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specify a certain만

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break.

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narrative in the story as Pastor John has shared many times it's descriptive of what's

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happening and it's also a time where the writer goes into much more detail and it's not one that

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really lends itself well to the verse by verse teaching that I preferred to do but it's one where

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there's so many topics that come out of the the passages and you see how God was using the Apostle

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Paul and you see how he worked through the early church so I want to read Acts chapter 23 Acts

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chapter 23 and we're going to begin reading with the first verse Acts 23 1 and read the first 11

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verses or excuse me that should actually be 22 verse 30 let's back up one more verse but on the

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next day desiring to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews he unbound him and

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commanded the chief priests and all the council to meet and he brought Paul down and set him before

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them and looking intently at the council Paul said brothers I have lived my life before God in a good

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conscience up to this day and the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike

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him on the mouth then Paul said to him God is going to strike you you whitewashed wall are you

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setting to judge me according to the law and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck

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those who stood by said would you revile God's high priest and Paul said I did not know brothers

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that he was the high priest for it is written you shall not speak evil of the ruler of your people

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now when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees he cried out in the council

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brothers I am a Pharisee a son of Pharisees it is with respect to the hope of the and the resurrection

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of the dead that I am on trial and when he had said this dissension between the Pharisees and

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the Sadducees and the assembly was divided the Pharisees say that there is no resurrection nor

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angel nor spirit but the the Pharisees acknowledged them all then a great clamor arose and some of the

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scribes of the Pharisees party stood up and contended sharply we find nothing wrong with

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this man what if a spirit or an angel spoke to him and when the dissension became violent the

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Tribune after afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them commanded the soldiers to go down

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and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks the following night the Lord

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stood by him and said take courage for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem you

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must testify also in Rome heavenly father together we've read your word speak to us through your word

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amen I've entitled the message today be courageous and that title it actually comes from the the new

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American Standard translation the new American Standard 2020 version where the God stood before

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Paul and he said be courageous stand firm there's other verses other translations some say take

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courage take courage while others will say have courage and that net is not from internet that's

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from the new English translation that you can see the theme there is is that that you've got to be

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courageous through this get ready for what's coming you're going to need courage to do what I've got

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for you to do I need for you to take the stand in in Rome that you've taken in Jerusalem you're

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going to have to live with courage now while this passage is not one that lends itself well to the

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verse by verse I will say there's there's part of me that wishes we had time to do that because in

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this passage you get a glimpse of the political and religious situation of the day you really do you

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begin to see the political wrangling that was going on and what was happening the dissension

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within the Jewish community you see the divisions that were there that was happening this gives you

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insight into the cultural setting of the New Testament it's one of those passages where you

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go to and you get an idea of where and when and what it was like in that time when the New Testament

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was written and so you get these glimpses and there's part of me that would like to go through

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and do the history lesson that shows the divisions that shows what they believed what the different

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divisions believe some said yes their spirits there's angels others said no someone said yes

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there's a resurrection but you also have the scribes that they're really close to the Pharisees

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and you get all these political groups going on but you also get a really good picture of how they

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acted there in a courtroom start screaming and yelling at each other have you ever seen the

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British Parliament when they do have you seen though that the pictures as an American that's

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freaky because to me you're supposed to take turns each presenting your idea nah man they try to

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shout down each other and that's what's happening in this political wrangling you see them trying

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to shout down each other in this chaos that's happening so you see the cultural the political

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and the religious background of the New Testament right there in this little short passage of what

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was going on and Paul Paul uses that to his advantage Paul uses these divisions to his

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advantage he intentionally divides the council so that they're fighting each other instead of him

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now if you stop and think about it that's a pretty smart thing to do just from his wisdom

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Scott shared with us last week how how Paul used his Roman citizenship trying to further the gospel

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where he gave him the opportunity to present the gospel he did take a stand that he had his rights

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but he didn't try to base off that he just used it for the furtherance of the gospel here Paul is

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using the division within the political system remember there was not separation of church and

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state the religious laws were the civil laws there was no difference so it's the political and

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religious leaders they're one in the same so he intentionally divides each other they're fighting

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and each other to the point the Roman soldiers have to protect him they actually thought the

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council these are the political and religious leaders we're going to tear Paul physically apart

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now I can see why my dad believes Baptist have always existed for those of you raised in Baptist

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heritage man we're known for being there's one book called the battling Baptist you know that's

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we're known not to be a silent people we're known for standing up for what we believe and

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and there's this huge confusion and Paul is taken into custody he's taking back into custody

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and exactly what this looks like we're not sure he's legally he's not supposed to be bound we know

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he's taken into the barracks and in verse 16 he's still in the barracks which is you know where the

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military soldiers sleep exactly what was there did they have separate rooms so he's just on a

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cot was he on the floor next to I don't know exactly how that looked but you realize he's

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still under arrest he's still in custody of the Roman soldiers they have to to protect him he

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still has to stand trial before the Jews all of this is happening and we don't know what is going

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on just think about Paul if we read it and we can't figure out exactly what all's happening

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when it's written down for us think about Paul he has no idea what lies ahead

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the Roman soldiers have just had to take him out of the council to protect him physically

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and he is under arrest he's stuck in a military barracks

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and he needs some encouragement

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he's needing encouragement of some sort and I don't know what Paul's praying

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but have you ever prayed those prayers Lord I did what you said to do and look what happened

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you know didn't Moses go through that I mean we've all gone through that at times where we do what we

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believe God's saying we need to do and it feels like it's worth it and we're not going to be

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and it feels like it's worse somehow Paul he's needing this encouragement

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let's see Paul still had work to do

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Paul needs to be told that what he's done in Jerusalem he needs to do somewhere else

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God needs to tell him Paul you've got things you've got to get done if you go on to the next slide

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let me but no there should have been two more on that one

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that Paul needed to work in another place he needed to go on and that's when the Lord

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came before him and says be courageous for as you have testified to the truth about me in Jerusalem

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so you must testify in Rome also now that's taken from my favorite translation of the bible

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new american standard by now you probably figured out I am an american it is a translation that's

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american english and it's more american background it's one it's a translation taken for people who

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who need to do deeper study but don't study the language necessarily of the bible the biblical

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languages and I love that be courageous

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because you're going to face tough times you're going to need the courage to do

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courage to do in Rome what you've done in Jerusalem now my picture of Paul isn't that he was a coward

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he's already been through so much he's already been beaten he's already been

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stoned and left for dead he's already been whipped he's already suffered so much for the gospel

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but God's telling him to be courageous because you're going to go right on into Rome and you're

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going to take that same stand and for some reason I just thought I'd throw a note out here about

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bravery versus courage I kind of like how this person put it said bravery is the ability to

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confront something painful difficult and dangerous without any fear courage is the ability to confront

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something painful difficult or dangerous despite fear courage deals with a motivation

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in fact I can ask our French brothers over here what does courage really mean

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comes from the French and the the the base word the heart to do with heart you've got to have

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enough heart to stand you've got to have the heart and the motivation to go on in spite of what you're

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facing had a drill sergeant that at first I could not stand that God people would be falling out

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we'd be marching we'd be working he'd do he'd get to yelling you just ain't got no heart you

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just ain't got no heart and the way he he would turn it the word heart into multiple syllables

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heart you know how he stretched it out there he's ain't got no heart yeah we do what you mean we

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don't have heart he said what he was telling us you don't have the courage you don't have the

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stamina you don't have the motivation to push through the tough times and that is what Paul

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was was needing he was needing God to say hey be courageous you're going to have to push through

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these tough times because what you've done in Jerusalem you're going to have to do in Rome

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tough times are ahead and you've got to push through you've got to maintain the heart of the

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message the heart of what you're doing and then when you start studying about courage there's

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going to be people that say there's three different types there's four types there's seven types

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I mean I don't know how many different types there courage there is I just pick the one that's

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important I just picked one spiritual courage to have spiritual courage is not a reliant

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reliance upon ourselves it's reliance on God we don't look toward trouble and say oh yeah buddy

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here we go you know he used to have a professor he would say you know I'm not one of those dumb

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people who would stand out in the the the yard and say oh a meteor and try to catch it you know

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who really wants to run into the path of danger how many people say oh a speeding car you know

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we want to protect ourselves but God told us that we need to rely on him God is with us

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spiritual courage is not within ourselves it's that trusting of God when Carolyn and I were

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getting ready to come to Hungary the first time in 1998 I was in training in California Carolyn

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was in Missouri they were staying with my parents and and we'd already sold the house

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getting ready to go and there was a whole lot of questions in my mind and one night I'm reading

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from the NIV this little Bible this was my travel Bible that I took with me you know we didn't have

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it on cell phone in those days and this was lightweight it was New International excuse me

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New International translation and I'm reading in the Bible and I come to first John 4 16

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first John chapter 4 verse 16 and I read and so we know and rely on the love God has for us

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God is love whoever lives in love lives in God and God in them and man that word rely jumped out at

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me for we know and rely on this is one of the few verses that my favorite translation is the NIV

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because I had been reading it from the New American Standard and it phrases it a little

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different it says we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us

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God is love and the one who remains in love remains in God and God remains in him

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now there's besides being a typo in there there's a little difference we've come to believe okay I

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believe God loves me but this belief was much stronger it was like believing in Jesus as in to

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place your trust in Jesus this is believing God as relying on God's love

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and it was one of those times it's one of those spiritual mileposts where I can say God brought

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me to a new level of trust in him to rely on him and his love he loves my family more than I

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possibly can all through history God has encouraged his people he's encouraged his people through

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history and and you see it is some of the ones that really jump out at me was was Moses and Joshua

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Moses said to the people in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 31 verses 6 and 7 be strong and courageous

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do not be afraid or in dread of them talking about the enemies for the Lord your God is the one who

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is going with you and he will not desert you or abandon you this is what he says to the people

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don't be afraid why because God's going on he goes on then Moses called to Joshua and said to him in

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the sight of all of Israel be strong and courageous for you will go with this people into the land

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which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them and you will give it to them as an inheritance

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we go on to Deuteronomy chapter 31 verse 23 then he meaning God speaking through Moses but it's God

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that he God commissioned Joshua the son of Nun he said be strong and courageous for you will bring

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the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them I will be with you

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I will be with you why can we go on in courage because God is with us after Moses died here

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Joshua has already been told to be strong and courageous and look what God says to him and in

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the first chapter of Joshua just as I have been with Moses I will be with you I will not desert

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I will be with you I will not desert you nor abandon you be strong and courageous for you

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shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them

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only be strong and very courageous be careful to do according to all the law which my

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Moses which Moses my servant commanded you do not turn from it to the right or to the left so that

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you may achieve success wherever you go this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but

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you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do according to all that

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is written in it for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will achieve success

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have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not be terrified nor dismayed for the Lord your

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God is with you wherever you go see that's where you stand that's the courage

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it's not something that we just go ahead and it's like oh I'm really afraid I do it anyway

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it's a moving ahead and the trust and reliance upon the Lord Jesus Christ

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we can trust his love for us can move ahead think about how many times in the scripture

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you hear the phrase do not be afraid just start thinking about that what are some of the people

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that you can think of that God said do not be afraid don't be afraid and so you just shout it out

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I'm sorry what

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365

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365 who's

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365 who's

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the phrase don't be afraid is 365 times in the Bible okay I haven't counted them I'm

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going to take your word for it Karen who did he say that to

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Mary there's one Mary the shepherds

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David the king thank you

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Joseph there was another one

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Joshua yeah which I was just reading about Jairus Joshua in fact there he said don't be terrified

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because these were really big people they were going up against you just think Zacharias Zachariah

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in the temple when the angel he's in there sacrificing and here's this guy in the temple

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supposed to be there don't be afraid over and over 365 times hey that's a verse for every day of the

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week or every every day of the year don't be afraid here I'll put one in and I'll put one in

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here that Jesus told to his church in Luke chapter 12 verse 32 do not be afraid little flock because

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your father has chosen to give you the kingdom you have the kingdom of God don't be afraid don't worry

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the kingdom of God don't be afraid don't worry

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you don't have to fear

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we've been talking about the apostle Paul

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Paul in Corinth we so often think about Paul of this just this very powerful dynamic preacher

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the only physical description we have of him he was quite an ugly guy but we don't know for sure

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we don't know what he looked like and we picture this this guy that just he goes in and he tells

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everybody about Jesus what did he write to the church in Corinth he says for I determined to

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know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified I also was with you in weakness

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and fear and in great trembling and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of

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wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power

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wow isn't that such a different picture than this this guy that charges in to present the gospel no

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matter what he went into Corinth and he is scared to death and the people know it he's sharing the

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gospel and he's physically shaking he's scared but what did he do he shared the gospel anyway

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he shared the gospel anyway and if we go back to acts chapter 18

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to acts chapter 18 we see how God strengthened the Paul in the night acts chapter 18 verses 9 3 11

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and the Lord said to Paul by by a vision at night do not be afraid any longer but go on speaking

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and do not be silent for I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you for I have many

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people in this city and he settled there for a year and six months teaching the word of God among them

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Paul went in and he wrote back to the church and the church knew

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he founded that church and you know what they wrote and said about him he said he writes weighty

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leather letters but his speech is contemptible he maybe had a speech impediment or something

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we don't know but he said this guy when he talks we can't stand and listen to him talk

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and he's afraid and he says I came to you in fear and trembling and all I did was present the gospel

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he is so scared God has to appear to him and give him a vision at night and say don't be afraid any

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longer you keep proclaiming you keep preaching because I've got many people in this city hey they

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weren't saved yet but they were already God's people God already knew what was happening

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in today's passage we see how God was reassuring Paul that he still had work to do what he had done

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in Jerusalem he needed to do in Rome by saying that he needed courage he's warning Paul that

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danger is ahead he's going to be facing dangerous times he's going to be facing a lot of danger

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he's going to be facing difficulties Rome was not a good place for Christians or Jews

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and here he was a Jewish Christian he needed to be courageous so God's saying be courageous he

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needed to face the dangers in the assurance that God was with him and that's how he was moving ahead

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earlier I shared how how God used a different translation to really teach me that I need to

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rely on his love I can trust it Carolyn and I right now we're facing another time where God

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is saying you need to have courage Carolyn I are entering a new stage of ministry where

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where God's been working with us now for a number of months of saying give me everything

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surrender everything to me and it was last Sunday I was able to journal Lord I give you everything

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I give you everything and then I wrote those words and I sat at my desk my head down and I just felt

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ripped apart so you said something about how I didn't seem quite myself last Sunday because

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I just hurt I came last Sunday morning feeling of things I love it's like God it's yours what

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what is it you want and I guess I was I was picturing myself kind of holding my hands up

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to God you know giving him everything and this morning I was sitting and praying Lord

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I've given you everything and then he tells me this morning it's like open your hand

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I had a vision of just opening the hand and I want to illustrate it today

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you know sometimes we want to give things up and we want to do it to where it's like okay

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we want to hang on to part of it you know we we want it we don't want to give it all up

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and this morning I felt like God was saying open your hand

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open your hand

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and this morning I felt like God was saying open your hand open your hand

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and only that which is most important is what's going to stay I felt like God

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was saying let go of everything and trust me

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and those are difficult and painful times

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and now that I get to sweep up the floor here son

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many many times in our lives we're asked to give up things that are important to us

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and it's been now a while that I've been facing question and issues and I want to think

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pastor John for praying with me through it and John and Amanda for their support this week as we've

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met and we feel like Carolyn I feel like we need to step out of the pastoral role

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we don't feel like God's saying leave the church and we don't know exactly what that holds

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I just want to say thank you John Amanda for being there for us

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as I feel ripped apart

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from the day this church started I've been honest this isn't a role that I'm comfortable with

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and it's been a role that God has forced me to ask every day is this what you want

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because Carolyn and I were so often working with not with believers but we work primarily

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in the coffee houses and in with lost people in direct engagement

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with those who are not believers yet where this one was more of a gathering of believers

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people who are coming from other countries and a very different role for us

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in the coming weeks we'll be working out exactly what that looks like you know fortunately

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Scott has already been starting to fill in the pulpit Hesl has begun to to fill in there and

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as Pastor John continues to work with the leadership team and exactly what it looks like

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you know in reality I don't do that much except stand here call myself pastor and preach

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we don't know exactly how it's going to work out but there's something I do know

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God is still in control this isn't my church it's his

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and pastor John I don't know how many times that you've said this week God loves the church more

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than we do we were even talking about this morning God loves the church more than we do

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we were even talking about this morning God loves you more than we can

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we can rely on his love

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and that which he calls us to do is what's going to be best for his church and for his kingdom

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and now I've shared with you a very personal message some of our testimony and what and what

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God's been calling us and speaking to us about but now I'm going to flip that question back to you

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or turn a question to you and ask you what is God asking you to have the courage to do

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are you trying to hang on to something that God's saying open your hand

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has God been asking you to do something where you've been thinking God I really don't want to do that

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what is it he's asking of you

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for students

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I know sometimes it can be so hard to share about Jesus when you're in the classroom

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or with that professor who is an atheist or anti and very strong anti-christian

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I don't know what God's speaking to you about

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but you know what I do know that most Christians are ready to do something

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but you know what I do know that most Christians are wrestling with this question

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what's God asking me to do

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what is it he's saying have the courage to trust me

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have the courage to rely on my love because you can rely on his love

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you can rely on his love he loves you more than you are humanly possible to understand

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he loves this church more than we can understand

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I'm going to ask our musicians to come as we do have an invitation I'm going to ask that

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you really wrestle with that question ask yourself what's God saying to me what is it I need to have

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the courage to do and I'm going to ask you to have the courage to share that with our church I'll be

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here pastor John is here I'm going to ask that we also all stand part of that standing is just simply

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convenience it's easier to slip out it's easier to get past people

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in your role let's stand and sing and I'm going to ask that whatever God's asking you to do whatever

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he's laying on your heart to share it with the church this morning