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Up here. Would you join with us in singing? We're going to stand and sing a couple of hymns and then we'll give you a chance to sit back down and do a few announcements but stand with us and we're going to sing, I think it's wonderful grace of Jesus.
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Great way to open up this morning. Worshiping together, lifting the name of Jesus.
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Some great songs this morning.
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Whatever comes up on that wall, alright? It's hymn number three thirty eight. If you want to get the blue hymnal out of the chair in front of you, you can sing your part. This has got a lot of good parts in it. It's a wonderful grace of Jesus.
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Great to see you all this morning. That's now hold on a minute. They're they're going to get caught up with us on the screen. If we don't give him a half a second, we'll all be mumbling this one.
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Alright, there we are. Here we go. Thanks, fellas.
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Praising his name together. Amen. Here we go. Get some enthusiasm.
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Thankful grace of Jesus greater than all my sin how shall my tongue describe it where shall his praise begin taking away my burden setting my spirit free for the wonderful grace of Jesus recharge me wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus deeper than the mighty rolling sea higher than the mountains sparkling like a fountain all sufficient grace for even me broader than the scope of my transgressions greater far than all my sin and shame Oh, magnify the precious name of Jesus. Praise his name. Tiptoes. Wonderful the grace of Jesus. Reaching to all the lost by it I've have been pardoned say to the uttermost chains have been torn asunder giving me liberty oh wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus deeper
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than
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the mighty rolling sea higher than the mountains sparkling like a fountain all sufficient grace for even me broader than the scope of my transgressions greater far than all my sin and shame oh magnify the precious name of Jesus praise his name wonderful grace of Jesus reaching the most defiled by its transforming power making him God's dear child purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity for the wonderful grace of Jesus retest me here we go Wonderful, the matchless grace of Jesus. Deeper than the mighty rolling sea. Higher than the mountains sparkling like a fountain, all sufficient grace for even me. Broader than the scope of my transgressions greater far than all my sin and shame oh magnify the precious name of Jesus Praise his name. Amen.
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Okay.
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A little falsetto cheating there.
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Amen. I can't even cheat that high. Amen.
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Great song, Noah.
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03/29.
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This kinda gets the gears turning. Power in
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the blood.
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Power in the blood. Here we go.
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Would you be free from your burden of sin there's power in the blood power in the blood would you or evil a victory win there's wonderful power in the blood here we go there is power power wonder working power in the blood of the lamb There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb. Would you be free from your passion and pride? There's power in the blood, Power in the blood. Come for a cleansing to Calvary's tide. There's wonderful power in the blood.
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Here we go. There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb. Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow? There's power in the blood, power in the blood.
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Sin stains are lost in its life giving flow. There's wonderful power in the blood there is power power wonder working power in the blood of the lamb there is power power wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb. Would you do service for Jesus, your king? There's power in the blood, power in the blood would you live daily his praises to sing there's wonderful power in the blood be filled there is power power, wonder working power in the blood of the lamb. Lamb.
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There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious lamb
6:46
Y'all can have a seat. We've got a few announcements this morning. Always a few. Old bills, charity fun run, the event itself happened yesterday and if y'all were not there, y'all were the only ones in town weren't there. It was a huge, huge deal.
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Lot of people are wearing ice, bluish, green shirts, long sleeve ones this year that ran in this event. There were a lot of folks. They raised lots and lots of money for different charities but they're still raising it. So, you can still give to First B's Benevolence Program or Turning Point Pregnancy Resource Center or the Good Samaritan Mission or many of the other 300 nonprofits in town. If you wanna support them, you can still give up through the sixteenth of this month through the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and it'll amplify your giving.
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So, it's a great event. It's good to get everybody together. It's good to see folks out. That's always fun. I have a thirty second little video.
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We need volunteers for the nursery and the children's church. Look at these faces, people. These are the kiddos of First B. We need volunteers for the nursery and for Peak Children's Church. So, really it's just thirty seconds but we're going have this looping during the whole sermon today.
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I'm going to stand right here upfront. No. There's actually a table in the back. If you'd like to sign up and help with the nursery, it is a fun time. Ask the people who do it.
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They love it but we need to spread that joy out some. So, Bailey's in the back. Would you wave, Bailey? That's Bailey Morley and she is going to be back there and she'll tell you what you need to know about the nursery part of it and Krista Clemmer is in charge of children's church which starts next week. So, that starts during the 09:00 service.
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We have children's church downstairs. We call it Peak Children's Ministry. So, there we go. Fall afresh. This is on Wednesday morning this week, September 14 from ten to 11:30.
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Deborah Buckingham is going to be teaching Alyssa Hunter will be leading worship and there will be childcare provided. It is right here at this church, this time, and it is the launching point for a lot of different women's ministry, small groups that are happening that start. Actually, there are couple of them that are happening on Monday and Tuesday this week before the kickoff. So, they are gonna be kicking it off here though with hopefully folks from every church in town. It's a community wide women's Bible study starting 10:00 on Wednesday morning.
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Discover creation. Did you take your mic with you there, Scott? I'm gonna hand that off to Dave Nutting. Last night, we had a gathering here and Dave and Mary Joe presenting presented on creation. I'll just let him say a minute's worth of what he wants to say about coming tonight.
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Okay.
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You come tonight, Very much recommended. First of all, there's an ice cream social that starts it off, you know. Hey, we didn't announce that in the first service. Yeah. So you're gonna have to call everybody.
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We'll email social. And then we're gonna talk on the creation versus evolution controversy. The number one reason that young people give for rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ is evolution. I don't know if you know that. And as Mary Jo and I speak all over the country, we speak at universities.
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We find out the number one reason that young people say they left the church is because of evolution. So this is an important issue. And so you need to get your grandkids there, your kids there, your friends. If you don't have any kids, go on the streets, borrow a few. There's a lot of them out there.
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Okay? But we're gonna be talking about the fossil record as the best evidence for evolution, and we're gonna show you that that's not true. It supports creation instead of evolution. And then people are going to tell you, you are crazy if you believe Genesis six through eight that there really was a flood. We're going to I'll be giving you some of the best evidence you've ever seen for geologically and archaeologically that there really was a flood.
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That's tonight starting at 06:15. Fifteen.
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Okay. Very good. Thank you. We have, I think, one more. So Monday night, Awana is happening tomorrow night.
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It starts September 12. That's tomorrow 06:00. You'll be here 05:45. That'd be nice to get em all kinda registered and get em ready to start back up. Scripture memorization, getting the scripture into their head so that it can get to their hearts is the name of the game and kids do matter to God and they matter to first beat and the reason we need volunteers is because this is a part of ministry that has really grown.
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We're trying to ride the wave that God is giving us with kids around here. So, that starts tomorrow at 06:00 in the evening. I can go ahead with this one in the service. Middle school, youth group is starting back up on the fifteenth. That's this Thursday at 06:30 in the evening.
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Renzi prepares breakfast. He's he cooks from scratch, people. For high schoolers, the only time that these kids are not over programmed is breakfast. And so that's when he presents for high schoolers breakfast at 07:45. He's giving you fifteen extra minutes to sleep in.
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But 07:45, Friday mornings, it's a blessing before the weekend and that is I love that, Renzy. That's one of my favorite things. The leftovers are great too but Young Life is also starting up at in this community. It's a community wide Young Life Club is starting on Monday, also tomorrow night, September 12, starts at 07:47PM and that's club. So, this has been a long time coming.
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It's kind of a reboot of young life in this area. It is basically for unchurched kids but there are lot of church kids that are involved. If you wanna know more about that, you can talk to Renzy or Bailey Morley or Kyler Ariola or a few other folks that are involved. Monday nights is happening as almost every week. Monday nights at first B, meal music, and a message on Monday nights at six and Carl is preaching that.
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Carl is in Luke right now and for everything else and there are other things but announcements just get ridiculous this time of year because all the programs are starting up. They are in your bulletin. So, if you don't have a bulletin, grab one on your way out. Put it on your refrigerator. Keep it close to your heart and that'll be good for you.
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Would you stand up and greet one another and we'll bring you back together with more peppy songs.
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Years I spend in vanity and pride caring not my lord was crucified knowing not it was for me he died at Calvary 492 mercy there was great and grace was free pardon there was multiplied to me there my burdened soul found liberty at Calvary
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God's word at last my sin I learned then I trembled at the law I spurned till my guilty soul in boring turned to Calvary
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mercy there was great and grace was free hard and there was multiplied to me bear my burden soul found liberty at
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Now, I've given to Jesus everything. Now, I gladly own him as my king. Now, my rapture soul can only sing of Mercy there was great and grace rose free. Pardon there was multiplied
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to me. There my burden soul found liberty
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at Calvary. Oh, the love that drew salvation's plan. Oh, the grace that brought it down to man. Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free.
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Pardon there was multiplied to me there my burdens all found liberty at
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I'm gonna get after our preacher. He's got his hand in his pocket. I found grace at Calvary. Listen, we are rejoicing that concept. This is this is wonderful, ain't
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it? It is.
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He's he's big enough to just fling me right off this stage
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up here. Alright. Come on.
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We're singing with a joy in our heart. This disgrace we found is is joyful. There you go.
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Amen. Here we go. I love this song. God forgave my sin in Jesus name. I've been born again in Jesus' name.
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And in Jesus' name, I come to you to share his love as he told me to. He said freely freely you have received freely freely give go in my name and because you believe others will know that I live what a great song All power is given in Jesus name and in and in Jesus Jesus name name I come to you to share his power as he told me to he said freely freely you have received freely freely in my name and because you believe others will know that I
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Amen.
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Thank you. Y'all can have a seat. I'm going to invite the frontline team forward though. And would you pray with me? We're going to take up offering right now and I just want to pray.
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God, thank you for all that you have given freely, freely, freely. We have received and lord, freely, freely, we wanna give to other people and we wanna give back to your church, to your ongoing kingdom, to the advance of the gospel, Lord. We trust you. We put in these plates, trusting that you will multiply and extend your kingdom, that you will, Jesus, build your church. So, God, would you keep us cognizant of your mission?
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Keep us cognizant of those who are suffering. Keep us cognizant of those who lack. And lord, would you strengthen and provide so that we may help them and bring them your good gospel? Would you do that this morning? In Jesus name, Lord, accept these offerings.
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Amen. Thank you, Judy. That, the lady who wrote that song was Laura's story. She went to the same seminary I went to, and we got to be friends with her while we were there. And it's a great story.
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I don't have time to tell today, but at some point, we will. One of our greatest disappointments are God's mercies in disguise. Blessings. So, here we are. We're going through scripture.
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We've been going through since I've been here for four years. We've been going through this in a chronological fashion. First, we looked at the life of Jesus and John which was a book written later but looked at the life of Jesus and John. We looked at Acts, the life of the early church and since then, we've been going chronologically in order that the epistles were written and so we've covered a lot of things and up to Romans twelve ten is where we got last week. I'm gonna lap back around and pick up nine and ten again and if you look at this in your Bible, you're gonna see imperatives in abundance.
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That is the command form verbs. You're going to see em in abundance. You'll see what I'm talking about in a minute. Actually, I'm not just an English nerd. I was also on the math team in high school and I love graphs too.
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So, graphing things, I I did not do these graphs but I did check his work. These are the imperative verbs in Romans. So, this is a graph of it and this is starting from zero chapter one, chapter two, chapter three, all the way up, chapter 16 and you see that it's weighted with the imperatives toward the end of the book. So, the indicatives are the first part. This is true.
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This is true. This is true and he keeps saying that these things are true. He indicates what is the mode of certainty all the way up through here. He gives a few imperatives along the way. After he gets to having shared this message, basic message that all of us are deserving of death, hell, and the grave.
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All of us are deserving of a righteous condemnation. He then says, but God has provided a way for you to experience his mercy and not get what you deserve. It's called justification by faith in chapter four and he states all these things as facts and then when he gets to chapter six, he says, he's already told us the truth for six straight chapters. Then, he says, reckon this as true. Know this.
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Reckon this is true. Believe it and then he says, and yield to righteousness. So, those are the two main commands that you see graphed right there. Up into eight, there's a a seven and eight have a couple of others but you see that it's weighted at chapter 10. It starts ramping up.
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13 will be the height of it but you see that there are a whole lot of imperatives toward the end of the book. Well, he's already told you what it is that you're supposed to believe. Do you remember my saying over and over that doing follows being and not the other way around. What you believe is what you are and then you do out of who you are. Does that make sense?
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So, this is what Paul is presenting. He's not ashamed of the gospel. It's the power unto salvation for all who believe and if you believe it, these things do, right? Alright. So, is Paul, does he do this?
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This is just a question for y'all Bible scholars. Does he do this the same way with that kind of pattern in all of his books? If you look around the New Testament, you graphed it like this guy did. You see in first Thessalonians which we've already covered. There are no imperatives in the first part of first Thessalonians.
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In fact, there weren't a whole lot of sin in that church that Paul knew about. There weren't a lot of problems that he knew about and so, he was writing a very encouraging letter but towards the end, he started giving some imperatives. These are commands. These are things to do. So, things keep on going well with you and the Lord.
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This is second Thessalonians. He started a little earlier because they answered his letter and he heard some things that were coming back and there were some things that needed to be done. So, he gives some imperatives starting just before chapter two and towards the end, it ramps up. This is Galatians. Galatians, he starts off pretty hot.
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Oh, foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you? So, he starts commanding a little early in Galatians but he keeps going towards the end. It gets to be more. Imperative verbs in Titus, even personal letters. He encourages and he gets more and more into the imperatives as he goes.
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First Timothy, same way. Second Timothy, same way. Ephesians, remember the height of five twenty one secondtion on mutual submission? It's right there. Philippians, towards the end, heavily weighted, right?
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Colossians, this is James. James, we call the gospel and work clothes because he starts saying, do this and do that in the very first chapter. It doesn't sound as much like Paul because he hasn't give the given the basis. James is saying, no. Do this.
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Live it out. Live it out. If you believe it, live it out. That's revelation by the way. Don't look anything like Paul.
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I'm glad that we're keeping the last things for the last thing. That'll be the last one of the New Testament books I get to and I praise God for that. If you're wondering why I didn't use first Corinthians, second Corinthians, look at this. It spikes all over the place and the reason is first Corinthians and second Corinthians are written to specific problems that he was addressing that had been sent to him in a list and so when he says, there's a problem in the church with sexual whatever, that's that right there. He gives a lot of commands right there.
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When there's another problem in the church, he gives a lot of commands and there's another one. You see that? Second Corinthians is the same way. Just if you're wondering, a normal pattern for a letter to a church would be indicative first. This is the basis upon what you believe that will determine what you are and then what you do comes after that and so he keeps it in that order.
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So, twelve nine, here we go with the scripture for the day. I'm taking this from the NIV. You have few Bibles if you wanna look em up. I didn't look up the page number. Sorry but Romans twelve nine starts off and says, love must be sincere.
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Great statement of fact right there. Love must be sincere. Amen. A lot of commentators. In fact, I read it in three different commentators and I heard a guy say this one time that this is the title of this section, Love Must Be Sincere and everything that follows kind of falls under that heading.
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You know, in the Greek text, they didn't have title sections. It was just kinda written all crammed together, no spaces between the words and saving paper. They didn't do title sections, but this, hey, a copy. I know Pocritus is love without hypocrisy. Love without hypocrisy.
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Actually, I'll say right here, the love right there is a noun. Okay? Love without hypocrisy sounds like a command in English. Right? Love without hypocrisy.
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That's why they say it's the title of this section and I agree with them. I think that's true. Hate what is evil. Direct command, right? Hate what is evil.
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Now, when I looked at this this week, building up from last week, September 4 to September 11 and I look at and see the word evil, there's one thing that I was thinking about. It was 09:11 and I didn't put any pictures on the slides. I didn't put anything to to bring that up because I think a lot of us remember exactly where we were. We know exactly what we're doing and we grappled with how could such evil happen or exist or be present in our world? What is up?
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What's going on? Hate, what is evil? It's a direct command. You hate what is evil in English. Pling or cleave to what is good.
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So, you see what I mean about the imperatives here? In English so far, we've got a one heading for this section and in half a verse, we have two direct commands. If you go on, be devoted to one another in love. It's a direct command. Be devoted to one another in love in English.
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Honor one another above yourselves. All these are great. Great ideas and they are direct commands and until 10:19 on Wednesday morning, I thought, this is the easiest sermon I've ever had to preach. I usually don't finish the sermon till Friday or Saturday morning and I don't usually finish the slides until sometime in the afternoon on Saturday. I try to put it into linear progression for y'all.
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I don't think in a linear fashion. As I'm sure most of y'all know. But I I want to get the slides in an order where you can understand them and I feel like my job as the proclaimer of what God has said is to study, study, study, study, study, study, keep on studying until I feel like I've grasped it and then present it in a way that it can be very easily understood and with this passage, it is not hard to understand. Not at all. So, on Wednesday morning at 10:19, I was finished with the sermon because it's not hard to understand.
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Now, it is hard to do. It is impossible to do just in your humanness. Look at this again. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil.
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Cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Easy to understand. It's hard to do though. Honor one another above yourselves.
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My one of my professors in seminary was Don Howell. He actually served in Japan for like seventeen years as a missionary and he kinda taken on the manner of the Japanese people. He's one of the most soft spoken people I've ever met. He would bow. He lived in the northern part of Japan that's mountainous and snowy like this.
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And he says, a wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides a secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others. If you're gonna honor one another above yourselves, it's probably gonna bring you down. Right? You're gonna have to think of yourself like this, a wise and proper estimation of oneself. As the Holy Spirit convicts, you see that, but for the grace of God, I would be just as bad off as anybody else.
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Do you agree? Are you with me? Alright. A wise and proper estimation of oneself is what provides a secure basis for a generous and loving appraisal of others. I like that.
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Back to the scripture, never be lacking in zeal, direct command. Keep your spiritual fervor, direct command. Serving the Lord, explaining that. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Three, boom, boom, boom.
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Do this. Do this. Do this. Praise God. Share with the Lord's people who are in need Amen.
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We should be doing that. It's a direct command in English. Practice hospitality. You know that you have a greater opportunity to practice hospitality than most any other church I've ever been in. There are tons of people who want to be here.
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There are tons of people who want to be here, get here, and then get stuck here. You can still practice hospitality with those folks too. Share with the Lord's people who are in need, practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
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Rejoice with those who rejoice, mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Is that hard to understand? Is it hard to do? You ever lived with anybody before?
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Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceded. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone because everyone's watching.
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If it's possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Command, command, right? Do not repay. Be careful to do what's right. Live at peace with everyone.
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Do not take revenge command. My dear friends, but leave room command for God's wrath. For it is written, it's mine to avenge, I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink.
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In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. So I presented in the first service and I'll have to say that I was not rebuked, but I was advised before the second and I'll give you this other option. The second portion down here is a a statement that Paul picks up in the quotations you see. It's gonna be from the Old Testament. It's in Psalms and it's one other place in the Old Testament.
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If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he's thirsty, give him something to drink and in so doing or in doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Now, I think that that kinda goes against the passage. If we love somebody and we really love em, we don't wanna heap coals on their head, right? So, I think a kind response to opposition and antagonism is what God is obviously directing us towards by all of these commands.
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He's obviously saying that that's what love is, is to not respond in kind, but leave revenge up to him. And so in so doing, you'll heap burning coals on his head. I think of this. Romans two four, do you think lightly of the riches of his kindness and his tolerance and his patience? Christian, do you think lightly of what God has done for you?
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Do you think he deserved it? Do you think lightly of God's riches, of his kindness, his tolerance, and his patience? Not knowing that is the kindness of God that leads you to repentance. Where you are enemies of God when you see his kindness, his mercy, his grace, his love. That the kindness of God is what leads to repentance and if you can respond as God does, If your enemy is hungry, feed him.
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If he's thirsty, give him something to drink. If you can do that, then either he'll get saved or there will be a greater judgment for having heard and rejecting. Do you understand that? That's why I I have taken this. Now, I've heard two times immediately and one other time in the connect hour that in the old testament, they used to have the way of sending someone out of your house if they had been visiting with you is to the gracious thing to do in winter time was to take coals from your fireplace, put em in a pot, and have them go in their head back to their house so they have the fire already started when they get there.
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Okay. Maybe. I don't I don't really know. To me, it sounds like, don't let it be your problem that they reject God and the gospel because of the way you live your life. I respect what brother Dave said about the number one reason that kids say that they leave.
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One of the main reasons that adults say that they have left the church is because Christians don't act like Christ. So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him. Be thirsty, give him something to drink and doing this, you'll heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Now, when I got to that point on Wednesday morning at 10:19, I said, I'm finished with the sermon.
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This has never happened before. This is incredibly easy to understand. It's hard to do. How am I going to package this? But then, I thought, actually, I went and did pastoral stuff for a couple of days because I was finished with the sermon and it was nagging at me to go back and I usually check the Greek first, you know, all that sort of stuff.
40:31
I've been reading NIV and it's all commands and I've seen that graph and I knew that was command spiked up right there but I went back to it and I started looking for some of those commands and they weren't direct imperative verbs. They were not commands. It was a picture of what looks, what love looks like. In fact, Romans twelve nine through 13 especially look more like first Corinthians 13, the love chapter, love is patient, love is kind. It's a picture of what love is then it did a direct command.
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Now, as Americans and individualist and those who are pretty competitive, we like to have a list of things to do. It helps to have a list of things to do and those are a list and they're good and if you're a Christian, I want you to do em. If you're not a Christian, you will not accomplish that list. If you are a Christian, you will fail sometimes with that list. By the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, you can do this.
41:27
You can have victory in Christ in this area. I actually went back and I I looked at lots of different translations and things and wondered why it's always commands. So, they are fine to think of as commands but I want you to listen as we work our way towards communion and feel our grounding for this whole passage. It is by the mercies of God, right? And by the grace that's given me, Paul says.
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So, mercy and grace is our is our foundation. I went back and wanted to look at this as as closely as I can to to what it says, the way that it says it. If you look back through all of these, actually, let me flip back to the beginning. If you look back through these, you don't see any green. You know how I highlight things in green?
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You don't see anything on there. I decided this week I'd highlight the commands and I wouldn't highlight the other stuff, not because anything else is more important. I just wanted you to see this. So nothing on that one. Nothing on that one.
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That one. That one. That one. And we get to there and it says, bless. That's a direct command.
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Bless. Bless and do not curse. Direct command. Do not be conceded. Direct command.
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Nothing on that one. Leave room for God's wrath. Feed him. Give him something to drink and as I am considering the way this starts off with evil that it really is possible to hate the evil and love the person who's committed this evil. It really is possible to hate the sin and love the sinner.
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There's a lot of voices. There are a lot of voices in our day that are saying that's not possible. In order to love, you must accept everything. That's not true. You can hate the evil but love the soul that was created in the image of God bears his image.
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So, Do not be overcome. Direct command but overcome evil with good. So, the commands you see are not as many but there's a lot of stuff around them and I think that this it's not a subtle hint. It's a it points to what Paul has been arguing throughout this section by the mercies of God and in line with his Holy Spirit, he will and does communicate with us. I want you to hear this and just take it, for what it says.
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The love that is without hypocrisy is people abhorring evil. It is people clinging to good. In the face of horrible evil, in the face of horrible disappointment, it is people abhorring evil and clinging to the good, recognizing that God's mercy is still greater than whatever that evil is. Being devoted to one another with thee, brotherly love. That brotherly love that's only available in Christ.
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It is people esteeming one another in honor. It's people not lagging in diligence. It's people being fervent in spirit and serving the Lord. It's a picture of what love without hypocrisy looks like. It is people rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, and being constant in prayer.
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It's people contributing to the needs of the saints and people practicing hospitality. And then we get to the commands. Be blessing those who are persecuting y'all, okay? If y'all, plural, second person plural, y'all be blessing actively, continually, habitually. It's the manner of your life that you are practicing always being a blessing and be blessing those who are persecuting y'all.
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Can you, do you have a list of the people who are persecuting y'all? A big list like worldwide, I'm sure you do, especially on 09:11. I'm sure you do. Be blessing and not cursing. Yourselves.
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That's a middle middle verb like we've got You could translate this two ways. Be blessing and not cursing yourself or not yourself cursing, okay? I love this. I love seeing this and going, wow. If all I do is decry and oppose and repay evil for evil and do exactly at as they have done to me.
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When I curse them, I am cursing myself. Be blessing and do not be cursing yourselves or do not yourselves be cursing. To rejoice with the ones who are rejoicing and to weep with the ones who are weeping is being of the same mind towards one another. When you are weeping, do you want somebody coming along saying, hey, everything's going to be alright. It's wonderful.
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Things are looking up. Jesus loves you. If you are at a wedding and you are very very happy and it's a joyous occasion Do you want for somebody, Debbie Downer, to come in and say, well, I hope it works out. Didn't really go so well for me. I'll pray that it'll be better for you.
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To rejoice with the ones who are rejoicing. It's okay to have fun. When somebody is having a rejoiceful time, a joyful time. And to weep with the ones who are weeping. I I I have a great book in the study in there that's called Don't Sing Songs to a Heavy Heart.
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If somebody's in the hospital, they don't always need to know everything's gonna be okay. Maybe sometimes. Usually, what they need to know is that you're there and that you love them and that you're praying for them, That you recognize that they're calling out to God in a time of need, and you can remind them that he is present. Sure. And that you're present.
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With your presence, you're reminded of that. But that is being of the same mind towards one another. It's not being hardy minded, but willingly going along with the lowly ones. The ones who are struggling. The ones who are struggling maybe financially, maybe spiritually, being willing to go along with those.
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We even with those Debbie Downers. It's it's being willing to go along with the lowly ones. Direct command here. Do not be being wise in yourselves. Don't be so proud of yourself.
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Don't be being wise in yourselves. Repaying evil for evil. As if you can see what evil is. As if you know better than God, as if you know better. You may not see the evil in your own heart.
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Do not be being wise in yourself. We all have blinders, repaying evil for evil, but y'all prepare ahead of time to be providing good things before all men. Prepare ahead of time to be able to be providing good things, not just financial, not just spiritual, whatever. Be preparing ahead of time. The providing is actually the verb that's most often associated that, but it's providing by being ready to.
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Okay, that's what that's saying. If possible, so far as it depends on all of y'all, living in peace with all men. If possible, it's not always possible to live in peace with all men because they won't let it happen sometimes but don't let it be on you. That is what he's saying. If you're blessing and not cursing and you're not returning fire, then, so far it depends on you, you can be living at peace with all men.
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Never avenging yourselves, beloved. But give place for God's wrath. For it has been written, vengeance is mine, says the Lord and I will repay. In Mexico, it's a it's a the there's a great little saying and it's called it's Dios Recompensara. Dios Recompensara.
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You you hear it a lot. The way since we were missionaries down there, the way that I normally heard it was when I was helping somebody doing whatever at the deaf school or wherever we were, helping somebody with a car broken down, give him a ride, whatever. That's oh, what
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are you doing down here?
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You big boy guy. Why are you here? And I would say, well, you know, I'm down here, Bill School for the Deaf. I feel like God has kinda motivated us to do something about this situation and we're doing what we can. Wow.
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That's cool. God will repay. Well, thank you. That's a blessing. The other way you hear it and more often is when somebody cuts you off in traffic.
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And you go, oh, deal is recompenser. Under your breath, God will repay. I'm not going to chase you down with road rage and pull out my gun. You know, no. Deals recompenser.
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God will repay, right? Is that right back there in the back? See. Leave it up to the Lord to do the repayment though. You don't expect anything for a kindness given and you don't expect or they should not expect from you retaliation for what they do.
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That's hard. I wanna back up for just a second and say, doctor Larson, one of my professors at CIU, the fellow that we had lunch with the first time we went there, lived in Pakistan. For twenty years, he lived in the same village in Pakistan. And he had been going along and getting to know people and learning language and understanding more and more as they went, but had not had a very incredibly fruitful ministry during the first part of being there. Someone broke into their house.
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I've had this story. It's two or three different professors actually. And I think that that says something too. He had people break into the house while they were there, start to steal stuff, were surprised that they were there, then beat them up within an inch of his life. And then broke a bunch of stuff getting in, broke a bunch of stuff getting out, got away, and the police found them.
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They found them. They found them trying to sell some of their stuff, and they were gonna throw the book at them and do all that they could do. And in Pakistan, there's some severe punishments for sort of that sort of thing. And so they contacted my professor and he said, we're not gonna we're gonna let God do what he will do in the situation. We're not going to pursue after them now.
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The government has a right to do whatever they need to do in prosecution but as a Christian, he said, we're going to follow the manner and take it as a slap on the cheek and offer the other. We're not going to prosecute them and after that, everyone is watching like I said a minute ago. Everyone is watching what they do. What people know of the church, they they believe whatever they've been fed, you know? But when they see what people do, if it's in line with what Christ has taught, it makes a huge difference.
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There's something about grace. There's something about mercy that is very very attractive because we all need it and so, when he did not pursue, then the community around them said, this guy is serious. He's for real. And they started to be more inquisitive and they're the latter half of that ministry looked like one of those graphs up there where it just towards the end of their ministry was really, really fruitful. They ended up getting thrown out of the country because it was so fruitful.
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So, vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay. So, on the contrary, if your enemy should hunger, hunger, you feed him. It's a it's an individual thing. It's not saying that, well, whatever. No.
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Go out of your way. You feed him. If your enemy should hunger and you know about it, you feed him. I don't know if y'all know we work a lot with a lot of missionaries that are church resource ministries and reaching unreached nations and different stuff and a lot of what they do for the people that you thought of when I said, who is it that's persecuting us? A lot of what they do is feed people and give drink to people.
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They give em the gospel too But the people that are deluded by the evil still deserve to be loved. They're loved by God and as God's people, we should love. If he should thirst, you give drink to him. For in doing this, you will heap coals of fire upon its head. Do not yourselves be overcome by evil.
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So, that's a middle verb too. Do not yourselves be overcome or you might look at it this way. Do not be, do not overcome yourselves with evil. Do not overcome yourselves with evil because it's possible. We all have this walking around man.
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We all have the old nature and it is easy to slip back into that. It's especially easy when you're being fired at, when you're being fired on. It's very hard to hold on to a Christian mindset but by the spirit you can. Do not yourselves be overcome by evil or do not overcome yourselves by evil but be overcoming the evil with the good. Amen.
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The goodness of the gospel. That mercy and grace is available. That Jesus has died for sins and there are not any sins that are outside of the scope of that for the willing believer. For someone who is persistent rejecting the knowledge of God, yeah, there's judgement to come but the way you react to them is the greatest chance that they will have to come in close to the kingdom of God. I think that's the last slide.
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We're working towards communion and so, when I went back and listed those not quite as commands, they are, they can take durative forces commands. By all means, keep em in mind and try your best to be doing that but do it knowing that the spirit of God is the one that is controlling that. You cannot do it on your own. You must yield. Know that it's true.
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The gospel is true and yield to the righteousness that God would do. You do have a part in your sanctification. It is yielding to God's instruction. So, I think that's the last one and I'm gonna invite the frontline team to come forward and Judy to come play. We'll go into a time of the Lord's supper right now.
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And as I come forward, I'm just gonna pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for your broken body, for the life that you lived, sinless. Life that you lived. I thank you that you had to your account and to your record a perfect life that could be given in another person's place. I thank you lord for your blood that was given as a ransom for many, for whosoever would believe.
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I thank you that that's an open question here before us today. And if, Lord, someone has seen in you that which is good and they see in themselves that which is evil, and they abhor about themselves that which is evil and wanna accept from you what is good. I pray that they do it right now. God, would you make that the turning point in that life? As we prepare right now, Lord, for this bread and this little cup of grape juice, I pray that they would be meaningful symbols of what you've done, living a perfect life and sacrificially giving that out of your abundance of mercy and grace.
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God, would you bless this bread as we distribute it to each one who would partake? And for each one that knows, lord, they put no faith, no stock in you or the Bible, and they must let this pass. Lord, I pray that you would soften the heart, that you would convict them of their unrighteousness, convince them of yours, your righteousness, and that you draw them into the family as a demonstration right here, Lord. We're proclaiming your death until you come again. So, would you bless this bread as we distribute it?
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Amen. Of love and that's Jesus. I mean, on the night that he was betrayed, he practiced exactly what Paul was encouraging us and saying that love looks like. On the same night he was betrayed, he took bread after supper and after he had given thanks and blessed it, he said, this is my body that's given for you. Take and eat.
1:00:32
Take this in in remembrance of me. Lord God, we are thankful for your direction and thank you for your example. We thank you for your perfection. Thank you that you grappled with every trial and every temptation the way that we do, yet you are without sin. We thank you for that sinless life, and we thank you for your shed blood, which is given as a ransom for many.
1:01:08
So, Lord, as we distribute this cup, would you bless it in each one that partakes? And lord, would you draw each one who must let it pass. In Jesus name, amen. The cup after supper and he told his disciples and he's telling us today that the new covenant is in his blood. He said, take and drink and do this in remembrance of me.
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So
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rather than a song, Judy, I think y'all can have a seat if you want to. I'll go to the small print of the Bible. It's getting smaller every day. May I may I use this? It is really small, Bob.
1:04:58
I might borrow your glasses too. I have to find it. Sorry. So, first Corinthians 15 Let there be light. As I was I was thinking of this.
1:05:25
I wouldn't have lost it. I was thinking of this one. Usually, I have one prepared and I should have done it this week. Yeah. Oh, that's what I was going to do.
1:05:41
Thank you, Florine. That's it. So, one more story. It's a benediction to close. So, Ironsides.
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Ironsides is a guy who's written lot of commentaries. He's a pastor at Moody Church in Chicago for many years. Really, really good theologian, great scholar, and a wonderful pastor, really, really good guy, all around good guy, you know, and he was feeling pride in his own heart. So, he went to his elders at an elders meeting and said, listen, I feel like pride is kind of sneaking in and I mean, when you, you know, he's pastor Moody Church in Downtown Chicago and and he said, he feels like pride is sneaking in and he asked them, what can I do? What shall I do?
1:06:21
He said, well, you need to be humbled and I mean, that comes across as humiliation and they said, maybe since you do such a good job with preaching, maybe you ought not say anything, put on a sandwich board, Romans five eight on the front, John three sixteen on the back, go down to the banking district in Chicago and just don't say anything. Just stand there and feel what it's like to have all those bankers and financial guys walk past you and just pass by and not say anything and it it's probably going to be a humbling experience and the couple of elders recommended that he do that. So, he decided that he would And so he went and he took that down there. And as those guys passed by, nobody really spat in his face, but nobody paid any attention to him either. He believes what's on the front.
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He believes what's on the back. And he knows that people are just walking past him like it doesn't matter. And he did feel a little ridiculed and he felt a little humiliated and he the longer he stayed out though, the more he felt that way. And he just felt like, who am I? Who am I?
1:07:25
And so as he went home and as he got back to his prayer closet, he sat down and he had felt very humbled when he got out there. And then when he got into his prayer closet, realized he said, God, I'm probably the only guy in Chicago that would have done that. This is not hard to understand. It is very hard to do but God gives the victory in Christ and nothing that you do in his service is ever in vain. In Jesus name, go in peace.
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Amen.
