life ought to turn out. Do you know how many people during this

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pandemic died from COVID and the Lord let you live? You know how many people got

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COVID and survived it like me? I wish I had somebody to help me. There's some

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other COVID survivors in here this morning can help me testify if I hadn't

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had Jesus on my side. When life got hard if the Lord had not been on my side,

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where would I be this morning? Somebody here made it because God kept you. I need

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a witness who can testify he's a keeper. I wish I had somebody to help me. I need

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somebody who knows that when the bills are due and you don't have enough money

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coming in God will keep the locals from eating your bread. When there's trouble

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in your home he said I'll keep him in perfect peace if you keep your mind

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stayed on me. When enemies betray you he said I'll never leave you nor forsake

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you. Have I got a witness here? When the burden gets heavy and you can't have

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peace if you call that name somebody knows there's power in that name. There's

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joy in that name. There's music in that name. There's deliverance in that name.

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There is a name. I love to hear. I love to sing it's worth. I wish I had

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somebody to help me. It sounds like music in my ear. It's the sweetest name on

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earth. It tells me of a savior's love who died to set me free. Have I got a

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witness here? It tells me of his precious blood the sinners. Oh that's

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that's that's a that's a church sound. Oh that's that's a worshiper sound. Oh

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that's a believer sound. Oh how I love Jesus and the reason I love him so much

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is because he first loved me.

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I'm trying to quit here but the question's still on the table. What are

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you gonna do with this Jesus who is called Christ? Tell you what I'm gonna do.

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I will not take the name of strange gods on my lips. I will not offer any blood

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oblation. I'm gonna praise them in the morning. I'm gonna praise them in the

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noon day. I'm gonna call his name when I'm up. I'm gonna call his name when I'm

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down. I'm gonna hold his hand when I got money and I'm gonna cling to him when

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I'm down to my last day. I'm gonna shout his praises when I got people around

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me and I'm gonna get happy when I'm by myself because when I think about the

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goodness of Jesus the mercy of Jesus the grace of Jesus the faithfulness of

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Jesus. Have I got a witness here? When I think about how he kept me how he never

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left me. Here's what I'm gonna do about Jesus. Hallelujah!

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He's the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. He's the

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faris of ten thousand. He's a bright in the morning star. He's the rose of

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Sharon. He's a lily of the valley. Friend when you're friendless. Bread when

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you're hungry. Water when you're thirsty. A bridge over troubled water. A savior to

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those who are lost. A helper to those who are in trouble. A very present help in

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the time of as the deer pants after the water bridge. So does my soul. Pat after

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the old God. I've been young. Now I'm old. And I've never seen the righteous

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forsaker nor his seed begging bread. I'm through. Visions of faith took all my

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time.

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Ernest Nim sing too long. I'm through. But Pilate had one last question that you

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and I have got to answer this morning. He said whom should I release? Barabbas or

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Jesus? They said give us Barabbas. And then he raised the question what then

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shall I do with this Jesus who is called Christ? They said crucify. And then

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Pilate raises this last question and I'm about to shout. What evil has he done?

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Pilate was was almost testified. Because when he asked what evil has he done?

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Pilate being the Roman procurator must have had somebody following Jesus in

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order for him to know so much about Jesus. And I thank all the say to

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somebody in here this morning you can know a lot about Jesus and still not

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know Jesus. Pilate was almost a believer because I'm sure Pilate heard of the

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good things of the wondrous works Jesus had performed. Pilate wasn't there he

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was at the Praetorium adjudicating affairs of state as a Roman procurator

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under Caesar Augustus. But I'm sure he heard that there was a wedding feast in

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Cana of Galilee and they ran out of wine and his mother told the servants

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whatever he tells you to do do it. They went got some ordinary water pots and

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filled them with ordinary water and when Jesus got to the miracle he he looked

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down into the water and the water looked up at its creator and blushed red in the

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wine and between the dipping and the sipping ordinary water became

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extraordinary wine and the governor of the feast said you saved the best wine

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to last. I'm sure Pilate heard about that. I'm sure Pilate heard that they were in

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the desert place and there was nowhere to buy any bread and Jesus said feed the

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multitude. They said master we don't have anything here but two fish and and five

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loaves what is that among so many? Jesus said make the men sit down. They

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brought their little boys lunch to Jesus. Jesus raised it up to heaven and prayed

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and when he brought it down he started handing it out and the more he handed

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out the more he had to hand out because Pilate I'm sure heard that little

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became much when you place it in the master's hand. I'm sure Pilate heard

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that we gave Jesus that little fish sandwich and he started multiplying by

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dividing. He started adding by subtracting so that he fed five thousand men not

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counting women and children. Pilate wasn't there but I'm sure he heard that

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Jesus was being summoned by a high official named Jairus. Jairus said I

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need you to come to my house because my daughter is at the point of death. If you

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come and put your hands on her she will be healed and she will live and the

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Bible says Jesus went with him on the way to Jairus's house. There was a

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woman who was suffering 12 years with a serious issue of blood. She had spent all

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her money on doctors and therapies and nothing seemed to work. She heard that

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Jesus was in the crowd. The Bible says she grabbed his clothes and when she

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pulled on his clothes Jesus stopped and when Jesus stopped the blood stopped. I

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wish I had somebody to help me and Jesus said somebody touched me. The

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disciples say Lord somebody's bound to touch you with all these people in this

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crowd. Jesus said I'm not talking about that kind of touch. I felt power run out

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of me. I felt healing run out of me. I felt virtue run out of me and Jesus

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looked at that woman and the woman looked at Jesus and said sir I touched

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you. Jesus got her theology straight. He wanted her to know that there was no

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healing in the garment. The garment was just on the healer. I'm sure Pilate

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heard that there was a storm on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus was asleep in the

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hinder part of the ship and they were trying to get out of that storm and

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somebody said master don't you care that we are about to perish. Jesus stood up on

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that ship and I'm sure Pilate heard that Jesus spoke these words peace be still

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and there was a great calm. I don't need Pilate's testimony today. I got my own

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testimony this morning. I don't need rocks crying out for me today. I got my

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own shout. I don't need you to tell me how good he is. I know how good he is for

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myself. I'm not gonna ask you to grab your neighbor. I'm not gonna ask you to

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high five three people. You ought to be mature enough now. You ought to be strong

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enough now. You ought to be a big enough Christian now to praise God by

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yourself because somebody might not want to give you a high five. Somebody might

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not want to grab and hug you. You just might want to hug yourself because

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there are times when you ought to encourage yourself. There are Sunday

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mornings when you just don't feel like it. There are Monday mornings when you

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just don't want to go anywhere but when you start thinking about the doors he's

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open. The tears he's dry. The peace he's brought in your life. The storms he's

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calm. The enemies he's put down. The friends he's raised up. You don't need

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nobody to high five you. You don't need nobody to hug you. You shout by

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yourself. Is there anybody here got your own testimony? Is there anybody here know

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Jesus for yourself? If you know him and you're not ashamed to testify. If he kept

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you and you don't mind being a witness. If he's got his arms around and you

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don't care who's looking at you. You can answer every last question.

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Barabbas or Jesus. Give me Jesus. What shall I do with this Jesus? I'm a servant

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the rest of my days. What evil has he done? I find no fault in him. He's been

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good to me. I said he's been good to me. He's been good to me. He's been a mother

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for me. He's been a father for me. He's been company for me. Is there anybody here

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know he's been real good? Then right where you are. Right where you're standing.

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Right where you are seated. Help me give God your best prayer. Hallelujah.

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Hallelujah. Hallelujah. What a savior. Hallelujah. What a Christ. Hallelujah.

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What a Redeemer. He died on an old rugged cross. They hung him high. They stretched

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him wide. He hung his head. For me he died. That's love. But that's not a how.

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That's not a how. The story in. Three days later he rose again. That's love. Won't he keep you. Won't

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he save you. Won't he open doors. Won't he make a way. Won't he be a friend. I know he's alright.

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Won't he do it. Won't he do it. Won't he fix it. Won't he turn it around.

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Tell him thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I can't help myself.

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He's been so good to me. I can't stop myself. He's opened too many doors for me. I can't stop myself.

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He saved me. He raised me. He kept me. I know he's alright.

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This morning. You can't wash your hands of Jesus. No, no. You can't. You can't wash your hands with Jesus.

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Because either you will meet him as your savior or one day you're going to meet him as your judge.

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Right now he has on the robes of a mediator. But after a while he's going to put on his robes as a judge.

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And you put one foot on a quaking earth and the other foot on a troubled sea.

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Wave his palm and say time that has been shall be no more. Listen to me and then we'll open the doors of the church.

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I want you to hear this. If you fail the star test there's tutoring and summer school.

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But if you fail this test there's no remediation. There's no retaking the test. You've got to get it right the first time.

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And he's given you every opportunity. And listen. It's an open book test.

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You have to be might as simple to fail an open book test.

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The answers are right here in the book. No good thing will he withhold from him who walks up right. It's right here in the book.

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And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and to those who are the called according to his purpose.

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It's right here in the book. Come all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

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Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.