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Good morning, everybody. How are
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you? Good. Well,
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why don't we stand and sing together? If you're here and you're under the sound of the voice in here in this room, come on and sing with us. If you're out there and you want to come on in, come on in. So, here we are. We'll try to start close on time anyway.
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First of all, we'll be standing on the promises, not sitting on the premises. If you would stand with us and sing and I don't see Scott but if he comes on in, y'all rush him up here, okay? Standing on the promises. Hymn number four ten.
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Standing on the promises of Christ, my king, through eternal ages, let his praises ring. I will shout and sing standing on the promises of God standing standing on the promises of God my savior standing standing
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on the promises of God my savior standing the promises of God standing on the promises of God standing on the promises of God my savior standing on the promises of God my savior standing I'm standing on the promises of God standing on the promises I cannot fall listening every moment to the spirit's call resting in my savior as my all in all standing on the promises of God standing on the promises of God my savior standing I'm standing on the promises of God Amen.
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I'd rather have Jesus. Hymn number five zero six.
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Is there one more verse to that standing? We could go back.
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That's a.
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It's one of my favorite part. I love that song.
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Alright. Give me another verse.
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Yeah.
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I'd rather have Jesus.
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I'd rather have Jesus. Amen. I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold
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Y'all can have a seat. Have a few announcements. Not as many this morning. We're hitting upon stuff. There's things are going on.
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Patriotic Color Run. How many of y'all know what a color run is? There are like two of y'all in here. I'm glad to see that. In the first service, tons of people know what a color run is and they have allowed me to present this for what it was not for several weeks.
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A patriotic color run at various intervals on this five k race. You'll be doused with red, white, and blue powder. Okay. I did not know that. It's a fun thing so it's sort of like a festival where you're doused with this colorant of red, white, and blue in this particular case.
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But it's gonna be fun at the Jackson Hole High School Stadium as a start. They'll run a five k race and you'll be periodically doused with red, white, and blue as you go. It's not liquid from what I understand. It's powder, so it could... It's just fine.
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June 30 at 10:07 a. M. That's happening next Saturday. Rolling River Rampage. I almost forgot about this.
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Not really. There are people who are here all day setting up for this and getting ready. We've got teachers who've been planning and Liz Owens has done a great job and there are lot of volunteers came in yesterday and set up but Vacation Bible School starts tomorrow. So, there are 77 kids signed up, registered already, and we're expecting that there will be more and if you know of some that are not already involved in another vacation Bible school because from what we hear, five churches are doing vacation Bible school this week. So, that's fine that they're doing it but if you know somebody that's not going somewhere else, come come on here.
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It'll be good. June 25 through the twenty seventh. That's nine to noon here and you can still sign up tomorrow. Rolling River Rampage Vacation Bible School. Youth group, times and dates are changing all summer long and so, what we have been doing for youth group is Tuesday nights.
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We're not doing that for the summer. We're doing like Fridays and Saturdays activities. He's planning on going to a Rockies game. He's planning a lot of different events all summer long but Fridays and Saturdays usually. Monday nights at First B is happening.
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Logically, on Monday night at First B, it's happening in the Fellowship Hall. That's meal, music, and a message. Carl, what's tomorrow night's plan? Meal music and a message? Stewardship.
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Alright. Fantastic. Home sweet home, Monday night, first beat. If there are any other announcements or if you want to look at our long list of prayer requests, then, they're on the paper bulletin that you're handed on the way in and if you didn't get one, you can grab one on your way out and keep up with what's going on because did I miss anything? Anybody?
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Nope, that's it. Hearing no objections. We'll move on from that. Would you stand and greet one another? We'll bring you back together with a couple more songs.
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Change my heart oh God make it ever change my heart oh God may I be like you you are the I am the clay mold me and this is what I change my heart oh God make it ever change my heart change my heart oh God change my heart oh I be like you
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He says that he will. He'll change. Transplant. Stone. Yes.
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Transplant. He will take out that heart of stone. He'll replace it with a soft heart of flesh. Amen. Sweet, sweet spirit.
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Hymn number three ninety one.
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There's a sweet,
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Amen. Y'all can have a seat. I want to invite the frontline team to come forward, please. And would y'all pray with me? Lord God almighty, you are the one who has made heaven and earth.
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Lord, you do not lack resources. You speak into being all that we see. You have spoken into being all that we see. Ex Nihilo, out of nothing. You are the creator, God.
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You are the sustainer, God. You're the author and the finisher of our faith, lord. To you, we bow the knee and we lord submit your authority and your sovereign will and your goodness. So, in Jesus name, lord, we come to you in prayer right now. As people who have been rescued, as people who have been pulled up, as people who's have been rescued by your love through the cross of Christ.
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Lord God, I pray that we would surrender our will to your spirits. Prompting that you'd give us the strength to walk in it lord and right now, as we pass these plates and we take up tithes, offerings, lord. We ask that you would bless the gift, multiply, to do your kingdom's work right here in Jackson just as it is in heaven. And to the uttermost parts, Lord. I also pray that you bless the giver the obedient giver.
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In Jesus name, Lord, would you bless them? Would you make fruit happen in Jesus name? We have a guest here with us. Marion, would you? Come on up.
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I'll give
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you a hand. Marion's going to sit up here. She's not a stand up comedian. She's a sit down poet. Alright, she's she is going to recite for you a poem that she has written.
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She came by this. I feel like it's beginning of a relationship. She came by this week and we talked at length and she has a poem that I'd like for her to share with us. It will be soon.
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Hello? I always thought that I was a believer, grew up in church, but when I was 42 and thinking about how to commit suicide, the Lord saved me. And he turned me into a poet and a sculptor. And this is a poem about my my testimony called declaration of dependence. I was in the dark so deep.
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I didn't know that it was dark, and everything I thought was right just wasn't so. I was fine with several paths for folks to get to heaven at last. That road to hell is sure an easy way to go. I thought that everything was fine. My understanding right in line that if you can't say something nice, just hold your tongue and don't hold fast any stand.
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It might offend another man And we're born good, but life just makes us come undone. But as my life became a mess, I just got more and more depressed. And then my hold on hope gave up and went away. Down in my gut, I'd given up. I couldn't even count on luck.
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I cried to God. I didn't want another day. But his big plan is not like mine, and he'd been waiting all that time for me to finally call for help from deep within. And when I called, he heard my cry. He saved my soul that trusted lies.
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He gave me hunger for his word and life began. So now to tell of him I must because almighty God is just. And when we die, the truth alone will judge the dead. So, listen up to what you hear because I hope that this is clear about the Bible information that I read. The Garden Of Eden is the place where Adam and Eve knew God's pure face and just one tree had deadly fruit.
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God said, don't eat. But then the snake said, it'd be fine and he spoke such a cunning line that they both took a bite while thinking it'd be sweet. But disobeying God is sin and it ain't cheap. The cosmic shock wave of that bite gave all demonic powers delight because breath of life that God gave Adam died from sin and sin passed down through Adam's seed so now it's part of you and me so we can't be in God's pure presence like it been because sin sustain and debt that's deeper than our skin On Earth, a battle for our soul is what we're in. Since Satan rules this fallen Earth, his lies and ways work with sin's curse to keep us from this truth by what we feel and see But God almighty loves us so he had all history unfold the greatest story ever told from sea to sea About his gift who is the way to be debt free and it involves another famous Bible tree Since God is righteous and his judge to clear our debt because of love meant that atonement must be made for what sin cost So his son, Jesus, came to man, God's holy glory, clothed in skin to take God's wrath for all our sin upon the cross.
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That's every sin of all mankind, all timelines crossed. And when he died there, it appeared that hope was lost. Because in dismay and grieve and gloom, French lady's body in the tomb, but after three days, awesome wonders came to pass. And like the scripture said of old, it all occurred as it was told and Jesus came forth in his majesty at last. He met requirement of God's law and hope holds fast.
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From Earth to heaven, he is the bridge for those believing who he is but he has many attributes some folks don't choose but you denying some is fake, put your eternity at stake and in the end, what you believe will make you lose and drastic consequence exist for not receiving God's free gift and you can read it in the book to which I cleave because from our birth, sin has us bound and hell awaits unless we're found and after death, the judgment comes with no reprieve. Before you say it's all, before you say it's all a joke, check out what Jesus boldly spoke. The book of John proclaims his words. So, read it through because there are just three ways to judge what Jesus said of who he was. He was a lunatic, a liar, or he is true.
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Review eternal thoughts you have because eternal hell is real bad and read John three eighteen on judgement at the end because Jesus Christ is coming back and he knows where your heart is at And though he died to pay the penalty of your sin, he cannot save you unless you are born again. That's when your heart, not just your head, believes in him. In Jeremiah 29, the verse 13 says how to find almighty God and verse 11 shows his soul. So seek to hear what he has said because it's final when you're dead and at your judgment, you can't say that you weren't you weren't told.
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Thank you, Mary Anne. I appreciate that. So Yes ma'am? It will be. It's being printed, it's being published.
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So she came by this week and Nick actually did a video, Nick Stern, videographer, office manager here, assistant. He actually recorded that and she is bringing that into print and it's happening right now. She's, yes ma'am. So, it has it has scriptural backing for everything that she said, every line and so that's all included in the little book. Alright, thank you very much, Mary Ann and I just kind of she didn't know she was doing that when she came in here but she had done it for us earlier in the week and I asked her to.
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Thank you. So here we go. Check this out.
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Five. Well, this this is very interesting. Apparently, the bear decided to try, you know
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move around.
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Oh, garbage cans are out too. Yeah. Just a couple of minutes ago, the bear left the clearing in the backyard there, and he made his way over to the driveway over on Mayfield. He came down that driveway, down Mayfield, and now he's on Briggs. And now it looks like he's got...
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Turning into another driveway here. We're gonna maneuver around and see if we can get another shot of him.
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But, yeah, you put some noise right there.
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We got someone resident there.
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Yeah. Yeah.
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So y'all got what was going on there. There's a bear in the neighborhood and he is wandering around looking at trash cans and cars. And as he's going forward, there's a guy who's walking and texting. He's looking down at his phone and then when he looks up and he sees him, what does he do? I think the biblical word is fled.
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He fled. He left the presence of the bear. I I'm I'm not a park ranger and I've heard everything you're supposed to do when you see a bear but that's what I'm going to do. If I see a bear, I'm taking off running. That's just the way that is.
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Drop the backpack, but I'm gonna be a long ways away before I do that. Because I was never designed to deal with a bear. I mean, I might be more designed than some of y'all to deal with a bear but I'm still not designed to deal with a bear. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah.
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Alright. So, that's a little visual before we get to first Timothy. I actually am backing up a little bit, a few verses back for the first two points up here. What are you desiring? What are you craving?
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We actually hit those last week but I'm going to hit em again because this week starts off with the second two up here. So, first Timothy six, start off in verse five, B, right here. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. You know, before I get going on this, I had a thought this week and a couple of things point to it.
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I've been considering not just this. Can you go to a black screen for just a second, Blake? I've been considering Amos five. Amos, I usually use Amos a couple of different ways. Amos two has something about for married couples, I think is really good which is can two walk together unless they be agreed and so Amos, Old Testament prophet, we call him one of the minor prophets.
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It's a short book. He has a message from God to deliver to the people. God's people has chosen people, Israel, and they had been sinful. They had been for a long time actually, sinful and looking away and it was a prosperous time. So, things are going well monetarily, financially but people have turned away to the Baals.
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They had other false gods and they were not paying attention to what the Bible said. They're not paying attention to Old Testament Torah. They weren't paying attention to God. They were not keeping his temple and so, Amos has a message for them and he's sharing his message. Jeroboam is a king.
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Amaziah is the priest and Amaziah has got a pretty good life. Amaziah is actually living like the life of Riley at being a priest and he's doing very well financially. So, is Jeroboam and Jeroboam does not want to hear the message from Amos. So, this morning, I'm here in Jackson, Ohio and I am delivering a message and usually, I feel like I teach my way through the Bible. I'm I'm more of a teacher than a preacher but pastor, teacher is the job and so this morning, I'm going to preach because I feel like this is a message that's a very strong message for our time and for our place and for our hearts.
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So, we're going with Amos just to begin this. So, Amos goes and he says, you are going to go into exile. Too long have you gone against God and against his commands and you are going into exile period and Amazon like, come on, man. We're doing pretty good here. Don't be spreading that message.
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Don't give that to the king. This is a good time for us and he says, nope. This is the message and other reason I like Amos so much is in chapter seven, when Amaziah is saying, don't keep, you know, cut it out. 86 that message. We don't want to hear that and Amos Amos says, Amaziah, look, listen to me.
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I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I was minding my own business, tending to my sycamore figs, dealing with the sheep in the pasture, and the word of the Lord came to me and this is what he said. Now, I'm trying to stay true to the message that Paul gave to Timothy and has given to us but I just want you to hear it like that. To to me, this sounds like a very prophetic, not pathetic, prophetic message, alright? What are you desiring?
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What are you craving? What are you fleeing and what are you pursuing? Imagining that godliness is a means of gain. I could stop right there. I did last week and talked about the prosperity gospel.
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It's one of the biggest heresies of our time. It's hogwash and there are people who are saying that God wants you healthy and wealthy. That's what he wants for you and all you gotta do is claim it, name it, claim it and that's not true. It's not biblical. In this world, you will have struggle.
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You will have trial. You will have tribulation. You will. Jesus says, but take heart because I've overcome the world. Godliness is not a means of gain.
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Godliness is actually our goal. It says right here, godliness with contentment is great gain. It actually is great gain. Godliness with contentment for we brought nothing into this world. We can take nothing out of it.
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As Job said, naked, I came in and naked, I will return. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes but if we we have on this side, if we have food and we have clothing with these, we will be content. But those who desire. So, that's where I get my first point from. What are you desiring?
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Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation. If your desire is to be rich, Paul says, you will fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires. There's the word again, desiring in the other one. It's a progressive action verb right there. It's those who are desiring to be rich, fall into temptation into a snare into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
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For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. I stopped last week and described that it's not the love of money is the root of all evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all kinds of evils. There are all kinds of temptations and all kinds of ways that we can go wrong that are brought on by a unholy desire for more, more, more to be rich. He goes on from there and second point is, it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
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It's this craving. That is something that's a deep down kind of a desire. It's visceral, gut centered, a craving. It's through this craving for more, more, more that some people have wandered away from the faith. So, they had been exposed to the gospel.
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They had been exposed to the truth but yet, they were drawn away after a worldly desire or craving. He says, right there. So, again, what what is it that we are craving? Actually, when I hear the word desire or craving in our society, I never think godliness, right? When you hear desire, that's that's not usually like, oh, to go to church and do good to other people.
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That's that's that's telling of our times. So, it's through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith, pierce themselves with many pains and he says, they pierce themselves with it. It was out there as a temptation and a snare, a trap of the devil but they pierce themselves with many pangs by going for that tempting. But as for you, oh man of God, he turns the corner with the big adversity of conjunction right there but as for you, oh man of God, flee these things. I was never designed to deal with a bear, even a little bear, stronger than me, right?
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Flee. That's what you do. Get away from that situation. If Paul is talking to Timothy and he tells him, flee these things and he's talking about in particular the desire to be rich and the craving for more, more, more money, money, money. Oh man of God, flee these things.
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He's saying you were never designed like that. Money, we've gotta have it. I know that. Resources. God gives resources.
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He'll go into that in just a minute. But the desire to be rich, to have more, more, more, more. But not putting God in first place. Flee that. So, what is it he's talking about?
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In particular, in this place, right here, he says, flee from the desire to be rich and flee from the craving or from the love of money. So, from the immediate context, that's what it's about but since the word is so strong, flee. Go the other direction as quickly as you can. Since it is so strong, I thought, you know, he only uses that word four times. In the New Testament, it's only found four times.
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It's all over the Old Testament where people are leaving one situation or another but in the New Testament, it's a very strong direct command and Paul uses it four times. I'm going to tell you three of em today. Flee these things, materialism. That's the first one from the immediate context. The other one that he says, flee from because you were never designed to be able to handle it is sexual immorality.
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God has given good gifts and he gave the good gift of sexuality and sex in order to bond a marriage together but sexual immorality undermines that whole thing and so sexual immorality is what he says and he says it right here in first Corinthians six, flee from sexual immorality and he gives a reason why. In this case, every other sins a person commits is outside of the body but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. So, the man texting or looking at his phone, that's a neutral medium, right? We've got Bible Gateway apps. I see some of you flipping through scriptures in here and we've got things but there are a lot of bad stuff that comes in there too.
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I cannot imagine being a teenage boy in this time with a little pornography machine that everybody carries around with all the time. Flee this. Flee sexual immorality because every other sin is a person commits is outside of the body but the sexually immoral. It's within and it's hard to get away from. David and Bathsheba, Old Testament example.
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He didn't have a smartphone but he was looking. Was looking at some of the same things you can see today on the internet. He was looking over the balcony and he saw Bathsheba bathing and he desired that. He let that bird build a nest in his hair. If you were here last week, you can't stop a bird from flying over your head but you can't keep it from building a nest in your hair.
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Well, that bird nested in his hair and then he went down and he was with her and then he had her husband killed. Through a lot of different deceit but what David said about that sin in retrospect is my sin is ever before me. So, it goes back to this. That is something that is within us. God did not design us to be able to handle that kind of sexuality, sexual immorality.
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So, he says, flee it. Just get away from it. That's the best thing that you can do. Joseph in an Old Testament, Joseph in Genesis 39 did flee, right? He's second command.
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He's in Potiphar's house. Potiphar's number one command and he left him there and Potiphar's wife came on to Joseph and was really tempting him in a sexual way and he skedaddled. No, he fled. He fled. He got out of there.
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He scooted on away from the situation. So, we've got a bad and a good example. David Beth, she would be in the one. Now, David remembered that saying it was something that was hard for him to get over and he did though confess it to God. There is a way out in any of these situations but wouldn't it be nice to not have to wrestle with that bear?
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So, flee these things. Materialism, sexual immorality. I've never felt more like a preacher than right now. I'm telling y'all to flee, right? First Corinthians 10, because no temptation has overtaken you that's not common to man.
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Do you agree with that? There's nothing new under the sun. Mike, our youth director, is fond of saying this little phrase, there is no new news. There is old news happening to new people. Do you get that?
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There's no new sin. It's been around a long time. No temptation has overtaken you. That's not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability to withstand it but with the temptation, he will also provide you with a way of escape that you may be able to endure it.
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Therefore, my beloved and he says, they're beloved. He cares about people. God cares about you. God cares about us and so therefore, he is saying, therefore, my beloved, flee. Flee.
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Idolatry in this case. So, flee idolatry. I speak as to sensible people. So, judge for yourselves what I say. I'm speaking to sensible people.
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Do you agree that God is, he cares. He's looking out for us. He's not a cosmic killjoy. He cares about our future. He cares about our hearts.
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He cares about us and so he says, flee from idolatry. You were not designed to be able to handle idolatry. So, what is idolatry? Flee it but what is it? I looked it up just in a plain old dictionary.
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This is not a theological dictionary. Just a plain one. Idolatry is the worship of idols and we might read that and go, oh, come on. That's Old Testament stuff. We don't do that.
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Nobody's carving out actual idols and bowing down to em and that sort of thing. But if you look at the second definitions, it's really the same thing. It is extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. Okay. So, an extreme admiration, love, or reverence for someone or something.
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I think it would be better and if we're in a theological dictionary, it certainly say this. That is not God because we should have an extreme admiration, love,
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and
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a reverence for God but anything that begins to take his place. Now, it doesn't sound so much like a wooden statue that somebody carved. It's like, oh, there are things that get in the way. There are things that get in between me and my relationship with God and any of those things can be idolatry. For different people, it's different thing but extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone.
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In in our context, I think of sports fans, you know, they just get so hung up on these things, you know? I I don't think that's always idolatry but I think it has the tendency to be that. Idolization, fetishization, fetishism, idol worship, adulation are all synonyms, adoration, reverence, veneration, glorification, lionization. Lionization actually reminds me something else from Amos. Amos talks about the people of, they're supposed to be God's people.
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They are the ones who are supposed to know better. They are the church folk, right? This is the folks who have the Old Testament. They have the Torah. They have the promise of eternal life for those who trust in God and if Messiah is anointed one and so, Amos says, why is it that you're looking so forward to that great and mighty day of the Lord?
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That kind of strikes me because a lot of us tend to go, oh I can just can't wait for heaven above and some of us because we're depressed, we're upset, or we just are so surrounded by evil all the time that we are trying to judge that evil that we're in the midst of and we just want, I just want to be out of here, lord. Come Lord Jesus right now. Take me home. You know that the great and mighty day of the Lord is the end for everyone, right? For those of us who have been saved, yes, it is entry into glory and entry into heaven but for those who haven't been, it's the beginning of hell.
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So, when I was reading Amos this week, I thought, lord, please tarry. There's so many that don't know you. So, so many. Two thirds of the earth at least. Amos at that time was saying to the nation of Israel that was supposed to be a light to the nations that were supposed to draw others to God and the way that they were living in us and them situation.
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He's saying, why is it you're looking forward to that great mighty day of the Lord? Do you not know it's going to be darkness and not light? You don't get this. You have reduced it to be in an Us and them. You're supposed to be reaching out for them.
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It's the same place where we see justice and righteousness at the end of this that he says to them and lionization is what reminded me of this. He said, is, it has, it is as if for you who are looking forward to this great mighty day of the Lord. Chosen people of God who have turned your back on it and you're idolizing other things. You're paying attention to other gods, small G gods. You're setting up places of worship in your own homes for them.
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He said, you looking forward to that great mighty day is like a man who is fleeing from a lion and has only run into a bear. It's like someone who is running away and finds himself at his own home, leans against the wall, and is bitten by a serpent. It's a strong prophetic word. Pay attention to how it is that you're living, really. I think this is telling too.
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So, the use of the word idolatry. I am a word nerd. Yes. Use of the word idolatry since 1800 to 2008. Look at that.
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This is during the second great awakening. When we're paying attention to what scripture says, idolatry is kind of in the news but look where it's been. Almost never used. But it's coming back. Little uptick there at the end.
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Paying attention to what we've put in God's place is really important. I like it that he goes on and not just says flee. He says, pursue. So, pursue righteousness. Pursue it.
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Not just being right. Oh my goodness. Not just winning the argument but actually being righteous, walking out righteousness. This one I'm reminded of Amos again. Amos five twenty four says this, but let justice roll down like waters.
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Martin Luther King used this a lot in his speeches. It would come to a point of crescendo and he'd say, let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream as I stand up here walking on water this day. Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream. That's what God wants. He don't want for us to have an us and them mentality.
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He wants for us to as Micah six eight says, act justly. Love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord your God. Pursue godliness. What are the attributes of God that we want? Love, mercy, grace I talked to somebody last week he said, I have a problem with mercy.
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Well, thank you for admitting, you know. Have a problem with mercy. I feel like they've had enough. They've had enough opportunity. I think God should just take em.
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Oh my goodness. God can decide when to take em. Pursuing godliness, I believe it. We have to pursue the grace of God. Pursue it.
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Pursue the mercy and the love of God. In our own life, we should act justly but if we're seeking mercy for ourselves and justice for everyone else, that's a bad way to live. Pursue godliness. We should seek to be holy as he is holy. God said that in Old Testament, Jesus said in the New Testament, be holy as I'm holy but pursue godliness.
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Pursue faith. Is it by faith or is it by sight that you live your life? Is it because of what you believe deep down is the truth of the cosmos of God of the cross, of his goodness, and love, mercy, and grace Or is it out of what you see? If only I did this one little thing, I could gain a whole lot of money, power, prestige, pain, whatever by doing something. It's a little bit off of what I believe.
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Pursue faith not that which is by sight. Pursue faith. Go for it. Trust God. Pursue faith.
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Pursue love. God is love. Pursue that. Pursue it. It's easy to be angry.
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There's plenty to be angry about and you can be right to be angry about it but still pursue love. And steadfastness. When he says pursue steadfastness, I think, we are to pursue all of those other things, righteousness, godliness, faith, and love and in a state of steadfastness where we want to keep on going. God's steadfast love endures forever. He steadfastly continues.
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Paul ends a lot of his letters with stand firm in what it is that you believe. Hold on to that which you believe and act out of that. Pursue steadfastness. Pursue gentleness. My goodness.
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So, Tanya and Pascal left last weekend. They left last Friday to go to a family wedding on Saturday in New Orleans and then, they spent the rest of that time I told you about my grandmother but they have seen my grandmother and my family this week. They've been in Georgia and this morning, she just texted that they landed right before the service. They're in Belize. They're going be doing a vacation Bible school and some children's ministry and some building in Belize.
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So, pray for em please. Since they've been gone, I've been watching television because
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I don't
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watch it. We have television. I'm not saying I'm the preacher. I'm too holy for that. We we watch television but I don't watch a lot of television when they're there because I just don't have time to watch TV.
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You know, so, without them there, it fills up a lot of time and I've been watching in gentleness, people. It's not something our society values at all. The characters on those shows, if anybody is gentle, they're the ones everybody makes fun of. They're usually right but they're the ones that people don't listen to and make fun of. Somebody who is brash and sarcastic and just downright mean.
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Oh my, they get tons of time on TV. But gentleness is something that is overlooked for the most part in our society. There's a sweet, sweet spirit in this place. I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold materialism. Not that.
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Jesus is what we're looking for and we see Jesus gentle like a sheep before his shearers is silent. He spoke not a word. The gentleness of Jesus, we are to pursue. Fight the good fight. Generally, fight the good fight.
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Fight the good fight of the faith but make sure that if you're fighting, it's the good fight of the faith. You're not just fighting for the sake of fighting. Fight the good fight of the faith. Be ready to defend what it is that you believe. By all means, scripturally, be ready to defend it but live it out and fight the good fight of the faith.
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What is the good fight of the faith? Pursuing righteousness, pursuing godliness, pursuing faith, pursuing love, steadfastness, and gentleness. By doing that, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. Paul speaking to Timothy, speaking to the church at Ephesus and I'm taking this message and we're going through it together. We can be looking forward to our home in heaven above but we can also take hold of that eternal life now.
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We do have a choice of doing things here on earth. As much as it depends on you, you can live at peace with all men. If you've got Jesus Christ, on your side, then you can take it. You can take the hit. Paul says in first Corinthians, another place he says, why not rather be wrong?
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When he's talking about Christians suing one another and getting embroiled in the battles and fights among themselves. He says, why not rather just be wrong? Take it like Jesus did. Take hold of the eternal life to which you are called and about which you made the good confession and presence of many witnesses. So, Timothy has been a Christian for a good long while now and he's been a servant.
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He's saying, this is something that you know and believe. Stick with it. Hold on to that confession that you made that Jesus Christ is the king and this lord and the savior of your life in the presence of many witnesses and I charge you in the presence of God. I charge you. When I see a charge, it immediately reminds me of the beginning of this book where he says, the aim Timothy of our charge and I'm saying to you, the aim of our charge here in Jackson and wherever we find ourselves in this world, the aim of our church Christians is agape love, godly love that issues from a pure heart because God can purify the heart.
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A pure heart, a good conscience. So, if there's anything that you know that you send to get someone, admit it to yourself, to God, and to them. A good conscience and a sincere faith in the God who saves. I charge you in the presence of God who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession. What did Paul, what did Jesus say in front of Pilate?
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Christ confession before Pilate. He was like a sheep before his shearer, silent, knowing that he had done no wrong, knowing he'd been declared innocent seven times. You know, in his kangaroo court. He'd been declared innocent over and over. What did he say to Pilate?
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Pilate said, are you the king? And he said, it is that you have said, right? Pilate said, you know I have the authority to take your life. He says, you have no authority except for that which God has given because Jesus knew the bigger plan. I thought he had all of the authority and he did have the earthly authority for that but it was through the outworking of God's plan and that comes back to Christ's sacrificial death on the cross and the message of that cross, that is what our faith is bound up in.
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Is the goodness and the sovereignty of God. The way to live it out, I charge you and the rest of that Pauline flowery speech in there but if you follow through with the verb, I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He's saying just what this whole passage is saying. Timothy, be holy. Live it out.
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Live out your faith. Be holy. I charge you to keep the commandment unstained. Live it out. Don't try to sneak it.
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Says, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he, God, will display at the proper time. He, God, who is the blessed and only sovereign, king of kings, lord of lords, who alone has immortality. God holds immortality in his hand. He is existent in eternity in both direction. He brought us into being and he can give immortality.
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He dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can't see. Now, Jesus says to his disciples and he says to us still today, that if you've seen Jesus, you've seen the father. So, this is an elevation of God the father right here in Paul. He says, to him be honor and eternal dominion. This sounds like the end of the book.
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First Timothy six, we're at the last chapter and when he says, amen, it looks sounds like it's going be over, doesn't it? And this is a typical way he ends. Him be the power and the glory forever. Amen. You know, Jesus ended the Lord's prayer that way.
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Paul ends letters that way. He gets to that and then right when he says, amen. Must had space left or ink left. He says, oh, yeah and as for the rich in this present day, this is an important part of first Timothy. It's really important for us where we are today and how we live.
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As for the rich in this present age, last week, right before I closed, I said, you know, we hear a lot about the 1% in the news and the the super rich and it makes the rest of us feel like we're not rich but in the world, if you earn $32,400 a year, you are in the top 1% of earners in the world. Your income at 32,400 puts you in the top 1% worldwide. As for the rich in this present age, that kind of puts it on us for most of us. As for the rich in this present age, what Timothy was to do there and what I'm going do here is to charge him not to be haughty. Don't be arrogant that you have and other people have not.
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Nor set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches. There are people who have plenty of money that God has given em and they're generous with it and they're great with it and I know that. But they're not putting their hope in that money. Does that make sense? Y'all know people like this.
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I I I was I I thought of several. I mentioned somebody this morning by accident. Don't set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches. Cal Matthews dad was a banker during the crash in 1929, and he said they went from being very well-to-do, very well off, and then that crash happened and all of those banks closed, and all of that money that was, was not, and they were farmers in Kansas after that. Now, he built back up but he never trusted in the uncertainty of riches because he knew it could go away just like that.
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He'd seen it happen. Don't set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy and he does. He does bless. Just don't just as people here often worship the creation of God and rather the creator God. It is easy to start worshiping what God has given instead of worshiping God.
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So, this is continuing. For those who are rich in the present age, they're to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, stand ready to share with someone. Thus, storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future. This is something that I believe at times in the past, the church and pastors have used this as leverage to tweak and pull money out of people but the truth is, if you give, as God leads, he blesses that. Here and there.
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It stores up treasure in heaven. We don't know what that looks like but it's by faith that we live and not by sight anyway and it is definitely Jesus. Jesus said, you can't serve two masters. You're either going to love one, hate the other. He gives us a sow that here at the Anahennacloth so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
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Paul's already told Timothy, grab hold of that eternal life. You can experience life in the kingdom here on this side before that great mighty day of the Lord. Grab hold of. This is what allows us to do that. So, for self examination, I actually, I read Oswald Chambers all the time.
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Utmost for his highest is one of my favorite kind of devotionals but a little tag at the bottom of the my homepage on the computer, self examination is is this. It's from Oswald Chamber. Am I? And I want you to ask yourself. I want you to read it.
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I want you to ask yourself these these questions. Am I getting nobler, better, more helpful, and more humble as I get older. Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus? Did you get that? Am I exhibiting the life that men take knowledge of as having been with Jesus?
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I think of Moses coming down from the mountain and the Shekinah glory was on his face and people recognize that he had been with God. Am I reflecting Jesus's love and life on other people? So that they can see that I have been with Jesus. Or am I getting more self assertive and more deliberately determined to have my own way? It is a great thing to tell yourself the truth.
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And that's by Oswald Chambers that the book is The Place of Help. So, I bring that thinking to these four questions. What is it that you are desiring? Are you desiring God? Are you desiring to know him?
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What are you craving? When I say craving, I think of the Spanish word for craving is or sometimes you hear When it's a little craving, it's But an antoho is what people say like pregnant women have antohos. They have cravings for pickles and ice cream or whatever. What are you craving? Antoho is funny because it's two words in the Latin notes.
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Meaning, before your eyes. What we tend to crave is that which is before our eyes and we people are supposed to be a people who live by faith and not by sight. What are we exposing ourselves to? What? Are you craving?
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What are you fleeing? There are bears out there. What are you fleeing? Materialism? Sexual immorality, idolatry.
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The other time when he uses it, I only use three out of the four but the other time it says, flee the youthful lusts or passion which covers the other three. What are you fleeing? And then, what are you pursuing? Is it righteousness, godliness? Faith, love, gentleness That's it.
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Would y'all stand with me and Judy, would you come on back up and play? Scott, would you come up? Spirit of the living God the same spirit that inspired Amos and his message for his time, the same spirit that I pray will govern everything that I say from the front and then conversations with all of you is available to the in the life of the believer, the Holy Spirit of God is available and so would you sing this along with us as a prayer and I want to remind you that the altar is always open whether there's paper leading you up to it or not. The altar is always open for prayer during this little invitational time of this last song. If you come forward, you'd like to speak to me, let me know.
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I'll turn the microphone off. But if you're ever wanting to speak to me, you can do that anytime during the week but right now is an open time too. Scott will keep singing. He'll sing lead if I go then. Is this your prayer?
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Spirit of the living God, fall fresh on me.
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And
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now for the benediction, Titus is the next book that we're going through and this is a good word from Titus two. For the grace of God, that is his unmerited favor. The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age. Jesus, would you help us do just that as we go this week?
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Amen.
