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Welcome to Logan City Christian Church Podcast, where we bring God's Word to you weekly.

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We pray what you hear will bring clarity to your situation and open doors in your life.

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Enjoy the message.

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For the people that have been water baptized this morning and congratulations to everyone,

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it is awesome.

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I would love to encourage you this morning to seek the Lord, Lord what have you put me

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here on earth to do?

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Because no one is a mistake that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in the eyes of God.

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And that when he formed us and he breathed his life into us and we became a living human

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being, in the breath of God was purpose.

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And so for others here that you may have fallen away from the Lord, you have a call of God

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on your life.

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And in this call the things of the world cannot give you satisfaction.

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You will never reach what your heart is longing for.

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Hallelujah.

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My heart, seek the Lord, find out what he wants you to do.

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And in that there is great purpose.

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You will never feel lost.

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You will never feel alone.

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In him we have everything, amen.

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Okay.

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This morning I want to speak on authority.

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And we are going to look at the life of Jesus this morning with authority.

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And we always see Jesus as a man that had great authority, which he absolutely did.

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I personally believe that there wasn't a person on the face of the earth that had greater

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authority than what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had.

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But this morning here I want to have a look at the reason why Christ possessed that authority.

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And we are going to start with reading in Matthew chapter 8 verses 5 to 13.

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Verse 5 says,

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Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, pleading with him, saying, Lord,

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my servant is lying at home, paralysed, dreadfully tormented.

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And Jesus said to him, I will come and heal him.

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The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof,

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but only speak a word and my servant will be healed.

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For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me.

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And I say to this one, go and he goes, and to another come and he comes.

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And to my servant, do this, and he does it.

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When Jesus heard it, he marveled and said to those who followed,

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Surely I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.

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And I say to you that many will come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac

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and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

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But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness.

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There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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And Jesus said to the centurion, go your way, and as you have believed, so let it be done

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for you.

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And his servant was healed that same hour.

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The centurion says something, one thing that when I was studying this the other day, I

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actually never saw it the way it's actually written.

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And he says this in verse 9, For I also am a man under authority.

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Did you notice he didn't say I also am a man with authority?

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Even though the centurion did have authority.

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See, he says to Jesus, when I say to my servants, go and he goes and come and I come and do

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this and he does it.

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He knows that he has an authority to command people.

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But the words of the centurion, which I finally understood, which changed the way I perceive

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authority, is he says, I see that you are a man under authority.

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Now in the Greek, let me read this word out if I can, is hu-po exusia.

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Now we know exusia, the Greek word exusia means authority, like an authority that we

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exercise and we see the fruit of it.

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But hu-po means under, and that's where we get that word hypo.

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Has anyone had a hypo before of anything?

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Yeah, like where we, our blood sugar level is too low, we're under our normal sugar level,

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whatever it may be.

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And so the word this man actually used when he was talking to Jesus is that I am a man

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under authority.

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Now the centurion wasn't a ruler of his own, he was subject to another.

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And because he was subject to another, that that person that was above him, people saw

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knowing, looking at, hey this is a centurion, that if I mess with this guy, even if I say

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overrule him or defeat him or fight him or kill him, whatever, I have a higher power

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that I now face than this man.

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And so when the centurion come to Jesus and he said, I see that you, Jesus, are a man

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under authority, I believe that the centurion, when he saw the miracles of Jesus and when

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Jesus spoke that there was such authority in what he said, he recognized that here is

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a man that is subject to someone greater than himself.

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See in verse 10, Jesus marvels at the statement of the centurion which was, Lord just speak

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the word and my servant will be healed.

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And then Jesus marvels saying, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.

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Now putting this together and understanding that a centurion, the man understanding authority

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and knows that when a man or a woman is under authority, they have power to exercise it.

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And so when he comes to Jesus and sees the authority of Jesus and understand knowing

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what authority really is, that he can make a statement of such great faith saying, Lord

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just speak the word and my servant will be healed.

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See I believe many people at that time only perceived Jesus with miracles.

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Well he's a man of miracles and maybe others might have recognized Jesus of a person that

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can preach and have an authority in their sermon like no other else has before, like

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we read in the scripture.

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That no other man speaks with authority like this man.

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But there's only one man that we read, a centurion that understood authority.

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Now today in our society it's such a shame when we see on the news and in schools and

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in families and all these things such a rebellion against authority.

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It's everywhere now.

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See I remember my parents telling me that if you were out riding your bike in the street

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and you were doing something wrong, a stranger had the authority to kick you up the backside

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and tell you not to do it again.

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True?

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That used to be Australia.

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And there was a lot of good in that.

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Yeah I'm saying there was because I didn't experience that.

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It's sort of like now we look at schools where kids can throw tantrums, chuck chairs at teachers,

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hit and punch and scream and carry on and no one is allowed to do anything.

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It's a shame to see, I mean I've got three kids that are in school and I would love to

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see the cane be brought back into school because those kids that kick and scream and punch

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and throw things would soon realise there is one higher in authority than myself.

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It wouldn't take very long to sort out the school system.

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Now I say that because I've left school.

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Once again if we go back 15 years I'd be like Lord just wait, just bring it in, I've got

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a few more years left, let me graduate and then we can bring it in.

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But church these are simple truths of authority.

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That when true authority is in a family, in a school system, in politics, in a church,

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in any type of ministry there is godly order.

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There are so many things that naturally come into alignment where we don't have to keep

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putting out fires that should never be there.

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And unfortunately we see that this great nation of Australia that was founded as a Christian

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nation is leaving the principles of God, leaving the principles of godly authority.

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That those who have maybe had an education or as a teacher or become a police officer

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or a parent that we see that that authority is being challenged and being pulled down.

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And when we see that something that God has established be pulled down we can only expect

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darkness.

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Hallelujah.

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See John chapter 5, I won't turn that I'll just quickly read it, I've got it down.

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Jesus was a man under authority, under.

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He wasn't the authority when he was on earth, Jesus was under authority.

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And he says this in John chapter 5, 19 and 20, then Jesus answered and said them, most

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assuredly I say to you, the son can do nothing of what?

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Himself.

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But what he sees the father do, for whatever he does the son also does in like manner.

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Isn't it amazing that going back to the centurion, that he was the only one that understood that

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Jesus is operating under the authority of a higher power.

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See people in the people of Israel at that time questioned the authority of Jesus, but

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what authority do you do these miracles?

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And then he had to go in and explain himself and they didn't want to answer it, it's crazy

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how the people that were meant to be the people of God at that time always rebelled against

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the authority of Christ.

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And returned they couldn't see that the very one that they apparently worshipped they were

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rebelling against.

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Yet this man saw that Jesus didn't operate under his own authority.

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See Jesus, let me say it this way, Jesus didn't wake up and sort of decide well I wonder what

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I'm going to do today, I feel like going down to the sea of Galilee.

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He didn't wake up and go well I've got nothing in my diary for the next week, maybe I might

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go down to Jerusalem and hold a crusade.

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He never decided.

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As we read in John he said most assuredly I say to you the son can do nothing of himself

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but what he sees the Father do.

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In our church nothing has changed even up until this day.

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See in Luke 7 we see the same account with the centurion and it's the same Greek word,

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the centurion says the same thing in both gospels saying that Lord I see you as a man

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under authority.

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Now if there's really anything I would ask us to grab this morning is this, power is

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given when under authority.

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Let me say it again, for everyone that's a born again believer, that's a minister of

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the gospel, that does something for the Lord somehow, that might be a police officer, that

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might be a school teacher, whatever, it is power is given when under authority.

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Now we see that today, well let me slow down and stick to my notes because there's so many

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things I want to say, forgive me.

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Luke 10, let's quickly turn there, Luke 10, we're going to read from verse 1.

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Luke 10 verse 1, after these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them

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two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go.

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And he said to them, the harvest truly is great but the labourers are few, therefore

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pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.

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Verse 3 says go your way, behold I send you out as lambs among wolves.

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Verse 4, carry neither money bag, knapsack nor sandals and greet no one along the road,

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but whatever house you enter first say peace to this house and if a son of peace is there

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your peace will rest on it, if not it will return to you and remain in the same house

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eating and drinking such things as they give for the labourer is worthy of his wages.

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Do not go from house to house, whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things

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as are set before you and heal the sick there and say to them the kingdom of God has come

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near to you.

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Let's stop there.

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We see that Jesus appointed seventy, we know the story really really well, that Jesus appointed

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seventy people to send them out and prepare the way of the Lord, go into the cities where

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I am about to go and he says you know go heal the sick, right, go preach to them the kingdom

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of God.

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But the one thing that we never really take note of is from verse 4 and on, Jesus commands

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those seventy of there are certain ways you must act and do while you are doing my work.

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See he didn't just say go out and just preach and whatever you want to do just go for it,

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whatever you feel the Holy Spirit is telling you to do just do it, just go and whatever

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happens happens.

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Now Jesus equipped these people but he also exercised his authority over them saying when

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you go into these cities this is what you are to do.

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Do you know in ministry one of the things that I have found out and you will find out

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really quick is preaching a sermon or ministering to people isn't based on what I think is right

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or what I want to do.

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Is that we are servants of God that there are times where I know I have to get this

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right that Lord what are you speaking to me?

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What am I to do Lord?

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What is it that you have for me?

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Lord I would love to stay home today but God I know you are calling me to minister to this

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person that as ministers and children of God we really are to override what our flesh really

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wants to dictate sometimes or what our mind thinks.

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I realise that I am under a greater authority that I am a servant to God, I am a servant

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to his people and that because I am under the authority of Christ is that there is a

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lifestyle I need to live.

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And I believe as we look throughout the church worldwide that there are many ministers that

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sort of feel like that the Ten Commandments are more like the Ten Suggestions.

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Which once again the authority of God, the authority of Christ is that if you and I truly

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want to operate in the power and the authority of heaven just like Jesus says we shall possess

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it comes from submission.

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That the word of God says submit to God, resist the devil and he shall flee from you.

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But it all starts with submit.

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See we could chop out that part and just say resist the devil, stand against the devil

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and he will flee from you but with what authority?

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And that's why submit to God is so important that when you and I truly submit under the

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authority of God it is like an empowerment, a protection just like in Job that we read

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how Satan comes to God and accuses Job saying have you not put a hedge of protection around

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about him?

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In other words the devil is saying God I want to get him but it's because of your protection

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that I can't go near him.

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Later on we read in Job well at the start of Job it actually says that Job was a righteous

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man who feared God and shunned evil.

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In other words there's a man that is prospering that had more than anyone else that was considered

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one of the best in his city and in the land yet he wasn't the man he never saw himself

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as someone great he saw himself as someone under God.

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Hallelujah.

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See for me let me personalise this for you that as a believer when I myself personally

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am under the authority of Christ I have this confidence knowing that every time Satan comes

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against me he's coming against Christ because I'm under his authority.

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That as a husband and a father the Bible says that for me as head of the home that I am

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under the authority of Christ that whoop-o-exusia that I have placed myself under the authority

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of Christ.

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That when as the scripture says that I love my wife the same way that Christ loves the

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church that I don't abuse her I don't speak evil of her but I honour her as the week of

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Essel as the Bible says is that I've chosen to obey God's word and allow his principles

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to live and reign not just in my life but as the head of the home that there becomes

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that covering over my family.

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See when I place my finances under the authority of God that I tithe that I give offerings

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and that I choose to give to missions as the Lord has put on the hearts of both my wife

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and I I know that whenever a bill comes that I cannot pay Lord it's up to you to meet my

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needs that he shall meet my all of my needs according to his riches in glory by Christ

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Jesus why because my finances are subject they're under authority Lord I've honoured

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you with my finances I don't have to worry.

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As a pastor I'm subject under the authority of Christ once again it's that Greek word

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the same Greek word that the centurion used that he saw in Christ that he says I also

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am a man under authority that we understand as pastors like I grew up listening to my

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father say this that the senior pastor of this church is Jesus Christ why because he

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calls the shots not us we simply hear and obey we do we are subject Lord you are the

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senior pastor of this church and when you are the senior pastor when you decide what

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we are to do we can only expect to walk in your will and your way and see blessings and

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favour upon your church upon this church upon every family that is represented in this church

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upon every marriage that when Christ is honoured and placed on the throne where he belongs

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we have nothing to fear there may be times where life gets rough but he's in control

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and just the same way that Jesus calmed the storm just the same way that he healed lepers

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just the same way that he cast out demons we have that same power because we are under

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the authority of Christ.

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Hallelujah see in Revelation chapter 3 I've got two scriptures to go it's almost time

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to finish but in Revelation chapter 3 we were here I believe last week or the week before

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with the Laodicean church and the church of Philadelphia.

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Now I've read this many many many times but now looking through the lens of authority

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for me it painted it a picture once again that I'd never seen before.

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I might read from verse 7 and to the angel of the church of Philadelphia right these

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things says he who is holy he who is true he who has the key of David he who opens and

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no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.

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Isn't Christ amazing?

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Jesus says this to the church of Philadelphia in verse 8 I know your works see that's an

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incredible statement I know your works.

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Jesus we have to understand that God has his plan and we are either following the plan

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of God the will of God or we're not.

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We are either abiding in the vine or we're not.

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We're either walking in love or we're not.

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Jesus says I know your works see I have set before you an open door and no one can shut

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it.

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No one and it's not because they're amazing people that have endless knowledge or pray

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20 hours every day because then he goes on to say for you have a little strength.

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Not because you're the apostle Paul not because you can revise the whole scripture but you

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have a little strength.

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Have kept my word and have not denied my name.

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Here's a people that are just truly submitted under the authority of God knowing that when

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they gather together we don't have much.

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The persecution out there is great.

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The martyrs are being stacked up one after the other that those who are being persecuted

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and killed for their faith is getting greater and greater.

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But Lord regardless of what is happening to us your call on our life is greater and we're

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not going to forsake it we're not going to leave we're going to stay surrendered under

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your authority.

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That as your church what you've called us to do is greater than what we feel or fear

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or worry about.

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And this is why Jesus can say these powerful words I know your works see I have set before

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you an open door which no one can shut.

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Not because of who they are but of who Christ is in them.

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Because this is a church that is surrendered under the authority of God.

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I can picture families that might have been pulled apart that were in the Philadelphia

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church where mum and dad have been split apart and put in prison and their kids are now orphans

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but they are a people that are surrendered that will never deny the faith that they have

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in Christ Jesus.

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Never but then we go on to the lukewarm church in verse 15 and 18.

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Jesus says once again I know your works.

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God is all seeing all knowing He knows He sees He hears He understands.

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We can deceive any human being on the face of the earth we can't deceive God.

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And Jesus says to the Laodicean church I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot

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I could wish you were cold or hot.

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So then because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot I will vomit you out of my mouth.

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Because you say I am rich have become wealthy and have need of nothing and do not know that

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you are wretched miserable poor blind and naked.

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Verse 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and

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white garments that you may be clothed the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed

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and anoint your eyes with eyesalve that you may see.

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See when Jesus tells them He says I counsel you to buy from me gold refined I had a look

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at that word and what it actually means is this Jesus wanted to get together with those

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people just like when people plan something out together keeping let me read this I need

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to read this keeping to their pre-set goals.

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In other words Jesus is coming to the Laodicean church and He is saying them I want to counsel

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you let me speak some wisdom into your lives because where you are now is not where you

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originally started where you are now and what you were doing what you think is right is

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not my plan for your life.

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In other words here is a church that has actually left the call of God the very plan and purpose

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that God have put the church on the face of the earth to do they have found another thing

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to be occupied with and we read it when He says that well we have become rich and we

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have everything that we need and Jesus brings to their attention no you have totally lost

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it.

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Now why is that how can a church leave the call of God authority?

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See in Luke Jesus talks about that He really talks about the cost of discipleship and we

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read there where people say Lord I will follow you wherever you go and then someone else

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says Lord I will follow you just let me bury my father and Lord I will follow you but just

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let me say goodbye Lord I will but Lord the church I believe today is filled with people

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now I am not saying this church but it is common to see where a born again believer

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can say I will accept you as my saviour but not my Lord.

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What that means is a person says I want to go to heaven but I just want to do what I

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want to do while I am here on earth and it is a dangerous thing.

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See being under the authority of God is such a blessing there is peace there is joy there

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is provision there is everything that you and I need.

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God never established authority to be bossy He established authority so that we would

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never lack that He is the creator of the world everything that you and I face in life He

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can overcome.

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I will finish on this.

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Remember how we started with Jesus was under authority.

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In Matthew 3 we read where Jesus came to John to be baptised and John the Baptist didn't

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want to baptise him saying I am the one that should be baptised by you.

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Jesus with all humility and under authority understood that I am to fulfil all righteousness

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and I am not just here to do what I want.

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In Matthew 4 after he was baptised by John it says that he was led by the spirit into

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fasting and prayer in the wilderness to be tempted by Satan for 40 days 40 nights.

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Jesus didn't get baptised and anointed to go out and start a healing ministry but to

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be led by the Holy Spirit into whatever the Holy Spirit wanted him to do.

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In John 5 we see that Jesus was totally under the authority of God.

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The last one in Luke 22 is the one I want to finish on.

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It says in Luke 22 that when Jesus came to the end of his ministry the end of his time

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on earth that he knew he was about to be betrayed and that he was in the garden praying.

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Let me just turn there I feel to read it.

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Luke 22, Luke 22 39 44 and it says this coming out he went to the mount of olives as was

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his custom and his disciples also followed him.

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When he came to the place he said to them pray that you may not enter into temptation

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and he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw and he knelt down and prayed saying

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father if it is your will to take this cup away from me nevertheless not my will but

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yours be done.

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When an angel appeared to him from heaven strengthening him and being in agony he prayed

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more earnestly then his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

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See Jesus was under the authority of God unto death.

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He says father if it is your will take this cup away from me in other words what I'm about

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to face I do not want to go through with it.

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I don't have what it takes.

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Whether it was fear doubt or worry I don't know but he was obedient unto death.

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See that obedience that Christ had brought us the amazing gift of salvation that we are

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all here today as born again believers children of the living God our sins washed away and

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we are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

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Our old life is totally gone and we are living in a new life today because of one man's obedience.

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And I remember the night I was born again that all darkness was washed away by his blood

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and I felt totally clean and totally new and I knew that salvation was powerful it was

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magnificent it set me free from darkness and it had transformed my life and God had placed

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his spirit in me to live for him to tell others about what God has done in my life and this

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morning if you are here and you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior that you may

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once walked with him and have fallen away I want to give you an invitation this morning

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to come up and receive the precious gift that God has given to us his son.

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But if you know you are not right with God I want to invite you to come right now just

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walk out the front and I'm going to pray with you I'm going to pray a prayer similar to

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what I prayed where God transformed my life I became a child of God.

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Hallelujah so if this is you come to the front right now if you have a prayer request and

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want prayer for anything else it doesn't have to be that just come forward and we're going

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to pray but my heart this morning if you don't know God or you once did and you are not right

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with him please come forward now and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior amen.

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Thank you for joining us we pray God's richest blessing on your life if you haven't already

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make sure to join us on Facebook Instagram and YouTube you can also find us at LoganCityChristianChurch.com

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see you next week.