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We've all been hurt. We all carry scars. We can all overcome these things and be

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healed through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Let's build that relationship

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together right here. Welcome to Healing Scars with Pastor Burton. Hey everybody,

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welcome back to the sanctuary. Thank you all for joining us and for those of you

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who are new, welcome. It's so good to have you here. Now as normal every so often

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we do start with a bit of an update and today is no different. This year the big

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focus has been on going through the least preached books of the Bible and

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to date we've almost gone through all of them. Out of the ten least preached

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books we've actually gone through eight and in the course of it we've actually

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gone through nine of the shortest books in the Bible. Now of course studying all

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them has taken a little while, however I do encourage all of you to go back and

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to read through them on your own. Alright, so one of those things you know even

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though you know I'm that type we go through word by word I don't ever want

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everybody to just take my word for it. I want everybody to go through and learn

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and study for themselves and you'll actually find that you can read through

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all of the combined ten books within just you know a few hours. You know for

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the average reader I mean I actually looked it up online I believe it said it

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takes about two to three hours for the average reader so some of you will get

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through it a little bit faster some of you you know maybe a little slower but

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not by much. You know and if you need a list of all these books all of them that

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we've gone through and what we still need to finish off you know connect with

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me send me a message you know maybe send a DM on Facebook you know or even email

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of course you know emails right there on the website you know there's there's

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plenty of ways to get in touch and I'd be more than happy to provide that list

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for you. Now today we're actually going to continue on that journey and we'll be

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going into another of the least preached books of the Bible in Zephaniah. Now for

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those keeping tabs you'll see that it's in a particularly small section of the

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Bible near the end of the Old Testament and it's right behind a couple of books

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that we just completed Naum and Habakkuk and before another book that we went

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through a little ways back in Haggai. Now it's interesting because these books as

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we've been seeing they contain just so much they are a wealth of information

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however regularly they're just skim through by the vast majority you know

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or they just have little pieces you know taken from them and viewed when really

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they need to be studied thoroughly and they need to be read through you know

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like I said you know that's what we've been seeing there's just so much that

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gets missed here which which is unfortunate because there's no there's

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no reason for that you know as we know God's Word the Bible here it's great for

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teaching you know and rebuking and you know it's God's Word it's part of how he

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talks to us so we need to hear what he has for us. Now interestingly enough the

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book of Zephaniah it's chronologically out of order see Zephaniah he was

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actually the prophet before Habakkuk but the book comes after and in the book of

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Zephaniah was likely written towards the end of Zephaniah's ministry which took

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place from approximately 740 BC till about 621 BC which is when Habakkuk

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actually became a prophet this was also during the time of King Josiah's reign

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and his reforms now King Josiah he rose to power after a couple just really evil

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kings Manasseh and Amon and during that time this is also the time that Assyria

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was starting to crumble as a world superpower you know their dominance was

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just it wasn't there anymore and during during you know Josiah's reign he had

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started a revival which we can we can see and learn more about in Second Kings

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chapter 22 verse 1 through chapter 23 verse 25 and this is this revival was

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actually helped by Zephaniah's writing here so Zephaniah is you know believed

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to have actually contributed to it unfortunately this revival was very

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short-lived Zephaniah you know he wrote this book to the Israelites you know for

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the people of Judah and an attempt to get them to snap out of their complacency

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and to turn back to God you know and this is one of those times that we see

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in the Bible you know God he'd sent a warning he was like you know hey you

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better stop you better stop or this is going to happen there's going to be

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consequences you know and it was also it served as a way is basically a guide to

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bring his people back to him before it was too late which you know as

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Christians as followers of Christ answering the Great Commission that's

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something we should all be trying to do is to reach out to people and you know

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introduce them so that they can come to know God and you know and be saved you

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know so it's our job to make the introduction and then God saves you know

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people people make that choice for themselves you know and as we go through

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this book there are three themes that we're going to see a day of judgment

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which is coming in the very very near future and we're going to see an

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indifference to God and thirdly we're going to see a day of joy and

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restoration it sounds beautiful doesn't it it's because it will be now as we go

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through this book we're also going to find that there are really two overall

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sections to it the day of wrath which covers the first two chapters and a

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piece of the third and then we're also going to see the day of hope which

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covers the remainder there that final chapter so the overall message that

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we're going to see is that the day is coming when God's gonna hand out

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punishment for all nations all nations everyone we're talking enough is enough

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I've had it it's time to lay this mac is down all right and and for those who are

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faithful however there is hope see for Christians for followers of Christ those

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of us who are faithful through thick and thin the Lord will be merciful so to

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all the you know those who are doing evil the bad and all that the wicked you

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know what hey they're gonna push that hand and they're gonna and judgments

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gonna come down on them all right but for those of us who are faithful and

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doing the things that we're supposed to there's hope because God's going to be

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merciful you know essentially think of it like this get back to a time in your

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youth when you messed up when you're told those famous words go to your room

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and then you're in there and you're waiting for that come to Jesus talk and

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you know there's a good chance there's probably gonna be a whooping afterwards

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you know that's just the way it is that's that's essentially how this book

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is being played out all right and you know you think of it you know it's kind

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of you know if you tell me the truth it's gonna be better for you than if you

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don't if you keep on lying to me it's gonna get rough it that's exactly what

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we're looking at here all right so let's get started with our reading for those

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of you with your Bible and those of you who are taking notes we're going to go

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in now so join me in Zephaniah chapter 1 and we're going to start with verses 1

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through 3 the Bible says the word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah son of Cushy

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the son of Gedalia the son of Amariah the son of Hezekiah during the reign of

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Josiah son of Amon king of Judah I will sweep away everything from the face of

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the earth declares the Lord I will sweep away both man and beast I will sweep

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away the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea and the idols that cause the

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wicked to stumble when I destroy all mankind on the face of the earth declares

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the Lord now Judah had been warned you know God had said it out hey you better

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knock it off or else however they chose not to listen now it's unclear if they

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didn't listen because they didn't believe in the prophet that was in front

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of them or if they questioned God or just plain doubt of God anyway you know in

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any case we need to remember that God is the same yesterday today and forever and

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because of that so is this word he doesn't go back on his promises all

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right now if we allow ourselves to become arrogant like the people of Judah

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well just like them the day is going to come when we're standing tall on the day

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of judgment and we're going to have to answer for our sins now as we're seeing

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this is calling things into the big picture going all the way back to

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creation because I mean you look at it it talks about you know man and the beast

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you know it's it's going all the way back and you know God has blessed the

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world with all these wonderful creations however on that day of judgment when it

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when it's when justice is handed down you know keep in mind it's because we

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force his hand as disobedient children it's not because he wants to it's not

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something he's looking forward to you know just like any parent you know he

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doesn't want to have to punish you know the children but it is because of our

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disobedience and he's going to take it all away all of it every little piece of

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it he's gonna wipe that slate clean just like when you know you got in trouble

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growing up you know many of us you know we got in trouble and your parents took

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things away from me those of you who are parents now you know I'm sure you've

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taken things away from your kids TVs video game systems you know I'm dating

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myself a little bit you know stereos you know I recall a number of years back one

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of my kids decided he wanted to slam the door to his room and lock it well that

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didn't happen again because he didn't have a door after that it was quickly

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taken off the hinges and relocated to the garage where it stayed for a

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significant amount of time you know and that's mild that is very mild compared

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to what the father is going to do when it's time to hand down justice you know

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when judgment comes now continuing on in a Zephaniah chapter 1 we're gonna look

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at verses 4 through 6 now the Bible says I will stretch out my hand against Judah

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and against all who live in Jerusalem I will destroy every remnant of Baal

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worship in this place the very names of the idolatrous priest those who bowed

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down on roofs to worship the starry host those who bowed down and swear by the

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Lord and who also swear by Malik the Hebrew of that is Malcolm those who

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turned back from following the Lord and neither seek the Lord nor inquire of him

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so obviously idols were a huge issue here and much like today they were

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prominent they were everywhere as was the worship of them you know and I'll

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remind you an idol is anything that is mired or loved more than God let me say

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that again an idol is anything that is admired or loved more than God much like

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when people can tell you all about an athlete stats but when it comes to the

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scripture they're a blank slate you know they they can they can maybe come up with

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some garbage that they found on social media or some false teaching that was

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handed out that people believe is in the Bible and isn't but when it comes to

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actual scripture they've got nothing for you you know and people they'll go for

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beyond that you know they'll make themselves idols for that matter you know

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and that's when you trust in yourself more than you trust in God you know

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money politicians cars houses careers social media social status cell phones

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video games TV and radio programs for that matter you know movie experiences

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you know these are all just examples of the multitudes of idols that exist today

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some of the most common you know and people you know people don't know exactly

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what an actor is up to or when a musical artist is coming to town but they can't

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tell you what the Pentateuch is or the books of the gospel anything that comes

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before God in your life is an idol guys anything God needs to be first and

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foremost before anything and everything and those idols well they might provide

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some sense of immediate gratification now you know they keep you occupied now

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ultimately they're going to prove to be insufficient empty worthless and

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disappointing and the times going to come for many of us that we're going to

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regret the fact that we've wasted as much time as we have with them and let

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them in you know the fact that we let them infringe on that time that we

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could have been spending with Jesus Matthew 6 verse 33 the Bible says but

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seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will

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be given to you as well when God comes first everything else is icing on the

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cake things fall into place so much better and your successes and you will

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have them they're a gift and a testament to God's glory so going back

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when the Israelites had a ride you know it's a to this territory when they moved

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into the to this land God had told them to go and completely get rid of all the

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pagans that had been there but they didn't and because of this they were

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influenced you know by them and by their idols they greatly so there was a lot of

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influence you know the people their idols you know their ways you know the

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Israelites had questions and they dug into them instead of listening to God and

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in so much so you know that they started to worship the idols themselves that's

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how wrapped up they got you know and we see that with a lot of the the ancient

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mythologies you know coming into today's you know society you know someone dies

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you know especially in the military or in first response like law enforcement

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or the fire you know fire rescue and all that stuff someone dies and there's

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always some idiot that's like till Valhalla but they want to say they're a

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Christian you know if you're a Christian stop doing and saying un-Christian

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things that is so you know till Valhalla guess what you know it's it's a slogan

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it's a catchphrase you know these days and it's very much put out there before

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God was there even a consideration like you know what hey you know we need to

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bring God into this picture you know pray for the families and everything were

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they a Christian you know all that kind of you know were they a believer or

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whatever no it's right oh it's all about Haller brother we'll see you at the

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table and all you know all that garbage and nonsense no it needs to stop it

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needs to stop and a lot of us as Christians we don't think of that we

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just fall right into it's like yeah yeah that's that's a great thing it's a

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mighty thing yeah they're at the great feast now and I know that we need to

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stop that see pagans that were already there they had a God for anything and

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everything you know just like the Greeks just like the Romans did just like the

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Norse did and so many others you know and as the Israelites began to include

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those in their lives and include those people in their lives they began to turn

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away from God and it was a very quick turn you know in the process they began

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to turn on those who were poor and vulnerable poor and vulnerable we see

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that a lot today don't we our veterans and our first responders who are put on

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just this high pedestal when we're in uniform but then quickly discarded as

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damaged goods that are better off forgotten when that time of service ends

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and that uniform comes off you know we see that daily and you know we need to

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be careful and evaluate how we turn from God in our own lives you know how we

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start giving preference to other things in our lives that take us away from the

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father not only that but we need to ensure that we don't become polytheistic

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now for you know for those who don't know what polytheistic is or a polytheism

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is that is the worship of many gods now the Bible makes it very clear and I'm

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here to tell you you cannot worship the father and other idols at the same time

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it doesn't work in Leviticus we've even been warned not to do this as Christians

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we only worship the one true God anything else is a sin period end of

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story you know idolatry that that is the devil's work that is the devil's

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playground that's how he turns us away from God so we have to be especially

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careful now let's pick back up in Zephaniah chapter 1 here verses 7 through

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9 the Bible says be silent before the Sovereign Lord for the day of the Lord

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is near the Lord has prepared a sacrifice he has consecrated those he has

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invited on the day of the Lord's sacrifice I will punish the officials

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and the king's sons and all those clad in foreign clothes on that day I will

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punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold this is a reference to 1st

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Samuel chapter 5 verse 5 for those who want to look at that so on that day I

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will punish all who avoid stepping on the threshold who fill the temple with

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their gods with violence and deceit in other words judgments coming and justice

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is coming with it now the prophet is Zephaniah saw what was to come he knew

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it was coming and he knew you know what he knew without a doubt that it was

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coming but what he didn't know was when it was going to come or you know he

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basically he just he knew what was up that was it it was what he did know was

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it was going to be in their lifetime and it was going to be at the hands of the

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Babylonians now we see he doesn't mention them by name though and most

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likely this was to keep the focus on God and not the pagans that were going to be

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a tool of God's judgment upon them all right the focus needed to be on God just

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like today and as we see in verses 8 through 9 it wasn't a matter of just

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following local trends you know because leaders who just like

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today should have been setting the best examples instead they were doing you

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know they were engaged in adopting the pagan practices the fashions of the day

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you know falling in line with what's cool you know they were woke to the

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movement you know all that kind of stuff you know it's very much like today's

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pressure you know to accept all those unbiblical things you know if you're not

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supportive and you're not encouraging you know then you know you're you're a

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bad person you know and it's which is garbage you know it that just like back

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then that was a slap in the face of God just like today it's a slap in the face

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of God it is a display of just utter contempt towards him have you ever

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thought of that you know when when you're like oh I don't you know I don't

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want to alienate anybody I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or any that well

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you know what when it comes to the truth if the truth hurts so be it because the

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truth is what needs to be put out there you know as the Bible tells us the truth

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is what sets people free the truth is not always going to be a comfortable

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thing that's what our conviction is after all right it's not comfortable

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sometimes that's what people need actually oftentimes that's what people

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need you know when we go out and we support things that we know promote sin

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we're effectively spitting in the face of Jesus going to parades wearing

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clothing putting stickers on things allowing for our kids to be told this is

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a good thing that this is how we show love no we're showing contempt for what

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Jesus has done for us you know you get all these groups and they go out there

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and they like to say love is love love love as if you don't love someone when

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you tell them that they're wrong about something that in itself is contrary to

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what Jesus has taught us if you love someone then you need to tell them when

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they're wrong and by telling them that they're wrong that in itself is a show

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of love that is a display of love you know and it's the same thing at work

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even none of us like getting in trouble none of us like to be the one who's

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messing something up however if we are messing something up if we are doing

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something incorrectly then we want to know so that we can fix it and if

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someone loves you they're going to say hey you need to stop doing that and you

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need to start doing this instead it is not an insult it is not something to take

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offense of it is a loving gesture from one person to another to ensure that the

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wrong things are stopped and the right things are started okay that's all it is

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that is a loving gesture to correct somebody or to help someone to correct

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something that they're doing that is a sign of love do you go into surgery and

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just get you know put under for the doc to go in and do their thing and then

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sent on your way no a checklist has gone through what's being done where it's

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being done you know your clothing is getting changed medications are discussed

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allergies are discussed expectations are set emergency contacts and so on and so

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forth there's so much put into place a lot of things happen and there's a

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process to make sure that the right thing is done for the right reason with

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the right person why because at some point someone messed up and it's just

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what they're doing is to make sure that doesn't happen again so to take care of

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people certain processes have been implemented for everyone in fault

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addressing people sin is no different if you love someone and they're messing up

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you need to tell them that they're messing up you know and well that's just

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one example there's so many out there think of flight checklist right camping

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checklist you know there's so many checklists out there why is to make sure

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that the right things are done to take care of people all right continuing on

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now join me now in Zephaniah 1 we're gonna look at verses 10 through 13 now

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the Bible says on that day declares the Lord a cry will go up from the fish gate

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wailing from the new quarter and a loud crash from the hills wail you who live

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in the market district depending on your translation that might say mortar all

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your merchants will be wiped out all who trade with or in silver will be destroyed

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at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those who are

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complacent who were like wine left on its dregs who think the Lord will do

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nothing either good or bad their wealth will be plundered their houses demolished

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though they build the houses they will not live in them though they plant

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vineyards they will not drink the wine God was going to go through and weed out

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everyone who tried to excuse their own sins that's what this is saying here the

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the people who not only didn't examine themselves and what was in their hearts

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but sat around on their laurels watching the moral chaos that was going on in the

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world around them you know those people that were complacent and you know we all

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know the type those I think oh it doesn't impact me so you know so what

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it's not my battle I don't need it they could care less they don't think that

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God would get involved you know or you know that he could care less you know

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little did they they realized that within the next 20 years the Babylonians

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not only would come in but they were literally going to drag people out of

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hiding they're going to enslave people and kill others not a single person was

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going to make it out unscathed and for us today a lot of people are complacent

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they're comfortable in their lives you know and they don't see how the things

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going on around them can impact them you know it's one of Satan's better tricks

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isn't it they feel like ah I'm doing all right I've got a pretty decent life I'm a

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good person so they don't feel like they need God or really believe in him for

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their mat that matter like oh I don't need religion I don't need you know any

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of that stuff you know others like to think of him you know you know that that

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do believe that there's a God they tend to think that you know he's like that

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uncle or that grandfather that just kind of they hang around but they don't

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really do anything they don't really have anything to offer you know anybody

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in life you know they're cool to hang out with you know maybe they have some

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cool stories but you know when when when something happens and you need someone

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you could depend on they're not the person you call you know here's the

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thing though God is real God is real and he's only going to let us push that line

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so far we can't afford to be indifferent you may feel that you're safe out there

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but you're not you know Revelation chapter 3 verses 15 and 16 the Bible says

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I know your deeds that you are neither cold nor hot I wish you were either one

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or the other so because you were lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about

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to spit you out of my mouth by being indifferent you're still turning your

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back on God and because of it you're giving up that gift of salvation that

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he's trying to give to you he's giving us time so that we had the chance to

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choose to stand for him but that time is not infinite there's no place that we

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can hide so we have to look inwards and we have to examine ourselves before it's

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too late this is something that we need to do now so if you haven't and even if

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you think you have I still encourage take it take a moment take a look inside

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figure out where you were where you are and what you need to do to get into

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alignment with God's Word you know and with God's will because when judgment

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comes and justice is handed out it's gonna be too late so we need to act now

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you know what are the things I'm doing that I need to stop you know it's like I

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do I believe in God or don't I because your actions are going to dictate that

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and your actions those are things that we need to change right now remind you

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know don't don't take this out of context I'm not saying your deeds get

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you into heaven but your deeds do speak to what you truly believe in you know

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just you know Jesus is our way you know he is he has said it himself he is the

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way he is the light that is the way that we get in there by believing in Jesus

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however because we believe in him that in itself should make all of us as

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believers want to change things in our lives to start trying to root the sin

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out let's see what the rest of this chapter has for us today so continuing

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on back in as F and I a chapter 1 and we're going through verses 14 through 18

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now the Bible says the great day of the Lord is near near and coming quickly the

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cry on the day of the Lord is bitter the mighty warrior shouts his battle cry

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that day will be the day of wrath a day of distress and anguish a day of trouble

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and ruin a day of darkness and gloom a day of clouds and blackness a day of

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trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the corner

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towers I will bring such distress on all people that they will grope about like

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those who are blind because they have sinned against the Lord their blood will

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be poured out like dust and their entrails and dung like dung excuse me

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there let me say let me go back there their blood will be poured out like dust

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and their entrails like dung excuse me a little tongue-tied there all right

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neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the

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Lord's wrath in the fire of his jealousy the whole earth will be consumed for he

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will make a sudden end of all who live on earth so for Judah it was a dark day

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indeed that they're coming up on that finish line real quick and for us it's

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not going to be any different if we don't turn from our sin now and you know

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raise our voices ups the Lord every second that goes by you know we're

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closer and closer to judgment we're closer to justice you know and if you

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look at the way we're just seeing you know it's talking about the end you know

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because he's talking about trumpets and battle right on the day that God's

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judgment is going to rain down it is going to be without mercy for the

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unfaithful he's promised worldwide destruction and it will be cleansed of

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all sin there's not going to be anything left nothing when the day comes if you

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haven't already giving yourself to the Lord you're not going to have anyone to

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blame but yourself it's going to be that moment when Jesus says I told you I

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warned you why didn't you listen now I know this sounds pretty grim and to the

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believer I'm sorry to the unbelievers and to the unfaithful it is and it's

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going to be for Christians though for true believers God's children for you

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for me there's hope Jesus sacrificed himself for us he's paved the way for us

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he's standing at the door waiting for us and in Revelation chapters 20 and 21 God

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has promised us that there will be a new earth and that we will have new bodies

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that he has forgiven us and in his mercy will not reject us because of our

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faithfulness if you haven't already accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior

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the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings now is the time Jesus has told us it

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only takes a mustard seed size of faith doesn't take a lot just a mustard seed

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size of piece of faith and if that's all that you have that is enough because the

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Lord is going to help it grow so give yourself over to him and know that you

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receive his mercy and his love because he does love you he loves us all and

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that's why he's given us this morning so that when the day comes we're not the

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ones in trouble we're the ones who is he's saying you've done well my good and

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faithful servant

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all right that's all we had time for today next time we're gonna pick back up

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and we're gonna keep on going through this series and we're gonna we're gonna

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see what else you know the word has for us and we know what's going to be great

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you're loved you are blessed so go and be a blessing go and go and be the

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church I want to thank you for joining us today if you have any questions prayer

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requests or would like to know more about our ministry you can find us on

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our website at be the light sanctuary org or on Facebook at be the light

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sanctuary we'll catch you next time God bless