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Hey. Good morning, church. How are you? It's quiet in here. Are you okay?
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What do
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you say we stand up together? I wanna share a part of a verse from you. It's from Jeremiah. It says, blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and their confidence. That's why we're here.
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God is our hope. He is our confidence. Let's give him praise.
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Alright. Here in this sworn and weary, here in this sworn and weary land, many a dream has died.
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Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I have
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a
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few announcements. Is this thing on? Can y'all hear me? Yes. Good.
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So, I have a few announcements. Actually, not many. Tomorrow is July 4. So, Independence Day, I don't think I have a picture up there about this one but we often, lots of us meet right out there along the parade route. It's a great place to see the see the parade pass by.
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So, come on and do that.
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10:30.
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What's that? 10:30.
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There'll be bagels and stuff
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like that. 10:30, bagels, coffee. Very good. Thank you. Summer nursery is available.
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If you didn't know downstairs for ages zero to five and there's a new nursing room downstairs too. If you feel the need or if the baby feels the need, there's a new nursing room downstairs. Not that they can read but anyway, Monday nights is not happening this week. We're going to do it in the daytime. So, out here during the parade, Monday, daytime.
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We're not doing Monday nights this week since it's Fourth of July because hey, happy fourth of July. There it is. Whoo. I think that that's all of em that I know about. Is there anybody that has a burning desire that they have to announce something that's happening before next Sunday?
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Good. I was hoping that that was the case. Would you stand up and greet one another warmly? We'll bring you back together with another song. We got a lot of sugar to put in this bag.
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The foundation you saints of the Lord has laid for your faith in his excellent word. What more can say than to you he has said to you who bore refuge in Jesus' heaven. Fear not, fear not he is with us so be not dismayed for he is our God, unsustainer and strength. He'll be our defender and cause us to stand upheld by his mercy for all my being. I've heard our foundation.
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I'll show our foundation, and we will not be shaken. Jesus' firm foundation. Alright. The room's starting
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to come alive. Sing louder, would you?
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The soul that is trusting in Jesus is Lord will press on into a radiant darkness of storm. And the weaving hell should endeavor our salvation, and we will not be shaken. Jesus' firm foundation.
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Would you pray with me? God, I can't think of a a more solid, a rock solid foundation really to set our life on, and I thank you for being that. And and for that reason, we're here to just soak in your presence, to be with you, to worship you, to adore you. Amen. And you're the fullness of the EDIC,
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And you are the fullness of the beauty I see. And you are you are broken. And are the healer of the broken enemy. You are you are. And even though you may stand is done.
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You. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I will stand and hold these safe. This is my life.
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I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed on Jesus Christ. I will stand and hold these safe. This is my life. And you're the author.
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And you are the author of salvation and faith. You are live. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I will stand on the road.
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This is my life. I'm not ashamed of the gospel. I'm not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I will stand before these days. This is my life.
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Here's a verse from Ephesians. Actually, I wanna read one from Romans because we're gonna be in Romans right here at this verse. And I I'm a multiple learner guy, and just hearing it sometimes, uh-huh. But to sing it really can solidify it for me. And this this verse from Romans is the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.
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Let that sink in a minute, would you? That the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, this power lives in you. And just as God raised Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies. And we do have mortal bodies, don't we? And we feel it every day by this same spirit living in you.
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Know that.
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And I can see the waters waging at my feet. I can feel every fear of the unknown I can hear all God's children saying out we will not be over taken we will not be overcome Let us wash our feet. The same power that holds Jesus from the grave. The same power that commands the dead to wait lives in us, lives in us. The same power that moves mountains when he speaks.
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The same power that can come a rage and see lives in us, lives in us, lives lives in us. Us. And we have hope that his promise isn't true and his strength. There is nothing we can do. Yes.
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We know. There are greater things in store. We will not be over. Same The same power that commands the dead to wait lives in us, lives in us. The same power that moves mountains when he speaks.
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The same power that can conquer agency lives in us, lives in us. He lives in us,
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You all can be seated and I'd like to pray here as we participate through and pray, I pray.
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This morning before I pray for the offering that y'all that we're about to take up, we are gonna do this twice. We're gonna take two offerings this morning. It's not because you're not given enough the first time, okay? We're not not because we're behind, okay? But we are trying to take up this offering for the general fund and that's a normal thing but if you came this morning prepared to give just one gift or you wrote the check this morning ahead of time, I'd like for you to wait.
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Don't give it in this offering. Give it for the next offering. Now, general fund needs money, no doubt but so the so do our missionaries to the ends of the earth and so, this morning, we're taking up to this one is for the general fund and then, we'll take up one after. We have a missionary that's going to speak, one of ours. So, would you pray with me?
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Lord, we pray that your work would be done. Your will would be done in your way. Never lack in your supply. So, in Jesus name, lord, we pray for this valley. What a as western and as small town as it is, it is a cosmopolitan place.
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This time of year, especially we've got people from every corner of the globe. I pray that you would bless them while they're here through your willing servants from the churches in this valley, from the capital C Church. God, I pray right now that you would take every gift that is acknowledging you, lord, and acknowledging your provision. We pray that you take every gift and multiply it and extend it to do your kingdom's work starting right here at 90 West Kelly but extending out from there. Lord, would you bless these offerings and multiply them to advance your good gospel that Jesus Christ came, lived a perfect life, died a sacrificial death, and calls out extending that call to everyone to believe.
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In Jesus name, Lord, would you advance your gospel through our humble obedience. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Florine. We the video's already started.
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Hold on just a second here. So, Melissa Landis is one of our missionaries. We call him that. She we have been supporting her for a while now in prayer and financially and She's here today. She'll come up and speak after the video, but this is a day in the life of Melissa Lamb.
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It's at Crossroads Ministry down in Durban, South Africa, which is the ends of the earth for us. If you dug a hole straight through the world, you would come out somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The closest land mass that's inhabited by people is Durban, South Africa.
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Durban, South Africa. And it starts pretty early because we live in a city. There's a lot of traffic. And so a ten minute drive on a Sunday afternoon takes us about an hour in the morning and an hour after work. When we get to the office, we will have a staff meeting and discuss about the different things that need to happen that day and, deliveries, pickups, and, different things that are happening, and then we will disperse and head out.
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These are a few videos of things that I've been up to this year and things that happened throughout different days.
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Walk across the sea. Stand up on the waves and walk with me. Journey through the door, come see what I can see. All the reasons we were made,
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One of the main things that we do at Crossroads is the delivery of anything from food parcels, beds, clothing, shoes, school uniforms to our OVC kids that we work with in the rural schools. Usually, TD and I will load up my truck and set off hiking through the hills and deliver the goods directly to the kids' stores to make sure they that they get the products. It's a really special way to be able to share the love of Jesus Christ with the people.
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Over here at TD's home, aka the Hope Center. I'm currently standing in her lovely garden, which grows really nice beans and really hot chilies. The crush is right over there. Runs that from home with mama Eunice, teaches them, takes care of them. We just got back from the area where we are taking on new schools to do a breakfast feeding program in, and we're enjoying this lovely autumn day.
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See you soon. Thank you, First Baptist Church in Jackson for sharing Melissa with us. God bless you.
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So, here she comes. And we do this by the way. Four times a year, we invite our missionaries to come in. We try to do it quarterly this year. They're stacking up a little different than that.
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Melissa's here right now but we have three in sequence coming up in September, October. Would you want to close out?
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No problem. Good morning. I just want to say a incredible thank you to this church. I tried to put some of the slides up there of different things that you guys have given to and taken part of at Crossroads there. I've been in South Africa for going on six years now, I've been partnering with the NPO Crossroads there in Durban for about three years.
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And it's an amazing amazing NPO, and the group of people on staff there have just been incredible to have a team of people behind me. One of the main things that I've been working on this year at Crossroads is up there I put jam porridge and that's one of the main things that we do is a breakfast feeding program in the schools. Jam partners with us and then we have the relationships with the communities in the schools to be able to find the schools in need. So we've talked to a few different nurses at different clinics, they've identified the most kind of at risk schools or kids for malnutrition. So we've been able to go and find those schools and ask them if they're willing to do a breakfast feeding program.
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The teachers actually have to mix it and it's specifically formulated for kids ages four to six for the nutrition needs that they that they kind of don't get. They aren't getting at least. So if the teachers are on board and the principal's on board, then we will deliver the the cereal to them, and then after that, they'll have to pick it up at a central location. And one thing that I've been super passionate about in a niche that I found at Crossroads is that there's not too many people that are comfortable driving the back roads, the dirt roads, and kind of finding these schools. So I love mapping it out and putting it into my GPS and just driving and going.
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It's, I mean, I've really found a special place in the world where I just can enjoy doing that. And so thanks to FBC for my truck and different things that that just all these different things that you guys have helped out doing. I'm headed back in a week. A week from today, I'll be on a plane, and what I'll be doing when I get back is following up with these schools and then adding possibly adding more schools. Over the past couple months, actually in the span of maybe about six weeks, we've been able to take on about 18 different 18 new schools and add them to our feeding program.
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So now we're in about 32 different schools in kind of the inland from Durban, and then that means we're feeding I think about 3,500 kids, which is awesome. And normally kids might come to school without having breakfast. They might might not even have a meal at night. Not all kids, but there are definitely, I would say, the majority of kids. And this is at least something that allows them to have something in their stomach so they could calm down and listen and pay attention in school.
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So I'm headed back there in a week. And then we have a group coming out from California the end of July. And I hope to be able to help lead some ministry with that group and be involved in a sports day. You saw me at the beginning there doing some just little activities with the kids, the Educare kids. And I hope to be involved in a sports day or actually organize a sports day with them.
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And one thing I want to say about this video is that I chose that song. I didn't put credits up there, but it's Michael W. Smith. And it's called Rise. My desire is that it sparks something in someone's heart, whether it's one person's heart here, either whether it's speak to a neighbor here in Jackson, speak to a friend here in Jackson, or go somewhere overseas or to another state, whatever it is.
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I just feel like that's the most important thing for us as Christians to be lights in where God plants us and if he's planted you here, that's awesome and if he's planted you to go somewhere else, maybe this will spark you getting out and going somewhere else. So, huge thank you to FBC. And I just wanted to say a special just something at the end here. If anybody has an interest in being possibly giving to Crossroads because they are an MPO, you can speak to me, and I can I can get that set up? So thank you so much.
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Hello. Melissa. Melissa. Don. So Don Young was the interim pastor here immediately before I came on.
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And I think Don was the one that was sent out or at least sent her out one of the times she's been down and I'd like to ask any elder of this church former or current. If you come forward, we're gonna pray for Melissa as we send her back next time. I know the danger of handing a pastor a microphone.
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Especially me. Some of you are sweating already. Bless your hearts. So There's a tendency. There's a tendency when we pray for a missionary, especially one we know and love.
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Well, been there, done that. There's a tendency to think, okay, it's our responsibility to pray over her and it's over. And when pastor Ray asked if I would come in and lead this section, I asked the Lord, give me a word for her that that is different. And as I went back in in the middle of the night, the Lord said, uncommon mission. It's uncommon.
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Jesus said, he said, as I have been sent, I am now sending you. When we read it, we think, okay, Jesus was sent out, so now it's your turn. Melissa, that's not what it is. The same way that the father sent Jesus, he's sending you. Amen.
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It's uncommon mission. It's a mission that is different than any other, and you are unique in what God is sending you to. You're not going back to do just as, you're going back to do what he has for you. Greater. And the second word he gave me was harvest eyes.
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So, the the Bible said, open up your eyes to see the harvest. You know, the harvest has never been the problem. Yeah. The Bible never asked us. God never asked us to pray for the harvest.
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He asked us to pray for laborers in the harvest. Amen. And and so, we're going to pray as the the elders lay hands on you for harvest eyes. Amen. That when you go back and you see these children and you see these beautiful people who the church has helped build houses for and you enter into their lives that the Lord will give you harvest eyes and that you will see people come to Jesus like you've never seen before.
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Amen. So, we're to pray that. So, if you'll join us as we pray and ask the Lord to do that for her, we'll thank God. Father, in Jesus name, we thank you. What a privilege you give us as your leaders here and as friends who know and love.
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Melissa, we thank you that you again are sending her out. Father, just as Jesus as you sent Jesus out. Yeah. And and we find that out in Philippians. You you sent him out in into a humble situation.
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He left his his earthly robes and and he took on heaven heavenly robes and he took on earthly robes. And he he left his exaltation and he took on humiliation. And he left all that he had and he and he took on rejection. And so lord, as you send her out, you're sending her out in the power of the Holy Spirit and you're sending her out with harvest eyes. We ask lord that the eyes that she has now, you make harvest eyes.
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That as she sees these children and these families, she just doesn't see them just as people who she ministers to and with but she sees the harvest and the harvest is great and she is one of the laborers that you are sending out just as you sent Jesus and as she ministers, Lord, we pray for a harvest of souls. For a harvest of young people, harvest of children, a harvest of families. That when she comes back and as she shares throughout her letters, it'll be an excitement. Look at the harvest. Look at the harvest that the Lord has given me and we've been able to see so many come to Jesus.
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Amen. And we thank you for that and a bless her now in Jesus powerful holy name. Amen and amen.
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Amen. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank Thank you. You, Don.
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We didn't already take up the often, do we? Okay. Could I get the frontline team to come back forward then? And God, would you please bless this as Florine plays something pretty in these attendance pass the plates. In Jesus name, we pray that you would have your will done in your way among the Zulu and close-up people of South Africa through Melissa.
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Amen. You can make the checkout to First Baptist for Melissa Landis. Sorry. Alright. Amen.
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Thank you. So, here we are. Romans eight and I knew that it was going be a long intro to this sermon today. So, as far as we can get, that's how far we're going, okay? I broke it up like a Kit Kat bar.
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We can break off a little bit or a little bit or a little bit. I've got about four or five pieces but we might get to two of em. So, here we go. Romans eight is awesome and last week, we covered the last part of chapter seven and the first part of chapter eight and I'm only going to go maybe as far as I went last week but with renewed vigor, if you have not read Romans chapter eight or if you have not kind of committed at least some of this to memory, please do. My goodness.
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I might print you up a section next week. I think when we close out Romans eight, we just have to recite it together. It's incredible and it will be encouraging for you as a believer to just live in this place. Romans eight. So, here we go.
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What a start. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you've been reading along with Romans from the beginning, we all deserve condemnation but for those who are in Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. In Christ Jesus because union with Christ is what it's all about, right? That has come up in Galatians.
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It's gonna come up throughout every one of the Pauline epistles. Union with Christ is what this life is all about. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus because union with Christ is what it's all about. Has set you free from the law. Now, if we analyze this and look at it, in Christ Jesus here in this version at least modifies life.
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Life in Christ Jesus and I love that and that's great. Spending your life in Christ Jesus is wonderful. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. But it also could modify this, grammatically possible and I think more likely, in Christ Jesus has set you free. In fact, I would arrange it this way.
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For the law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Amen. That Paul's, he's really good at this. So, last week, I shared an illustration right here about the law of the spirit of life and the law of sin and death and I used an illustration about gravity. I completely forgot the illustration in the second sermon and stood there scratching my head for the for a a good while.
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So, I put it on the slides this week. The law of gravity applies to every natural born creation and it is quite literally what holds us down, okay? There is another law and I mentioned it last week is the law of flight, the law of flight, which allows those beings that God has empowered to overcome the law of gravity, birds, flying things, insects, whatnot. God has a superior law, one that overcomes gravity. For those he has empowered to do so.
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Now, I'm going to go back right here. I don't know why. I could not get away from it this week. I do know why. This is not a Christian song necessarily but I look for truth wherever I can find it.
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This is truth from somebody. May I borrow your guitar?
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Yeah. On.
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Capo's on. Okay. I might look like a bear riding a bicycle with this. Sorry. It's not too bad.
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I put on Florine's guitar the other day, and it was like this.
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I shouldn't go, seeing who I shouldn't see, doing what I shouldn't do, and being who I shouldn't be. A little voice told me it's wrong. Another voice told me it's alright. I used to think that I was strong, but lately I just lost the fight. It's funny how falling feels like flying for a little while.
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It's funny how falling feels like flying for a little while.
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I got tired of being good, started missing that old feeling free,
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stopped acting like I thought I
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should, and just went on back to being me.
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I never meant to hurt no one.
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Had to have my way.
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If there's such a thing it's too much fun, this must be the price you pay. It's funny how falling feels like flying for a little while. It's funny how falling for a little while. Never see it coming till it's gone. It all happens for a reason even when it's wrong
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that's Romans eight twenty eight by the way especially when it's wrong anyway that's the song you get the idea It's truth from the other side of this. It's not from somebody who is confident and living the victorious Christian life. It's somebody who repeatedly is living in the end of Romans seven and not getting it and falling feels just like flying until you hit. For a little while, he says. The law of flight allows those beings that God has empowered to overcome the law of gravity.
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That's great for birds. It's great for insects and whatnot. For what the law could not do as weak as it was through the flesh, God did I don't know how you do this every Sunday, Carl. I got so nervous with that thing went around my neck. Maybe because I'm singing a country song in church.
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Pascal and I rode down to Salt Lake City the day before yesterday, and we rode back. And she said, listening to all those old sad country songs on my phone. She said, it looks like people listen to this just music and just figure it out. Drinking is not good for you. And I was trying to explain what the attraction was, and I don't wanna just ruin it for And she said, yeah, people should treat people better.
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She's right. She's a little theologian. For what the law could not do as weak as it was through the flesh, God did. Sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. So, we have this law of sin and death and it applies to every natural born person.
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It is universal in its scope but it's still powerless to remove sin and guilt. Now, psychology often tries to remove the feeling of guilt by saying, well, everybody's like that. You shouldn't feel that way. No, everybody's like that but you should feel that way. There's such a thing as actual guilt and the law only has the ability to point it out and Paul says that not just pointing it out, it actually makes you wanna do it even more since it doesn't have a a remedy for sin and guilt.
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It also cannot restore broken relationships. So, that's the law of sin and death. Praise God that the superior law is the law of the spirit of life. It allows believers. That's those who God has supernaturally gifted and equipped to overcome the law of sin and death.
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The Holy Spirit makes believers free as a bird and if I had the guitar, I'd start playing free bird but not really. The Holy Spirit makes believers free as a bird from the law of sin and death but why does he do that? He actually tells us why he does it in the text and this is what it says. God sent his son to condemn sin in the flesh and actually, it's our sin since Jesus didn't have any and his flesh since we can't die. A sacrificial death for anyone because we don't have the perfect life.
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So, God sent his son, Jesus, to condemn our sin in his flesh and he gives us the so that, the henna clause. I love it. So that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. The might there. It's underlined.
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We've been talking a lot lately. For those of you who have been here about the different moods of speech in English, the so that right there and the might. The might is subjunctive. It expresses the possibility. So that the righteous requirement of the law might.
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It's possible. It is contingent upon our will. It's contingent upon our volition. It's a continuous contingent upon our putting our faith there. So that the righteous requirement or the requirement, I keep saying righteous requirement because it's that's the root of the word.
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The righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. So, that begs this question. What is the righteous requirement of the law? Now, we know we have the 10 commandments. We know we have all of those other hedge laws that they built up around the 10 commandments to keep us from infractions of these 10.
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What is the righteous requirement of the law? Jesus, when asked, what was the greatest commandment? He summed it up. He gave two. Loving God the way that you should and loving people the way that you should.
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That's the righteous requirement of the law. If you disagree with me, look at this. These are the 10 commandments. The first four of these are about loving God. So that's no gods before me, not making any idols, not taking the Lord's name in vain and remembering the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
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That's all about loving God. Actually, that last one is also rest for yourself but it is about loving God. You serve him better when you take some rest. The next six, honor your father and mother, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, or bear false witness, lie, thou shalt not covet. Those are all about loving people.
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So, loving God and loving people and the motto of this church, if you hadn't heard it or read it, seen it in the bulletin is with all we are, loving God and loving people through Christ and the only way it's possible is through Christ. Amen. Paul is sure about that. If you're still uneasy about it, we'll get to it in Romans 13. Paul extends this to the Romans.
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Oh, nothing to anyone except to love one another. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, you shall not commit adultery or murder or steal or covet. If there's any other commandment, it's all summed up and saying, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor.
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Therefore, love is a fulfillment of the law. So, loving God and loving people is what it's all about. The only way to do it is union with Christ. So, that's what it's all about. So, that the requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.
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So, it's actually God using human agency. He uses us to extend his love to others. He uses word too but he uses us and when you show love to others that God has loved you first and we're able to love because of that. This walk right here, us, those of us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. This is an encouragement.
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It's a section of encouragement for Christians that you are in the spirit. If you don't believe that, it goes next in the text. Believer in Christ because of what Christ has done, it's now possible. Amen. For you to love God and love people as you should.
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You, are you agree in agreement with that? You're free from the law of sin and death. Like a bird flies. You are free from the law of sin and death and again, don't press analogy too far. They all break down.
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Proceed humbly though. Walk forward. Proceed humbly and depend on his spirit. So, that's the first. If we had to break it off right there, we'd break it off right there.
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We got six minutes left. Anyway, I'm going to go long. I'll just let you know right now. I'm going to sing another one and this one, this one is crazy. But it makes sense with the text and I couldn't get away from it.
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I got my mindset you.
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Do you know that song? So, it's George Harrison from 1987. I was 16 years old. It was actually James Ray in 1962. It was written by a believer.
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It was not about Harry Krishna, Harry Krishna. It was not about any eastern God that George might possibly have been singing it to. It was more of a love song. The point of the song is I've got my mind set on you. Let me read you the lyrics.
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Got my mind set on you. I got my mind set on you. Actually, Weird Al did a parody of this song. He said, this song has six words, I think, because it's so repetitive. So he says, I got my mind set on you.
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I got my mind set on you and then the next thing he says, but it's going to take money. On a Sunday when we did two offerings. This is uncomfortable. A whole lot of spending money. It's going to take plenty of money to do it right, child.
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Okay, and the next one, it's going to take time, a whole lot of precious time. It's going to take patience and time to do it, to do it, to do it, to do to do it, child? And this time I know it's for real, the feelings that I feel. I know if I put my mind to it, I know that I really can do it. Amen.
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George, if you're singing it in the right direction, amen. The next verses here, for those who are according to the flesh, set their minds on the things of the flesh but those who are according to the spirit set their minds on the things of the spirit. For the mind that is set on the flesh is death but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. Could a greater distinction ever be drawn? Death or life and peace?
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Because the mindset on the flesh is hostile towards God. I think of this. So, immediately, in Matthew 16, when Jesus says, who do people say that I am up above this? They said, well, some say Elijah and some say this and he said, but who do you say that I am? And Peter spoke up and he said, thou art the Christ, son of the living God.
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You are the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed one, the one we've been waiting on. So, he said that 10 verses higher than this maybe which is great. Oh, upon this rock, this confession, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it and then in verse 21, from that time, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem, suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised up on the third day. Now, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him saying, God forbid it, lord. This shall never happen to you but he turned to Peter and said, get behind me, Satan.
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You're a stumbling block to me for you are not setting your mind on God's interest but on man's. Now, from Peter's perspective, that seemed like the right thing. But he was not setting his mind. He was setting on his mind on the things he wanted and he did not want for Jesus to die. He didn't understand why we'd have to.
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But that begs this question. Can a Christian set their mind on the things of the flesh? Depending on how you're reading this passage, it can be a little discouraging because it says, well, a real Christian is going set his mind on the things of the spirit all the time. But the one who's mind is set on the flesh is death. That must mean I'm not a Christian.
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Can a Christian set their mind on the things of the flesh? What do you think? Why did Paul write Romans seven? Check this one out. This is Colossians.
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Now, in Romans right here, it says, it's just a statement. It's indicative. It's a statement about the mind that set on the flesh is death. The mind that set on the spirit is life and peace. He does not say flatly, set your mind in any particular way.
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It's just an indicative right there but I want you to see this. Colossians three one through three. Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, believer, keep on seeking the things that are above. Set your mind on things above. Where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
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Who's interceding for you by the way? Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are of the earth, fleshly things. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ and God. Now, that set your mind is an imperative verb and I spelled it right this week. It was a typo last week.
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Sorry. Imperative verb. Set your mind on the things above. So, point number two of this cat cat bar is set your mind on the things of the spirit. Be resolute.
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Make a decision. Now I've been saying yield, yield, yield, yield, yield for the past three weeks. And now I'm saying set your mind. It's an active, but it's about your mind. It's about your mindset.
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Set your mind. Present yourself as for orders of military service. Set your mind that you are gonna do what is commanded. I remember Don preaching a sermon when I was here as an intern that second summer and he said, you can say, yes, lord, when you get direction from God but you cannot say no, lord. I think it's Robertson Quilkin's quote too.
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You can say, yes, lord because he's your lord or you can say no but you can't say no lord because you say yes to your lord. You got that. Set your mind on the things of the spirit. Seven and eight again, because the mindset on the flesh is hostile towards God for it does not subject itself to the law of God for it's not even able to do so and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Oh, that's harsh.
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Those who are in the flesh cannot please God but without faith, it's impossible to please God. However, you are not in the flesh, Christians, but in the spirit, if anyone in this indeed, if in indeed the spirit of God dwells in you, but if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. This is pointing out that there are no varsity and junior varsity Christians that every Christian has the spirit dwelling within them. Now, we do experience times in our life when there's a greater sense of his presence and there's a greater power available, I think but I think that comes through yielding. It comes through setting our minds on the things above because if you don't have the spirit of Christ, you don't belong to him.
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If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. Union with Christ is what it's all about. From there, we are actually able now. We can harvest as Don said, we can harvest because it's possible for us to please God if we're living in his spirit. And no greater distinction can be drawn between death and life except for eternal death and eternal life, and that's what this is speaking of.
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If the spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you. Amen. I had somebody text me yesterday and said, I feel like I'm struggling back into that Romans seven part where I'm going, ugh, ugh, ugh and this is the slide that was on my screen actually the day before yesterday. This is a slide that was on my screen and I said, hey, if the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, I sound really smart as long as I quote this. If the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he also will give life.
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Ever before you have a choice, right, wrong, good old gospel way, or straying from that either direction. Legalistic or license. You have the choice. He who raised Jesus from the dead is living within you to let you see what that is. First of all, and then to give you the power in your mortal body to be able to walk away from that temptation.
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The same power that rose Jesus from the grave, we sang a minute ago, same power that commands the dead to wake. Think about that. Lives in us, lives in us, Christians. The same power that moves mountains when he speaks. The same power that can calm a raging sea lives in us, lives in us.
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He lives in us. Are you to tell me that he can raise Jesus from the dead? And he can't help you walk away from your temptation? So so then, brethren, we're under obligation not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh, and I'll just put a few of them up there. Living according to the flesh is being arrogant, To be selfish, to be stingy, to be caustic, or toxic, or ugly to others.
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Don't be ugly. That's what my mama used to say all the time. To lie, to cheat, to steal, to hate, to fear, to lust, to drink more than we should, or to eat more than we should. For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die. But if you're living by the spirit, you're putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
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For all who are being led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God. He's saying that if you believe in Jesus, his spirit is within you. Now, it is a still small voice. The little song I sang at the beginning said, what a little voice told me it's all wrong. Another voice told me it's alright.
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The still small voice of God is gonna say to you, what is wrong? Listen to that one. The voice is easier to recognize when you say yes to it. Does that make sense? Now, the other voices are harder to recognize as being bad.
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Do you understand that? Funny how falling feels like flying for a little while? Go ahead. Big deal. Two beers.
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Who cares? Except that you can't just drink two beers for you, maybe. Or go ahead. Who cares? Gluten, schmooten.
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Just have the bread. That's my case. Good thing I live in Jackson where people don't laugh at people who have to have gluten free stuff. Except for y'all who are laughing. For all who are being led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God.
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Now, that was the last little piece but to get to our last song, Carl, I want to read this rather quickly. 15 to 18. For you have not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear. Again, we all know what it's like to be enslaved to something. Whatever it is, I just listed a few of em in the deeds of the flesh.
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We all know what our struggle is. You've not received the spirit of slavery leading to fear again. But you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we can cry out, Abba, father. Have you ever sat next to somebody on a plane that was speaking Hebrew as their normal matter course? That's just what they do because they are from Israel or somewhere.
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I can't believe how often you can hear the Abba, Abba, Abba, Abba, Abba. It's like hearing daddy in the South. My phone says daddy for my daddy. This is indeclinable in the Greek. You can't change this one.
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It doesn't have to be changed. Daddy is daddy. It is a sweet, sweet term of endearment for your father. And that's the spirit that we have received that he has adopted us as sons and daughters and we can cry out Abba, Abba, father. The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and if we're children, then we are heirs also.
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Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. He's not saying it's going to be easy. He's not saying that doing the right thing is gonna be easy. He is saying that it is gonna be worth it. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be in the future revealed to us.
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That actually echoes something we went through in second Corinthians and I'll end on this note. The band wants to come on back up. For our light affliction, sometimes it doesn't feel light. For our light affliction which is but for a moment is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. When you put them on the scales, what you're going through is not nearly so difficult as heaven is great.
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Does that make sense? Alright. So I think we're gonna sing No Longer Slaves right here. Would you stand with us as we close out this?
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Fears are drowned in perfect love. And you rescue me, and I will stand and sing. A child of God, you split the seas. Let's sing that together. And you split the seas so I could walk right through it.
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My fears are drowned in perfect love.
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Now, may the God of peace who brought again from the dead, our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good, that you may do his will. Working in us that which is pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Amen.
