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There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides you. There is no rock like our God. Ain't that true? There is no one like God.
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Nothing compares to our Lord. What do you say? We give him our attention and our adoration and our praise this morning.
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Alright.
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Holy, holy, holy. Amen. God, we are here to meet with you, and I pray that as we would draw near to you, you would draw near to us and, that we would enjoy being in fellowship with one another, but more so even, that we would enjoy being in fellowship with you, our creator, our provider, our sustainer. We are grateful to meet with you and grateful that you would meet with us in Christ's name. Amen.
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Y'all can have a seat. We got a few announcements this morning. I'm trying to make em fewer and fewer but this is the time where we're kicking everything off in this season. So, between the nine and eleven, what happens? The connect hour happens between the 09:00 service and 11:00 service.
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Down the hallway, that's to the west, down here in the fellowship hall There's usually coffee and fruit and donuts and who knows what else. There's all kinds of stuff down there but it's a good place to connect. 09:00 and 11:00 services. Children's Christmas play. Nancy Cummins is taking charge of that.
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Is Nancy Cummins here in the building with us today? It's going to shorten this announcement if not. Alright. This is probably the last announcement that you'll see about this until just before the Christmas play itself which is happening on up in December the around the thirteenth if that's a Sunday but she is she's taking charge today. So, if you want to have a part in this play, please come see her after the service.
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She'll be here before the connect hour. Monday nights at First B is weird this week only because we've changed the time recently. It is 06:00 instead of 06:15. 06:00 for that so that it matches the same time with Awana on Monday nights. So, Monday nights at First B and Awana both start at six.
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I'm announcing for, this is kind of a community wide solidarity event. Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church is the place because we had a conflict but on Wednesday, September 30 at Our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, there will be a community wide time of prayer and fasting as a part of the worldwide forty days for life. Actually, last week, it was in your bulletin and it started on the twenty third and they're going for forty days. Most of the people that are going with us are fasting for twelve hours during the day and praying for an end to abortion. So, that is happening this week and next Wednesday, it'll be at the Redeemer Lutheran Church.
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There will also be a memorial service for Mariana O'Ge next Saturday, October 3. I'm put this up here because when we had Doris's, I I got word afterwards that I really would have loved to have been there we didn't announce it. We didn't know what was happening. So, Mariana O'Jay's service, memorial services next Saturday, October 3 at eleven. And then, Anne, would you like to stand?
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I don't have a microphone for you. So here it comes though.
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Good morning ladies of first b. May I have your attention? My name is Ann Stalker and I have had the privilege of spearheading the second annual women's retreat. It's gonna happen at Heart Six. You can see that up there.
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It's about So we have seven more days to sign up. If you are able to come, please do that at the connect hour. Amy Taylor, who's in charge of registration, and I will be back there to answer questions to take your money to and must say, life is very busy. There's a Saturday only option. We want to work with you.
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There's room for about 50 ladies or so, and I think we're about halfway there, so we need more of you to come and scholarships are available. So we're gonna go to Buffalo Valley, fifty minutes north of here, and we are going to study the New Testament one another commands, such as, come, let us encourage one another and build each other up. Love one another, bear one another's burdens, and forgive one another, And, there are about 30 more. So, we'll have a time to come together, to connect, to fellowship, to have fun, to be enriched by God's word, to be enriched by each other. And, if you are not able to come, please pray for us.
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That'd be great. Thanks.
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Thank you, Anne. I think that's the last one but for all other weekly announcements, please check this morning's bulletin. We still print em because it's still, they still matter. They're full of all that good information. So, if you need it, put it up on your refrigerator so you remember it.
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Now, would you stand and greet one another and we'll bring it back together with a hillbilly song. Alright,
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how firm a foundation how firm a foundation you saints of the Lord is laid for your faith in his excellent word Amen. Yeah. Lord, we we don't wanna just sing it. Wanna say it too. You are indeed our firm foundation.
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We can we've got a strong we've got a strong foundation in you, and I pray that we just continue to build on it. We're building on Christ and and you crucified for the forgiveness of sins and new life. And we're grateful for that. We sing of it. Shores.
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My soul now to stand. What can I say and what can I do? And what can I say? That's a pretty bold song, God, when we're singing all I am is yours. But I pray that that that word surrender, be more than just a word.
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It'd be something that, daily, we're dying to ourselves, we're living for you, find a new life in you, and as you lead us and you guide us along, as we're spirit filled people, we're attached to the vine that is Christ, that we'd bear good spiritual fruit. Just know that this doesn't happen apart from you, Jesus. It is you. It is your spirit in us. And so we are declaring that.
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We're saying that. We're reminded of it this morning, that we can be fruit bearers, that we can have a new, joyful, spirit filled life in you. But it comes through Christ, and it comes through Christ alone. Amen. Y'all can be seated.
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Can I ask one of our elders to just remain standing so we could pray as we enter here in the worship of giving? Do I have an elder that could there's there's Eric.
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Father God, how richly you've blessed us with things but far more so with relationship with you. I pray that as we give this morning that we would give joyously giving back out of hearts that are overflowing because you fill them. So, lord, I pray that you'd bless both the gift and the giver this morning. We pray that your word would go forth here in Jackson and around the world and I pray that you would be glorified through everything that this church does. This body does, your body.
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We pray these things in your name. Amen.
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There they go. The children are dismissed. The head to Peak Children's Church downstairs. Even though we've got one of the drawing boards up here So, I've got a got a a sermon this morning from, hope it comes up there, from second Corinthians five. It's eleven through seventeen and we're just walking through.
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Y'all know how we do. We're walking through and I've been talking about just kind of keeping a wet edge on last week's message so that it doesn't get crusty and old because everything in second Corinthians is built off of another. I actually sat down yesterday. I asked y'all two weeks ago if you would memorize. I'm not memorized the whole book but if you would memorize two verses, four, eight, and nine and if you would, read the whole book and so I was wondering, how long did that take em to do?
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And so I sat down at my desk yesterday, turned on a recorder just so I could keep up with the time and I read the whole thing out loud. So, first second Corinthians takes thirty five minutes and eleven seconds to read. If you draw like I do. Okay? So, if you're reading it in your head, it's probably not going to take you nearly as long.
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But we're up to second Corinthians five eleven through 17 will be our focus and actually, really, it's more 12 through sixteen sixteen is going to be the focus for today but it asks a question. Y'all know in Ephesians where it says that there are those who are called to be pastors and teachers and apostles and evangelists that whole deal. I am not primarily an evangelist. That's not an apology. I'm just not primarily an evangelist.
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It's not my deal normally. Now, Gary Geek, nobody could deny that that guy is a born again evangelist. When when God birthed Gary for that second time, he he made him into an evangelist and if you work around Gary for very long, you're going to hear the gospel. You're going to see it lived out and a lot of people accept Christ around him. Now, I am, I think, a pastor, teacher.
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I love to be there when people come in to the office and and they're struggling with whatever the words say and it's stirring up something in their hearts. I love that but I also like to get to the, you know, get to the meat of what's in each scripture. So, I'm just telling you that ahead of time. I'm going to end the message this Sunday with an evangelistic call, an actual altar call in Wyoming. Yes, I know it's not the culture here but half of y'all aren't from here anyway.
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So, I'm going to end it that way and next week, it's almost certainly going to go that way. I try every week to just present whatever it is that the text says and this is good, good news and next week, it's going to be appointed good good news with a call for a response at the end. So, at the end of the message day, it's going to get all evangelistic all of a sudden, okay? That's what I grew up with. It's kind of hard to land a message for a southerner without having an invitation but I wanna always preach exactly what's there.
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Does that make sense? Are you with me? Okay. So, before we go there, this is verse nine from last week and act for after I got home, I thought, this is where the concentration needs to be. Therefore, we make it our aim whether being at home or being away to be well pleasing to him.
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How many of y'all want to be well pleasing to God? Yes. Whatever your motivation for that, do you want to be well pleasing to God? The next verse is the one that talks about whether it's good or bad and it mentions the judgment and that's the one that I a little time on last week and honestly, I struggled at the end of the message. I told you I was going stand up here until I got it right.
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I don't know that I did but anyway, I do know what I was trying to say and I think I've got a little better this Sunday. So, I'm going back. Here we go. So that each may be duly recompense for actions whether good or bad that are performed through this body. That's a great translation of that verse.
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The tenth verse. So that each may duly be recompense for their actions whether good or bad but in this book, in second Corinthians, he's also talking to a church that really knows that he has authority from God, that really knows that he is the one who brought the evangel, the gospel, the good news of God's love and forgiveness to them. He knew that most of the people knew and trusted him but they had the super apostles, the false apostles that are talking to him and trying to convince them either of a health and wealth gospel or a conditional health and wealth gospel that's conditioned upon how you act. If you act right, then, you have a good life and those things are not true and so Paul is arguing against those the opposition, the super apostles, which he later calls false apostles. So they've got this idea that either it's health and wealth and you can see or you're not living right and that's why you're not experiencing it.
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Does that make sense? Do we have any of that going on today? Yes. It has the context has changed, but not the content. That still goes on today.
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So when Paul's saying we make it our aim whether being at home or being away. He's already mentioned how he was sincere and he was sincerely presenting to them exactly what he knew saved him. He doesn't deviate from the message of the cross. We mention it all the time because he mentions it all the time and it'll come up today before this is over. We make it our aim whether being at home or being away to be well pleasing to him.
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I think that's a good framework to start out. And then, if we look at this and go so that each maybe duly recompense for actions whether good or bad perform this body. I still get a little bit of because bad. I don't I don't want to be duly recompense for the bad. The promise of the gospel is that he will remember their sins no more.
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Right? The reason that I look up and I use this is because God is the one who is performing any good. God is the one who is performing any good that happens through us. He gives us the will. He gives us free will.
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And when we get in accord with his will and we bow our will to his and say, yes, Lord. I'll do it. Who gets the credit for that? At that time, we do. Just for simple obedience to what he's told us to do.
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But the good work that he is trying to do through you enriches the kingdom. It builds up the kingdom. And so so that each one may be duly recompense. It makes me think and at this translation particularly makes me think of the word recompense because well, makes me think of a Spanish phrase. I mean, if you all heard There are a few of you.
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Yeah. It means God will repay. And in Mexico, we used to say it when somebody cut you off in traffic. Or when you are the recipient of a gift that there's no possible way you could ever pay back. For that which I cannot, God will repay.
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And that is the way that it goes. He has either paid for this sin himself on the cross or the one who is committing the sin will pay for it in hell. It's that it is that simple. It's a very, very clear distinction. So, anyway, I'm going to mention this too.
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This just considered a bath right before we get into the work. Second Peter three nine through 12 kind of goes along these same things. I'm just going to read it. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness. Peter's talking to a suffering, persecuted church and they're wondering, when's it going to be?
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When's it going to be? It's taking a long time. When's it going to be? The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, has some count slackness, but he is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Now, are all going to be saved?
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No. God is willing that all should come to him. He's not willing that any should perish and he's given us the gospel. He has made the way for us to share it. Some will reject him but what God wants is for everybody to come to him but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night.
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We're getting back to the the portion, the judgment. The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Both the earth and the works that are in it, earthly works. Earthly works. The best righteousness that we can do apart from God is as filthy rags, Paul says.
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All of the earthly works and all that are in it will be burned up and therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Peter saying exactly the same thing that Paul saying. He's saying, if you know this truth, if you have this in your heart, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? Looking for and hastening the coming day of the Lord by the spread of the gospel. Are you with me?
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Still with me? Okay. Now, we're going get to the actual sermon for today. So, Paul says, all of that that he said, knowing all of that for the past chapter, knowing all of that, that there is a good gospel. There is a way.
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Knowing that, therefore, knowing the therefore, the fear of the Lord. It does say fear, phobos. It says fear. Being afraid out of mighty awe and respect for a god who really, really can say yes or no. That's acceptable or not.
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Belief. No. Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we are persuading men but we are well known to God and I also trust we're well known in your consciences. He's making that appeal to the masses that he believes already know this because he met him. He knows him.
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He knows their names. He knows their youngins names. He knows everything about him and he's just making this appeal. He said, I trust that we're well known to you and you can see that I'm not a shyster. I'm not a charlatan.
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I'm not in it for the money. In fact, in a few weeks, we're gonna see him talking about that a lot. For we do not commend ourselves again to you, or we are not commending ourselves again to you, but we give you an opportunity to boast on our behalf that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. So the folks who drive the big Cadillacs and they preach a gospel of prosperity. And these guys who don't suffer and claim to live a great life because of their righteousness.
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He says, those people are boasting in appearance But the truth is, everybody has problems. Paul's already listed several of his, and he's gonna list several more troubles that he's had, weaknesses that he's had. We're not commending ourselves again to you, but we are giving you an opportunity. We're giving you an opportunity to stand and say, no, this is what Paul says. The message of the cross.
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It's the message of the cross. All Paul preaches is the message of the cross. All he preaches is Jesus and Jesus says, lord, instead of saying, it's about Paul's personality. We give you an opportunity to boast on our behalf that you may have an answer for those who are boasting in appearance. Yet, not in heart.
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For if we're beside ourselves, it's for God or if we're of sound mind, it's for you. Now, this one's a hard one to understand. The context of this, if you remember first Corinthians and he gave the strong warning about the ecstatic utterances and the the gifts, the flamboyant gifts of the spirit. Incorporate worship. He's he he put a limitation on it.
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He put a stand on there and he said, that is not edifying to the body. It does not build up. He did not say it was not true. Did not say that it could not be. He just said it was not right.
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It was not right to practice that way. So he says, if I'm beside myself or if we are beside ourselves, it's for God. Does that make sense to you? It's not upbuilding anybody else if I'm speaking in a language that I don't understand. If we're beside ourselves or if it looks like we're crazy, it's for God.
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But if we're of a sound mind, it's for you. He says, I'm translating all of my good experiences with God and all of even the ecstatic experiences. He does mention that he does do that but he says he does it before God. He says, but if I'm in of sound mind, it's for you. That translates into actual intelligible speech that you can follow along with his logic.
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If we're beside ourselves, it's for God. If we're of sound mind, it's for you. He was a pastor, teacher. Now, great evangelist too but he he really cared about these people and cared to keep em on. The narrow way.
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For the love of Christ compels us. You remember Chuck standing up here a few weeks ago from the Good Samaritan. The love of Christ compels us. The love of Christ compels me. This is he's quoting this verse.
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For the love of Christ, and it's not my love for Christ, by the way. It's not my love for Christ that compels me. It is Christ's love for me that compels me. That make sense? We love because he first loved us, and there's no doubt about it in the Greek.
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You could argue, no. No. No. No. No.
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It really is. It's his love for us which compels us because we judge things like this. Thus, that if one died for all, Jesus died for all, then all died. And he died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves but for him who died for them and rose again. Are you following that logic?
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The love of Christ compels us. What? What did Paul do? Everywhere he went, he carried the message of the cross. Everywhere he went, he talked about the redemption available in one place alone.
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Jesus. For the love of Christ compels me onward despite all obstacles. They knew some of them he was going give them some more in a few more chapters. For the love of Christ is what compels us to keep on going. Why not just go home, Paul?
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You got beat up pretty bad there, buddy. The love of Christ is what compels us onward because we judge thus that if one died for all, then all have died. And he died for all that those who live should live no longer for themselves. But for him who died for them and rose again. When we do baptisms here, sometimes y'all are uproarious during baptisms and I love that.
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Sometimes without midst of We're in the So, therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. This is like a running commentary this morning. Is that what it is every Sunday? I don't have three points this Sunday. I just going to explain things.
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Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh and that regard right there in some translations says, no. We know no one according to the flesh. Regard, the word is oida in Greek and it is to be aware of, to behold, to consider, or perceive. If you back up and look at that and go, therefore, from now on, we perceive no one according to the flesh. We don't look at people with earthly eyes.
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No one. No one. The people that he's writing this letter that are his opponents. He leaves wide open the possibility of Christ changing them. He's pleading more and more adamantly that they would change their minds.
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So, therefore, from now on, from that point of Jesus death and resurrection becoming important to him, actually, yeah. From now on, from this point forward, we regard no one according to the flesh. So that's the perceiving or considering or beholding or being aware of someone. You're thinking of them through the eyes, not of yourself but of God. And that's possible because the spirit lives in your heart.
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If you accept Christ, his spirit lives in your heart. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh and I want to point out here too that the it's not that we don't regard anybody who is fleshly. I've heard that interpretation before. We don't even think about people that aren't Jesus. We see churches sometimes turn completely inward and block out outsiders and point to this in about a chapter.
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We're going to see the do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers and there's a temptation for the church to turn inward and go, no, we're going to protect this. We're going to protect the purity of this. We're going to protect and I want it to be pure and holy but also want it to be bringing people in. I feel like that's an integral part of this message is that it grows. So, the according to the flesh is just one word, and well, according to the flesh is modifying regard.
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From now on, we regard according to the flesh, no one. Does that make sense? Everybody's gotten that. Have you heard this song before? It's Brandon Heath.
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Carl's gonna get up and sing it. No. Not really. Those people going somewhere, why have I never cared? Y'all know that?
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It's Brandon Heath. And it says, give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see. That point right there where he he noticed that all those people are going somewhere. Everybody is going somewhere.
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And I've already mentioned two destinations. Right? All these people. He was mentioning in an airport, but that's where it hit him that all these people are going somewhere. And I've never even thought about that.
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Never even cared for them before. When you talk about eternal destinations, there are two. One is heaven. One is hell. All those people are going somewhere.
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Why have I never cared? And at that moment, what he wanted was to have spiritual eyes to see people like God sees them. Either blessed brothers and sisters, children of God, come on in. Go. Encouraged or people who need him.
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It's one or the other. There are only two types. Give me your eyes for just one second. Give me your eyes so I can see everything I keep missing. Give me your love for humanity.
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Give me your arms for the brokenhearted. I want to see them the way you see em. Give me your arms for the brokenhearted, the ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me your heart for the ones forgotten. Give me your eyes so that I can see.
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That's a great prayer. That's a great prayer to start looking at people and regarding them not according to the flesh but regarding them according to the spirit of God. Regard according to the spirit. So, here we go and I want you to see it in context. So, fifteen and sixteen together and he died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.
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Therefore, from now on, we regard according to the flesh no one. Even though we have in the past, in the past, even though we did, even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer. That can be a little confusing. That's a little bit of who's on first. Right?
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Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer. Think about Paul's experience. Was Paul vehemently against Christ? Because he stood against Paul's religion at least in Paul's eyes. He was looking at him through eyes of the flesh.
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He was looking at him. He was angry about Christ. He was angry about Christians, held the coats when Stephen was proclaiming Christ's goodness. He was adamantly opposed to Jesus and the church and Jesus called him out and said, why are you persecuting me? Well, I regard, I've been regarding you according to the flesh Yet, he says, now we know him thus no longer.
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That's not the way it is these days. Now I mentioned regard as one way to say no, oida, to regard or perceive. This no is different. There it's a different word. Gnosko.
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For both known and know in this verse, those two yellow words right there, it's Gnosko. And that is to know, especially through personal experience. It's experiential knowledge, which is different from mental ascent, right? It's different from just believing something in your head. It's something that you get.
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When you get it, you have experienced it. So, Ginosko, to know especially through personal experience. In fact, in Luke one, when the angel announced to Mary that she was gonna be with child, she said, how can this be because I have not known a man? Experiential knowledge. It's it's of an intimacy that's so close that it's used for intimacy.
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To know especially through personal experience. So, how do you experientially know? How do you people? How do you experientially know the message of the cross? Is it foolishness or is it the power of God?
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Those are the two options. It is either foolishness to you makes no sense or that's good for them, whatever. Whatever gets you through the night or no. This is the power of God that's actually changed my life and is changing me still. So if it's foolishness, I can't believe you're still sitting in here.
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I thank you that you're still sitting in here. I thank you that you came with whoever you came with. Make them happy. But if this is just hogwash to you and it's just foolishness, what the Bible says, first Corinthians one eighteen to the same group of people is that those are the people who are perishing. And I say it with a tear in my eye, literally.
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This is one group of humanity. Those who think that the gospel is foolishness. They they count what is good news, gospel as bad news or worse yet, completely indifferent to it. This is experientially knowing Christ but according to the flesh. What sense does it make for a first century Palestinian or area Jew to die on a cross?
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Who cares? Experientially knowing from what our faculties can tell us. But if then you see this as the power of God because you've experienced it in your own life. He has set you free from whatever it was that was entangling you or he is setting you free from it and even though the situation hasn't changed physically, your heart has changed and you're taking it better. You're taking it.
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He says, those, that's those who are being saved and it's a progressive action that he's doing. You're saved when you believe. No doubt about it but he is saving you more and more and more every day especially as you bend your will to his. Experientially knowing Christ according to the spirit is for those who are being saved and they see that that message is the power of God. So, how do you experientially know the message of the cross?
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It's one way or the other. It has to be. There's not another option. Fifteen sixteen even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we know him thus, no longer. I kind of mentioned this already about Paul.
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He used to be right there, right? He was on that side where he thought it was foolishness and would argue tooth and nail with all of his training, all his theological training against the cross, against the message of the cross. That was foolish. Everybody who dies on a cross is cursed. And how can that be?
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No. I will not stand for this, and I'll chase down anybody who does believe it. That's where Paul started out. But this is where he got to. There's a way to switch.
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You got it? There's a way to switch from one to the other. And I'm gonna go to John three sixteen. I don't ever do this. I hear I heard this verse so many times early on in my life, and it's good.
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It's the encapsulation of the gospel. One verse, for God so loved the world. God loved the world in such a way as this. The sow is not an intensity. The sow is thus.
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In this way, God loved the world. That he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. So, in this verse, we have God's purpose. We have man's problem. We have God's remedy to man's problem and we have man's reply.
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Four elements. Four lines. Four elements. I'm going to number em differently and carry em on a little differently but I'm going to draw this. Some of you can see.
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I hope you can see. I'll try to describe what I'm drawing. For God so loved the world. That's God and the world. I can't spell world world.
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God love the world. That's his purpose. He created us for relationship with himself. Our whole in life is to love God and enjoy him forever, to glorify him forever. God loves the world.
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But there was a problem. God is an utterly holy God. He cannot be around sin. He cannot abide sin. So there's a great chasm fixed here.
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What separates us from God? Our sin. God is holy and we are not holy. Man has a problem and the problem is sin. The wages of sin is what?
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Death. It's perishing. Eternal perishing. Hell. Are there any amount of works that you can do to jump that chasm right there?
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Is there anything at all that you can do? Good guy, generous guy, love small puppies. No. Nothing you can do. Is there anything at all that you can do to get across that chasm on your own?
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Is anyone here without sin? If no one is here that has no sin, then there's nothing you can do. So, the stakes are listed everlasting life. Everlasting life, most commonly we refer to it as heaven. You know what's over here?
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This is the place of perishing. Sin is where we are separated and we find ourselves every single one of us starting out right there. Every single one of us. It's foolishness. Just looking at that chasm going, no way.
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Grand Canyon. You know, can't do this. Not a chance. Maybe if I got this, maybe if I figured out that. What if I constructed a big religion?
51:13
And I could fly over on this big religion. It's still gonna be man made, still gonna be sinful. You're breaking the first one right there and not keeping God first. What God wants is for us to be here. God's love for the world.
51:30
So, that's man's problem. Well, God's remedy is his son. A lot of y'all have seen a bridge illustration before. The cross is the bridge. But how do you get across the bridge?
51:48
That's God's remedy, his son. It is the only remedy. He didn't give a secondary option. Looking forward to the Messiah or looking back to the Messiah, you gotta look to the Messiah. If anybody gets in, it's going to be by the blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrificial lamb but we stand right here and how do we cross?
52:07
Well, the response is right there, that whoever believes in him. That is a very, very real invitation. Whosoever may come. That's it. That is your response is either I'm gonna cross over by what?
52:27
What it says up there is whoever, and this guy could be a whoever or could not be a whoever. I don't know. Depending on what he believes. Actually, I'm just going to call it belief. Belief is what gets you over there.
52:47
Now, if you have the belief that's a saving kind of faith, it will produce good works, but the good works cannot get you there. If you have a saving faith, you will demonstrate that with good works. As long as you have time, remember the thief on the cross. Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Today, you'll be with me in paradise.
53:05
What was he? A thief. Did he do any good works? Genuflect? Anything?
53:10
Nothing? Nothing. Whoever believes in him. So, that's the message of the cross and it's the dividing line and we're going keep on coming to it. He's going to keep on mentioning it because Paul does not have another message.
53:25
It's like Billy Graham. He's got one message. You know what? It's the same message. They are evangelistically inclined and I am person to person and the invitation today, I am going to open an altar call up.
53:37
I will stop playing the bass. I'll turn off my microphone and I'll talk to you. If you come down front and you want to talk about accepting Christ today, by all means, I'll be here but I'm just as open to do that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Alright? It's a real invitation still and this is the invitation and it does matter what you believe.
53:56
If you're struggling with something and you have questions, please ask me. Elders, would you stand up? You can ask the elders too. Actually, I just send you to Gary Geek. If you were here, I just send you right to Gary.
54:08
So, these guys are all elders in this church and all of em know this stuff. I'm inviting a band on back up and I think that's the last slide but there is a possibility of you going from thinking it's foolishness and being one who is perishing to being one who is being saved, and it's belief. That's what it's about. It is that simple. It doesn't have any doctrinal I mean, a denominational stuff to deal with it.
54:34
You're dealing with God directly. A lot of the other stuff we deal with is baggage. What you believe makes a difference. I think that's it.
54:45
And listen to it from two Corinthians again, five fifteen. Jesus died for everyone. So that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they'll live for Christ who died and was raised for them.
57:44
This this will come up again next week but Hank Williams Senior, y'all know his lifestyle. You know, the way that he lived. He wrote that. He wrote that because he had an experiential knowledge of Jesus and it changed his life. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he's a new creation.
58:02
All things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. Would you go out and live that newness of life this week? Amen.
