WEBVTT

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Well, welcome back to the Seminary. And in this

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episode, which was a short sermon from our dinner

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church, we talk about how in our lives, we as

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Christians are called to be different, to be

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weird when compared with the normal world. And

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we realize that scripture teaches us that if

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we want what normal people have, we do what normal

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people do. But if we want what's better, what's

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blessed. We have to live like few people live

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and do what few people do and be weird. I hope

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you'll enjoy. So tonight I want to talk about

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being weird. And I want to start off. Let me

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ask you guys a question. How many people know

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some weird people? But they're not weird in the

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right kind of way, right? They're probably weird

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in the bad kind of way. Everybody is weird at

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a certain extent. But that's well, and there's

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also people that are weird in a good kind of

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way, right? Tonight I want to talk about being

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weird in a God kind of way. So here's what Jesus

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said. Our opening scripture tonight comes to

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us from the gospel according to Matthew. If you

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join us. next Wednesday night for our Bible study

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series on Matthew. We'll talk more in depth about

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chapter 7. But in chapter 7, we read verses 13

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and 14. Jesus said, Enter through the narrow

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gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the

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road that leads to destruction, and many enter

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through it. Think about this. Broad and wide

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is the road and the gate. which the majority

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of people travel. Unfortunately, it's in that

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crowd. That's where we often find our comfort,

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saying, look at all of the people doing the same

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things we're doing, going where we're going,

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living how we're living. We're normal. We must

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be okay, because this is the majority. We're

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the majority of people. It's going. Fortunately,

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though, Jesus said many, the crowd, we could

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say normal people are on the road that leads

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to destruction. And then he said this. He said,

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but small is the gate and narrow is the road

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that leads to life. And only a few find it. If

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you're on the broad road, let me just say as

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soberly as I can, if your life seems to look

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like everybody else's life, if you look at your

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life and see yourself doing the things that everyone

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else is doing, if you feel like you're pretty

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normal, it could be that you're on the broad

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road that leads to destruction. Because when

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you leave the normal road and you get on that...

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smaller one where many or i'm sorry where few

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are the normal people will think that you're

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weird that you're different your life just doesn't

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look the same as theirs does so i want us to

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follow the teachings of jesus and we're going

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to lead a weird life because even even if we

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just take the bible and put it aside and we just

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look at this practically we wouldn't you agree

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In our world today, that living with the quotes,

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living normal, just isn't working. Think about

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it. What's normal in our schedules today? Overwhelmed,

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rushed, stressed, panicked, never enough time

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for what's truly important because we're overwhelmed

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with the urgent and we're missing out on the

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quality. What's normal when it comes to money

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today? I mean, let's just be real honest. Normal

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is the pursuit of material things, which we all

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know never makes us happy. Normal is broke, right?

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Normal is debt. Normal is financial fear. Normal

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is fighting with our spouses about money. Think

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about our professional lives. What's normal today?

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Just working for a paycheck. Doing something

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that you really don't like just to get by. Normal

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is feeling like there's got to be something more,

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but you just can't quite find out what it is.

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What's normal in relationships? Hopping from

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bed to bed to bed with different people until

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you finally get married, and then seven years

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into marriage, since things aren't going all

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that well, normal is for half of us to end up

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in divorce. Normal is not working. Here's the

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truth about normal. If you want what normal people

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have, do what normal people do. But if you want

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what few people have, you have to decide to do

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what few people will do. Think about it. If you

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want a normal life, then live like normal people

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live. If though. If you want something better,

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if you really believe that there is something

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different and better than the normal life where

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the majority of people are traveling, you'll

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need to leave that broad road and get on to that

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narrow path where people will begin calling you

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weird. And if you want what few people have,

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things like peace or joy or security, a sense

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of fulfillment, an eternal destiny. If you want

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what few people will have, you're going to have

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to decide to do what few people will do. Think

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about the teachings of Jesus, right? Mega weird.

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Think about how weird His teaching is compared

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to the world's normal. Normal says, don't commit

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adultery. Jesus says, You've heard it said, don't

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commit adultery, but I say unto you, don't even

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look lustfully at a woman. Whoever looks lustfully

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at a woman has already committed adultery in

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his heart. That's weird. Jesus said, if you want

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to be first, you need to be last. If you're already

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last, then you can be first. That's weird. Jesus

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said, when you give, it will be given to you.

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That's weird. Because normal says if you take

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it, it will be given to you. The teachings of

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Jesus, the teachings of Scripture lead us off

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of that normal broad path and onto a narrow and

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different path. And if you want what normal people

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have, just keep on doing what normal people are

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doing. And you just go right on with the flow

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of the world. If you want what few people have,

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you're going to have to do what few people do.

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And take scripture seriously. And you can have

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something way, way, way better than normal. So

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I want to give us just two simple thoughts. They're

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things that I don't feel like I really probably

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need to tell you. They're things you already

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know anyway because they're pretty obvious. Two

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thoughts. The first one, it's in your notes there

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I've given you. My first thought for this evening

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is this. Weird people don't think like normal

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people think. Here's what Scripture says in the

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12th chapter, 2nd verse of the letter to the

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Romans. Do not live any longer the way this world

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lives. Don't live like normal people. The Apostle

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Paul would say, that's stupid. Let your way of

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thinking be completely changed. Then you'll be

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able to test out what God wants for you. Not

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what the crowd, not what everybody else, not

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what the normal people want for you, but what

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God wants for you. And we'll all agree, I hope,

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that what he wants for us is what? Right? Is

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right. I love the way the message, it's kind

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of a devotional style translation or version

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of the Bible. I love the way that the message

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translates this. It says it like this. Don't

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become so well adjusted to your culture that

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you fit into it without even thinking. Wouldn't

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you agree that there are people today Many people

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that just seem to fit into the worldly culture

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without even thinking. The Bible says instead,

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fix your attention on God. Not on everybody else.

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Not what's normal, but on God. And you'll be

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changed from the inside out. Weird people don't

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think like normal people think. If you want what

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normal people have, do what normal people do.

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If you want what few people have, do what few

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people do. It's time for us to get a little bit

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weird. Weird people don't think like normal people

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think. Second thought for our little discussion

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this evening is this. Weird people don't live

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like normal people live. When you take Scripture

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seriously and you pursue God diligently, you

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will be different from the world. And if you're

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not different, if you seem to look like everybody

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else and act like everybody else and live like

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everybody else, I would submit to you that you

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may not truly know the God of the Bible. Because

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the more you pursue after Him, the more different

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your world will be. Your values will change.

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Your motivations will change. And the way that

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we live will change. Apostle Peter says this

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in 1 Peter 2, verses 11 and 12. Peter says this,

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Dear friends, I urge you, and I love the way

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he says this, as aliens and strangers. In other

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words, this world isn't even your home. This

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place is kind of weird to you. Why do people

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live according to this world? He said, as aliens

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and as strangers in this world, I urge you to

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abstain from sinful desires which rage war against

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your soul. In other words, you know, if this

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world is your home, then you go right on and

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do whatever in the world you want. Whatever you

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feel like. That's normal. But you, you're not

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going to be normal. Verse 12, he says, live such

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good lives among the pagans, among those who

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don't understand, amongst those who are non -believers.

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Live such good lives amongst them that though

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they accuse you of doing wrong, in other words,

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the world, The normal say, hey, hey, don't leave

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us. Hey, stay on the normal path with us. Where

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are you going? Hey, don't go. This is normal.

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This is better. That's stupid. Because you're

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going to be weird. Though they accuse you of

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doing wrong, in the end they may see your good

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deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.

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When you seek the God of the Bible, He will lead

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you to a life that is very different. And He

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doesn't have a cookie cutter weird for all of

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us. He has for you a custom weird that He wants

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to give specifically to you if you seek Him.

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And I don't know what that is for you, but I

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invite you, I beg you, join me and other committed

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followers of Christ of leaving that normal road.

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Because you have to admit, normal isn't working.

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It's broke, it's overwhelmed, it's miserable,

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it's fear, it's shame, it's regret. And it doesn't

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have to be that way. It can be full of peace

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and joy and purpose and momentum and a deep sense

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of fulfillment and knowing that our lives are

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making an eternal difference. When I read scripture,

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Jesus said, if you want to find your life, you

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lose it. That's weird. And I'm telling you, right,

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you can go to church all day long. And that's

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still, at least in our part of the world, that's

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normal, right? To worship one day a week in church.

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That's normal. But friends, when worship for

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you becomes a seven days a week passion, when

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worship of God becomes something that you are

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and not just something that you do for one hour

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a week, one hour a day on one day a week, That's

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when you become that God kind of weird. We're

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not talking about a shallow, me -centered Christianity.

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We're talking about a wholehearted, full surrender

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to the God of the Bible that will take us off

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that normal path and onto one in which the world

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will not understand, but God will empower and

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direct. You can settle for normal. Or you can

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choose something better than normal. If you want

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what normal people have, friends, do what normal

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people do. If you want what few have, leave that

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normal path. And I invite you to a journey with

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the God kind of weird. So, as always, you are

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a part of the sermon. So if you will flip your

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little notes over there, you will find. Thanks

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for listening to the Semi -Seminarium. Please

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make sure to subscribe, rate, and review our

00:15:03.990 --> 00:15:07.230
podcast. That helps us share the podcast with

00:15:07.230 --> 00:15:09.509
more people. I hope that you've enjoyed it and

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you'll keep coming back. Be blessed and be a

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blessing.