Sermon
Ep 353 | I Can Overcome The World - Frank Brancato 11-29-20
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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In John chapter 16 and verse 33. Jesus said these things I have
John 16 chapter mention
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spoken to you that in me, you may have peace in the world.
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You will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
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I have overcome the world. I think we can understand today
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that we can overcome the world, it is possible and I realized we
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all have struggles and we all have things that are weaknesses
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and sometimes things pull us in the opposite direction in the
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way that we should go. But Jesus so long ago said I
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have overcome the world. The question is, can we?
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Here's our points and then we will talk about these things
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individually very briefly, but I'll give you the Four Points in
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the four reasons why we can overcome the world that here.
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They They are number one because God has given us the power
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number two because Faith gives us the victory.
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Number three, the World shows us the alternative.
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And number 4, we can because the results of overcoming give us
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motivation in our life, my aim for just a little while.
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In this lesson is to encourage us to be faithful and be
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faithful. Living all the days of our life
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showing that we can overcome the world and the rewards Doing so
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are great in John chapter 16 though in our passage and your
John 16 chapter mention
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introductory passage. I want to talk about the word
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tribulation there for just a moment now.
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I realized that sometimes today it is misunderstood about the
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days of tribulation. You've heard me preach on this
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recently, about tribulation sometimes, people think this
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there when the Revelation letter talks about tribulation and so
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forth is talking about the last few days before the Lord comes
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back. And we're going through the age
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or the days of tribulation. Let me ask you a question.
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Are we in the days of tribulation today?
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Yes, but Jesus was speaking to other people, wasn't he?
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He was speaking in John chapter 16 and verse 33.
John 16 chapter mention
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He was talking to his disciples. He said you disciples in ad 33
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are going to have tribulation. So when what are the days of
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tribulation, it began in a t-33, it is in the church age and it
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will last until the Lord comes back and we will have
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tribulation in our life. So what he's saying is he says I
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have overcome the world and that is the context of our passage.
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Jesus overcame the world through his death.
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Paul said in Galatians chapter 1 and verse 4.
Galatians 1 chapter mention
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Who gave himself for our sins that he might Deliver Us from
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this present evil age, according to the will of God.
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Our father in 1st, John Chapter 2, John sums up the power of the
John 2 chapter mention
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world. And he says, do not love the
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world or the things that are in the world.
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If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him
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for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust
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of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the father, but
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is of the The world and the world is passing away and the
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lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.
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So overcoming, the world is overcoming the sin.
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That is in the world. Question is, can we do that?
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Like Jesus said that he did. Can we overcome the world?
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The answer is yes. Reason.
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Number one. Because God gives us the power.
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I want to make a point here that.
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I think it's very important. You've heard me say, And the
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older I get, the more I believe this.
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The more I'm convinced of this, the older I get.
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I do believe we are all broken. But what do I mean?
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When I say that what I mean, when I say that is, we're all
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imperfect, we all make mistakes, we all sin.
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We don't ever get to a point where we Elevate ourselves and
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say, you know what, it could never happen to me.
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It just happens to the week folks.
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Because guess what, we can check all the boxes, and we could be
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at all the services. And we could say, we really got
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it figured out, but the Bible says, take heed.
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He that said that stands lest he fall.
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If you think? You stand or don't think hire
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yourself than you ought to think sometimes when we think that way
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we fell just then because of our arrogance or our pride.
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So I believe that we are all broken and yet we're going to
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talk about the idea of power and God giving power.
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I believe this too and again the older I get the more I'm
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convinced. when we are vulnerable to God, which I
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believe he wants us to be that's when God shows up.
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When we say to God, I'm nothing without you.
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I can't do this without you. I need your strength.
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I need from whatever you can give I need the peace.
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That passes all understanding. I need it from you.
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I need that when we're vulnerable to God I believe he
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wants us to be that way then that's when we have God's
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strength and that's how we can persevere and that's how we can
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overcome God is in us and he gives us the power to overcome
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and first John chapter 4 beginning in verse four.
1 John 4 chapter mention
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You are of God little children and have overcome them because
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he who is in, you is greater than he who is in the world.
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They are of the world, therefore, they speak as of the
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world and the world hears them, we are of God, he who knows.
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God hears us, he who is not of, God does not hear us but this we
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know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error God's power is
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in his word in Romans 1:16 for I am not ashamed of the gospel of
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Christ. For it is the power of God, to
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Salvation to everyone, who believes to the Jew first.
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And also, to the Greek or the Gentile, another passage found
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in Hebrews 4:12, for the word of God is living and powerful, and
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sharper than any two-edged sword piercing.
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Even to the division of Soul, and Spirit and of joints.
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And Marrow, and is a discerner of Of the thoughts and intents
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of the heart. So we overcome by having a
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knowledge of God's word. Second Timothy, 3:16 and 17.
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All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is
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profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction for
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instruction. In righteousness.
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That the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for
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every good work. So can we overcome?
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Absolutely? Because God gives us the power
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and the power is in his word. Now me just say this to before
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we go any further don't ever doubt.
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The Fulfillment of what God has promised.
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If God has promised something he is promised his power through
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his word, he is Promised strength through his word.
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Then you have to accept that and believe that don't doubt that
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can we overcome absolutely why number one because God gives us
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the power but then there's more number two because Faith gives
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us the victory. In first John chapter 5
1 John 5 chapter mention
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beginning in verse 44, for whatever is born of God.
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Whoever is born of God, Overcomes the world.
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And this is the victory that has overcome the world.
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Our faith. Who is he?
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That overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the
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son of God. So interestingly, the one that
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gets to overcome the world is the one that is born of God.
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That's number one. Okay.
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How do you get that? I'll just set the stage.
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We know these passages, we know these passages very, very well
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and John chapter 3 very briefly. Now When Jesus was talking to
John 3 chapter mention
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Nicodemus and he told, Nicodemus, you have to be born
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again. Nicodemus says, how is that
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possible? What about an older person?
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Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be
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born? And Jesus said he, that is born
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of the flesh is flesh. He that is born of the spirit is
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spirit, and then he said, you must be born again.
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And then Jesus says, how you do that, he said, it's by being
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born of water and the spirit and the That's being baptized.
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So stay with me on this. This is a great promise Faith.
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Gives us the victory, but the one that overcomes is the one
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that is born of God. The one that is born of God is
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the one that is born again. And the one that is Born Again,
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is the one who is baptized for the remission of sins.
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Saying, all of that, notice what Peter says having been born
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again not of corruptible seed, but Incorruptible through the
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word of God which lives and abides forever.
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In First Peter, chapter 1 in verse 3 now.
1 Peter 1 chapter mention
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Blessed. Be the God and father of our
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Lord. Jesus Christ.
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Who according to His, abundant Mercy, has begotten us again to
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a Living Hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
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from the dead. So, We can overcome because
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Faith gives us the victory. Notice this, the manifestation
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of our faith is being born of God.
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That's first and foremost. And that happens when we're born
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again or baptized for the remission of sins, K, the object
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of our faith is Jesus Christ. And Faith gives us the victory
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like that song use. We used to sing that overcomes
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the world. Number three, we can overcome
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because the world gives the alternative.
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I think it's important to understand who the enemy is.
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Don't you? We don't wrestle with flesh and
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blood. We don't do that, but we are in
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a spiritual battle. We really are In fact, Satan is
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trying to get us every day. He is the great tempter and I
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think it's important to remember who the enemy is, if you're
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going to be in any kind of battle, the enemy is the devil.
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Satan is the one who controls the world.
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He's the one that does that in first John chapter 5 and verse
1 John 5 chapter mention
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19. We know that we are of God and
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the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
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There's nothing good about Satan.
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You know, people say that there's good in everybody, maybe
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that's true in some sort of way, I don't know.
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But I will tell you this, there's no good and Satan at
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all. And when Satan in the third of
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the hosts of Heaven were cast out because of sinful pride and
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thrown down or cast down into pits of Darkness, awaiting the
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resurrection. I'm telling you, there's no good
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answer. Satan at all and he wants to
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take as many people with them to the Lake of Fire one day as he
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can. He's the father of lives in
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John. 8:44, you are of your father, the devil and the
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desires of your father. You want to do, he was a
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murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth
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because there's no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks
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from his own resources for he is a liar and the father of it.
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Satan is the adversary and the Devourer or two and First Peter,
1 Peter 5 chapter mention
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chapter 5 and verse 8, be sober be vigilant because your
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adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom
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he may devour. He's a deceiver to 2nd
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Corinthians 11:14 and no wonder for Satan himself, transforms
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himself into an angel of Light. What's that mean?
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Does that mean when Satan transforms himself?
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Into an angel of Light. What's that talking about?
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You can read a number of commentaries where they would
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offer a number of explanations. But I think what we can do is to
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be really safe, is look at the context in which Paul wrote this
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Paul is writing to them and speaking about false Apostles
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and just right before this, he speaking about these false
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Apostles and he said they actually transformed himself.
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False Apostles into the picture of a real Apostle.
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And then he says this but it's no wonder because even Satan
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transforms himself into an angel of Light.
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Now, Paul was not saying that a false Apostle actually
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transforms himself and becomes a good Apostle or apostle from
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God. And he's not saying that the
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devil is transforming himself and literally becoming an angel
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of Light, what he's talking. Body is they do what they do and
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appear to be good or appear to be from God when really they're
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not. Remember this to Satan has three
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forms to Temp, man, three forms. And he is cunning and crafty,
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but the three forms in which he tempts.
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Man, is as a son at a, as a subtle serpent as a roaring lion
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and an angel of Light. And you know sometimes sometimes
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a false teacher for example could appear like what he's
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saying is good or he's from God. You know the world is filled
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with in history is filled with men that have said that they
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have some new revelation or this is something new that came from
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God. All they're doing is acting as
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though, they're from God, but they're not and Satan would love
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that. Satan would love us to think
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that what's being, were being tempted with is from God, and
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it's really for our own good, when it's not.
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So saying all of that, I'll just say one final statement.
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Along that line, if it violates the word of God, and it doesn't
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come from the word of God, from a religious perspective.
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It cannot be from God regardless of the good that we might think
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it is doing now. Also remember this, too.
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Very sobering, it's possible for the world to overcome us.
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It really is to overcome us. If we're not careful a very
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familiar passage found in 2nd Peter chapter 2 beginning in
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verse 19, while they promise them Liberty, they themselves
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are slaves of corruption for by whom a person is overcome by
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him. Also, he is brought into
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bondage, for if, after they have escaped, the pollutions of the
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world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior, Jesus
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Christ. They are again, entangled in
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them and overcome. The latter end is worse for them
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than the beginning for. It would have been better for
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them to not have known the way of righteousness than having
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known it, and turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
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But it has happened to them. According to the true proverb, a
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dog returns to his own vomit and a cell having washed to her
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wallowing in the mire. Now, I'll tell you, I don't
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think, I don't think that. it's a worse punishment for somebody
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that Turns their back. On the Lord.
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End of that person is lost. I don't think there's a worse
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punishment in for that person in somebody that never knew.
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That is lost. I think if you're lost, you're
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lost. And I think he'll was just hell.
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But I think when it talks about, it's better for them not to
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know, or to worse for them to have known and then gone back.
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I think it's the memory that you didn't have to be there for
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eternity, it's the memory that you had the truth.
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You had the word of God, you had salvation, but you've gone back
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and I think that feeling or that thought forever, it's worse than
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somebody that never knew. And I think that's what he's
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talking about to know forever. You know one of the great things
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about Heaven. I believe we lose our memories
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of all the bad things we ever knew.
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Wouldn't that be great? What it be great to go to heaven
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and no longer have heartache, or have memories of all the
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terrible things that perhaps we've gone through in Life, or
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are in life. The Bible says there's no tears
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in heaven, so we can't have sorrowful thoughts.
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But I think there's one thing for a person that has lost that
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they never lose and that's their memory.
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Remember that the rich man knew exactly his fate and he knew
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where his brothers were too and he wanted to warn them, but it
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was too late. It was too late for him to say
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anything from where he was. So can we overcome absolutely?
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And one of the reasons is because the World shows the
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alternative and Satan is the great temperature of that but
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fourthly and finally we can overcome because the results of
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overcoming gives us motivation and I'm just going to give five
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passages. And I'm not going to comment on
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these passages, this this will actually make the point that I
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want to make. So here is the results of
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overcoming and it gives us motivation.
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He who has an ear Revelation, 2 and 7.
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Let him hear what the spirit says, to the churches to him who
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overcomes, I will give to eat from the Tree of Life.
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Number two, he that overcomes according to Revelation 2 and 11
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shall not be hurt by the second death.
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He who overcomes Revelation 3 and 5.
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Jesus says, I will confess his name before my father, and
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before his angels, we can overcome because in Revelation,
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3:21, he who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on my
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throne. And finally Revelation 21 and 7,
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he who overcomes shall inherit all things.
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And I will be his God and he shall be my son.
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So finally in conclusion, Do we desire?
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These wonderful blessings. Do we despise the awfulness of
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the world? Do we desire to be victorious?
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Through faithful living. Do we desire God's power in our
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lives? If this is your desire, you can
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overcome. And so can I we can overcome the
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world by God's power. And God's power is revealed
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through his word, we can do. So by our Victorious Faith,
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where Jesus is the object of that, and by rejecting the
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alternative Satan's in charge of the world and the world offers
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absolutely nothing. And finally, we can overcome I'm
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by allowing the results of Victory to motivate us in our
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life and we can overcome the sinful things of the world.
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