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Thank you, Kim.

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Paul scheduled me to preach right after that song.

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I'll get even with you, brother.

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Would you open your Bible with me to the book of Ephesians, the second chapter, where we're

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going to read verses 4, 5, and 6.

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We continue today the series on the invisible war, today talking about the believer's position

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and authority in Jesus Christ.

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If you are a mother this morning, you undoubtedly find some significance in that role in your

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life.

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You should.

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It's right that you should.

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It is an important role.

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Have you ever considered where you individually find your significance?

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Often it is in the roles that we play in life as a mother, father, husband, wife, an employee,

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what we accomplish.

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Maybe it's our vocation that we find our significance in, or whatever we do the best,

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better than other people.

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If you are one who is a believer in Jesus Christ, there is another way in which you

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have significance that is far more important than any human role or human achievement.

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If you were to list those truths in the Bible that Satan most desires to hide from you,

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what do you think would be at the top of the list?

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What is it that Satan most desires to keep you from understanding?

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We could talk about all kinds of doctrines, I suppose, and answer to that.

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There might be a number of good answers, but I believe that there cannot be a better answer

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than this.

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Satan deeply desires to keep you from understanding who you are in Jesus Christ.

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He does not want you to grasp your position as a child of God and understand the implications

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of it.

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Now, why is that?

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Because he loathes that truth, and he fears it.

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He hates it because this truth places redeemed human beings above him in the cosmic hierarchy,

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in the spiritual realm.

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He hates it, and he fears it because he knows that if a child of God begins to understand

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who he or she is in Christ and to apply that truth, it's big trouble for him.

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He seeks to shroud this concept and to hide and to conceal it from our hearts.

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John 4 says, greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

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Greater is Jesus Christ in us by the Holy Spirit.

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Greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world, talking about Satan.

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He despises this truth and trembles at its reality.

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The one trusting Jesus Christ is united with Christ in position and is granted authority

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to represent Christ to the world.

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Now when we talk about position or identity in Christ, somehow and sometimes our minds

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seem to go blank.

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We have a hard time getting a hold of that.

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It's not an accident.

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It is a concept that is sometimes difficult to get into the way that we think, especially

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in our culture.

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But it also is supernaturally held back from our understanding.

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Satan doesn't want us to grasp it.

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But the idea of position and identity really is not foreign to us.

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There are a number of nations in the world, including the United States, who this weekend

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are in the process of evacuating their citizens from Yemen.

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Now let's suppose that one of them is an American named John Smith.

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Why should we taxpayers underwrite the cost of the Marines going into Yemen to rescue

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John Smith?

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Why can't he take care of himself?

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The reason that we are obligated to do that is because he is an American citizen.

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He is one of us.

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He is identified with us.

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He has the position of being a citizen.

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And therefore we rescue him.

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We evacuate him in the time of danger.

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I see some of you during the week when you come by the office and a few of you come in

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with picture ID tags.

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I long ago gave up the idea that's because you're arrogant and like to look at your picture.

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You know, walk around all day looking at your lapels.

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Not bad, huh?

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That's not why you wear that.

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You wear it because you have to have identity to pass security at your company.

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That tag shows your position.

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It's your identity.

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And with it you're able to get by security and go about your business.

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So you see this idea of position and identity in Jesus Christ is not that foreign to us.

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What does this position entail for us as believers in Christ?

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Well, it means that we are spiritually one with Jesus.

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That we have been united with him.

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That's what Paul talks about in our text in Ephesians chapter 2.

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Verse 4 says, but God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved

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us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, our sins, he made us alive together with Christ.

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Now, if you mark your Bible up, you may want to just underline together with Christ.

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By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him.

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Can underline that phrase.

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And seated us with him.

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Again, we see the same phrase.

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In the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

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These phrases tell us that we have been made one with Christ.

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Paul doesn't talk about it in this text, but in Romans 6 verse 3, Colossians 2 verse

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20, he says in the first place that we died with Christ at the cross.

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When he died, we died with him.

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Spiritually.

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Here Paul goes on to say that we have been raised up from the dead with Jesus Christ.

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We have been made alive together with him, resurrected spiritually.

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He says that we have already been exalted with Christ.

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We have been raised up, ascended into heaven with him.

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And he tells us that we are enthroned with Christ.

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We have been seated with him in the spiritual realm.

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Now when Jesus Christ went back to heaven 2000 years ago and sat down at the right hand

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of God, and he did, he sat down to indicate that he is in the place of supreme authority

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in all the universe.

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He is the supreme authority.

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He is preeminent above all.

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And what the apostle Paul tells us here is this, that we have been seated beside him.

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We are seated with him in the spiritual realm.

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That is our position.

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That's our identity.

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We share in his victory, his life, his reign, and one day his likeness.

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What a high and holy calling is ours.

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We have gained an appointment by the grace of God to eternal royalty.

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I saw a little bit of a documentary last night on the House of Windsor on public television.

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Maybe you saw a bit of it.

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And recounted Queen Elizabeth's coming to power and chronicled a bit of what she's been

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through in the last almost 40 years, 40 years that she's been on the throne of England.

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And the pomp and the pageantry, which seems a little foreign to us, but somehow which

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attracts us, doesn't it?

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I mean we're just so interested in what happens.

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We don't have all that much pomp and ceremony here in the United States, like they do where

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there is royalty.

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And it showed the birth of her children and they're being reared in that palace, prepared

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to reign as royalty over England.

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That's nothing.

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That's nothing compared to what you have been appointed to.

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As one who is in Jesus Christ, you have been appointed to be a part of royalty, not of

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a house or a line of kings in a small country in the world, but the royalty of the whole

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universe forever.

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Forever.

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Because Jesus Christ will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords forever and ever.

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And you are seated with Him in that place of enthronement.

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Some of us struggle with self-esteem.

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And of course our whole culture is so caught up in this whole idea of self-esteem, trying

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to raise self-esteem of students in the schools.

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That's one reason we don't have writing and arithmetic being done in schools as well as

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we used to because there is so much emphasis on social goals and raising self-esteem.

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And kids, listen, the self-esteem of the believer is not in self-independent of God.

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Our self-esteem comes from self-united to Jesus Christ.

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This is the whole answer to self-esteem for human beings.

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It's not in who we are in ourselves or what we can do in the world.

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Self-esteem for human beings comes in being redeemed by the grace of God and united to

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Jesus Christ forever and forever.

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We are given this position, this status, so that God may be glorified and so that we might

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serve Him on this earth and in His eternal kingdom.

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So what do you find your self-esteem in?

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Or what do you find your identity or position in?

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Is it in what you do, what you know, who you know, what you possess?

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Only those things are unimportant compared to who you are in Jesus Christ.

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You and I in Christ are fully invested as the children of God.

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Colossians 1-12 says that we have been qualified to partake of the inheritance of the saints.

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You're qualified, you pass already as united to Jesus Christ.

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Now with this position comes authority.

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With this position comes authority.

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What does this authority include?

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I suppose most of us today don't feel too authoritative or too powerful, especially

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we had a late night last night.

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You may be here tired and worn out, drowsy.

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In Jesus Christ, however, you have power and authority.

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Let's just draw a distinction between them because what I really want to talk about this

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morning is authority, not power.

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Over here we have our friendly state patrolmen.

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Have you ever met him?

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Good for you.

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He gets out in the middle of the highway and there is a semi truck, a 16 wheeler, coming

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down the highway at 60 miles an hour.

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What does he do?

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He holds up his hands like this.

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Now what a dumb guy, right?

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Does he really think he's going to stop that 16 wheeler?

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Absolutely.

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Why?

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Because he's powerful and strong?

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No, he's not Superman.

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He has authority.

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He has the authority of the state behind him.

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What does the driver of the 16 wheeler do?

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He puts on his brakes and he slows down and he comes to a halt because there is a policeman

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standing in the road holding up his hands like this.

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That's authority.

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What I want to say to you this morning is that in Jesus Christ you have authority.

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You may not be strong in human terms, but you have authority.

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A few minutes ago we sang the chorus, majesty.

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Did you notice the words?

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I wrote them down.

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Now I've lost them.

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Majesty, authority flows from his throne unto his own.

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Did you notice what you sang?

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Authority flows from his throne unto his own.

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Majesty.

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What does this authority that we have include?

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Well, we could go on for a long time on this and we don't have time, so let me just be

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brief and say first of all, we have authority in this sense that we have all that we need

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to make disciples.

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Turn back with me to the book of Matthew for a moment to the last chapter of that book,

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the 28th chapter.

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You of course recognize these words.

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Meaning in verse 18 of Matthew 28, Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, all authority

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has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

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You notice that?

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He doesn't say all authority will be someday given to me.

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He says it has been given to me.

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It is mine now, he says.

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Not only in heaven, but on the earth.

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All authority.

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And then he says, go therefore and make disciples.

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Do you see any connection there?

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There is absolutely a connection.

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He is saying I have all authority and now I am delegating that authority to you to make

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disciples.

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I give you authority to do what is necessary to bring others to become obedient followers

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of me.

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Do we need this authority?

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We surely do.

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Because we are in a hostile environment.

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Remember the biblical world view.

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In this world there are invisible powers, holy angelic powers who are obedient to God.

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There are evil satanic powers who follow the devil.

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We are in a hostile world and we have to call people to become disciples of Jesus Christ

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with all of the opposition of darkness against us.

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The Satan blinds the minds of those who do not obey the gospel of God.

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It is a supernatural blindness as well as a natural human ignorance.

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But you and I have the authority to declare the word of God so that the powers of darkness

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must back up and they have to shrink away because they cannot stand against the authority

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of the servant of God which you are.

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That authority does not reside in you because of you.

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It resides in you because of Jesus to whom you are united, with whom you are identified,

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who gives you your ID card.

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So you have all the authority that you need to declare the gospel of Jesus Christ and

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see others come to faith in Him and grow in Him.

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The Apostle Paul understood this in Acts chapter 26.

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Just turn there with me.

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This is how he puts this account of his own commission.

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What he says here, it was true of himself but it may be applied to all of us.

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There's nothing uniquely apostolic about what Paul is saying.

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In Acts chapter 26 verse 16, Jesus says to Paul, arise, stand at your feet.

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This purpose I have appeared to you to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the

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things which you have seen but also to the things in which I will appear to you, delivering

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you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you.

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What is Paul supposed to do when he is sent to open their eyes so that they may turn from

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darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, for what reason?

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In order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who

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have been sanctified by faith in me.

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Paul recognized as a result of this commission from Jesus Christ that he had authority.

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I want to tell you, you have authority as well.

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You are sent by Jesus Christ to this world with everything that you need, every bit of

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authority that you need to tell others about Jesus, to pray for them, to open their eyes,

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to buy back the powers of Satan.

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Now you can't force them to believe.

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I am not saying that.

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But you have the authority to declare the gospel to them and to buy back the powers

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of Satan that seek to hold them in bondage so that they can see and by God's grace believe.

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In Acts chapter 1 verse 8, Jesus said to us and to those disciples, Terry here in Jerusalem

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till the Holy Spirit comes, but when he comes, he will give you power and you shall be witnesses

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unto me.

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Dear people, we have that power.

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I want you to turn to one more text before I close and that's in Ephesians chapter 1.

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Paul prays in these verses in the middle of the chapter that our eyes may be enlightened

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so that we can see several things including in verse 19, what is the surpassing greatness

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of his power toward us who believe.

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These are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might which he brought

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about in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand.

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Here's the thing I want to point out to you.

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The power that is at work in your life is the same power that raised Jesus Christ from

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the dead, exalted him to heaven and seated him at the right hand of God.

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That very same mega power is at work in your life today if you're a child of God.

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Now you say, well why am I not experiencing that?

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What prevents me?

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Well failure to understand your position.

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Remember I began by saying Satan seeks to keep you in the dark about this.

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Failure to understand who you are in Christ, a personal lack of freedom because sin has

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created the stronghold in your life.

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If you're in bondage to the world by peer pressure or by materialism, if you're in

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bondage to personal sins of the flesh or in bondage to the devil, remember our enemies?

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Then you can't experience the fullness of that power because of a lack of freedom.

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Your need is to be free in Christ.

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Absence of intimacy with Christ.

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If you're ignoring him, living life independent of him, not spending time in worship and personal

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prayer and Bible study, then that lack of an intimacy with Christ is going to hinder

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the power of God which resides in you.

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So as we come to the Lord's table today, let's ask the Lord to show us if there be sin, if

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there be strongholds, if there be bondage in our lives.

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If surely if we have lacked intimacy with Christ, we need to confess that as sin and

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renew ourselves to walk.

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If we are ignorant of who we are in Christ, then let us seek to understand that truth

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so that we can press on with all of the authority that Christ has given us in the world.

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Tonight, I'm going to talk about a couple of other things that this authority includes

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that I don't have time to talk about this morning.

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But as we come to the Lord's table, let's ask the Lord to do a fresh work in our lives,

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cleansing us, renewing us so that we may experience, experience who we are in Jesus Christ in our

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walk in this world.

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Let's bow together.

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With our heads bowed and as our servers join me here in the front, I just want to give

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a moment to allow the Spirit of God to bring to His culmination what He's been saying

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these last few minutes.

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Dear Christian friend, if there is some bondage in your life, if there is sin that is unconfessed,

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if you have lacked intimacy and fellowship with the Lord Jesus, will you, will you this

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morning before you partake of these elements get right with the Lord?

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I hope you will.

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If you need to talk with someone, our staff, others are available to help you.

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We'd love to do it.

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But don't go on living your life as a pauper when God has called you to be a prince.

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Don't be robbed of your inheritance in Christ in this world.

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Understand who you are in Jesus and the authority that He gives you to serve Him.

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Lord Jesus, we thank you for this memorial, for these symbols of your sacrifice for us

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at the cross.

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As we partake of these elements, we do so with deep gratitude within for what you've

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done.

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We thank you for this bread that we're about to receive.

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As we hold that peace in our hands, may our hearts be moved with fresh yearning to know

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you better as the one who sacrificed herself for us and now who lives for us and in us.

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Amen.

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Far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame.

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How I love that old cross, where the dearest and best,

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For a world of lost sinners was slain.

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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.

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I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

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O that old rugged cross, so despised by the world, has a wondrous attraction to me.

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For the dear lamb of God left his glory above, to marry to die calvary.

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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.

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I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

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In the old rugged cross, stained with blood so divine, a wondrous beauty I see.

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What was on that old cross, Jesus suffered and died, to pardon and sanctify me.

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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.

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I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

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So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down.

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I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it someday for a crown.

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Jesus said, this is my body which is broken for you.

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Eat it in remembrance of me.

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Let's eat of it together.

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Lord Jesus, for the cup reminding us of your blood, symbolizing your life being poured out,

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bearing the wrath of God on our behalf,

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we give thanks.

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Amen.

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It's okay.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Amen.

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Our Savior said, this cup is the new covenant in my blood.

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Drink it in remembrance of me.

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Let's share it together.

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We serve a Lord who gave Himself for us, but who is no longer dead.

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He arose from the dead after three days.

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And today He is the Sovereign of the universe.

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And we are citizens of His Kingdom.

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The early disciples, having met with Jesus, sang a hymn before they went out.

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And I'd like for us to sing a chorus before we go out.

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It talks about Jesus Christ as the King.

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All hail King Jesus.

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And as we sing this, let us determine in our hearts that we are hailing,

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we are exalting, proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ as King.

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I invite you to stand together with me as we sing.

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All hail King Jesus.

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All hail Emmanuel.

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King of Kings, Lord of Hearts, my burning soul.

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Through an all-infernal dream, I go to praise Him.

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And forevermore I will reign with Him.

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Notice the identity there, the union, forevermore, I will reign with Him.

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Now why is that true?

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Because we have been seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly places.

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No wonder the Apostle says to us that we are to live up to our holy calling in Christ Jesus.

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We're to walk worthy of our calling in Him.

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May it be so this week.

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Now if you would like to participate in the Elder's Offering, which is used for benevolence,

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please do so by using the offering box attached to the wall at the back door of the auditorium.

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Thanks for your participation in that if you choose.

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Now let's pray together.

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And now our Lord Jesus, we worship, we proclaim the name, Emmanuel, God with us, God in us.

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We thank you that you are present in our lives by the Holy Spirit.

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And so as we walk into the world from this place of worship,

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may we walk worthy of our calling, humbly, using the authority that you've given to us in yourself

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to call others to come to be your disciple.

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Now may the love of God, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

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be upon all who are His. Amen.