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Isn't it great to be in the house of the Lord this morning?

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Give this praise team an awesome hand clap of praise. They did a phenomenal job.

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There's one thing I've learned is it's always easier to preach after some good

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worship. Aren't you glad to be in here in this house tonight or today? Sorry, my

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nights and days are mixed up. It's a little nerve-racking standing up here

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every some Sundays though. But you guys be in prayer for Pastor Waters and Sister

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Kathy. Sister Kathy was ill this over the weekend and Pastor Waters felt it best

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to stay home with her today. So unfortunately you're stuck with me. But

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the good news is I tend to be quick, right? That's the great news, right? I got

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an amen in the middle back here. But thank you all for being here this morning.

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It's an honor and a pleasure for me to do and fulfill what God's called me to

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do and that's preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen. So in my text today I'm

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going to be reading from chapter John verse 35 through 38. It's a very familiar

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story you all have probably heard. But if I had to title it I would just title it

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a journey to faith. When I got the call, when pastor called me yesterday

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afternoon it was probably about 5, 530. I was at Target with family just shopping

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and I answered the phone. I said what does Pastor call me? He answered the phone. He said,

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well you got it tomorrow. I said do what? I got what? The joy of the Lord? Yes.

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What do I got pastor? He said it's you. So I quickly came over here and

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began to study and search the Lord for what he would have me preach on today. I

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kind of already had a text in my mind that got it I think laid up on my heart

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earlier in the week. As you all know this past week was camp meeting. All week

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long I had an opportunity to go to every evening service and Wednesday of course

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Eric and I was there for completion for our MIP. So we were honored that

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Wednesday morning. But what a truly amazing, how many of you guys got to go

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to a camp meeting any of the services at all? I know I've seen several people there. It

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was an amazing, just an outpouring of God's presence on the leaders of the

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church. Pastors and directors and just members that lead this great denomination

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I think were truly touched. And I've only been to I think three of the past camp

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meetings that we've been to that I went to regularly and in my opinion this one

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was by far one of the better ones. And one of the things they did differently

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this year was they didn't get speakers from all over the US. They kept

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everything within the state of Tennessee which I think was phenomenal

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because the state of Tennessee got to edify itself through Christ right? And it

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was a powerful time. But my text I think was just kind of laid up on my heart

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earlier this week and then I got in there yesterday and began, okay Lord what

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what can I say? What does this text mean? And I began to dive in. And if you would

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just, well let me start here. Aren't you glad that Jesus came looking for you?

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Oftentimes we hear new believers say I found Jesus but in reality it was it was

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he that found us right? But Jesus stated his purpose in coming to the earth in

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Luke chapter 19 verse 10 where he says the Son of Man has come to seek and to

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save that which was lost. In fact there are many examples throughout the Bible

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where Jesus personally is seeking and calling out individuals in the

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scriptures. Firstly we have Jesus calling Andrew and Peter to be his disciples in

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Matthew 418 and Jesus walking by the Sea of Galilee saw two brethren, Simon called

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Peter and Andrew's brother casting a net into the sea for they were fishers. And

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then in verse 19 it skips down and says and he saith unto them follow me and I

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will make you fishers of men. Another example would be Jesus calling James and

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John to be his disciples in Mark 1 19 and when he had gone a little further

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fence he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother and also were in

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the ship mending their nets and straight away he called them. We all know the

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story of Zacchaeus when Jesus came into the place and he looked up and saw him

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and said Zacchaeus make haste and come down for today I must abide in your

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house. Jesus called Saul to be an apostle of the Gentiles in Acts chapter 9 verse

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3 where he said Saul journeyed and he came to near Damascus and suddenly

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there shined around about him a light from heaven and he fell to the earth and

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heard a voice saying to him Saul why persecutest thou me? And he said

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who art thou Lord? And the Lord said I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. The fact is

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that we as born again it's because Jesus sought us out. He came looking for me.

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He came looking for you. If you haven't been found he's looking for you.

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Let's stand while I read my scripture today chapter 9 verse 35 in John and

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Jesus heard that they had cast him out and when he had found him he said unto

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him dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said who is he Lord that

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I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him thou thou hast both seen him

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and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said Lord I believe and he worshipped

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him. Because father thank you today I love you I praise you for your word that

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was broken here in this moment Lord I ask that you would just anoint me with a

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fresh anointing to preach your gospel God that it would be edifying unto you

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and that your spirit would help us to hear what you would have your people here

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today amen you can be seated. Because of his marvelous grace Jesus calls us unto

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salvation. For someone here this may for someone here this may be the day he

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calls your name. As we walk through this passage I'd like to preach on the

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thought a journey to faith as this scripture give us a description of that

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walk into knowing Jesus and becoming to know who Jesus Christ is. Let's begin

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when we consider what happened to this man earlier in earlier in the day. It

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says Jesus was walking through the area and noticed a beggar who had been blind

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since birth. The disciples were trying to figure out was it him that sinned or

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was it his parents that sinned because the blindness had to be related to sin

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of some kind. Jesus reassured them that neither was the case. That it was that

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the works of God should be manifest through him. That God would

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be glorified through his healing. Jesus then spit on the ground made some clay

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and put it in the man's eyes then instructed him to go and wash in the

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pool of Siloam. The blind man obeyed and received his sight. When the townspeople

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saw him he was he was they didn't understand if he was still the blind

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beggar. They thought who is that man? They questioned it. The townspeople began to

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ask him what happened and he answered and said a man that is called Jesus made

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clay and anointed in my eyes and said unto me go to the pool of Siloam and I

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washed and I went and washed and I received my sight. There's something

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about being obedient unto God right? There's something about when at this

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moment he knew him as a man named Jesus. He didn't know him as the son of God. We

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don't get there till later. He didn't know him as a son of God. He knew him as

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a man named Jesus but there's something about that when you're in that moment of

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desperation. Here's a blind man been blind since birth. He has no clue what

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anything looks like but he was at a place where he had an opportunity. He had

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a chance. I don't know this guy for Matt. He didn't know who Jesus was but there

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was a chance and he obeyed. They brought the man to the Pharisees and questioned

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him about his healing. The Pharisees asked him how he received his sight. He

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told them that Jesus what Jesus had him do had him go to the pool and wash but

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they claimed this man could not be of God because he did not keep the

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Sabbath. This was the Sabbath when this happened. The Pharisees accused Jesus of

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being the sinner and then wondered how he could do such miracles and I love

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what the blind man responded and said I don't know whether he's a

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sinner or not but I was blind once and now I see. Praise God. Do you want to

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become... and then the Pharisees asked him again what did he do to thee? How did he

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open that eyes? And he said I've already told you once and you didn't listen. Why

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do you want me to tell you again? Do you want to become his

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disciples also? And they said no. They were refiled. They said we were disciples

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of Moses. They kept the Jewish law. We know that God's speaking to Moses for

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this fellow we know not whence he is. The man who had been healed went on to

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testify about Jesus and said in verse 30 why herein is a marvelous thing? Now we

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know that God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshiper of God and doeth

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his will him he heareth. Since the world began it's not heard that any man open

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the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God he could do

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nothing. They answered and said to him thou was

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altogether born in sin and thus thou teach us and they cast him out. The

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Pharisees didn't want to accept the fact that he could be healed on the Sabbath

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because that wasn't in their law that couldn't be done. They didn't claim he

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was of God because God couldn't do it had to be God that did this miracle. One

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important thing that that sticks out to me in this specific is it says since

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the world began it is not heard that any man open the eyes of one that was born

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blind. So prior to this event not one person on the face of the earth since

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the world began was ever healed of blindness when they were born blind. This

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man was the first and at the same time we're hearing the story we haven't

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gotten to the text where he knows who Jesus is yet. We're just to the point

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where he's excited and happy about the miracle that took place. When Jesus heard

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that they had cast the man out he went looking for him. When Jesus found him he

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did something greater than he had done before. Earlier that day Jesus healed

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this man physically. Now Jesus is about to hear him spiritually and eternally. I

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want you to know that what Jesus did for this man he can and will do for you

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today and it starts with an invitation. That invitation comes in verse 35 where

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it says Jesus heard that they had cast him out and we had found him he said unto

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him, does thou believe on the Son of God? That's a simple question right? Notice

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the phrase when he had found him. Jesus heard that this man had been cast out by

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the Pharisees and Jesus cared enough for him that he took time to

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search him out and when he found him Jesus asked him a very important

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question. He said, dost thou believe on the Son of God? This is an invitation to

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salvation. Jesus when conversing with Nicodemus back in chapter 3 Jesus

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explains that belief in him is necessary for salvation. John 3 16 we all know it

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for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever

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should believe on him would not perish but have everlasting life. Then 17 says

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for God sent not this son into the world to condemn the world but that the world

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through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned but

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that he that believeth not is condemned already because he has not

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believed the name of the only begotten son of God. Jesus cared enough to give

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this blind man his sight but even greater is the fact that he was willing

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to give a dead man new life. You see why that song this morning touched me and

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gripped me so hard because I'm talking about dead men getting new life and we

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were talking about I'm gonna sing in the middle of the storm louder and louder

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you're gonna hear my praise roar death is defeated death is defeated he can

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restore Jesus has the power to do anything he chooses in your life he can

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restore your marriage he can bring you financial blessings into your life he

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can heal you physically he can deliver you from addiction he can break the

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chains of worry doubt fear and discouragement your life he has the

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power to do these and many more things but the greatest thing he can do for you

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is to save your soul the Bible tells us that Jesus came to seek and save the

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lost you may not believe it's possible for you today you may believe that all

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the things that I've done in my life all the things that I've been through all

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the things that I've seen all the things that I participated in has kept me and

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and and identified me as an outcast but can I share with you that Jesus called

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the outcast above others to do his will why because there was a willing vessel

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that had to take place God is looking for you God is inviting you unto the

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salvation dust thou know the Son of God that's an invitation to your salvation

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that's an invitation to you identifying and understanding who God is in your

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life so I asked you that question dust thou know the Son of God the man in this

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passage has actually been cast out by his own religious crowd does that sound

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familiar there's hurt in the church right it happens hopefully it doesn't

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happen on purpose but it happens this man was cast out by his religious family

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I'm sure he thought of but can I share with you that Jesus will never abandon

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you that Jesus will never leave you that Jesus will never forsake you and will go

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with you to the very end of the earth give him praise in this house second

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Peter chapter 3 verse 9 says the Lord is not willing that any should perish but

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the all should come under parents how will you respond to his invitation of

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salvation we accept the offer we reject it let me encourage you to put your

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faith in the one who came looking for you

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this past Friday night at camp meeting they had a youth it was a youth centered

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service Scotty Hager who's been here and preached multiple times youth and

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discipleship director preach the word they had a choir that was filled with

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youth and I think I heard after the service that it was like 300 something

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youth was in that choir they there was no room for them they were just standing

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up here the band you couldn't even see the band because they were just all

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over the stage and you had leaders out front with the microphone but they look

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like they blended into the choir there was just so many kids up there but one

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powerful thing amongst all that service that happened and I don't know hunter if

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you were able to get those slides put up or not go ahead and throw one up there I

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don't know if you can see this real well but you can see just the mass of people

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and kids these are all youth by the way up there on stage except for Scotty

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it's all you see is youth and I don't know if you can read those signs if you

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can I'll read some of them to you lost spiritual desert alone fear doubt I want

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to control struggled with lust misunderstood anxiety depression abused

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neglected diagnosed with chronic seizures at eight years old addicted to

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pornography these kids these youth paraded across the front with these

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signs of not who they are but what they once were you see this blind man once

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was blind but now he has his sight these kids right here go to the next one now

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they flip their sign and you get to see the power of what God did in their life

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you get to see the relationship they have with Jesus Christ you get to see

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that the things that burden them down in this world are forever washed away not

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once not twice but forever by the blood of Jesus Christ you have God delivered

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me and gave me peace you have I am free indeed instead of addicted to porn you

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have called into ministry can somebody give God praise in this house can I

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tell you that after being a part of that service the future of this church is

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okay the church will survive I think we were to give God another

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praise just for that right there

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once we have received the invitation now comes the revelation you see God asked

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us the question earlier does thou believe the Son of on the Son of God in

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verse 26 he gets verse 26 36 and 37 he gets to answer it he said who is he Lord

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that I might believe on him and Jesus said unto him thou has both seen him and

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it is he that talketh with thee after Jesus asked this man if he believed on

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the Son of God he asked Jesus who is he Jesus said I am he Jesus in this passage

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is clearly revealing himself as the Son of God he is the Messiah he is the

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Savior he is God in the flesh Jesus is the very source of our salvation he said

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in John 14 verse 6 I am the way the truth and the life no man cometh unto

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the Father but by me Jesus is God's son who became man who walked on this earth

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as a human being who bore the weight of the sins of the world who went to the

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cross to pay the price for your debt he died on that cross and was buried in a

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grave and then on that third day you should know what happens he was raised

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from the dead in resurrection that we might be resurrected with him one day

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and go to meet him in the air and forever shall we be with him the

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revelation comes when you identify when Jesus tells him who I am he's not talking

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to just the man named Jesus anymore he identified him early in the scripture as

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the man named Jesus told me to do these things I went and did them and I was I

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have received my sight now he's telling the man I am thee I am the Lord Jesus

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says or just as the blind men realize that Jesus is the Son of God we must

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realize that Jesus is our only hope for salvation there was nothing this man

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could do to help himself physically or spiritually everything that happened to

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him happened because Jesus because of Jesus you can't do anything about your

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spiritual situation but Jesus can he is the only answer for our sin problem and

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I encourage you to trust in him and receive the salvation that he's

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offering you today we've received an invitation we've seen the revelation now

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comes the transformation in verse 38 the first part of verse 38 and he said Lord

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I believe Lord I believe early in the day Jesus changed this man's life forever

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he was blind from birth never saw color never saw his family his loved ones

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anybody or anything he was a beggar but Jesus changed his life forever and he

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will change his eternal destiny now Jesus reveals to him that he was the

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Son of God he extended an invitation to receive salvation and this man gladly

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accepted the offer notice that he didn't have to do anything to be saved other

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than to put his trust in the Son of God don't we make it too complicated

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sometimes don't we make it there's these rules and regulations you have to have

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to be saved this my Bible just says all I got to do is believe on the Son of God

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as the Messiah as the Son of God that the Christ that came and bore the weight

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of my sins that I might have a way of escape that's what my Bible says all

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that has to be we make it too complicated so basic values soon is by

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faith alone and Christ alone if you will trust in Jesus you can pass from death

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unto life there is no doubt in my mind that this man's life was never the same

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you have the opportunity to receive a life-changing miracle just like he did

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listen to what Jesus said in John chapter 5 verse 24 verily verily I say

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unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath

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everlasting life was there criteria in there for that salvation I didn't hear

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any what I heard was belief

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he that heareth my word and believe on him that sent me hath everlasting life

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and shall not come into condemnation but his path from death unto life second

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Corinthians 517 says if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation old things

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have passed away and behold all things have become new he got a fresh start in

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life he was blind now I can see that was before he knew who Jesus was now the

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new Jesus and he was dead and now he's alive I don't know about you but I am so

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thankful today that I when I was once dead God gave me an invitation he brought

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me his revelation he transformed me from death unto life and I praise him for it

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this morning you've heard me tell talk about my brother several times from

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behind this pulpit but when I was typing up this sermon I couldn't get away from

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specific things that happened throughout his transformation most of you know that

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he spent 12 years addicted to drugs different type of drugs he batted with

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it he fought it he knew right from wrong but the day came not by my might or mom's

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might or in this man's situation the Pharisees they didn't know how he got

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healed it wasn't by us that he got healed it was by the power of God and he

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got to a point of such desperation such desolation at the very bottom of where

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he could be and he cried out to God yes he received help of course but he cried

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out unto God and the transformation started happening because he didn't go

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to rehab he didn't seek a doctor he didn't seek medical help he did what he

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was raised and knew to do and that seek that man named Jesus who could provide

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for me who can save me who can cleanse me who can heal me who can restore me who

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can be my Redeemer now just like he was many years before do we not believe that

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God has that same power today so the transformation took place my brother

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stood behind a podium and preached a sermon before he passed away total

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transformation just like the blind man the blind beggar total transformation I

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was blind I can see I was dead now I'm alive total transformation and I praise

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God for that I praise God that my brother found his way back but I praise

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God for doing the work a very specific thing in that story I want to tell you

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about which leads me to my final point at the time my brother was going through

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withdrawals because again he didn't seek medical help he curled up in a bed in my

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mama's house and that's where he laid as he was going through those withdrawals

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as the pain and the agony and everything in him was saying go get that drug and

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they'll make you feel better but the transformation started happening there

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was no way he was going back to that but the beautiful thing that happened he

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cried he moaned he wept he was in pain he was in agony but you know what he

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started doing singing praises unto God there was a song what was the song ma

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Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary he it was in a bed curled up in the fetal

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position crying weak hurting and in pain and he said Lord prepare me to be a

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sanctuary I don't know about you but I feel the Holy Ghost in this place

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because God is powerful we don't give him enough credit to bring us from where

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we are over to where we're meant to be would somebody stand and give God praise

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in this house we were here and now we're there we were dead and now we're alive

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we were sick and now we're healed we were bound down and in bondage and now

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we've been freed and redeemed in Jesus name

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oh

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when he was going through his worst time he was singing praise unto God which

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leads me to my last point and that's adoration after we've gone through the

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transformation in our lives now there's nothing more to do but to adore God and

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give him adoration for what he did in our life and what he performed in our

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life here's a man who's been cast out he's been pushed aside nobody believes

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what happened to him but Jesus invited him to be saved the man accepted Jesus

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offering was changed immediately and he responded by worshiping Jesus verse 38

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the second half of that verse it says and he worshiped him immediately once he

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believed he worshiped him you know why I think he did that immediately I think

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right after he says he believed the first part of that script says and he

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said Lord I believe in the second part of that verse and he worshiped him you

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know I think that happened you didn't you didn't he didn't worship the man

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Jesus he identified him earlier in the text in chapter 9 that a man named Jesus

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told me to do these things and I was I received my sight he did not know at

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that point that he was the son of God but he didn't worship the man he was

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thankful he was grateful he gave credit to the man named Jesus he told him it

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was a man named Jesus who did it he gave him credit but it wasn't until he came

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to realize that this man was really our Lord and the son of God that he began to

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worship him he didn't worship the man he worshiped our Lord Jesus Christ that's

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the difference it wasn't man that performed the miracle it was Jesus

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Christ and it reminds me of the story in Acts 3 where Peter and John they healed

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the lame man at the temple gate called beautiful says do you believe in the son

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of God Jesus all right I'm sorry I'm back up getting ahead of myself

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Peter and John when they saw him they said look on us they hollered out at the

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guy look on us and the man looked on him expecting to receive arms receive

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something from that's what he's doing he's begging he was lame but Peter said

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silver and gold have I none but such as I have I give thee in the name of Jesus

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Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk they took him by the right hand lifted him up

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and I love this immediately his feet and ankle bones receive strength then the

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next part is the best part then he leaping stood up and walked and entered

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with them into the temple walking and leaping and praising God this man got

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pulled up from his lame position and what did he do he ran into the place

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where he knew to go the temple or the house of God and praised the Lord the

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guy who was blind since birth didn't know who he was but when he believed who

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Jesus was as the son of God he immediately worshiped him you see we

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have the invitation we have the revelation who God is we have the

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transformation which happens in our life and then we have the adoration where we

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get the opportunity to worship and praise him for everything he's done in

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our life give him praise one more time if you have ever been touched by the

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master if he has sought you out called your name and brought you from death

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into life I hope that you spend your days worshiping him Jesus is worthy of

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our worship and our adoration come to the use musician musicians come if you

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can

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in verse 35 Jesus asked the man do you believe in the Son of God this is a

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question that we all must answer at some point in time in our journey to faith in

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our walk there's a question we all must answer Jesus is our only hope for

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salvation in this life he's the only way the truth and the life will you put your

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faith in him to receive salvation maybe you have maybe I like to think we're a

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room full of believers

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maybe you have maybe you maybe you know who Jesus is as the son of God and that

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question does thou believe on the son of God you can answer and say I truly do

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and that's that's so awesome maybe you find your place in it maybe that's not

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you maybe you know who Jesus is and what he's done for you and maybe now you're

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just looking for more maybe now it's not just enough knowing Jesus and thanking

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him appraising him for the very best that he's given me or maybe I found my

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way falling away a little bit maybe I once was right there where I know to be

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and I've let some things slip I've let some things get in the way of my

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relationship with God what like in this text you have an invitation today not

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only an invitation for salvation but an invitation to get some things right that

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may not be maybe there's transformation that needs to happen in your life maybe

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it is a marriage that's going south or maybe it is a financial situation that's

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got you burdened down and you need help from the Lord maybe it's addiction like

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my brother maybe it's doubt worry fear one of the beautiful things about those

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those youth that walked up there they were parading their problems you know

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why I believe because they weren't ashamed there was no shame in the things

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that they go through sometimes in the church we act uncomfortable around

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homosexuals or we got transgender ism and all this stuff going all throughout

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the world today we get uncomfortable the kids are going to school with it every

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day that that's not it's not what are they to be ashamed of the sincerity of

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their of their unashamedness I'll just that's not a word but I'll just say that

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they're unashamed so much and it's so sincere that they're willing to say hey

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come sit by me because where else would they need where else would they rather

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be where else would we rather have them I've heard redemption stories of

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homosexuals that found their way to a loving church and then they were

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changed and set free of that and have married and have kids and their life has

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been restored because of the power of Jesus Christ the kids aren't ashamed we

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don't need to be ashamed either who knows I can't get through this world on

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my own I know I can't I face things I have problems I go through not just me

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my family and it's not enough that I try to figure it out I need help so the

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invitation is for anybody today who maybe need that transformation in their

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life and to me one of the most important things is adoration the this altar this

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whole big area right here is open for you to come and just worship God you may

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have so everything going right in your life and I hope you do I pray he's God

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for that but praise him for it give him praise for it I won't tell you long but

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let's everyone stand if you if you want to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior

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today I invite you to come just as Jesus did the blind man when he gave him

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invitation and ask him dust thou know the Son of God I want to give that

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invitation to you today if there's transformation that needs to be done in

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your life God can do it Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that we would

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have life and have it more abundantly and if you just want to come worship him

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I encourage that as they sing something come I would love to pray for you