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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wednesday Bible Study. Thank you for taking

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Speaker 1: time to be with us today. We are in the

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Speaker 1: Book of Ephesians right now as we're studying Paul's prison letters,

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Speaker 1: and today we will attempt to get all of chapter three.

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Speaker 1: So if you want to turn to Ephesians chapter three,

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Speaker 1: I teach from the ESV. A lot of you ask

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Speaker 1: me about that, so there's that information. Also, let me

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Speaker 1: give you this is an important reminder to the men

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Speaker 1: in the room, everybody paying attention, and also to all

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Speaker 1: of you out there. On the eighteenth of February, which

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Speaker 1: is one week from today, if you're catching this live,

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Speaker 1: we will not have a Bible study. I have a

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Speaker 1: conflict that I cannot get around, so it's a rare occasion.

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Speaker 1: If it's not vacation or I'm not sick, we're pretty

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Speaker 1: much going to be here on Wednesdays. But next week

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Speaker 1: will be an exception, So men, make a note in

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Speaker 1: your calendars. We'll put a sign on the door that

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Speaker 1: we will not be meeting next week. Be a great

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Speaker 1: time for all of you to catch up on any

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Speaker 1: of the archives you missed, and we'll try to get

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Speaker 1: right back to it. Lord Willing on the twenty fifth,

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Speaker 1: so make a note of that. We will also remind

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Speaker 1: you that you can find all those archives by going

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Speaker 1: to Themanchurch dot Com use the media button. You can

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Speaker 1: either watch them or listen to them. Now, if you

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Speaker 1: watch them, there are some limits. It doesn't go back

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Speaker 1: through all eleven years. There are some limits what YouTube

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Speaker 1: will archive and how long. But the audio clips, they

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Speaker 1: all should be there from the last eleven years that

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Speaker 1: we've been doing this Bible study with a group of

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Speaker 1: men in the room and men and women all around

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Speaker 1: the world via our YouTube channel and our podcast channel.

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Speaker 1: So if you're wondering about Themanchurch dot com, we are

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Speaker 1: a hub for men's ministry. It is a men's discipleship

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Speaker 1: strategy that features high challenge. We do that through our

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Speaker 1: conferences and our gatherings of men with the local church,

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Speaker 1: and then that's followed by high equipping. We do that

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Speaker 1: through curriculum. We do that through devotions in full length

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Speaker 1: books all design for men. You can find everything you

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Speaker 1: need to know. They're at themanchurch dot Com. Over two

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Speaker 1: thousand churches are running this strategy all over the country

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Speaker 1: and even around the world. And if you want to

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Speaker 1: find a church near you, that you too could plug in.

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Speaker 1: If your church is not doing it, you can do that,

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Speaker 1: or maybe you've been called to be the person that

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Speaker 1: starts it at your church. It is sustainable, and we

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Speaker 1: are hearing great things about how God is using this

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Speaker 1: particular strategy straight out of the Word of God. So

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Speaker 1: let's open up in a word of prayer and we'll

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Speaker 1: jump right into Ephesians chapter three. Lord, thank you for today.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for every man that has made this a

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Speaker 1: priority today. Thank you for every man and woman and

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Speaker 1: child that is joining us, either you know, live or archived.

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Speaker 1: May you use today to again refine us and draw

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Speaker 1: us even closer to You as we hear the incredible,

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Speaker 1: powerful words of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul.

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Speaker 1: In the name of Jesus, we pray Amen. So here

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Speaker 1: it is you know he's talking about. Remember, the Bible

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Speaker 1: talks a lot about the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery,

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Speaker 1: the mystery, and Paul is going to talk about this

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Speaker 1: in length today. And because keep in mind, when he

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Speaker 1: starts out, he's going to be what referring back to

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Speaker 1: what he's already said in chapters one and two. Let's

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Speaker 1: start with the verses one through nine. Now, the entire

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Speaker 1: chapter is basically the revelation of the Christian life. It's

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Speaker 1: it's revealing what is this Christian life? What is this

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Speaker 1: New Covenant? What is this church? What is this mystery

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Speaker 1: of the gospel? The first nine voices, the first nine verses,

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Speaker 1: it's our enlightenment? How are we enlightened? First one through nine?

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Speaker 1: In chapter three in the Mighty Book of Ephesians, here's

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Speaker 1: what he says. For this reason, referring back now to

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Speaker 1: what he said in chapters one and two. For that reason,

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Speaker 1: I Paul a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of

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Speaker 1: you gentiles. Well, that's an indication about the mystery right there.

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Speaker 1: The mystery is the gentiles. What are we doing? Grafted him.

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Speaker 1: So this verse one, Paul is letting us know that

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Speaker 1: because of the things that he is standing for in

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Speaker 1: chapter one and two, for those reasons, he's paid a

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Speaker 1: price for it. He said, you know, I stake my

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Speaker 1: life and even my liberty on these revelations that I've

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Speaker 1: shared with you. In chapter one and two. He's been

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Speaker 1: discussing this. He's a prisoner because he dared to proclaim

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Speaker 1: these things. And here's what got him in trouble. First

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Speaker 1: of all, he's in trouble with the Gentiles because he's

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Speaker 1: proclaiming something outside of their paganism, so they're mad. He's

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Speaker 1: also in water with the Jews because why he's saying,

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Speaker 1: the Gentiles are in and they hate that. So he's

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Speaker 1: got two groups that are a hostile to him, the

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Speaker 1: Gentiles because of their general paganism, and then the Jews

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Speaker 1: because they consider him a heretic. I mean, I want

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Speaker 1: you to think about how the Hebrews saw this. It

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Speaker 1: would be like you thinking now in the Church Age

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Speaker 1: and in the Covenant, think of the most devout person

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Speaker 1: you could think of of our faith. All of a

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Speaker 1: sudden says, by the way, I was wrong, you know.

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Speaker 1: And now he's going back to the very Hebrews. He

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Speaker 1: was defending the very law, he was defending the old Covenant,

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Speaker 1: that he was defending the rejection of Messiah, and the

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Speaker 1: fellow Hebrews said, yeah, this is our guy, and he's

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Speaker 1: really good at it. And then he has an encounter

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Speaker 1: with Jesus and says, oh wait a minute, I'm instead

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Speaker 1: of persecuting the church, I'm now going to advance the church.

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Speaker 1: So the Hebrews were very upset about that. So he's saying,

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Speaker 1: and because I proclaim these things, I proclaim that there's

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Speaker 1: a new covenant. I proclaim that Jesus is Messiah. I

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Speaker 1: claim that he has now redeemed both the jew and

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Speaker 1: the Gentile, that we're all equal at the foot of

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Speaker 1: the cross. We're now one church. We rejected Jesus. Now

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Speaker 1: the gentiles have been grafted in. Our job was always

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Speaker 1: to reach the gentiles. Jesus has now done that himself

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Speaker 1: after we rejected him, and it's all one church. And

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Speaker 1: he said, these things have gotten me in a lot

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Speaker 1: of trouble. So the first takeaway when I was preparing

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Speaker 1: to be here with you guys today and you men

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Speaker 1: and women out there, was the first thing I thought of,

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Speaker 1: is what has the gospel cost me? I mean, because

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Speaker 1: one thing that Paul could have done, He could have

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Speaker 1: decided to get along and go along, but he didn't

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Speaker 1: because he said, whatever it cost me, even being put

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Speaker 1: in prison, I will not back down on what is

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Speaker 1: the true truth. And I will now, like he told

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Speaker 1: us in one Grinthians fifteen nine and ten, I will

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Speaker 1: now work harder than all the apostles, because I shouldn't

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Speaker 1: even be an apostle because I had this wrong, and

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Speaker 1: now that I have decided to say I was wrong,

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Speaker 1: this has now got me in a lot of trouble.

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Speaker 1: And the question is do we have that kind of boldness?

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Speaker 1: Are we willing? And I'm telling you we may not

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Speaker 1: face what Paul faced, but if you think you're living

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Speaker 1: in a modern day society, even in your own country, gentlemen, ladies,

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Speaker 1: we are becoming very unpopular and there's a lot of

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Speaker 1: things at stake. Now your job can be at stake,

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Speaker 1: your life can be at stake. I mean, it really

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Speaker 1: has gotten to that point where people get radicalized and

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Speaker 1: think coming into the church and doing this, and that

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Speaker 1: it's happening right now in our own country. And so

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Speaker 1: the question I guess we would ask is maybe we

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Speaker 1: need to start thinking about it, because even as Americans,

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Speaker 1: our commitment to Christ might actually start start costing us

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Speaker 1: something beyond just our sin. May start cost us comfort,

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Speaker 1: may cost us some unpleasant Sunday mornings. Uh, you know

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Speaker 1: it's gonna cost you. And so Paul says, just so

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Speaker 1: you know, I'm all in no matter the cost. So

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Speaker 1: now verses two through four, He's gonna say, I'm a

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Speaker 1: prisoner of the truth. Look look at verse two, assuming

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Speaker 1: that you have heard of this of the stewardship of

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Speaker 1: God's grace was given to me for you. The truth

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Speaker 1: has been entrusted to me, and that truth is I'm

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Speaker 1: to steward this message. It's a message of God's grace,

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Speaker 1: not just to the Jew but to the gentile. I, Paul,

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Speaker 1: was trusted by God. I will now be the custodian

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Speaker 1: that that that is under our obligation to share these

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Speaker 1: truths with others. Let me let you and me in

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Speaker 1: on something. We're under the same obligation. This obligation was

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Speaker 1: not just a Paul. Paul says, we're all ambacheadors of

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Speaker 1: Christ who have been redeemed, and we now are supposed

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Speaker 1: to be stewards of the message, custodians of the message,

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Speaker 1: and under obligation to share these truths with others. Here's

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Speaker 1: our next challenge into this message. We're two versus in

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Speaker 1: and we've got two big challenges. I'd like for us

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Speaker 1: to all ask ourselves a question, are you stewarding this?

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Speaker 1: Are you a custodian of the message. Do you think

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Speaker 1: you have an obligation to share this with people? And

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Speaker 1: the question even if you answered yet, yes, I would

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Speaker 1: say to you, based on what, where's the proof of that?

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Speaker 1: Is that what you do or is that just what

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Speaker 1: you believe? Is that what I do or is just

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Speaker 1: what I believe? It's one thing to believe it, as

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Speaker 1: James said, it's another thing to do it. You've heard

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Speaker 1: me tell this story in the past. You have been

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Speaker 1: with me for years, and I'm so grateful for your

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Speaker 1: friendship and your encouragement and watching your growth. You don't

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Speaker 1: know how many times that just drives me and keeps

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Speaker 1: me going. Is you know? I had an encounter same

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Speaker 1: thing with a person. It was about the advancement of

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Speaker 1: the Gospel. Our family was going to the ends of

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Speaker 1: the earth. We had certainly were felt our call to

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Speaker 1: the local church. We were trying to abide by that,

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Speaker 1: our call to our community, our Jerusalem and our Judea,

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Speaker 1: our state, you know, Samaria, our country, and then ends

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Speaker 1: of the earth. And we were off on a trip

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Speaker 1: that this person had had a chance to go with

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Speaker 1: their family as well. And this person told me they

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Speaker 1: did not feel that was a call. And I said,

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Speaker 1: that certainly understand that. And he said, I told my kids,

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Speaker 1: there's no need for us to go on this trip

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Speaker 1: because we go right across the highway and there's people

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Speaker 1: that need Jesus and the apartment complex across from our house,

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Speaker 1: across from our neighborhood. And I said, you are a one

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Speaker 1: hundred per right, So is that what you did? Silent?

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Speaker 1: I said, did you do a block party? Did you

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Speaker 1: go door to door at the apartment? Did you bring food?

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Speaker 1: What was your strategy to reach the Jerusalem near your neighborhood?

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Speaker 1: Because you're correct, that call is just as important as

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Speaker 1: any call, So is that what you did? And then

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Speaker 1: this was no, he never did it, so he knew

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Speaker 1: that he was really just pivoting away from probably some

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Speaker 1: conviction about this trip that we were going to another country.

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Speaker 1: But that's not a problem that he didn't go to

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Speaker 1: other country. That's not a problem at all. Not everybody

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Speaker 1: can do that, Not everybody's called to do that. However,

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Speaker 1: he used the local call to not take the national

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Speaker 1: I mean, the universal call. But he didn't do that either,

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Speaker 1: So he didn't apparently have any call, so he did

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Speaker 1: not feel the obligation enough to actually do it. So

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Speaker 1: the obligation is not disbelieving, it's what we're supposed to

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Speaker 1: do the obligation as the apostle Paul showed us, is

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Speaker 1: to actually do it, and there was nothing that could

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Speaker 1: stop Paul from carrying out that obligation, and that obligation

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Speaker 1: had nothing to do with his redemption. Paul knows he's

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Speaker 1: only been justified by the grace and mercy of God.

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Speaker 1: He's made that clear in chapter two. However, he also

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Speaker 1: knows that the obligation to obedience is how he shows

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Speaker 1: that faith is real, and that applies to all of

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Speaker 1: us that have been redeemed. May not all do it

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Speaker 1: the same way, but we're all supposed to do it.

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Speaker 1: So next he talks about in verses three and four,

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Speaker 1: the truth enlightening to him what he got look at three,

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Speaker 1: how the mystery was made known to me by revelation.

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Speaker 1: Now Paul went by this a lot, as I have

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Speaker 1: written briefly. Yes, you have Paul. If you remember, he

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Speaker 1: defends us all the time. We dealt with this in

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Speaker 1: these letters to the Corinthians when he had the Judaizers

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Speaker 1: that were trying to undermine his claim of apostleship. You

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Speaker 1: don't have to listen to him, And you remember there

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Speaker 1: was always a problem. You know that the eleven said, Hey,

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Speaker 1: we were actually with Jesus. You're claiming to be an apostle,

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Speaker 1: and you're using the term apostle, but you never were

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Speaker 1: with Jesus. Oh, yes I was. I saw him in

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Speaker 1: his glorified state state. This was revealed to me from

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Speaker 1: God through Jesus to me. That's how it was communicated

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Speaker 1: to me. Okay, through revelation. Paul got the message of this,

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Speaker 1: you know. And he made this also clear if you

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Speaker 1: want to make a note of this, a good reference

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Speaker 1: Galatians one sixteen and seventeen, where he makes it clear

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Speaker 1: said this did not come to me from a human being.

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Speaker 1: I did not get this direction from another man, I

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Speaker 1: the apostle. Paul got my direction directly from God himself.

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Speaker 1: And I love I says, as I've mentioned a few times,

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Speaker 1: And yes you have. And so that's that's something that

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Speaker 1: he did not want his apostleship to be questioned. But

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Speaker 1: what else he wants us to know? It can be trusted.

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Speaker 1: My source is God. We can do this. Now. You

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Speaker 1: may not have had God himself and appear to you

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Speaker 1: physically or even hear his voice audibly. But what we

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Speaker 1: have that the Paul didn't have yet because he was

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Speaker 1: part of doing this, we can say I have a

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Speaker 1: revelation directly from God too, because what I said just

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Speaker 1: came from the Holy Bible. And we should always remind

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Speaker 1: people that we didn't come up with this. I can't

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Speaker 1: tell you how many times I've been in conflict over

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Speaker 1: the truth of the Bible. And I said, look, if

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Speaker 1: it was up to me, I wouldn't care what you do.

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Speaker 1: I'm not God. I'm just telling you what God said

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Speaker 1: about it. And this revelation comes from his Holy Word.

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Speaker 1: So it's God's standard you're in violation of. It's God's

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Speaker 1: standard that I'm defending. I'm not even against you. I'm

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Speaker 1: just for him because it came from him. And so

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Speaker 1: he said, now, Hi, it was communicated to him in

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Speaker 1: three B He said, I've written about that briefly. He's

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Speaker 1: had a former letter about the mystery, and you know,

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Speaker 1: one of the ones was a biggie Romans. You know,

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Speaker 1: you don't get much bigger than that. And then I've

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Speaker 1: talked about First Corinthians, which we talked about, but if

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Speaker 1: you want to talk about specifically, specifically in Romans, when

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Speaker 1: he defends his apostleship again and the revelation. Make a

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Speaker 1: note here Romans eleven, twenty five, also Romans sixteen, twenty five,

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Speaker 1: and twenty six. We studied that. We also studied First

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Speaker 1: Corinthians two seven, and then I mentioned some of this

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Speaker 1: a minute ago out of fifteen, but there's more than fifteen.

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Speaker 1: First corinth fifteen, also verses fifty one and fifty two.

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Speaker 1: So make those notes. Those are cross references what he

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Speaker 1: means when I've written about this in the past. These

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Speaker 1: are not his own spontaneous ideas. I have been given

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Speaker 1: super natural, God given insight into this mystery, so you

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Speaker 1: can what trust what I write. And the beautiful thing

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Speaker 1: is that Paul actually followed suit and made sure these

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Speaker 1: things were written down. The apostle Paul has no idea

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Speaker 1: that him getting this down was so crucial under the

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Speaker 1: power of the Holy Spirit. That here's a bunch of

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Speaker 1: guys and some ladies out there all across the country,

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Speaker 1: and even some children. We're sitting here studying these very

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Speaker 1: writings right now, thousands of years after he wrote them,

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Speaker 1: and they still stand true today. So the next thing

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Speaker 1: that Paul wants us to know, if you get to

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Speaker 1: for verse four, he said, when you read this, you

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Speaker 1: can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ. You

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Speaker 1: can see that I know what I'm talking about. Now,

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Speaker 1: let's go to five and six. Paul, as a partner

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Speaker 1: in the truth, look at this in five, which was

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Speaker 1: not made known to the sons of men and other generations,

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Speaker 1: as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles

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Speaker 1: and prophets by the spirit. So first of all, he says,

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Speaker 1: this mystery it was concealed for a time. Now, it

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Speaker 1: was made known in the Old Testament, if you're paying attention,

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Speaker 1: he said, but it wasn't really made known as clear

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Speaker 1: as as now. And one of the key people that

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Speaker 1: had been given the insight to tell the world is me.

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Speaker 1: It was always there, but there was a spiritual blindness,

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Speaker 1: you know, once they rejected Jesus. It says that, you know,

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Speaker 1: the Hebrews had a spiritual blindness about Messiah. They begin

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Speaker 1: to see what the prophets said, and they would interpret

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Speaker 1: it the wrong way. And they certainly didn't see the

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Speaker 1: mystery of the Gentiles coming in. They missed that completely.

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Speaker 1: And I thought it was interesting. Do you remember when

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Speaker 1: Antonius was called to go see Paul after he had

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Speaker 1: his encounter and was blinded by Jesus. And it said

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Speaker 1: that once he received what he was supposed to do,

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Speaker 1: what scales fell from his eyes. So the Hebrew of

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Speaker 1: the Hebrews had been blinded up until his encounter with Jesus,

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Speaker 1: but now because of his encounter with Jesus, his blindness

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Speaker 1: about the mystery of the gospel fell away, and he

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Speaker 1: could see it clearly. And then he went on to

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Speaker 1: tell the world about what had been revealed to him

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Speaker 1: and how the truth was revealed. What was revealed by

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Speaker 1: the apostles, It will be revealed by them, the stewards,

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Speaker 1: the custodians of this gospel, but it will be it

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Speaker 1: will be given to them, But ultimately it's given to

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Speaker 1: them by what the Holy Spirit, by the Spirit of God. Uh.

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Speaker 1: Look look at verse six. And in verse six he

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Speaker 1: goes on to talk more about this. He says, he's

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Speaker 1: going to tell us, now, have you ever read this,

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Speaker 1: and you were like, he's the same mystery. What's the mystery? Well,

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Speaker 1: then he says, in case you don't know what I'm saying,

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Speaker 1: let me clarify what the mystery is. The mystery is

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Speaker 1: that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body.

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Speaker 1: And partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.

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Speaker 1: So if you don't know what I mean by the

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Speaker 1: mystery of the Gospel, the gentiles are in and they

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Speaker 1: now share in the same legacy as the Jew. Jesus

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Speaker 1: breaks down the wall between the Jew and the gentile

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Speaker 1: and places everybody under his authority in one church, equal standing,

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Speaker 1: all with the same responsibilities. Now, don't ever get into this.

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Speaker 1: And we talked about it and and Bible studies passed

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Speaker 1: the last few weeks. But I want to emphasize again,

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Speaker 1: I don't want you, as a gentile, to be thinking

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Speaker 1: that somehow this was this was God's never God's plan.

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Speaker 1: We wouldn't have got in on this if the Hebrews

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Speaker 1: had just accepted Jesus as Messiah. That's not true. It

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Speaker 1: went a different route. Jesus then went and went to

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Speaker 1: the Gentiles through Paul mainly, and said, now y'all carry

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Speaker 1: the Gospel, because this is what the Hebrews were supposed

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Speaker 1: to do. They were supposed to tell you about me.

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Speaker 1: They were always we were always in play. Okay. It's

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Speaker 1: just if they had accepted Christ as Messiah, they then

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Speaker 1: would have taken the message of the Gospel, which would

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Speaker 1: have been what now all can be redeemed. Go out

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Speaker 1: and now tell the world that I've redeemed anyone you are, gentile,

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Speaker 1: a man or woman, any ethnicity that wants to repent

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Speaker 1: and follow Jesus. But so the mystery is has been

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Speaker 1: us all along, but now it is it is going

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Speaker 1: a different way. But we get to the revelation. Remember

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Speaker 1: we study that when when you get to the tribulation

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Speaker 1: the Hebrews, there's gonna be one hundred and forty four

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Speaker 1: thousand Hebrew evangelists and they're gonna go out and preach

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Speaker 1: the gospel as bold as anybody ever had, which was

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Speaker 1: which was always their original intent. But that's that that

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Speaker 1: shot is coming. So so anyway, the mystery is that

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Speaker 1: the wall has been torn down and the Gentiles are in.

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Speaker 1: I laughed pretty hard. I was talking to a Messianic

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Speaker 1: Jewish person in Israel and and he said, you know,

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Speaker 1: it's always funny how much of the New Testament you

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Speaker 1: know or was written by Hebrews. And he said, you know,

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Speaker 1: because we were growing up, we were told that we

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Speaker 1: could not read it. And he said, I believe the

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Speaker 1: New Covenant would have been fine if it just didn't

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Speaker 1: include that the Gentiles were in I believe it. I

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Speaker 1: believe that that we wouldn't have near as much trouble

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Speaker 1: being told we weren't supposed to read. But then he

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Speaker 1: found Christ in the prophets, because the Holy Spirit revealed

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Speaker 1: that Isaiah was talking about Jesus. He wasn't talking about

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Speaker 1: a people. You're talking about a person. So Verses seven

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Speaker 1: through nine, Paul the instrument now of the truth of

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Speaker 1: this gospel. I was made a minister according to the

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Speaker 1: gift of God's grace, which was given me by the

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Speaker 1: working of His power. The working of it, Paul says,

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Speaker 1: the revelation I received was a gift. It was a

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Speaker 1: gift of God's marvelous grace, and it was not due

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Speaker 1: to my intellect, but because of God's power. This is

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Speaker 1: back to that any old bush will do. Is it

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Speaker 1: true that Paul was a brilliant man? Absolutely? Was he

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Speaker 1: highly educated? You better believe it. Like you said, he

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Speaker 1: was a Hebrew of the Hebrews. He knew the Torah

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Speaker 1: ford and backward, and he was highly educated. However, he said,

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Speaker 1: that's not what makes me an instrument, because there's a

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Speaker 1: lot of people that have incredible intellect, but they have

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Speaker 1: no wisdom and they don't fear God, so they have

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Speaker 1: no wisdom. But Paul said, it wasn't the intellect, it

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Speaker 1: was the power of God in me. That that's why

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Speaker 1: there's been results in my ministry, not because of my intellect,

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Speaker 1: but because of God's power. Any old bush will do.

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Speaker 1: And he also goes on to say that in verse

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Speaker 1: eight he said to me, though I am the very

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Speaker 1: least of all the saints, this grace was given to

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Speaker 1: preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Now

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Speaker 1: I want us to take a moment there. And this

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Speaker 1: does reflect again one Corinthians fifteen nine and ten, because

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Speaker 1: he says the exact same thing, the humility that God

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Speaker 1: has now given to the apostle Paul, who did not

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Speaker 1: struggle with confidence, but he's been humbled to the point

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Speaker 1: that he understands his sin is so great that he's

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Speaker 1: the very least of all the saints. And the grace

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Speaker 1: that was given to him to preach the gentiles is

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Speaker 1: only because of God's mercy, and he's been given the

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Speaker 1: responsibility to preach something that is so rich. The richest

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Speaker 1: of Jesus are unsearchable. I can't really even describe this properly.

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Speaker 1: This is Paul's humility on display of all people. This

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Speaker 1: was entrusted to me. I am in awe of God's

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Speaker 1: choice of me one Corinthians fifteen nine and ten. You remember,

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Speaker 1: I am the least of the apostles. I shouldn't even

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Speaker 1: be an apostle. It's why I work harder than the

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Speaker 1: rest of them, because I know the only thing good

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Speaker 1: about me is the grace and mercy that Jesus showed

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Speaker 1: one who persecuted him and persecuted the church. And we've

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Speaker 1: said it time and time again. Let's say it again,

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Speaker 1: because Paul said it again. I never want Jesus to

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Speaker 1: look at the grace and mercy he afforded me and

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Speaker 1: ever for a mom think it was given in vain.

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Speaker 1: He's going to get a return on the redemption of me,

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Speaker 1: And I ask us that question, how about us? Is

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Speaker 1: he getting a return on on the justified Paul said,

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Speaker 1: he realizes the grace he's been afforded. And I wonder

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Speaker 1: sometimes if the reason why I get a little lazy

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Speaker 1: sometimes is usually when I stopped forgetting how much grace

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Speaker 1: and mercy I've been shown. I stopped forgetting that I

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Speaker 1: deserve to go to Hell. I stopped forgetting how dark

427
00:25:31,200 --> 00:25:33,320
Speaker 1: and wicked I was. I don't want to be, you know.

428
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:35,400
Speaker 1: I don't want that to be used as an obstacle,

429
00:25:35,520 --> 00:25:37,560
Speaker 1: you know, where the accuser gets in my ear and

430
00:25:37,960 --> 00:25:41,240
Speaker 1: takes away my confidence to go out and preach Jesus.

431
00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,040
Speaker 1: But I do want to always kind of keep it

432
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,200
Speaker 1: there where I can remember what I was redeemed from,

433
00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:49,640
Speaker 1: so I can keep crying out thank you, thank you.

434
00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:53,120
Speaker 1: I was. I was. I got a chance to preach

435
00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,840
Speaker 1: this last weekend, and they asked me, what do you

436
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:57,880
Speaker 1: want to do during the time of decision? What song?

437
00:25:57,960 --> 00:25:59,800
Speaker 1: And I said, I want to do Jesus paid it all.

438
00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,679
Speaker 1: And I said, I hope and pray that there will

439
00:26:03,720 --> 00:26:06,560
Speaker 1: be people at the altar, will all be at the altar,

440
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:10,439
Speaker 1: and then the whole congregation will begin to sing, Praise

441
00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:15,560
Speaker 1: the one that set us free, Praise the one that

442
00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:18,800
Speaker 1: paid our debt, and just hear us all say thank you,

443
00:26:18,880 --> 00:26:22,000
Speaker 1: thank you, thank you, thank you. And of course there's

444
00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:25,320
Speaker 1: no greater thank you than to actually do what he

445
00:26:25,440 --> 00:26:28,199
Speaker 1: called us to do. And then he gets into the

446
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,760
Speaker 1: wealth of it. In the second part of eight into

447
00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,320
Speaker 1: nine when he says to me, I'm the very least

448
00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:37,000
Speaker 1: of the saints. The grace was given to preach to

449
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:42,359
Speaker 1: the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring

450
00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,480
Speaker 1: to light for everyone. What is the plan of the

451
00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:52,440
Speaker 1: mystery hidden for ages in God? Hidden resources? It's riches

452
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,639
Speaker 1: that it cannot be defined, It can't be tracked. Wealth

453
00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:01,920
Speaker 1: in Christ can can cannot truly ever be known. There's

454
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:07,520
Speaker 1: nothing that compares to it. It comes from a heavenly resource.

455
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,760
Speaker 1: There's no wonder that we can't quite find it. It's

456
00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:14,720
Speaker 1: in heaven with God. This is why that it must

457
00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:18,000
Speaker 1: be written. Paul has to write this down because Paul's

458
00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:22,320
Speaker 1: ministry was limited to what he could actually touch. But

459
00:27:22,560 --> 00:27:26,159
Speaker 1: thanks to the letters that God inspired him to write

460
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,240
Speaker 1: that we're reading right now, the limits that he had

461
00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:33,200
Speaker 1: in his human limitations and his travel limitations, he now

462
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:36,240
Speaker 1: has gone on to be used by God to reach

463
00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:40,320
Speaker 1: millions and millions of people that he never even got

464
00:27:40,359 --> 00:27:43,479
Speaker 1: to meet. And guys, I want you to look around.

465
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,880
Speaker 1: I remember when this new technology that Adler does such

466
00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:51,959
Speaker 1: an incredible job making available, and strangely it came from

467
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,520
Speaker 1: one of my friends that's about to turn seventy and

468
00:27:56,359 --> 00:28:00,560
Speaker 1: he doesn't seem very technology. He doesn't seem tech techy

469
00:28:00,680 --> 00:28:03,159
Speaker 1: at all. And we were doing the Bible studies in

470
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,160
Speaker 1: the early years and he said, are you recording these

471
00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:08,639
Speaker 1: and making them available? And I said, well, no, we

472
00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:10,960
Speaker 1: were just doing a Bible study from the local church.

473
00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:13,639
Speaker 1: He goes, well, don't you have a studio. Aren't you

474
00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:16,280
Speaker 1: in the studio? And I'm like yeah. He goes, don't

475
00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:19,720
Speaker 1: y'all record things all the time? And I'm like yeah,

476
00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:24,040
Speaker 1: And he goes, then record it, put it out on streaming,

477
00:28:24,080 --> 00:28:28,680
Speaker 1: and then make it available to everybody. Now, Adler had

478
00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:32,040
Speaker 1: to be sacrificial enough to say, you know, I'm in

479
00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:35,679
Speaker 1: that's making his day longer, and it's making his job tougher,

480
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,080
Speaker 1: but he's using his gifts. And I will tell you

481
00:28:38,120 --> 00:28:41,320
Speaker 1: because of his gifts, I go all over this country

482
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:43,959
Speaker 1: and there's people that email me, there's people that come

483
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:48,320
Speaker 1: up to me, and these Bible studies, because of modern technology,

484
00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:52,120
Speaker 1: have now gone on to reach hundreds of thousands that

485
00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:54,040
Speaker 1: we could have never reached just sitting in here talking

486
00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:58,120
Speaker 1: to each other, and the impact on people's lives because

487
00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:01,040
Speaker 1: of the power of the scriptures, not the people doing it.

488
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:05,000
Speaker 1: Just like with Paul. But you know, Paul wrote these

489
00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:08,720
Speaker 1: things down, and now we need to use the things

490
00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:11,959
Speaker 1: that God has given us to take the limitations of

491
00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:15,960
Speaker 1: us and use this for good, to take God's message

492
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,360
Speaker 1: to places you can never get it before. And I mean,

493
00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:22,840
Speaker 1: it's so cool now to meet somebody and they say

494
00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:24,880
Speaker 1: I need to get in a Bible study. I always

495
00:29:24,920 --> 00:29:27,800
Speaker 1: wanted to get in the local church. And about ya, ok,

496
00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,400
Speaker 1: and what about what about what you guys are doing?

497
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:33,880
Speaker 1: You know what I can say, because of this modern technology,

498
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:38,040
Speaker 1: join us wherever you are, Join us either live or

499
00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:41,440
Speaker 1: catch the archive. When Nadler puts that out, So this

500
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:46,000
Speaker 1: is exactly what Paul did not fully comprehend at the time,

501
00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,680
Speaker 1: but it certainly happened, and it went out to so

502
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:54,040
Speaker 1: many people. Because of Jesus, we're now made noble. Verses

503
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:58,720
Speaker 1: ten through thirteen. Let's look at these verses ten through thirteen.

504
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:03,160
Speaker 1: The apostle Paul says, so that through the church, the

505
00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:06,840
Speaker 1: manifold wisdom of God might now being made known to

506
00:30:06,920 --> 00:30:11,440
Speaker 1: the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. Now that's interesting.

507
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:16,719
Speaker 1: Wisdom is really the word that's being used here. If

508
00:30:16,760 --> 00:30:19,360
Speaker 1: you look, if you look at the word he's used

509
00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:23,040
Speaker 1: in verse ten that we're using in English here, the

510
00:30:23,120 --> 00:30:26,760
Speaker 1: actual Greek word here for wisdom. If you defined it

511
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:32,520
Speaker 1: just word for word, it would be infinitely diversified, many colored,

512
00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:39,520
Speaker 1: meaning that God's wisdom you cannot exhaust. It's it's infinite,

513
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,000
Speaker 1: it's infinite, and it's diversified, meaning it's for everybody. It's

514
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:49,400
Speaker 1: been seen clearly in creation and even into the heavenly

515
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,840
Speaker 1: heavenly realms. What he's saying is, if you look into

516
00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:55,960
Speaker 1: these heavenly places and you see it being made known

517
00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:00,160
Speaker 1: to rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, even they

518
00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:05,440
Speaker 1: are hearing it, it is so impossible to exhaust God's vastness.

519
00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:07,440
Speaker 1: And Paul saying, if you just want to get some

520
00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:11,080
Speaker 1: kind of idea of how vast and powerful He is,

521
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:14,800
Speaker 1: look to the heavenly places, look to these truths being

522
00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:20,400
Speaker 1: preached to angels, to demons, to kings, to rulers. That

523
00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,800
Speaker 1: it's going everywhere and nothing can stop it. Remember what

524
00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:29,120
Speaker 1: Jesus said about the gates of hell, will not they

525
00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,880
Speaker 1: will not be able to withhold the church. Remember we

526
00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:36,400
Speaker 1: talked about this. A gate is actually a defense mechanism.

527
00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:39,239
Speaker 1: I can't tell you how many years I read that

528
00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,480
Speaker 1: verse and I thought about, Hell can't get us. That's

529
00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:44,480
Speaker 1: not what he's saying. And he's saying, Hell can't stop

530
00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 1: this gospel. Hell can't stop me. I'll knock down the

531
00:31:47,920 --> 00:31:51,360
Speaker 1: gates of Hell. I'll go into Hell, and I'll deliver

532
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:54,480
Speaker 1: people that are that are bound for Hell. Those gates

533
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,400
Speaker 1: can't stop the church. There's nothing that can stop the church.

534
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:00,400
Speaker 1: And let me tell you this, the Church is not

535
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,360
Speaker 1: going to be stopped now. You and I might be

536
00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:08,560
Speaker 1: stopped because of cowardice, because of you know, our refusal

537
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,960
Speaker 1: to be obedient, but it ain't gonna stop the church.

538
00:32:11,960 --> 00:32:16,600
Speaker 1: You remember we talked about how right now, just right now,

539
00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:18,920
Speaker 1: if we were honest and we look at all the

540
00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:22,480
Speaker 1: hell on earth that the Apostle Paul had to endure,

541
00:32:22,560 --> 00:32:27,640
Speaker 1: and this being jailed right here is minor. These house arrests,

542
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:32,080
Speaker 1: they were bad, but the beatings he took, I mean,

543
00:32:32,760 --> 00:32:37,800
Speaker 1: the stonings, some of the jails were pretty bad. This

544
00:32:37,960 --> 00:32:41,080
Speaker 1: is the tip of the iceberg for the Apostle Paul,

545
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:44,320
Speaker 1: what he's going through writing this letter, and most of us,

546
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:49,360
Speaker 1: if we were honest, Rick included. And that's okay because

547
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:52,360
Speaker 1: I just it's just, you know, walking around since I

548
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:56,719
Speaker 1: really would rather not be beaten. I would rather not

549
00:32:56,800 --> 00:33:00,080
Speaker 1: be stoned. I would rather not be jailed. I would

550
00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,680
Speaker 1: rather not be shipwrecked. I'd rather not be bitten by

551
00:33:02,680 --> 00:33:06,320
Speaker 1: a snake. I'd rather not be looking for food and water.

552
00:33:07,520 --> 00:33:09,600
Speaker 1: I'd rather not be laying outside of a city and

553
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:13,160
Speaker 1: everybody thinks I'm dead, and I get up keep preaching.

554
00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:16,000
Speaker 1: Then't come back around and preaching that place again. You know,

555
00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:19,200
Speaker 1: can't you imagine Barnabas and Apolos are like Paul, come on, man,

556
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:22,120
Speaker 1: don't don't don't go back here. Let's please not go

557
00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:25,400
Speaker 1: back to town. And so I don't really want any

558
00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:27,120
Speaker 1: part of that. If I'm just being honest, I'm not

559
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,320
Speaker 1: going to look for it. But the thing that I

560
00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:33,400
Speaker 1: hope can motivate us motivate is we don't want to

561
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:37,240
Speaker 1: be that part of the Apostle Paul. We want our

562
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:41,200
Speaker 1: crown without the cross, if we're just honest. But when

563
00:33:41,280 --> 00:33:44,920
Speaker 1: that day which he wrote about in two Timothy, when

564
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,440
Speaker 1: the apostle Paul is getting a well done and good

565
00:33:47,480 --> 00:33:50,000
Speaker 1: and faithful servant and he's being handed the crown of

566
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:53,479
Speaker 1: righteousness by the Lord he served every one of us

567
00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:55,120
Speaker 1: is gonna wish we've been a little more like Paul

568
00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:00,760
Speaker 1: on that day, and the shame going to hit us

569
00:34:01,840 --> 00:34:04,720
Speaker 1: when we might be in but we're not getting a

570
00:34:04,720 --> 00:34:08,400
Speaker 1: well done, and we're gonna wish we've been a lot

571
00:34:08,440 --> 00:34:11,759
Speaker 1: more like Paul. And so what he's trying to do

572
00:34:12,160 --> 00:34:14,960
Speaker 1: is to remind us of that through his writings. Hey,

573
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,080
Speaker 1: I know I'm in jail. I'm in jail for proclaiming Jesus.

574
00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:20,680
Speaker 1: I've been through a lot of things because of Jesus.

575
00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:25,319
Speaker 1: But how about this the purpose of God? In verse eleven, Hey,

576
00:34:25,400 --> 00:34:28,800
Speaker 1: it's worth it. Look at this, the majestic purpose of God.

577
00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:33,400
Speaker 1: Verse eleven. The apostle Paul says this was according to

578
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:37,760
Speaker 1: the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ. Jesus,

579
00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,040
Speaker 1: our Lord, what is he telling us? Right there? Come on, guys,

580
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:44,560
Speaker 1: be more heaven focused. You focus too much on the

581
00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,919
Speaker 1: temporal in the temple of this all you're not sure

582
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:51,000
Speaker 1: it's worth it. You need to be looking to the

583
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:57,239
Speaker 1: eternal Jesus is the answer to any issue. God's plan

584
00:34:57,320 --> 00:35:00,520
Speaker 1: of redemption was in play the church, which was in

585
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:04,920
Speaker 1: play as soon as Adam's sin happened. It did not

586
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:09,879
Speaker 1: surprise God. How about Lucifer's fall did not catch God

587
00:35:10,040 --> 00:35:14,520
Speaker 1: off guard. The cross of Christ was God's wisdom, it

588
00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,960
Speaker 1: was God's love, It was God's power as a means

589
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:22,560
Speaker 1: of redeeming fallen man and rebuking fallen angels. And He

590
00:35:22,719 --> 00:35:25,719
Speaker 1: always had this card and knew he was going to

591
00:35:25,760 --> 00:35:30,520
Speaker 1: play it. There was an eternal purpose for all of this,

592
00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:35,319
Speaker 1: and God was not surprised by the need of a

593
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:39,959
Speaker 1: plan that he already had prepared Verse twelve. And whom

594
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:44,040
Speaker 1: we have I love this in whom we have boldness

595
00:35:44,680 --> 00:35:49,759
Speaker 1: and access with confidence through our faith in Him. The

596
00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:55,080
Speaker 1: marvelous love of God Jesus gives us full access to God.

597
00:35:55,560 --> 00:36:00,839
Speaker 1: We come in with confident assurance about that minute ago.

598
00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,600
Speaker 1: Confidence and assurance. Please tell me you are confident and

599
00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:10,279
Speaker 1: assured of your redemption. If you've been truly redeemed, you

600
00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:15,960
Speaker 1: shouldn't be wondering if you are a confident assurance. Now,

601
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,480
Speaker 1: I'm not saying you don't have bad moments in bad days,

602
00:36:18,920 --> 00:36:22,240
Speaker 1: but that doesn't come from God, comes from your sin nature.

603
00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:24,320
Speaker 1: It might come from some demon that's kind of pestering

604
00:36:24,320 --> 00:36:26,359
Speaker 1: you a little bit, trying to get you to think

605
00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:31,000
Speaker 1: that maybe maybe not well, look, that's not what Paul said.

606
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:34,040
Speaker 1: He goes say, we're we have a boldness. We have

607
00:36:34,080 --> 00:36:37,640
Speaker 1: a boldness now, not a boldness in arrogance, but a

608
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:41,680
Speaker 1: boldness in Jesus has redeemed us, a boldness that we

609
00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,520
Speaker 1: have been redeemed, a boldness that we walk into the

610
00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:49,479
Speaker 1: presence of God through the full righteousness of Jesus. He's

611
00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:53,439
Speaker 1: given us confidence. He's given us boldness. And Paul saying,

612
00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:56,480
Speaker 1: just like he taught, he'll teach us and Philippians my goodness.

613
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:58,920
Speaker 1: With this confidence, in this boldness, you realize you live

614
00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:00,920
Speaker 1: the rest of your life, and the worst thing anybody

615
00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:05,040
Speaker 1: can do to you is kill you. And then you're

616
00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:07,880
Speaker 1: just done with all this. Your aging's over, your sickness

617
00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:10,960
Speaker 1: is over. You're in the presence of God. Because let

618
00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:13,680
Speaker 1: me tell you what's important about this. If some of

619
00:37:13,719 --> 00:37:18,400
Speaker 1: you are putting this off, this call of the gospel

620
00:37:18,760 --> 00:37:22,400
Speaker 1: of advancing, the gospel of teaching, the gospel of making

621
00:37:22,440 --> 00:37:26,000
Speaker 1: disciples following the Great Commission, if you think this is

622
00:37:26,040 --> 00:37:28,520
Speaker 1: something you'll finally get right when you're redeemed, have you

623
00:37:28,560 --> 00:37:30,160
Speaker 1: ever read the book The only thing you don't get

624
00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,440
Speaker 1: to do in heaven. We don't get to do this

625
00:37:32,480 --> 00:37:39,520
Speaker 1: in heaven. Evangelism's over when you die. Evangelism's over when

626
00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:43,800
Speaker 1: Jesus returns. So there's not gonna be some eternal version

627
00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:45,279
Speaker 1: of this where you get to kill you go, well,

628
00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,520
Speaker 1: now I'm gonna do it. Now that I'm fully glorified,

629
00:37:47,680 --> 00:37:51,360
Speaker 1: I'm gonna go about it. No, No, there's no evangelism

630
00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:56,319
Speaker 1: in eternity. Evangelism is us getting people, taking people with

631
00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,759
Speaker 1: us into eternity. So you see Paul saying, remember this,

632
00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:04,040
Speaker 1: have confidence, have assurance. But he also reminds us of

633
00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:06,759
Speaker 1: what there's tribulation that goes with this. Jesus didn't lie

634
00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:10,239
Speaker 1: about that. He said, in this world you will face tribulation.

635
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:13,600
Speaker 1: And he said, but always take heart, always have peace,

636
00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:17,640
Speaker 1: because he, Jesus, has overcome the world John sixteen thirty three.

637
00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:23,880
Speaker 1: Look what he says next, So I ask you not

638
00:38:24,040 --> 00:38:28,000
Speaker 1: to lose heart over what I'm suffering for you, which

639
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:32,719
Speaker 1: is your glory. You know, it's interesting. I read a

640
00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:34,839
Speaker 1: lot of commentaries on this. This is a powerful verse.

641
00:38:34,840 --> 00:38:37,800
Speaker 1: It's give me chills right now. It's almost like Paul,

642
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:42,440
Speaker 1: he's in the spirit man and he's writing, and he's writing,

643
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:45,759
Speaker 1: and you've been writing something that God's called you to,

644
00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:48,200
Speaker 1: or you're studying something in the Bible and he's coming

645
00:38:48,239 --> 00:38:50,880
Speaker 1: alive to you. Man, and you're getting so excited, and

646
00:38:50,920 --> 00:38:55,520
Speaker 1: you're getting so excited. But maybe something in your life

647
00:38:55,960 --> 00:38:59,960
Speaker 1: may be yourself. Maybe you've gotten a bad doctor report,

648
00:39:00,840 --> 00:39:03,960
Speaker 1: maybe somebody you love has gotten a bad doctor report.

649
00:39:04,040 --> 00:39:07,280
Speaker 1: Maybe something is going wrong, and you're in the spirit

650
00:39:07,320 --> 00:39:09,680
Speaker 1: and you're so joyful that all of a sudden, that

651
00:39:09,719 --> 00:39:14,719
Speaker 1: reminder pops in your head. It's almost like Paul remembers

652
00:39:14,760 --> 00:39:19,560
Speaker 1: he's in jail. Almost right here. He's like, but you know,

653
00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:24,560
Speaker 1: I'm in jail and all that's true, but I come

654
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:28,440
Speaker 1: back to the realization that I'm imprisoned. And you know what,

655
00:39:28,760 --> 00:39:32,640
Speaker 1: keep in mind, now, only God knows these times that

656
00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:35,839
Speaker 1: Paul gets out of prison. Every time Paul goes in,

657
00:39:36,719 --> 00:39:39,600
Speaker 1: he doesn't know whether he's coming out or not. And

658
00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:42,920
Speaker 1: how about this. He also knows that he's about to

659
00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:48,160
Speaker 1: face Nero, and he seems to realize how others might

660
00:39:48,239 --> 00:39:54,040
Speaker 1: see his situation, that maybe the truth that he's been

661
00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:58,960
Speaker 1: preaching got him in trouble. They may not want that

662
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:02,799
Speaker 1: that it might happen to them, It might happen to

663
00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:07,520
Speaker 1: the very person reading. So Paul takes the time to motivate,

664
00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:14,000
Speaker 1: don't be cast down. He is all for the good

665
00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:19,480
Speaker 1: of the gospel and to strengthen the reader. They can

666
00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:22,920
Speaker 1: kill the body, they can't kill the spirit. That'll also

667
00:40:23,000 --> 00:40:28,160
Speaker 1: be in the Book of Philippians. He's basically saying, whatever

668
00:40:28,239 --> 00:40:31,800
Speaker 1: happens to me, the end result is eternity with Jesus

669
00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:36,760
Speaker 1: in perfection. So if you're thinking right now, but Paul,

670
00:40:36,880 --> 00:40:38,879
Speaker 1: this all sounds great, but if we do what you do,

671
00:40:39,200 --> 00:40:42,000
Speaker 1: we're gonna be in prison, We're gonna be facing Nero.

672
00:40:42,239 --> 00:40:44,239
Speaker 1: And he says, well, then don't be downcast about that,

673
00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:46,880
Speaker 1: because the suffering that I have right now is for

674
00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:51,200
Speaker 1: your Glory's for the glory of the church. I mean,

675
00:40:51,239 --> 00:40:53,920
Speaker 1: I think about you know, we've done the thirty nine

676
00:40:54,000 --> 00:40:56,640
Speaker 1: last thing, and that was just a fraction of Second

677
00:40:56,719 --> 00:40:59,360
Speaker 1: Corinthians eleven. When you read all the sufferings of Paul,

678
00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:01,200
Speaker 1: and that's not all of them, but the ones that

679
00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:05,399
Speaker 1: he picked, and you think about, are any of us

680
00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,640
Speaker 1: really can anybody think? I mean, we know we see

681
00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:10,400
Speaker 1: somebody that we know he led people to Christ that

682
00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:13,959
Speaker 1: were his soldiers that were guarding him because they saw

683
00:41:14,040 --> 00:41:16,400
Speaker 1: this faith when he and Apollos are singing in the

684
00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:19,040
Speaker 1: middle of the night. They can't believe what they're hearing.

685
00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:23,120
Speaker 1: And you think if you beat Paul five times to

686
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,840
Speaker 1: the maximum, that you could beat him and he wouldn't

687
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:30,080
Speaker 1: denounce Jesus. That had no impact on you. He said.

688
00:41:30,120 --> 00:41:32,000
Speaker 1: Every time they punish me, it's just to the glory

689
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:36,480
Speaker 1: of God, because they can't shake me. Every time they

690
00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:39,040
Speaker 1: think that what I believe isn't true, the fact I

691
00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:44,120
Speaker 1: won't renounce it makes them wonder. Guys, I'm going to

692
00:41:44,160 --> 00:41:47,759
Speaker 1: tell you that when we go through difficulty, people are

693
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:51,040
Speaker 1: watching us in a way that they don't watch us

694
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:54,880
Speaker 1: any other time. And I've heard that over and over

695
00:41:55,080 --> 00:42:01,000
Speaker 1: and over. So he says, for this reason, look at this,

696
00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:06,480
Speaker 1: He turns to prayer. For this reason, I bow my

697
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:11,640
Speaker 1: knees before the Father. What kept enabling Paul? What was

698
00:42:11,680 --> 00:42:16,080
Speaker 1: his secret? Because he had access to the Father? I

699
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:20,719
Speaker 1: kneel before God the Father in reverence. I bow my

700
00:42:20,800 --> 00:42:25,120
Speaker 1: knees to the Father, from whom all fatherhood takes its name.

701
00:42:25,880 --> 00:42:32,760
Speaker 1: All fatherhood should resemble him. For this reason, I bow

702
00:42:33,040 --> 00:42:37,080
Speaker 1: my knees before the Father. Look at fifteen, from whom

703
00:42:37,280 --> 00:42:43,319
Speaker 1: every family in heaven and on Earth is named those

704
00:42:43,360 --> 00:42:47,560
Speaker 1: of us that are fathers and grandfathers. I wonder, I

705
00:42:47,680 --> 00:42:51,880
Speaker 1: wonder if the fatherhood that we've provided on earth looks

706
00:42:51,920 --> 00:42:56,319
Speaker 1: anything like the fatherhood were provided in heaven. Let me

707
00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:59,520
Speaker 1: tell you the beautiful thing about this redemption. Beyond that

708
00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:03,799
Speaker 1: that challenge is I also know, and I know this firsthand,

709
00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:06,839
Speaker 1: and I've seen people who are redeemed. I've watched how

710
00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:11,200
Speaker 1: this has helped them in their life. Not everybody has

711
00:43:11,400 --> 00:43:16,759
Speaker 1: a great earthly father, they just don't. Sadly, a lot

712
00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:19,520
Speaker 1: of people don't. And when we did the book Men

713
00:43:19,520 --> 00:43:22,040
Speaker 1: Don't Run in the Rain, the last chapter is like, okay,

714
00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:23,520
Speaker 1: now let's talk to all of you that didn't have

715
00:43:23,560 --> 00:43:26,120
Speaker 1: a dad like mine. And I can't tell you how

716
00:43:26,160 --> 00:43:29,279
Speaker 1: many redeemed people that had really really difficult fathers, or

717
00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:34,680
Speaker 1: no fathers, or absentee fathers, abusive fathers, they said that

718
00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:38,200
Speaker 1: it was so wonderful to realize and they didn't have

719
00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:44,080
Speaker 1: to be sad about their situation. They didn't have to

720
00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:48,120
Speaker 1: feel inferior to those who had good earthly fathers, because

721
00:43:48,160 --> 00:43:52,160
Speaker 1: the Gospel takes us all under a father that is perfect,

722
00:43:52,600 --> 00:43:55,920
Speaker 1: even those who never had one. And my father wasn't perfect.

723
00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:58,520
Speaker 1: So even even God the Father is better than my

724
00:43:58,600 --> 00:44:02,680
Speaker 1: earthly father because he's perfect. But there's no one that's

725
00:44:02,719 --> 00:44:06,080
Speaker 1: been redeemed that didn't have a father. Those that have

726
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:08,680
Speaker 1: been redeemed have a perfect father. And Paul says, so

727
00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:12,680
Speaker 1: I bow to the perfect Father that represents all fatherhood,

728
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,880
Speaker 1: the Father of fathers. And he said, and when I

729
00:44:16,880 --> 00:44:19,960
Speaker 1: get a little down, that's just what I do. And

730
00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:23,520
Speaker 1: maybe we should follow that example. So now he goes

731
00:44:23,560 --> 00:44:27,360
Speaker 1: on to sixteen that according to the riches of his glory,

732
00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:30,439
Speaker 1: he may grant you to be strengthened with power through

733
00:44:30,480 --> 00:44:33,560
Speaker 1: His spirit in your inner being. That's deep right there.

734
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:39,600
Speaker 1: It's channeled through the invincible Holy Spirit of God. So

735
00:44:39,719 --> 00:44:43,840
Speaker 1: what is the first source of our strength? The Holy Spirit.

736
00:44:44,520 --> 00:44:47,560
Speaker 1: It's not intellect. It's not in our emotions. Be careful

737
00:44:47,560 --> 00:44:50,560
Speaker 1: with that. It's not in our strong will, Rick, it's

738
00:44:50,600 --> 00:44:54,239
Speaker 1: not in our conscious I'll tell your consciousness flawed. I

739
00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,400
Speaker 1: remember one time when I and period in my life,

740
00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:02,000
Speaker 1: the darkest thirteen years of my life dark. Do you

741
00:45:02,080 --> 00:45:06,960
Speaker 1: know how much my conscience bothered me? None? So a

742
00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:10,520
Speaker 1: conscience isn't good enough. I got to the point where

743
00:45:10,520 --> 00:45:11,880
Speaker 1: I'm like as long as I'm doing what I want

744
00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:14,040
Speaker 1: to do, I couldn't care less how it impacts other people.

745
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:17,080
Speaker 1: And if I can get mine, I'm gonna get mine.

746
00:45:17,120 --> 00:45:18,560
Speaker 1: And if I have to cheat you out of it,

747
00:45:18,600 --> 00:45:20,359
Speaker 1: I have to steal from you. I have to take

748
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:23,520
Speaker 1: it from you, I will, And if you can be

749
00:45:23,640 --> 00:45:30,520
Speaker 1: of some service to me physically, then then then so

750
00:45:30,680 --> 00:45:34,359
Speaker 1: be it. So my conscience never met I never felt

751
00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:37,200
Speaker 1: bad about that, and it was a horrible feeling when

752
00:45:37,239 --> 00:45:40,200
Speaker 1: I realized that that conscious had stopped doing his job.

753
00:45:40,920 --> 00:45:44,400
Speaker 1: But now, when the Holy Spirit came in now conviction,

754
00:45:45,280 --> 00:45:49,640
Speaker 1: I can vividly remember one of the big moments when

755
00:45:49,640 --> 00:45:52,200
Speaker 1: I knew that I had been fully redeemed in that assurance.

756
00:45:52,239 --> 00:45:56,920
Speaker 1: That boldness came is because I thought, because of my

757
00:45:57,200 --> 00:46:00,200
Speaker 1: job at the time, that I had certain things I

758
00:46:00,200 --> 00:46:04,719
Speaker 1: couldn't free myself from. And I went back into those

759
00:46:04,800 --> 00:46:08,120
Speaker 1: honky tonks and those bars and all that stuff to

760
00:46:08,160 --> 00:46:12,359
Speaker 1: make money and never had a conscious about it, never

761
00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:15,239
Speaker 1: felt bad about it. I felt comfortable there. I liked

762
00:46:15,280 --> 00:46:17,759
Speaker 1: to be in there. I liked the dim lights, I

763
00:46:17,880 --> 00:46:20,120
Speaker 1: liked all that. I loved the alcohol, I loved all that.

764
00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,839
Speaker 1: And after my redemption, I went in there not to participate,

765
00:46:23,920 --> 00:46:26,520
Speaker 1: but just to do my job, I thought, and I

766
00:46:26,600 --> 00:46:29,719
Speaker 1: stepped in that place and I felt the dark oppression

767
00:46:30,480 --> 00:46:34,040
Speaker 1: that I had never felt before. And I remember coming

768
00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:36,880
Speaker 1: out of there and telling my boss, I may get fired,

769
00:46:37,320 --> 00:46:39,160
Speaker 1: and I, you know, because you got to do your job.

770
00:46:39,360 --> 00:46:43,080
Speaker 1: I can't be in there anymore. I can't do that anymore. Now.

771
00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:46,240
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that, you know people who are called

772
00:46:46,280 --> 00:46:49,120
Speaker 1: to go and evangelize wherever you're called. There's people that

773
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:51,839
Speaker 1: can do that. I'm just I'm trying to tell you

774
00:46:51,880 --> 00:46:56,200
Speaker 1: the difference between a conscience and the Holy Spirit. My

775
00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,479
Speaker 1: conscience didn't really do much for me, but the Holy

776
00:46:59,560 --> 00:47:03,520
Speaker 1: Spirit did it because it was perfect conviction and it

777
00:47:03,600 --> 00:47:06,839
Speaker 1: was holy and it helped me to discern things that

778
00:47:06,880 --> 00:47:12,160
Speaker 1: were not. So that's there. So your conscience ain't going

779
00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:14,840
Speaker 1: to do it. The Bible tells us not to follow

780
00:47:14,840 --> 00:47:18,799
Speaker 1: our hearts. It's so deceptive. So our own strength, our

781
00:47:18,840 --> 00:47:22,840
Speaker 1: own self control, our own you know, whatever, None of

782
00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:27,799
Speaker 1: that works. It's the Holy Spirit that ultimately gives us

783
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,520
Speaker 1: what we need. And I love he says it gives

784
00:47:30,600 --> 00:47:33,600
Speaker 1: us power in our inner being that's down there in

785
00:47:33,640 --> 00:47:37,680
Speaker 1: the depths of our soul. Somebody say Amen, so seventeen,

786
00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:40,479
Speaker 1: so that Christ may dwell in your hearts. What through

787
00:47:40,520 --> 00:47:45,440
Speaker 1: faith that you being rooted and grounded in love. It's

788
00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:48,759
Speaker 1: an indwelling of the Son of God. The Remember, it's

789
00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:52,480
Speaker 1: a try you in God. So when God Seed is

790
00:47:52,520 --> 00:47:55,120
Speaker 1: now made my dead spirit alive, that's His Holy Spirit.

791
00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:58,200
Speaker 1: But also I now have the Son of God that

792
00:47:58,320 --> 00:48:00,440
Speaker 1: is dwelling in me. I now have God the Father

793
00:48:00,880 --> 00:48:05,040
Speaker 1: dwelling in me. And it's taught us everything. It's perfect.

794
00:48:05,280 --> 00:48:10,320
Speaker 1: It's a flawless example. And now Jesus becomes our God.

795
00:48:10,680 --> 00:48:14,240
Speaker 1: The Holy Spirit becomes our God. God the Father becomes

796
00:48:14,239 --> 00:48:17,480
Speaker 1: our God. And this trying God, the Father, Son, and

797
00:48:17,520 --> 00:48:20,960
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit, we now have access to perfect God.

798
00:48:22,920 --> 00:48:26,880
Speaker 1: Thank the Lord for that. How through the salvation of God,

799
00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:36,000
Speaker 1: rooted and grounded in love, is that our approach. I

800
00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:38,719
Speaker 1: will tell you Without that, I probably wouldn't do much.

801
00:48:40,719 --> 00:48:44,080
Speaker 1: There's many times that I love people because that's what

802
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,160
Speaker 1: I'm supposed to do, and He's given me the ability

803
00:48:47,200 --> 00:48:51,120
Speaker 1: to do that when I normally wouldn't do it. It's love

804
00:48:51,239 --> 00:48:54,200
Speaker 1: that motivates the thing that he has convicted me of

805
00:48:54,360 --> 00:48:57,200
Speaker 1: is to look in people's faces. And I can honestly say,

806
00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:01,200
Speaker 1: sincerely say, I really don't want you to go to Hell.

807
00:49:01,840 --> 00:49:04,840
Speaker 1: I truly care. I hope that whatever He's called me

808
00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:07,839
Speaker 1: to will bring you to redemption in him. I do

809
00:49:07,960 --> 00:49:11,000
Speaker 1: care about that. I do want to get to the altar,

810
00:49:11,040 --> 00:49:13,000
Speaker 1: and I want to hug you, and I want to

811
00:49:13,000 --> 00:49:15,160
Speaker 1: pray with you, and I care what happens to you.

812
00:49:16,560 --> 00:49:19,600
Speaker 1: And I can tell you that's supernatural because I wouldn't

813
00:49:19,640 --> 00:49:23,239
Speaker 1: normally be that way, you know, I get so I

814
00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:25,840
Speaker 1: laugh so hard that people say, well, you don't have

815
00:49:25,920 --> 00:49:28,680
Speaker 1: to have God for people to know what's right and wrong.

816
00:49:28,800 --> 00:49:34,600
Speaker 1: Apparently we do. Apparently we do. Our assessment of it

817
00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:36,239
Speaker 1: doesn't seem like we do a very good job at it.

818
00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:42,600
Speaker 1: So it is supernatural. It is. It's got to be

819
00:49:42,640 --> 00:49:45,920
Speaker 1: in the proper soil through the salvation of God, rooted

820
00:49:45,960 --> 00:49:49,720
Speaker 1: and grounded in love. If that's our approach, then love's

821
00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:53,040
Speaker 1: not something that we add to our Christian faith. Love

822
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:56,440
Speaker 1: is the root. Love is the foundation. Think about it.

823
00:49:56,480 --> 00:49:58,120
Speaker 1: You can go out with the greatest plant in the world,

824
00:49:58,160 --> 00:49:59,560
Speaker 1: but if you don't put it in the right soil,

825
00:50:00,040 --> 00:50:03,279
Speaker 1: it's not going to grow. And the soil that our

826
00:50:03,360 --> 00:50:09,560
Speaker 1: faith grows in is love. Not the superficial love, the

827
00:50:09,719 --> 00:50:16,160
Speaker 1: actual concern for the eternity of others. That's got to

828
00:50:16,200 --> 00:50:18,440
Speaker 1: be the motivation. Not to bring glory to ourselves, not

829
00:50:18,520 --> 00:50:20,200
Speaker 1: to show people how get a speaker we can be,

830
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:22,440
Speaker 1: not to show people how good are programs we can

831
00:50:22,440 --> 00:50:25,040
Speaker 1: put together. Certainly, there's nothing wrong with the plan I

832
00:50:25,120 --> 00:50:27,359
Speaker 1: mean in a structure, but at the root of it all,

833
00:50:27,400 --> 00:50:29,400
Speaker 1: if you're not doing this because you love people, then

834
00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:33,800
Speaker 1: you're going about it the wrong way. Love God love people.

835
00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:39,800
Speaker 1: Eighteen may have strength to comprehend with all the saints.

836
00:50:40,360 --> 00:50:42,560
Speaker 1: What I mean this is the breadth of the length,

837
00:50:42,640 --> 00:50:45,200
Speaker 1: the height, the depth, and know the love of Christ

838
00:50:45,280 --> 00:50:48,960
Speaker 1: that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all

839
00:50:49,280 --> 00:50:52,280
Speaker 1: the full fullness of God. He doesn't waste a word.

840
00:50:52,800 --> 00:50:55,680
Speaker 1: So here's what he's saying. God's love is being examined

841
00:50:55,719 --> 00:51:00,760
Speaker 1: in verse eighteen. Can we measure it and find out? Never?

842
00:51:01,640 --> 00:51:05,080
Speaker 1: So let's try so the length of it. God says

843
00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:09,160
Speaker 1: what he's long suffering, that he will forgive all who repent,

844
00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:13,759
Speaker 1: even seventy times seven times. He will not stop if

845
00:51:13,800 --> 00:51:16,520
Speaker 1: you are willing to repent, even when you make a

846
00:51:16,560 --> 00:51:22,000
Speaker 1: mistake after redemption. God is always faithful, to forgive you

847
00:51:21,719 --> 00:51:26,120
Speaker 1: if your heart is sincere. So how wide is it? Well,

848
00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:28,799
Speaker 1: my goodness, let's look at his creation? How big is

849
00:51:28,840 --> 00:51:32,040
Speaker 1: the sea? How big is the earth? How big is

850
00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:35,440
Speaker 1: is the universe? And then you want to see the

851
00:51:36,000 --> 00:51:40,439
Speaker 1: width of it? He is that, And he decides, I'll

852
00:51:40,480 --> 00:51:43,880
Speaker 1: take on human flesh and I'll lower myself to be

853
00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:47,440
Speaker 1: in a feeding trough as a baby, and then I'll

854
00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:50,160
Speaker 1: spend time as one hundred percent god in man. I

855
00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:53,640
Speaker 1: will take my glory and I'll reduce it so I

856
00:51:53,680 --> 00:51:56,319
Speaker 1: can become one of you. And I'll go through all

857
00:51:56,360 --> 00:51:59,080
Speaker 1: the horrors of this falling creation. Oh, by the way,

858
00:51:59,120 --> 00:52:02,200
Speaker 1: I'm sinless, but I'm going to endure something that sin

859
00:52:02,280 --> 00:52:04,719
Speaker 1: should be bringing on somebody. But I'm doing it of

860
00:52:04,800 --> 00:52:07,799
Speaker 1: my own free will. Nobody takes my life. I will

861
00:52:07,880 --> 00:52:10,439
Speaker 1: lay it down, I will rise it up again. If

862
00:52:10,440 --> 00:52:12,319
Speaker 1: the God of the universe is willing to do that,

863
00:52:12,360 --> 00:52:16,680
Speaker 1: his love must be pretty wide. It must be pretty wide.

864
00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,759
Speaker 1: What about the depth of it. We'll just look at

865
00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:22,800
Speaker 1: what I just said, look at the birth, the death,

866
00:52:23,320 --> 00:52:27,120
Speaker 1: the resurrection. He would go go that far. There's no limit.

867
00:52:28,120 --> 00:52:31,120
Speaker 1: There's no now, there's limit to his approval. But there's

868
00:52:31,160 --> 00:52:34,480
Speaker 1: no limit to his love. That's important. The approval comes

869
00:52:34,480 --> 00:52:37,440
Speaker 1: from God saying, look, I love you because I created you,

870
00:52:37,560 --> 00:52:39,440
Speaker 1: but I can't approve of you because of your sin

871
00:52:39,520 --> 00:52:42,400
Speaker 1: until you're redeemed by my son. You know, my sweet

872
00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:46,520
Speaker 1: Mama taught me that one on a human level during

873
00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:48,160
Speaker 1: those dark years, when she said, I want you to

874
00:52:48,160 --> 00:52:51,320
Speaker 1: know I will always love you, but I don't approve

875
00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:58,440
Speaker 1: of you. And until that's resolved, there's a limit to

876
00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:01,480
Speaker 1: the relationship we're going to have. Doesn't mean I don't

877
00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:05,600
Speaker 1: love you, I just don't approve of you. And if

878
00:53:05,640 --> 00:53:10,200
Speaker 1: you don't change, I can't approve of you. What's the height?

879
00:53:10,719 --> 00:53:13,759
Speaker 1: Christ has been ascended to the glory, sitting at the

880
00:53:13,840 --> 00:53:17,440
Speaker 1: right hand of the Father and the heights. Christ reigns

881
00:53:17,480 --> 00:53:22,480
Speaker 1: in splendor and brightness beyond the noonday sun. He is

882
00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:26,240
Speaker 1: on the throne of the universe, with galaxies swirling around

883
00:53:26,239 --> 00:53:31,840
Speaker 1: his feet. Ten thousand times ten thousand angels ten thousand.

884
00:53:33,080 --> 00:53:39,520
Speaker 1: They're all rushing in, rushing in just to get close

885
00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:43,560
Speaker 1: to him ten thousand times ten thousand angels, and they

886
00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:49,879
Speaker 1: are waiting for his words. What heights they hang on it?

887
00:53:50,520 --> 00:53:53,800
Speaker 1: They rush in to do his will. They were standing

888
00:53:53,840 --> 00:53:56,640
Speaker 1: by the cross. All he had to do was say,

889
00:53:56,680 --> 00:54:01,719
Speaker 1: come get me. They were ready, They were waiting to

890
00:54:01,760 --> 00:54:04,719
Speaker 1: hear what he had to say. Do any of us?

891
00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:08,800
Speaker 1: Are we that glorious that tens of thousands of angels

892
00:54:08,800 --> 00:54:10,680
Speaker 1: wanted to care what we have to say today? Are

893
00:54:10,680 --> 00:54:12,719
Speaker 1: they standing by or ready to go to work when

894
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:16,080
Speaker 1: anything I want to do? So? Then he finishes with

895
00:54:16,160 --> 00:54:19,840
Speaker 1: God's love exhibited. And to know the love of Christ

896
00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:23,920
Speaker 1: that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all

897
00:54:23,920 --> 00:54:28,239
Speaker 1: the fullness of God. That's beautiful to know the love

898
00:54:28,280 --> 00:54:34,040
Speaker 1: of Christ Calvary. Is there a love stronger than what

899
00:54:34,080 --> 00:54:40,279
Speaker 1: we saw on country and see it? We can can

900
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:45,080
Speaker 1: quite fully understand it, but we understand the reason still

901
00:54:45,160 --> 00:54:49,440
Speaker 1: might not be able to completely grasp it. It defies

902
00:54:49,600 --> 00:54:54,040
Speaker 1: knowledge that our finite brains have. It's channeled through the

903
00:54:54,080 --> 00:54:58,880
Speaker 1: infinite sufficiency of God. God himself is the source that

904
00:54:59,040 --> 00:55:03,759
Speaker 1: enables we might be continually filled right up to the

905
00:55:03,800 --> 00:55:13,920
Speaker 1: measure of God's fullness. God's fullness. I started reading about that. D. L.

906
00:55:14,000 --> 00:55:16,640
Speaker 1: Moody offer me with D. L. Moody, and we're almost done.

907
00:55:18,400 --> 00:55:20,120
Speaker 1: He said. He was walking the streets in New York

908
00:55:20,160 --> 00:55:26,839
Speaker 1: City wanting God to reveal himself to him. And he

909
00:55:26,920 --> 00:55:29,520
Speaker 1: said that he went into a room. A guy wanted

910
00:55:29,560 --> 00:55:31,719
Speaker 1: to give him something to heed. He denied that he

911
00:55:31,760 --> 00:55:34,080
Speaker 1: went to his room. He was just alone. He began

912
00:55:34,160 --> 00:55:38,320
Speaker 1: to beg for God to reveal himself to him fully.

913
00:55:38,600 --> 00:55:40,560
Speaker 1: His ministry was doing pretty well good. He wanted to

914
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:43,760
Speaker 1: go to the next level, and he said, please reveal

915
00:55:43,800 --> 00:55:47,760
Speaker 1: yourself to me fully. And dal Moody said, God answered

916
00:55:47,760 --> 00:55:50,640
Speaker 1: his prayer. And he said, and I didn't realize what

917
00:55:50,680 --> 00:55:54,120
Speaker 1: I was praying, and it was so overwhelming. I actually

918
00:55:54,239 --> 00:55:59,879
Speaker 1: asked him to stop. I could not take it, he said.

919
00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:03,160
Speaker 1: So I never got there because God showed me that

920
00:56:03,239 --> 00:56:07,400
Speaker 1: I could not handle it, he said, But my ministry

921
00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:10,800
Speaker 1: was never the same after that. He said, I preached

922
00:56:10,840 --> 00:56:12,480
Speaker 1: in a way and saw God move in ways. I

923
00:56:12,520 --> 00:56:17,120
Speaker 1: never saw it move. But God, he said, he heard me,

924
00:56:18,960 --> 00:56:21,160
Speaker 1: and his fullness was so overwhelming. I had to ask

925
00:56:21,200 --> 00:56:28,839
Speaker 1: for mercy. I can't take anymore. So twenty twenty one,

926
00:56:28,880 --> 00:56:31,680
Speaker 1: the scope of the enablement will be done now to

927
00:56:31,800 --> 00:56:34,399
Speaker 1: him who is able to do far more abundantly than

928
00:56:34,520 --> 00:56:38,000
Speaker 1: all that we ask or think, according to the power

929
00:56:38,040 --> 00:56:40,560
Speaker 1: at work within us. To him be glory in the

930
00:56:40,640 --> 00:56:44,760
Speaker 1: Church and in Christ, Jesus, throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

931
00:56:45,719 --> 00:56:49,000
Speaker 1: A power that cannot be exhausted. God is able to

932
00:56:49,040 --> 00:56:53,320
Speaker 1: do all that we ask. We do not lack access

933
00:56:53,440 --> 00:57:00,600
Speaker 1: to power. Think about this. There's nothing that God can't do. Nothing.

934
00:57:01,400 --> 00:57:05,400
Speaker 1: It is in us right now. It's beyond even what

935
00:57:05,480 --> 00:57:10,920
Speaker 1: we would need. The purpose is impossible to escape. God

936
00:57:11,000 --> 00:57:14,040
Speaker 1: does everything for what. This is important. Get this at

937
00:57:14,040 --> 00:57:17,000
Speaker 1: the end, because first thing we have to have it

938
00:57:17,040 --> 00:57:19,280
Speaker 1: planted on love of people and love of God. Right

939
00:57:19,560 --> 00:57:22,160
Speaker 1: But here's another thing. If you want to know why

940
00:57:22,240 --> 00:57:25,640
Speaker 1: God does what he does, I watch out because it's

941
00:57:25,640 --> 00:57:28,080
Speaker 1: being corrupted just a little bit in parts of the

942
00:57:28,120 --> 00:57:31,920
Speaker 1: Western Church right now. God does everything for his glory,

943
00:57:33,440 --> 00:57:38,160
Speaker 1: not for our glory. God's glory is the master key

944
00:57:38,280 --> 00:57:42,520
Speaker 1: that unlocks all doors. God does everything for his glory.

945
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:49,720
Speaker 1: His supreme purpose is to bring glory to himself, not us.

946
00:57:51,760 --> 00:57:56,640
Speaker 1: Satan will always tempt us to try to have the

947
00:57:56,680 --> 00:58:01,720
Speaker 1: crown without the cross. He even tried it with Jesus.

948
00:58:03,400 --> 00:58:06,680
Speaker 1: Surely you can do all this without suffering. You can

949
00:58:06,720 --> 00:58:09,720
Speaker 1: do all this without what's coming back out of this.

950
00:58:12,560 --> 00:58:17,600
Speaker 1: Our lives are to glorify God publicly, and that should

951
00:58:17,720 --> 00:58:26,480
Speaker 1: never cease, throughout the ages, without, through all generations, forever

952
00:58:26,680 --> 00:58:32,400
Speaker 1: and ever. The Church glorifies God. And if you notice,

953
00:58:32,440 --> 00:58:35,880
Speaker 1: when it's over, we study the revelation. Guess what we're

954
00:58:35,920 --> 00:58:44,360
Speaker 1: still doing glorifying God? Does our lives glorify God? And

955
00:58:44,400 --> 00:58:46,680
Speaker 1: do we do what He told us to do for

956
00:58:46,760 --> 00:58:50,320
Speaker 1: the love of people, the love of God and to

957
00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:56,160
Speaker 1: point to His glory And remember this, Remember this, God

958
00:58:56,200 --> 00:59:01,880
Speaker 1: will never share his glory, not with anyone. Let's pray, Lord,

959
00:59:01,920 --> 00:59:03,760
Speaker 1: thank you for today, and thank you for this powerful,

960
00:59:03,800 --> 00:59:08,160
Speaker 1: powerful message. Thank You for these wonderful men that are

961
00:59:08,160 --> 00:59:10,840
Speaker 1: here and encouraging and just looking in their faces every

962
00:59:10,840 --> 00:59:14,640
Speaker 1: week is such an encouragement to me and to Chris.

963
00:59:15,320 --> 00:59:17,120
Speaker 1: Thank you Lord for all those out there that we

964
00:59:17,200 --> 00:59:19,439
Speaker 1: continue to hear from. And if you need us, we're here.

965
00:59:19,920 --> 00:59:23,560
Speaker 1: Rick at Burgessmanistries dot Com made the Lord go with you.

966
00:59:23,880 --> 00:59:26,320
Speaker 1: We will not be here next week, but we'll be

967
00:59:26,400 --> 00:59:29,280
Speaker 1: here the week after that. Lord willing and your Holy name,

968
00:59:29,320 --> 00:59:30,080
Speaker 1: we pray Amen.