Sermon
Ep 449 | The Sin of Tolerance - Terry Osburn 5-22-22
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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You know, one of the favorite words that we hear today used by
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certain people is the word tolerance.
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We hear it so much, people say, well you need, or we need to be
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more tolerant of this or that or whatever it may be, and
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tolerance, Ness isn't necessarily a bad word.
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It's a good word, many things we learned to tolerate.
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When I was at home, and mom would cook spinach.
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And I tolerated spinach, I didn't like it, but now I tend
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to like it. I tolerated it Mom would cook
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liver and onions for dad every once in a while.
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Couldn't tolerate liver and onions and still don't like it.
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Some people just have an interest in those things, but I
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didn't. But we have tried to stretch
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tolerance and the world is tried to stretch tolerance today over
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too large an area in life. We've applied it too often,
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where it doesn't even belong. The word tolerant simply means
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liberal. Broad-minded.
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Willing to put up with beliefs that are opposed to one's
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conviction. And the allowance of something
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not wholly or completely approved.
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Tolerance, in one sense, implies the compromise of your
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convictions. That you will yield our ground
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on important things on important issues that we Face everyday.
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So, being over tolerant on moral issues, makes a person, soft and
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lacking conviction. The world has become tolerant
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about many things. Tolerance about divorce
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tolerance about the use of alcohol tolerance about breaking
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the law. Tolerance about wickedness,
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tolerance about immorality, tolerance, about laziness
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tolerance about murder of babies.
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Unholiness godlessness, the world has become tolerant also
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of unbelief. There's a clear tolerance
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towards bad character and bad behavior.
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These days broad-mindedness about what is actually moral or
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immoral? These are characteristics of the
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world we live in today, the world has been drained of
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conviction, beliefs and faith. Let me give you an example.
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This morning, I heard this story.
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Maybe some of you may have heard it before I did.
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But a couple of months ago I heard this story.
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There's a man by the name of John sculley, knows.
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He was the head coach for the baseball team at Cal Poly.
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Pomona and he gave a speech at an annual Convention of coaches
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in the baseball industry, all the way from Little League
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Baseball all the way up to the big leagues.
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It was invention of all these baseball coaches and he broke
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down the problem that we have today on our country.
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And what he considered, also the world with all the coaches that
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were present all the way up to the big leagues.
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He asked the question and you may know this answer, I didn't
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know this answer. He asked the question.
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How wide is home plate? You may know that.
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How wide is home plate. So, he asked the Little League
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coaches. He said how wide is home plate?
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And one of them said, 17 inches. So we asked the Babe Ruth
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coaches. He said how wide is home plate
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in the Babe, Ruth league? What I'm spoke up and said, 17
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inches He says You High School coaches.
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How wide is home plate? One of them spoke up and said 17
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inches. To the college coaches.
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He asked how wide is home plate. A mansard 17 inches.
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He said in the big leagues. How wide is home plate?
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Said 17 inches. He says, what does that tell
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you? He says when you have a big
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league picture that comes in and he can't keep the ball over
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home. Plate says, what do you do with
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you said you sent him back to the minor leagues?
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Because he can't control the ball and he can't get it over
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home plate. But what he asked us question
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also, He says is that okay? Is it okay that we just maybe
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then widen home plate because this big league pitcher can't
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get it over home plate. We make it 18, 19, 20, maybe 25
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inches wide so that this big league player can get the ball
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over home plate says no, absolutely.
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Not, because there's a standard. Do we change it to fit him?
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No, because there's a standard. There's a standard all through
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baseball that home plate is 17 inches wide.
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And and this is the problem with society today and it's a problem
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in the home in the marriages in raising children.
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It's a problem in the schools where we taken away, all the
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tools that teachers need to be able to train and educate their
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students and discipline their students we've taken it and
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we've changed the standard. To wear.
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Now, we just broaden the standard so that everybody fits
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and everybody makes it over home plate. and he said, this is also
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a problem in the churches today the religious world has widened
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home plate. What was once sin is no longer
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sin? There's no discipline or
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accountability because there's no more sin sin, is tolerated
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than the world. And now also in the religious
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community, everyone's going to heaven and the plate has become
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widened, but there is a standard and that standard has never
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changed. Jesus said, the way is narrow.
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I meant to hit that my didn't in the last couple of years.
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We've heard so much about, you have to trust the science.
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Well, science is something that we can trust.
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Sarah science is very narrow-minded, water boils at
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212 degrees, it doesn't boil it 200 degrees in or 100 degrees.
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It boils at 212 degrees at elevation at.
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Go ahead at sea level The sun rises in the East and sets in
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the west every single day that we've ever known.
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That, that's science, objects, have a heavier than than are go
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towards the center of the earth. And we know it is gravity,
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gravity doesn't change one day and everything starts going up.
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That's not the way it works. We understand these things
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because it's been proven over a period of time.
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Also, in mathematics the sum of two plus two is four now with
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the so-called new math, these Days.
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It may be two and a half, three and a half, four and a half.
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Who knows? But everything, I learned in
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school was two, plus two is four.
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The difference between a two points.
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The closest difference between two points is a straight line in
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geometry. We understand that So, science
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is not. Broad-minded, it's very
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narrow-minded. We understand that a compass
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always points north magnetic north.
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That's how ships are able to navigate and Pilots are able to
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navigate. If we didn't have that, then
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we'd have ships crashing into other ships or into land and
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we'd have planes crashing in to other things as well because
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they couldn't navigate correctly.
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And if we ask someone today, if we knew, if they, if if they if
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someone asks us if how to get to it from here to New York City,
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we just say well just get out there on the Street and drive
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around a little while. You might find it, but it
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doesn't make any sense does it? Because we know that if we get a
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map and we follow the directions, we were able to get
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there, you know, in the world is said, basically, just be honest,
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just be sincere, just have your heart in it and you'll make it
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to heaven and you'll be just fine.
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The Jesus said in John 14 and verse 6.
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I am the way, the truth and the life.
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And no man comes unto the father except through me also in
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Matthew 7 verses 13 through 14 enter by the narrow gate for
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wide is the gate and Broad is the way that leads to
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destruction. And there are many who go in by
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it, because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which
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leads to life. And there are few who find it.
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Jesus was narrow-minded about the way of salvation.
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She clearly points out that there's two ways.
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One is a Broadway, it's lacking in faith.
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It's not a life of conviction. It doesn't have many morals.
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It's an easy way. It's a popular way.
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You don't have to be careful on that way because it's very
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broad. You know, we broadened up these
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sidewalks on the outside so you don't have to be as careful to
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stay on them. We made it broader it's easier
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to stay on the sidewalks that's the way the world thinks that
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life ought to be just live however you want to and you'll
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make it just be a good moral person and you'll make it But it
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clearly points out that that is the way the majority goes, the
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way of the world, and he says, there are many who go in by it.
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But he pointed out this out that this road, as easy, as it may be
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in popular, as it may be, and is heavily traveled leads to
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destruction. But also even in his tolerance,
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he says, enter at the narrow gate because narrow is the gate
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and difficult is the way that leads to life.
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So, it's not always easy. The way the world is easy, it's
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careless. And it is tolerant but the way
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to heaven. God said it is intolerant.
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Our Lord was tolerant, Jesus was tolerant, never any things we
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expect intolerance or in. There are many things that we
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don't expect intolerance in excuse me, and and failure.
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Like a pilot, flying a plane. We don't want him to be just.
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Flying it haphazardly, excuse me.
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Once I was flying back from Modesto Area back here to
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Bakersfield and I was using what they call flight following,
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that's where you file, a flight plan and the air traffic,
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controller knows where you're at every moment of the way on your
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trip. Well as I got down closer to
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Bakersfield all of a sudden the air traffic controller comes on
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the radio and says we just want to let you know that visibility
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at Baker few knickers field municipal airport just went to
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one mile. Well you may say well Mi quite a
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ways I can tell you that I was flying by what they call VFR or
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visual flight rules that's where you have to look and see and
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know where you're going and point out points of interest and
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things of that nature to navigate and watching your
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compass. No pilot is flying in bad
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weather uses what they call IFR or instrument flight rules and I
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wasn't certified in instrument flight Crews.
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I knew how to navigate, I might can do it, so I got on the radio
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and I said, well, okay, so what should I do at this point?
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He said, don't worry about it. He says, I'll guide you in so he
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gave me certain Compass headings and when to turn and to turn
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will on what heading and after a while he said.
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If you look out your 10:00 you ought to see the beacon at
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Bakersfield Municipal, right about now.
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And I looked out 11:00 and there it was there was the beacon for
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Bakersfield Municipal out here off of Union and plans Road.
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But I had to stay on that heading.
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And I had to follow, what the air traffic controller was
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telling me to make it safely to where I was going to see.
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I was supposed to be having three mile visibility to be
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flying with visual flight rules, three miles.
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I could have just said well you know I'll just try to do it by
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myself and who knows? I may not have made it.
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I may not have been made a wound up out in the hobby or something
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for all I know because I couldn't see the ground or see
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my, my landmarks and things, that nature is a nice when you
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can trust what people say, people and things you can put
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your trust in people, you can rely on.
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I didn't want that air traffic controller to be broad-minded.
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I wanted him to be narrow. - because he had Mike are in his
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hands. Just so when we work toward the
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goal of Heaven, I don't want to be broad-minded.
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I want to come in on the right heading.
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I want to come in on the right course, even though some may
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consider that narrow-minded. And, you know, we hear that in
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the religious world today, people will say, well, that's a
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very narrow-minded view. Well, what does the Bible say
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about that? If the Bible says it, then
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that's what we need to do, beam doing what the Bible says,
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doesn't mean more narrow minded. That means that we are
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intolerant of failure and things of that nature.
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God was so intolerant of man's lost condition that He sent
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Jesus to this earth to suffer on the cross to purchase our
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Redemption from sin man's broad-mindedness was so serious
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that he couldn't look upon it lightly and he couldn't, he
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couldn't be broad-minded about their about their sin anymore.
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And their captivity in sin. When you think about the price,
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Jesus, Paid for our sins to redeem us from our sins.
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Jesus couldn't be tolerant about man's indifference toward him.
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He said in Matthew 12 and verse 30, he who is not with me is
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against me. He also said in Mark 16 and 16,
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he who believes and is baptized, will be saved, but he, who does
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not believe will be condemned. That sounds very intolerant,
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doesn't it? It is, it's very narrow.
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It's a narrow way. Just like he said, Jesus spoke
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of two different roads, two different kingdoms, two,
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different Masters, two different rewards in two different places
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that we can spend an eternity. Jesus said in Matthew 6 and 24,
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no one can serve two masters for either.
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He will hate the one and love the other or else he will be
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loyal to the one and despise the other.
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You cannot serve God and Mammon. we have the power to choose whom
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and what we will serve today, but the opposite of choosing To
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serve Christ. Brings destruction.
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Christ said the Broadway, the wide way, the popular way leads
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to death and destruction only the way of Christ and the cross
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leads home and heaven. So let's notice a little bit
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about playing both sides. The popular taller an attitude
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toward the gospel is kind of like going to, let's say the
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Dodgers and the Giants playing baseball down at Dodger Stadium
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and we go down there and we root for both teams.
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And we keep rooting for both teams and someone may say to
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you, hey, make up your mind who you're rooting for because
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people typically route for one side and then you wouldn't have
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really much interest in the baseball game.
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If you're rooting for both both sides, you want one side to win?
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So you wouldn't be very loyal at all.
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Christ. Said in Matthew 6 and verse 24,
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no man can serve two masters. You cannot serve God and Mammon.
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So we have to make the choice. One of the sins of the times, we
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are living in these days. The sin of bronde binded us as
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the old-timers would say a willy nilly religion Linwood might
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say, Just however, you want to feel about it is is fine.
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Just as long as you have a good heart and you're a good person.
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And you don't kill somebody. That you'll make it happen.
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Jesus was intolerant toward hypocrisy.
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Jesus got onto the Pharisees more times than it did, any
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other sector of the Jews because the Pharisees were more worried
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about. The outward appearance then they
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were the inwardly. They were Hypocrites.
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They were fake, Matthew 23 and verses 25.
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And 28 woe to you scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites.
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He said for you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish but
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inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence
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even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men but
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inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
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Counterfeit and fake Christian can do more harm to the church
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and the damage and progress of the church.
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Then then what the Brethren are trying to to advance the church
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in the community or spread the gospel and Jesus was very
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intolerant of the hypocrisy of those Pharisees.
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Excuse me. That's why Jesus said in Matthew
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6 and verse 16. Don't be like the hypocrites.
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Jesus is intolerant towards selfishness, Luke 9 verse 23.
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Then he said to them all if anyone desires to come after me,
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let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
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You know, self certain centeredness of selfishness.
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These days is one of the reasons why we have so many problems.
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People have printed problems in their Christian Life is because
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they can't give up their self and dedicate their life to
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Christ. Murdered Christians suffer from
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being spiritually nearsighted. They're interested in all the
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things that they want to do, instead of what God wants them
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to do to the wrong, the Rich Young Ruler.
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He said in Matthew 19 verse 21. If you want to be perfect, go
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sell. What you have and give to the
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poor. Now it wasn't that that he was
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wanting him to make sure that he gave to the poor and that was
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the point. It was a point that he had to
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give everything up. So all that you have give to the
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poor He also said in Matthew 16:25 for whosoever desires to
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save his life, will lose it but whosoever loses his life for my
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sake will find it life. Jesus was talking about here was
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our selfishness, lose our selfishness.
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The type of life that is in conflict with God.
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He he wanted Peter James and John to leave their occupations
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and follow him. It wasn't that he had a problem
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with those occupations. Those occupations were sinful.
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That's not the point. It was sacrificing everything
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they had to follow Jesus. That they might get distracted
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with. So in our lives as Christians,
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we have to give up our self. Jesus was also intolerant toward
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sin is trawl tolerant toward the center but intolerant towards
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sin to the Ultras. He said, John 8 and verse 11
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neither do I condemn you go and sin no more.
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He forgave her but condemn, the sin because he hated the sin You
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know, people say, well, when you condemn sin today, you hate The
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Sinner, you hate, that person, you hate them with, with
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everything that you, that you have in your heart and you need
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to be nice to them. And you need to be tolerant of
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them and do what they do. No, we don't have to tolerate
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what they do. We tolerate, we are tolerant
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towards a sinner, not towards the sin.
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We love the sinner, not the sin, God has always been tolerant
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intolerant of sin. Excuse me, Peter said on the day
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of Pentecost Acts 2:38 repent and let every one of you be
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baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your
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sins. Christ was so intolerant of his
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sin that he died on the cross to make us free from the Captivity
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of sin and John 3 and verse 16 for God.
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So loved the world that he gave his only begotten, son, that
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whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting
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life. Sin is the very root of the
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problem that we have in a lot of society's problems in the world
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today. You know, when we run that sin
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is there, it separates man from God.
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But it also separates man, from Man.
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If leaders in the world today, acted the way they should be
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enacted christ-like and followed God the way that they should and
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puts in a way out of their life. Then that would solve almost all
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if not all the world's problems today.
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If mr. Biden would Do what is right and
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christ-like of mr. Putin would do.
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What is right and priced like if if the others around the world
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would do what is right and christ-like and follow God.
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Then that puts man in harmony with each other.
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All of the problems in the world would be solved, but the Cross
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of Christ is God's answer to sin to all who repent and are
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baptized for the remission of sins Christ.
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Sacrificed on the cross sacrifice, on the cross, cancels
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out sin. You know we have these wildfires
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in California here in the Summers and one of the things
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that that Force Fighters forced firefighters do is they do a
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back burner or burn back, whatever you want to call it or
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they'll set a fire around a community wherever and burn up
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all the fuel of the fire. So when the fire finally gets to
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that spot, it has nothing left to burn.
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The fire stops its advance in the poems and people are saved
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from the fire. In other words, you're fighting
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fire with fire, and that's what Christ did when he died on the
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cross. He was fighting fire with fire.
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Jesus Took upon himself, our sins. so, when we Repent and
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were baptized it. Cancels out the same.
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We deserve that but Jesus cancelled out, the send that
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rightfully, we have coming to us in doing so Christ.
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Created a place of Refuge for all of us to escape the Judgment
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of sin that we deserve. So, we're asking everyone today
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to not tolerate sin. To be intolerant of sin.
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Don't be selfish. Sacrifice your life to him as
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we're called to do and hearing the word of God, Romans 10:17.
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So then Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God
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and believing the word of God and believe that Jesus Christ
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died for our sins, Mark, 16 and 16.
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He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
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But he that not, he that believeth not shall be damned.
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Repent of your sins, Acts 2, and 38.
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Then Peter said to them, repent. And be baptized every one of you
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in the name of Jesus Christ. Christ for the remission of sins
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and you shall receive the gift of the.
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Holy Ghost, or Spirit confess the name of Christ.
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Romans 10, verses 9 and 10 that if Thou shalt confess with thy
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mouth, the Lord Jesus. And shalt believe in thine heart
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that God has raised him from the dead.
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Thou shalt be saved for with the heart, man, believeth unto
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righteousness. And with the mouth confession is
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made unto salvation and then be baptized into Jesus Christ.
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For the remission of your sins, the like figure.
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Our interview even baptism doth also now, save us not the
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putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good
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conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
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And to those who are children of God, confess your sins confess,
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your trespasses to one another and pray for one another that
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you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of
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a righteous man avails much. This is the plan that will save
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us. This, this overrides sin.
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It cancels out sin when we obey God's commands, we can't
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tolerate sin anymore because God doesn't tolerate sin.
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Jesus doesn't tolerate sin. That's the lesson.
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Yours this morning. We hope that something has been
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said that will benefit you in some way.
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We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you
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would like any additional information or you would like to
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receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.
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Please email us at info at True Church of Christ
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Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays
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at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.
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Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our
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honored guest.