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Thank you for listening to this message from Life House Church.

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Turn to somebody give them a high five tell them it is good to be in the house of the

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Lord this morning.

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Tell them they're looking okay today.

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Give them some kind of word of encouragement.

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If you can't tell them the truth about how they look tell them they got a nice shirt.

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How's that?

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Alright come on.

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God bless you.

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Thank you.

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You may be seated after you give somebody some good news this morning.

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Good news.

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Amen.

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Listen we are in a sermon series called good news and we should be spreading good news.

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Here's what I believe.

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I believe this.

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I don't think I'm not sure about this completely but I don't think we can get too much good

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news right.

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I haven't studied this out.

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I haven't researched it any but I'm pretty sure there's no adverse effects to getting

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too much good news.

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If anybody has that study anybody has that please fill me in right.

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In my very humble unprofessional psycho analogy of good news I don't think we can get too

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much good news.

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As a matter of fact if you can I'm willing to give it a shot anyway even if there's an

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adverse effect anybody with me on that.

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How many of you like perpetual nonstop good news in your life?

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Amen.

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Anybody with me?

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It's true.

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We're all down with getting some good news.

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We're all about it.

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Bring it on.

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Give it to us.

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Hit us with it right every chance you get.

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If you can save a lot on your car insurance by switching to whatever.

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Ah yeah I see how many of you are watching TV right.

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Bring it on.

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That's something like yeah right out there.

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Alright if you can retire to her two years early from your job and get an enormous bonus

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doing it.

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That's what I'm saying like bring it on.

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Amen.

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Alright school or work is canceled because the weather is just too nice.

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Amen.

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Come on bring it on.

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You just received a large inheritance from a long lost uncle that you didn't even know

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you had.

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How many are like sign me up.

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Sign me up right.

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Can we really get too much good news?

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I don't think so.

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I don't think it's possible.

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I think I think we want good news.

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We crave good news.

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I crave good news.

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We want to hear the good news.

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And I believe that's true in scripture too.

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I believe it's true in the Bible.

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We really can't get too much of the good news of God.

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So if you got your Bibles I want you just to go ahead and head to the book of Matthew.

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I said that twice in a row.

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Alright head to the book of Matthew.

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We're going to go into chapter 24 this morning and while you're turning there if you're listening

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online we'll give you just a moment to get there as well.

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I'm going to pray over God's word of my prayer over this morning and the word that's coming

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forth and I want to pray over you receiving the word.

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Sometimes I got to pray for my tongue and your ears.

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Amen.

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Alright sometimes my heart and your heart.

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We got to pray along those lines that we hear God's word we receive it and here's what I

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know and believe is the Holy Spirit will accomplish whatever He needs to in your own life.

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He will.

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So let's pray.

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Father we come today just grateful thankful for your word.

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God I pray.

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God that as the word goes forth Lord that it would be a light unto somebody's path.

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God Lord it would shine forth God that it would Lord really just illuminate in front

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of them and God I pray that the Holy Spirit goes in amongst all these people and those

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who are listening online and God it just speaks to them personally and Lord God it gives them

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a word that they need now and now word a ramal word and God Lord that it will change their

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hearts it will change their minds it will change their direction and God will give them perspective

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in all that they see and do.

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We give you glory in Jesus name and amen and amen.

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All right Matthew chapter 24 Jesus is talking to his disciples in his passage of scripture

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and he's talking about future things.

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He's talking about things that are out ahead of them.

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He's talking about things that aren't taking place currently but are going to happen one

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day in the future and he's filling them in and he's talking and discussing with them

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about how he's going to return to this earth one day.

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How many are glad that Jesus is going to return right.

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If you didn't know that I'm here to tell you this morning he's coming back.

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He's going to return so he's talking about his return to this earth from heaven and he's

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talking about the end of the age.

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He's talking about when things begin to shift and when things come to a close as life as

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we know it and God sets up his kingdom on this earth.

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So it's stuff we like to talk about.

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How many of you know we like to talk about the future right.

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Anybody like to talk about the future.

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You all do.

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We want to we all want to know what's happening out the line.

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We all want to know what's going to take place tomorrow.

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It'd be awesome if we could figure out what's going to happen tomorrow.

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The day after three days after that a month a year 12 years from now.

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We want to know what it's going to look like.

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We want to know what it looks like in the near future.

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We want to know what it looks like in the distant future.

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We want to know if the end is near and then we do.

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They make movies about that stuff right.

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How many of you see there's like 5000 movies about the end of the age you know about the

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end of the world.

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They do it over.

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We want to know this stuff.

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We want to know what's coming and Jesus the disciples had the same ideas we did.

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They want to know.

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So Jesus gives them some clues about what will happen at the end of the age.

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What's going to lead up to the return of Christ.

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What's going to lead up to the end.

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And the good news is that that Jesus is going to return.

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That's the awesome news.

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But the bad news in this portion of scripture is just some evil things are going to happen

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at the end of the age.

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The evil is going to bound towards the end.

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So Jesus kind of unfolding this and as he's doing that at the end of this passage he hits

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into some truth about some good news.

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So while I'm reading this it's not going to sound like it's good news but at the end of

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this passage we're going to pull out some things that really are good news.

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Matthew 24 verse 3 that says this.

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Now as he sat on the mount of Olives the disciples came to him privately saying tell us when

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will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the

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age.

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And Jesus answered and said to them take heed that no one deceives you for many will come

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in my name saying I am the Christ and will deceive many and you will hear of wars and

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rumors of wars.

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See that you're not troubled for all these things must come to pass but the end is not

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yet for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there will be

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famines and pestilence and earthquakes and various places and all these things are the

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beginning of sorrows.

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How many know this doesn't sound like very good news.

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All right and then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you and you will be

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hated by all nations for my name's sake and then many will be offended will betray one

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another.

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You see some of that these days right will betray one another and hate one another and

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many false prophets will rise up and deceive many because lawlessness will abound the love

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of many will grow cold but he who endures to the end shall be saved.

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No great news at this point matter of fact I was thinking about disciples you know they're

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asking Jesus about the end of the age and they're probably thinking sometimes you ask

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a question and you wish you really didn't ask.

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They're probably thinking you know maybe ignorance was bliss maybe we maybe we shouldn't ask

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the question what the signs are up until the end of the age maybe we should have just kept

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quiet about that whole thing.

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That might have been racing through their mind as they're listening to Jesus unfold

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this and talking about how evil is going to rise and how it's going to get ugly for a

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while before he returns and puts an end to all that right.

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But 14 says this and this gospel here's the good news and this gospel of the kingdom will

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be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.

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Verse 14 is both prophetic it is a prophetic revelation and it also gives us some of the

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good news of the Bible the good news of scripture the good news of Jesus.

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The prophetic portion of this scripture is that the gospel will be preached in all the

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world the gospel of the kingdom of God will be preached in all the world and many scholars

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believe that's going to take place before Jesus returns before he comes back before

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the second coming.

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The church is going to accomplish this task of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ into

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all the world.

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It's estimated right now that there are 7.83 billion people alive today 3.37 billion of

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them are unreached people groups with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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According to the Joshua project there are approximately 17,428 unique people groups in the world with

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7,400 plus of them considered completely unreached over 40 42 percent of the world's population

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the vast majority 85 percent of these least reached groups exist in the 1040 window and

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less than 10 percent of the missionary work is done in these nations.

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The 1040 window is a rectangular area on the map you look at a world map of North Africa

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the Middle East and Asia it's between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude this area

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is often called the resistant belt and includes some of the majority of the world's major

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religions of Muslim Hindu and Buddhist Bible scholars believe that before Jesus will return

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we don't know for certain but this is what scholars believe that that area right that

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unreached people group is going to come to Christ they're going to hear the gospel and

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what was once thought was going to take maybe even up to hundreds of years is now all changed

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because of digital media because of the ability to communicate worldwide very quickly when

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the door opens up in these areas I believe it's going to be like a floodgate and the

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gospel is going to go forth so it can happen very quickly this is good news right the gospel

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going into all the world but the other part of that good news and that last part of that

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verse is that God has a kingdom amen my watch is talking to me even all right I just got

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an amen from my watch almost all right how many know God has a kingdom amen he's got

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a kingdom the good news of the kingdom of God is that we will become citizens of the

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kingdom of God what Jesus came preaching about it begins with the gospel it begins with the

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good news last week was Easter we were preaching Jesus Christ risen from the grave right come

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back from the dead and because he was alive and because he came to life and because he

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conquered death hell in the grave we now conquer death hell in the grave through him we now

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have life everlasting and part of that good news is that we become citizens of a different

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kingdom the kingdom of God Jesus came to preach salvation and reconciliation but he also came

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preaching the kingdom of God Mark 1 14 says this now after John was put in prison Jesus

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came to Galilee preaching the kingdom right the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying

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that time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand repent and believe in the gospel

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the good news is if we follow Jesus if we repent if we believe if we follow him we become

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citizens of another kingdom a different kingdom if you're following Jesus if he's your Lord

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and he's your Savior if you've repented of sin and you've confessed him as Lord your

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citizenship is not just in the United States of America any longer you belong to the kingdom

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of God and that's good news the gospel the gospel of Jesus Christ is not just fire insurance

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do you know that a lot of people think the gospel of Jesus Christ is just fire insurance

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right a lot of people believe that the reason I get saved is just to keep me out of hell

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right just so I don't go to hell you know when I was a kid they preached on hell a lot

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now I know you don't hear that so much anymore but when I was a kid they preached on hell

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like it was their job I knew preachers and pastors that preached on hell so much I thought

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they went and visited and came back to tell me personally about it I mean they would preach

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and I don't know if you ever heard the terminology scared straight anybody ever hear that that

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terminology when I was a kid you got scared straight right they would preach on hell and

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we were down at the altar all getting saved we got saved the week before but we were back

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again just in case right just in case we didn't get it right the first time but the gospel

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of Christ is so much more than just fire insurance it's more than just keeping us from hell it

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really is the good news of Jesus Christ it is about salvation it's about new life and

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it is really about a new kingdom that we come into a new citizenship it's important listen

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who we belong to is important what we experience is important and where you belong is a big

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deal it's important to know where you belong it will affect your present it will affect

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your future it will affect your mindset if you know where you belong where you live matters

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where you call home what you call home matters where you're a citizen of it matters and if

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you don't believe me just pull up your citizenship in the United States of America and move to

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a little country called North Korea you just slide up into North Korea and park yourself

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for a little while my son and I my son's in from Philadelphia yesterday him and I were

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talking about a podcast that we both listened to he's actually reading a book on North Korea

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and if you don't I don't know if you know this or not but you want to talk about violation

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of human rights in North Korea there is such oppression there is such fear there is such

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a push down on the citizens of that country do you know that they don't even have a word

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that they use for love it is so oppressive there they don't even talk about love if you

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listen to somebody that maybe has escaped from North Korea and I listen to a testimony

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of that there is so much oppression by the government there that they believe that the

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government can almost read their mind I listened to a young lady's testimony who escaped from

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North Korea she said when I was growing up I thought that the government could read my

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mind I didn't even think a bad thought about the government even though they were starving

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us to death even though they oppressed our family even though we knew people who spoke

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up one time and disappeared from the face of the earth it matters where you live amen

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it matters where you have citizenship it matters whether you live in freedom or you live in

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complete bondage it matters and it matters if you understand if you are part of the kingdom

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of God if you have got citizenship in the kingdom of God it will change how you think

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it will change your future it will change how you function amen it will Jesus said you

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are part of another kingdom a different kingdom when you come to Christ your citizenship changes

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right and we need to think that way we need to pray that way do you know what is talked

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about in the Lord's prayer I am going to read you the first part of the Lord's prayer Matthew

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6 says therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before

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you ask him in this manner Jesus was talking to disciples therefore pray our Father in

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heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your kingdom come we should be longing

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for a kingdom that we have really never stepped foot in yet the kingdom of God now we know

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what is in our hearts and I don't mean to go back and reminisce a little bit but I did

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this week I went back a little bit growing up in church they used to talk a lot about

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being a citizen of the kingdom of God they really did I remember when I was growing up

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in church the preachers and the teachers and those who were around they would call us pilgrims

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they would say we are pilgrims in a foreign land listen I still lived in the United States

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I was just in Western Pennsylvania but they knew the kingdom of God and they used to talk

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about being pilgrims in this land they used to talk about listen we are citizens of heaven

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we are only here they would say we are only here for just a little while this is just

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all temporary I remember my grandparents saying this isn't our home man this is just this

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house I live in this is just a temporary dwelling till I get to heaven one day till I am a citizen

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of the kingdom of God we are foreigners they call themselves foreigners you don't hear

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that much anymore do you?

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And they would say we are traveling to a different place and they started getting into our minds

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and our hearts we don't really belong here we are just here for a little while it is

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just temporary our real citizenship is with God it is the kingdom of heaven you start

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thinking different I remember as a kid like hey this is just all how different is your

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approach to everything if you are just like this is all temporary my house is temporary

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my car is temporary everything I got is just kind of temporary it is just a place for now

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and one day I am going to step into where I really belong one day I am going to step

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into a kingdom that God is going to reign and rule in and all this is just going to

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fade away into the background amen?

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That's how we thought that's how we lived right we should get there again we should

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practice talking all things kingdom of God we should practice that practice that if the

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kingdom is so much better the kingdom of God is so much better than the kingdom that is

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here right now shouldn't we be talking that way?

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Can I be honest for a second?

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I don't think I really do that I am just going to be flat honest I think as I look back at

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this sometimes I preach it myself and sometimes I convict my own self when I am preaching

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right I am looking at this and I am thinking you know I don't really talk about God's kingdom

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near as much as I talk about this kingdom I don't talk about God's kingdom when I am

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in everyday life as much as I talk about the United States of America or what is going

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on around the country what is happening in the news right if we are supposed to be newscasters

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for the kingdom of God what should we be casting?

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News about the kingdom right God's kingdom and I know some of you are thinking well I

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can't do that where I work right I get in trouble I get fired from my job some of you

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are thinking well you know if I start doing that out I start talking about the kingdom

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of God out in society where I am at in school or work or you know at play wherever I am

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they are going to think I am a religious nut job right we think those things right well

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pastor you don't understand this conversation doesn't fit that context I know it is good

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preaching on Sunday but I don't know I can't really talk kingdom out there it is not practical

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it is not reasonable right it is not normal we will think those things not sure you know

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I just can't do it right but I don't buy into that logic when I look into God's word have

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you ever noticed that when Jesus spoke out in public it was this natural way of bringing

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in the kingdom right he just did it if someone was talking about water Jesus would start

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talking about living water right he started talking about water that you could drink and

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you will never get thirsty about again he was talking kingdom if somebody was talking

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about money he would say well you know what the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden

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in a field right and everybody leaned in he is talking about kingdom right if somebody

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was talking about gardening and or farming he says you know gardening is a little bit

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like a mustard seed you know the kingdom of heaven is just a little bit like a mustard

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seed you take that mustard seed and you throw that thing into the ground and it begins to

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grow and the branches spread out and the birds of the earth he starts talking the kingdom

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and you know if he was talking fish and he would say you know what if you are fishing

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the kingdom of God is like casting a big old net out into the ocean and when you pull it

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in there is fish in there that you begin to separate Jesus spoke that way all the time

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how many know that supernatural speaking completely natural amen right it isn't weird right you

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don't come off like a religious flake anybody ever meet a religious flake all right don't

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point at me all right anybody ever meet me what come on Jeremy somebody was weird that

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wasn't Jesus he spoke the kingdom all the time he was talking kingdom with people and

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he is pointed into conversation be naturally supernatural do you know that you ever hear

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that terminology I totally ripped that off from somebody else but I liked it all right

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be naturally supernatural I think the apostle Paul he gets his writing Colossians he starts

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writing in Colossians and he is asking some people to pray for him about him presenting

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the gospel and I love this in Colossians 4 2 it says this I think they are going to put

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it up on the screen for you continue earnestly in prayer being vigilant in it with thanksgiving

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meanwhile praying also for us that God would open to us a door for the word to speak the

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mystery of Christ for which I am also in chains that I make it manifest as I ought to speak

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walk in wisdom towards those who are outside redeeming the time let your speech always

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be with grace season with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one he is

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telling them the apostle Paul the person who can write who wrote two-thirds of the New

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Testament the man who can put more information in one paragraph that will just blow your

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mind if you start reading the writings of Paul in scripture he packs so much in one

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paragraph sometimes I can't hardly get my head around it Paul the wordsmith Paul the

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communicator he is telling them listen pray for me because when we cast out into the society

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when we start preaching the kingdom when we start preaching the good news I need some

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things to happen that is what he was telling them he says ask God to open the door for

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the kingdom of God today that is one of the things we pray for pray for the right opportunity

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to share the kingdom of God he said help me to speak the mystery of Jesus Christ I love

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that right help me to unfold the mystery of Jesus Christ help me to speak the right message

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that is what he was saying help me speak as I ought to speak today he literally uses that

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term help me to speak in context right help me make it fit help my speech be graceful

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and at the same time season with salt help me speak graciously but so effectively it's

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just like throwing salt on someone it makes their taste buds savor right how many of us

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all can do a bunch of things it really can't it makes food taste really good but you ever

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dumped just straight salt on your tongue what's that do right it's potent it's strong help

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me to be gracious and salty all together Paul's telling them pray this way our prayers should

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be God give me opportunity in the kingdom our prayers should be give me the right message

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our prayers should be help me to incorporate Jesus and the kingdom and everything that

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I speak help me to do this in the right context right that's where the weird part comes by

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the way right if you just come with some cookie cutter thing and you get in the wrong context

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you just start saying some random religious things people looking at you like you got

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three heads no they put it in context help me have grace help me to have salt you know

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just let me do good news tell somebody about the kingdom of God it's what Jesus did it's

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what Paul did it's what the Holy Spirit helps us to do if we ask them I thought about this

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morning and I like process and I like systems and I like giving people a one two three on

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how to do something right but you can't do this for this yeah I can't give you a one

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two three I can tell you you know why because your conversations are going to be so wide

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they're going to be so vast you're going to be in conversation with somebody some of you

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going to be talking about fish some of you going to be talking about water some of you

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going to be talking about something else some of you going to be talking about the news

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and I can't give you a one two three on how to bring the kingdom into that conversation

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but I can tell you if you pray the Holy Spirit will guide you in speaking kingdom do you

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know that that's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit when he went back to be with the father he

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sent the Holy Spirit and he said I'm going to help you to speak kingdom it can't be cookie

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cutter I can't give you just that now listen learn a little bunch of scripture will really

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help you by the way you'll pull it into the conversation but I can't give you just say

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this say this and say this I can't give you that you got to walk in the spirit you got

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to follow the leading of the spirit you got to be willing to jump into conversation I

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love talking to people that have done this and sometimes it blows their mind the first

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time it happens they'll get in this conversation like pastor I got to talk to somebody about

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Jesus you know they kind of rub their hands I got it I got to talk about the kingdom a

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little bit and it was so awesome you know no leaning a little bit and I'm talking I

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started talking and I don't even know where the words came from I don't I don't even know

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how I said all that you know I don't even know where it came from and it's like it just

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came and I began to stop and I was beginning to speak and they're talking about the game

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and you know what that was that was the Holy Spirit feeding it in right and they're just

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projecting it out and they're just blown away they're like I didn't think about it was just

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there and they're speaking the kingdom of God as we get opportunity because it's the

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greatest kingdom to be a part of we all live in this lousy kingdom down here give them

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up the kingdom amen John 15 26 says this but when the helper comes say the helper whom

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I shall send to you from the father of truth who proceeds from the father he will testify

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of me that's why when you start speaking to somebody about Jesus and about the kingdom

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of God that's why the words begin to come because if the Holy Spirit is working in you

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and through you he testifies to Jesus so he just helps you out he partners right up with

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you and you start talking right John 14 26 says this but the helper the Holy Spirit

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whom the father will send in my name he will teach you all things and bring to remembrance

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all the things that I said to you how many have a bad memory come on yeah me too okay

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he said he'll bring you all things to your remembrance he says he will teach you all

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things he will teach you all things I don't got time to park there I could tell you story

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after story after story of individuals they tell me they get in situations they should

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have no knowledge of and they get there and they're not sure how what to do and they begin

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to pray and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit comes and he teaches them things that somebody

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else can't teach them and they know because the Holy Spirit knows all things right he'll

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bring it to your remembrance in the instantaneous and in the long term John 15 5 says I am the

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brand vine you are the branches he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit for without

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me you can do nothing some of you are going I can't do this I know you don't have to you

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can't do this on your own but in him you can do anything just jump into the conversation

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about the kingdom just start talking about it a little bit and you're gonna be a man

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you just turn it over to the Holy Spirit and all of a sudden it's gonna happen you're gonna

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come tell me the story you're gonna say pastor I'm telling you it's so weird all right I

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got in her and I just started talking it just started happen John 14 6 says I will pray

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the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever the Holy

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Spirit will not leave you in a conversation he doesn't say peace out all right he's with

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you in the conversation he's with you and you're bringing the kingdom you're speaking

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his language when you start talking kingdom he wants to work you we are carriers we are

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newscasters we are carriers of the good news we are the redeemed we are the ones who what

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better spokespeople to talk about the kingdom of God than the people who have been adopted

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into the kingdom of God he sent us forward what we know about the kingdom we need to

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talk about the kingdom say this with me I'm gonna ask you to blindly say something then

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I'll explain it say we are preachers some of you did some of you're like I say that

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we are preachers some of you're thinking no I'm not right that's your job so you're right

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that's what you get paid to do you're the pastor you're the evangelist you're the prophet

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you're the you know you're the teacher you're the one that's supposed to be expelled well

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let me tell you something not so quick on that conclusion let me reread some verses

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to you here and I'm getting ready to close pretty soon get ready to come Matthew 24 14

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says this and the gospel I read this already and the gospel of the kingdom will be preached

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in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come I want you to take

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notice what you don't see in that scripture it does not say the gospel of the kingdom

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will be preached by the pastors in all the world as a witness doesn't say that anywhere

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doesn't say doesn't name exclusively pastors evangelists prophets doesn't name anybody

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a teacher doesn't say that it says the gospel will be preached in all the world okay that's

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first thing and in fact if you start looking at the pastor the evangelist the prophet the

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apostle right the teacher the fivefold ministry actually the Bible says the opposite it really

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does in Ephesians 4 11 says this and he himself is talking about Jesus gave some to be apostles

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some prophets some evangelists and some pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints

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for the work of the ministry for the edifying the body of Christ my job is to train you

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to go out and speak to a world that's lost and dying my job is to equip you to go out

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and to share the gospel to go out and tell people about the kingdom of God that's my

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job now that doesn't absolve me from doing it myself I have to do that as well but my

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job is to train the pastor the prophet the apostle the teacher all of them right there

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were to train we couldn't do it all if we wanted to we got to get the whole world there's

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several billion people that haven't heard the gospel yet there's people in your neighborhood

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that haven't heard about the kingdom of God in this new citizenship that's so amazing

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they think this is it they think this is all there is I'm going to live in the United States

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so I die and this is it this is all that get all you can get right grab everything you grab

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now and we need to tell them there is so much more this is nothing all this right here this

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is nothing compared to what's coming in Christ nothing it's it's it's it's one second with

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the Lord and all this will fade so far behind you you won't even you can't even get your

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head around it it'll fade in a heartbeat for what you're going to experience what you're

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going to see what you're going to be part of in the kingdom of God that's true I'm going

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to ask me to stand

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Thank you for tuning in to this message from LifeHouse Church.

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We pray that you were impacted powerfully by this message.

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If you have been personally affected by our ministry and you would like to partner with

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us as we love God love people every day visit our website at www.LifeHouseCOG.com