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Matthew 11 starting at verse 20. Then Jesus began to denounce the towns in

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which most of his miracles had been performed because they did not repent.

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Woe to you, Charizm, woe to you, Bethsaida, for if the miracles that were

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performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon they would have repented

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long ago in Sackloff and Ashes. But I tell you it would be more bearable for Tyre

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and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be

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lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades for if the miracles that

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were performed in you had been performed in Sodom it would have remained to this

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day. But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of

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judgment than for you. Good morning everyone. Oh come on. Good morning everyone.

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Oh there you go. That's much better. Thanks a lot. I feel welcome now. No, it's good to be

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with you this morning as we get into God's Word actually continuing on

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through the study that you guys are doing in Matthew. Recently my younger sister

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Melissa recounted a childhood event and by the way I do not remember this event

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but I believe her that she is remembering properly. One day while

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out riding our bikes I was rubbing the front of my wheel into the back of her

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wheel of her bike. In other words I was banging into her and and when I did that

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it would make a little buzzing sound which she absolutely hated which being

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the older brother I absolutely loved it all the more because it was a great time

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just to tease her. That was my fun in life was to tease her. In case you haven't

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guessed it I regularly liked to tease my sister. My sister got me back though.

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This one day she did the same to me. In other words she was behind me and she

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bumped into my tire trying to make the buzzing sound only I panicked. I fell off

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I hit my head and my bike tire got mangled in the process. Well there's more

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to the story but the thing that struck me as my sister was reminding me or

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telling me what had happened was how often I was mean to my younger sister.

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I forgot a lot of the mean things that I did to her but this story brought back

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memories of the times that I was really cruel to my sister. You see I can easily

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tell you all the good things that I've done and I can tell you all the bad

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things that other people have done to me but I easily forget the cruel ways that

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I treat others and the cruel ways then become normal and then I forget that I

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need to change at all because things are just normal anymore even in my cruelty.

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In his day Jesus denounced the key towns where he performed miracles and he

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compared them to the notorious cities from Old Testament history and in all

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those places in the Old Testament and in Jesus' day so everything every town

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that he mentions in this passage sin had become a normal way of life. The key

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towns they saw Jesus they heard his teaching. His teaching was repent for

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the kingdom of heaven is near that was his message. They needed to change their

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ways they needed to repent but they did not listen. They knew that Sodom and

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Tyre and Sidon they knew that those cities were notorious that they were

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cruel sinners but like me they had forgotten their own sinfulness their

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own cruelty their own rebellion against God. Jesus' message and his miracles

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prove that he's God he is God and he's calling us to repent of our ways and to

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follow him in his ways. You see God gave one message Jesus did many miracles and

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there's only one response to all that he has taught and done. Let's look at that

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first point where God gave one message. It's good for us to understand that

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Jesus and John had the same message so we're gonna go back and look through a

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little bit of Matthew kind of leading up to this passage so that we get a full

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picture of what's going on here. Matthew establishes Jesus identity early in the

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gospel so in Matthew chapter 1 verse 21 and verse 23 it tells us who Jesus is.

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Jesus he is his name itself means the Lord saves and then you have the name

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Emmanuel given to us in chapter 1 verse 23. Emmanuel which means God with us. So

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Jesus names these two names of Jesus they fulfill scripture they indicate

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Jesus importance and they tell us the purpose of his life and of his work.

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Matthew tells us that Jesus is God and he has come to save. In addition earlier

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before Jesus comes on the scene John was sent by God to prepare the way for

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Jesus arrival and for Jesus work and so people saw John like the prophet Elijah

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because John dressed like the prophet Elijah he wore a garment of camel's hair

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not the softest of clothing he wore a leather belt around his waist he ate

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locusts and wild honey yum but he looked like Elijah that reminded them of all

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that the Old Testament prophets had said and John came and his sermon was clear.

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So from Matthew chapter 3 verse 2 you can follow me through if you're quick on

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your Bibles or quick on your apps or whatever.

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Chapter 3 verse 2 John's message is this repent for the kingdom of heaven has

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come near. All those who came out to see John in the wilderness heard John they

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confess their sin they were baptized by him in the Jordan and so verse 5 tells

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us those facts then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the

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Jordan were going out to him they were baptized by him in the River Jordan

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confessing their sins. John's message was simple his work to baptize

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repentant people was simple and Matthew mentions no miracles done by John his

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ministry was simple in fact John says himself about his own ministry and

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verse 11 of chapter 3 I baptize with water for repentance a very simple thing

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but after me comes one who is more powerful than I he will baptize you

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with the Holy Spirit. John's message and work did not upstage Jesus it spotlighted

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Jesus that he is Emmanuel and he is coming so when Jesus comes to the stage

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the message that he preached accompanying by the miracles that he did out

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shone John. What message did Jesus Emmanuel preach what did he proclaim

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well it tells us in chapter 4 verse 17 from that time on Jesus began to preach

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saying repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. John and Jesus had the same

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message that's important. Jesus message was accompanied by miracles and people

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who saw and heard Jesus they should have repented but miracles are never

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separate from the message in other words just because there's miracles doesn't

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mean there isn't a message the message and the miracles go together the miracles

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only add weight to the message to prove that Jesus was Emmanuel that he was God

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with us that he had the authority and the power to save that's what the

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miracles proved about the message that Jesus gave. So I realize we're going over

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old ground maybe it's been a while since you've been in Matthew I don't know how

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long you've been back in Matthew but anyway it might have been a while but

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knowing these things about Jesus identity will help us to understand chapter

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11 I promise okay so there's a reason there's a method to the madness here

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there's two more facts to recall from chapter 4 that are gonna help us. The

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first 11 verses of chapter 4 tell us about the occasion of Jesus being

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tempted by Satan and after Jesus baptism he was brought into the wilderness

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by the Spirit and Satan tempted him but Jesus responded differently than Adam

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and Eve did in the garden instead of doubting God Jesus trusted God he

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trusted his father he trusted God's will and he followed God in God's ways he

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didn't turn against God he followed God he trusted him and then from chapter 4

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verse 12 to 17 after John's arrest Jesus withdrew to Galilee. Now you're going

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oh I don't know my geography that well there'll be a map up in just a second but

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he left Nazareth to live in Capernaum. Now Capernaum is one of the cities which

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Jesus pronounces a woe on in chapter 11 so pay attention hold that in your head

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Capernaum. Capernaum is in the land of Naftali and Zebulun those are tribes of

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Israel those are places in Old Testament Israel and that fulfilled Isaiah's

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prophecy so listen to this prophecy the land of Zebulun and land of Naftali the

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way of the sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people living in

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darkness have seen a great light on those living in the land of the shadow of

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death a great light has dawned. It's important to know Jesus did not fall to

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Satan's temptation he instead went God's way he followed God's way and trusted

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God in fact his move to Capernaum lit the dark places it fulfilled scripture

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his message and his miracles were a great light on those that lived in darkness

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in the shadow of death. God sent John with a message of repentance to prepare

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the stage but Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us had the same message plus miracles

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to tell and show people that he had the authority and the power to save for you

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and I we know Jesus has come the question is will we listen to him

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you see not only did there come a message but the second point that we

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have is Jesus did many miracles to back up that message and the miracles

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spotlight his identity it spotlights the message that he's giving the areas where

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Jesus did most of his miracles and his teaching is in and around the cities of

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Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Those are if you will the evangelical

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triangle there's there's an attempt to draw the evangelical triangle there you

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go the evangelical triangle those are the places where Jesus did most of his

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ministry they had a front row seat to almost everything that Jesus said and

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did just in that area therefore they had no excuse to not respond properly to

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Jesus message and to Jesus miracles repent for the kingdom of heaven is at

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hand and they should have repented now there were no videos and no TVs in Jesus

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day I'm sure you know that duh and so entertainment you know it was a bit thin

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a bit lacking so when Jesus came to town and he started to do miracles in this

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evangelical triangle lots of crowds turned out to watch do you know not once

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in Matthew you can check it I was surprised not once in Matthew does he

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record repentance as a response from the crowd to any of those miracles not

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once now some individuals did come humbly to Jesus they were forgiven or they

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were cleansed they saw some miracle done in their life but as the crowds gathered

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none of them as a crowd repented crowds only ever respond as Matthew records it

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crowds only ever respond with astonishment or accusation let me just

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give you a bit of a review just so you know I'm not lying to you here okay I

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didn't make this up chapter 8 verse 27 I'm just gonna run through them quickly

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it's where Jesus is with his disciples and the storm is they're on the water in

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the boat and the storm breaks out and when when Jesus calms the storm it just

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says the disciples were amazed and actually we're scared of Jesus as well

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who is this guy in chapter 8 verse 34 when he meets the demoniac or the two

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demoniacs in Matthew and they he drives them out into the pigs the people in the

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community they come out they want Jesus to leave not repentance but rejection

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they want him out chapter 9 verse 8 when he heals the paralyzed man and

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forgives his sin the crowd are in awe they they're praising God but they're

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not repenting chapter 9 verse 24 and 25 the girl who was who was the officer's

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daughter and she died the crowd laughed when she said when he said she is not

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dead but just asleep the crowd laughed at Jesus and then later on when Jesus in

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chapter 9 verse 33 he heals the mute demoniac possessed guy he drives out the

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demon and the guy starts speaking the crowd are amazed but again no repentance

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and the Pharisees they say of Jesus that he's got a demon he's just driving out

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demons by the Prince of demons again rejection accusation to be clear

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miracles are not entertainment right they're not entertainment they are proof

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of Jesus identity and authority to call people into his kingdom as he preaches

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repent for the kingdom of heaven is near so what does repentance look like we

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hear that word thrown around in churchy circles you know repentance what does it

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look like what do I mean is it just saying I'm sorry for my sin or I'm sad

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and I feel bad because I've done something wrong let's look at what

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repentance and living a repentant life means after Jesus took over from John

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so chapter 4 verse 17 and onward Jesus gives that famous three chapter sermon

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on the Mount Matthew 5 6 and 7 his sermon teaches the ways of the kingdom

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of heaven and it's the reverse of the kingdom of this world it's the opposite

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he says things like this blessed are those who mourn blessed are the poor in

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spirit blessed are the meek when's the last time you heard an advertisement on

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the telly for any of those characteristics right that's not it

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doesn't happen in this world blessed are those who hunger and thirst for

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righteousness righteousness hunger and thirst for more money hunger and thirst

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for better property and nicer retirement never hunger and thirst for

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righteousness not from this world blessed are the merciful blessed are the

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peacemakers blessed are the persecuted we don't like persecution do we that's

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not our way at least not the way we normally think about it Jesus said turn

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the other cheek Jesus said love your enemies Jesus said give sacrificially

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Jesus said forgive others Jesus said store up for yourselves treasures in

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heaven

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Jesus says seek first the kingdom of God Jesus said do not judge others Jesus

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said do to others what you would have them do to you

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wow that's a repentant lifestyle that's living the kingdom way turning away

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from our sinful ways and living the reverse of this world is the repentant

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lifestyle that Jesus taught we live in repentance as we turn away from the

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world's way and come in line with the ways of Jesus kingdom do we live like

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that do you and I live like that I've already told you what I live like and

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I'm ashamed I already know that I can be cruel and mean and heartless and

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selfish I don't always live this way do you after these these three chapters of

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a sermon Jesus cleanses lepers he heals the Gentiles and he heals Peter's

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mother-in-law there you go he heals the mother-in-law that's pretty good right

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he drove out the evil spirits he heals with a word you know we have to go to

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the doctor and get pills and medications and shots and operations Jesus just

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Jesus just speaks and he can heal people he calm the storm with a word he

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heals the paralytic he raises the dead daughter he healed the blind in the

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mute and you remember from last week's sermon when Michael preached 11 chapter

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11 talking about giving evidence to John he says basically the same things the

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blind they're seeing the deaf or hearing the people are healed that's evidence to

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John and it's evidence to us of what Jesus does the power that he has the

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fact that he is the Son of God Jesus message and his miracles they prove his

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authority to call people to repentance do we listen to him I have 15 to 20

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Bibles on my shelf at home I think I have at least four versions of the

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scriptures among them four version not versions of the scriptures but versions

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of translations among them the NIV the NAS ESV I think I've got a Holman Bible

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in there I know I've got a King James Bible in there I've got Greek New

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Testaments and I've got Hebrew Old Testament scriptures it's quite something

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you know you think as English speakers we have access to so many good resources

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and the scriptures in our own language and even if you only have one Bible

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maybe just on your phone or on your app it wherever you still have the full

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record of Jesus teaching don't you you had the full record not just of Jesus

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teaching but the Apostles teaching not just the Apostles teaching but of Moses

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not just of Moses but of all that God had done historically with his saints in

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the Old Testament not just that but all the prophets as well not just that but

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all the Psalms as well

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isn't that amazing you have Jesus miracles and Jesus message right at your

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fingertips anytime of the day or night pull the book off the shelf or pull up

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your app on the phone is his word impacting you is it making a difference in

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your life is it taking root in your life are you are you growing in your faith

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are you living a repentant lifestyle based on what God says not on what the

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world says

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the crowds in Jesus day they saw and they heard Jesus you and I have the full

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library of God's work and word to save his people we know Jesus and we know

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that he did amazing miracles to prove his identity to prove his authority his

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power to save are we repenting and living life his way you see there's only

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one response because unrepentance is gonna face condemnation there's only

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one response now we're finally in chapter 11 you're probably glad to hear

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that right we're gonna make progress we've made progress chapter 11 beginning

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in verse 20 we read in verse 20 that Jesus denounced the towns why did he

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denounce the towns because they did not repent

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crowds they heard and they saw Jesus can you imagine hearing and seeing Jesus

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live but they did not obey Jesus or follow his ways as a crowd individuals

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did but as a crowd they just did what they did so Jesus he pronounces woes

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against caresan against beseda a bent against cavernium that evangelical

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triangle now a woe is not the final condemnation from God because there's

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no fire coming down from heaven they're not just disappearing off the face of

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the earth like Sodom right but a woe is the final warning it's the big warning

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it's like if you hear a woe pronounced against you you you better stop and you

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better listen a woe if it's not heeded becomes God's condemnation and here's

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how we know that we know that from right here where Jesus teaches because Jesus

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indicates that woes are not the final condemnation in several ways look at

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verse 21 and 23 he says because the towns here are being warned he's saying woe

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to these towns to these areas and he's warning them Jesus gives the woes before

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any destruction so nothing comes on them no big judgment of raining down fire

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or anything like that comes on them nothing like that takes place so it's

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giving them yet another opportunity to respond it's a serious time it's a

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sobering time they need to listen but he's not judging condemning them yet but

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they need to pay attention so the towns are warned then look at verse 21 and 23

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he says that history might have been different for these other towns that he

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mentioned the notorious ones Jesus says that tire inside and verse 21 tire

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inside and would have rightly responded to his miracles in sackcloth and ashes

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they would have they would have just just fallen to the ground if they had

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seen and heard Jesus Jesus said history might have been different that indicates

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to us that God would relent if people would repent God would relent history

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would have been different he said Sodom would still remain there would not have

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been fire and brimstone coming down on Sodom if they had repented if they had

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seen Jesus his miracles and heard his teaching history would have been

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different that gives us hope because God as long as he is relenting we can

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repent but he does paint the opposite of that verse 22 and verse 24 he said

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there's a bleak future ahead Jesus says the judgment will be worse for those

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who ignore him now the words Corazon Bethsaida and Capernaum they have seen

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Jesus judgments going to be worse for them if they don't repent if they ignore

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him tire and Sidon will come off better in judgment day than these areas if they

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ignore him Sodom it'll be lighter on Sodom on judgment day than for the

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evangelical triangle because those who saw and heard Jesus will be in greater

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trouble if they do not repent this includes this indicates that people are

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responsible for the information that they have for the light that they've been

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given if you've been given a little light if you just have a little

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understanding of the scriptures but you act on it that's good if you have the

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great light of Jesus and you know who he is and you know what he's done and you

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have the full record of scripture and you act on it that's great but if you

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don't it's terrible let's put all the people on a timeline okay all the groups

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we've been talking about Sodom over here okay Sodom starts the timeline because

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they were way back in in the Old Testament they're in Genesis chapter 18

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or 19 19 and then you have tire and Sidon they're in Ezekiel 38 and we read

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about them tire and Sidon I just wanted you to read that passage that passage

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we read out earlier just so that you could see what they were on about what

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what they were gonna face the judgment they were facing because of their pride

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pride and arrogance even hints that the tire was like Satan the highest of

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beings the highest creation and then falling to the earth crashing into

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destruction then third Corus and Biseda and Capernaum that third group and then

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we're gonna put ourselves on the timeline we're the group number four okay

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the first group Sodom they didn't really have a full scripture right they lived

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in a time where there weren't the written scriptures in front of them they

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had no Bible but they knew that what they were on about was wrong and God

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judged them for their wickedness the second group tire and Sidon they lived

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in the Old Testament times they knew who God was they knew the God of Israel not

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knowing them in for salvation but they knew who he was they had given God's

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people grief they had caused Israel all kinds of problems they opposed God's

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people and they were judged for their wickedness the third group Corazin

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Biseda Capernaum they saw and they heard Jesus and Jesus says their final

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judgment will be worse than Sodom and tire and Sidon why because they heard

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Jesus message they saw Jesus miracles but they did not repent remember they

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had the dawning of the great light upon them but they didn't act on it what

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about our place we're number four in that timeline what about our place are we

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any better are we better off we have the full record the Old Testament and the

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New Testament in our hands we have the witness of Scripture we have the

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witness of God's work in this world I know this because I have a church history

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wife she loves church history you think 2,000 years of history of God's work in

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this world nations changed people's lives changed there's all kinds of things

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that the Holy Spirit has brought to change people we know that from history

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brothers and sisters friends we will not fare any better if we continue our own

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way in fact it appears will be worse off on judgment day if we continue our own

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way because we have heaps of information about what God has done and what he is

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doing in this world in the dark shadow of death judgment and condemnation ahead

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is there any hope it's pretty bleak isn't it this picture that we see from the

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scriptures is very bleak for the unrepentant is there any escape yes yes

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there is a great light has dawned Jesus has come Emmanuel Jesus God with us God

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who saves he has come we have seen the kind and merciful character of our God

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God sent his son Jesus whose name means the Lord saves he is Emmanuel God with

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us Jesus calls us to listen to him to repent and to follow him into his kingdom

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he baptizes with the Holy Spirit he gives us the Holy Spirit so that this can

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take place does our repentance somehow cancel faith or better yet how does

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repentance and faith go together well no our faith is in the promise of God in

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the mercy of God the character of God who makes a promise that all who take

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refuge in Jesus repent and turn to Christ all will be saved who do that our

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repentance is not our work instead as we live God's way as we repent and live

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this repentant lifestyle it's evidence that God has brought us into the kingdom

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we are sons of God children of God following the way of God it's a great

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thing to live that repentant lifestyle it brings assurance of God's salvation to

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us see our only response to escape the condemnation and the final judgment of

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God is to listen to Jesus each of us needs to repent but not just the ones to

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say we're sorry God feel sorry for our sins but to live that repentant lifestyle

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to turn from our ways our sinful ways of operating and to live the repentant

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lifestyle that Jesus taught and the way that the Holy Spirit empowers us to live

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and to help us brothers and sisters friends listen to Jesus let's pray Lord

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Jesus we do want to thank you we know that yet again you give us the

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opportunity to hear your word to understand who you are help us Lord to

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listen not just to listen but to take up these things and to be different because

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your work of work of Christ and work of God in us heavenly Father thank you for

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your mercy and kindness in sending Christ Holy Spirit be at work in each and

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every one of us from this day forward and thank you for the work that you've

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done already in Jesus name we pray Amen