Sermon
Living Waters of Grace for April 21st, 2026
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark
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Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,
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County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he
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continues teaching through God's Word.
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Luke chapter 17 verse 26. This is Jesus speaking as it was
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in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son
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of Man. People will be eating, drinking,
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marrying wise, and they were given in marriage until the day
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was that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed
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them all. So it'll take the world by
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surprise. And Jesus said that his time of
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return and all the stuff that's going to happen on the earth is
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going to be very similar to the days of Noah.
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Business as usual. Isn't that where we're at in the
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world today? Sure, they're always world
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events that put people on the edge of their seats, but for the
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most part, we're just doing what we always do.
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Generally, people aren't concerned enough about the way
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the world is going to actually do anything about it.
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In Pastor Clark's message today, he tells you that that's exactly
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what Jesus said the world would be like all the way up until his
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return. So what are you waiting for?
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Are you prepared to meet Jesus now?
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Here's Pastor Clark in the Book of Revelation chapter 14 with
Revelation 14 chapter mention
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today's edition of Living Waters of Grace.
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Revelation chapter 14 verse 4. These are the ones who were not
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defiled with women, for they are virgins.
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These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
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These were redeemed from among men, being first fruits to God
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and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no
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deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God.
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Matthew 24 talks about what it's going to be like in the last
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days. Jesus says, but woe to those who
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are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those
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days. Paul makes some interesting
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comments over in First Corinthians Chapter 7 regarding
1 Corinthians 7 chapter mention
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marriage. If you turn over there for a
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minute, First Corinthians Chapter 7, verse six and eight,
1 Corinthians 7 chapter mention
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he says, but I say as a concession, not as a
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commandment. And this isn't something he's
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saying everybody does or should do, but for him this is the way
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it is. He says, I wish that all men
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were even as I myself, but each one has his own gift from God,
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one in this manner and another in that.
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But I say to the unmarried and to the widows, it is good for
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them if they remain even as I am, but if they cannot exercise
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self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than
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to burn with passion. And then down in verse 25, he
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says, Now concerning virgins, I have no commandment from the
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Lord, yet I give judgment as one whom the Lord in His mercy has
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made trustworthy. I suppose therefore that this is
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good because of the present distress, that it is good for a
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man to remain as he is. Now during Paul's days, the
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church was under persecution, a lot of struggle, very, very
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difficult to have a Christian homes, Christian family.
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And of course Paul was always on the run from one city to the
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next, sharing the gospel and also watching out for his own
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life. Eventually was martyred.
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And he says in verse 27 are you bound to a wife question mark,
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Do not seek to be loose. Are you loose from a wife Do not
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seek a wife. So he's giving both perspectives
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there. If you're married, stay in the
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place of marriage and be grateful and and and serve the
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Lord. But if you aren't exhorting
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people to consider being single. Verse 28 but even if you do
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marry, you have not sinned and if a virgin married she has not
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sinned. Nevertheless, such will have
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trouble in the flesh, but I would spare you.
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But this I say, brother, in the time is short, so that from now
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on even those who have wives should be as those who had none.
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Interesting comment, huh? I mean, you know, what does that
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mean? I mean, you can read into all
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kinds of things regarding that. But I think what the apostle is
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bringing forth is that we love our wives as Christ loves the
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church. We're dedicated, we're loyal,
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we're faithful, we work on our marriage.
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We have a strong marriage to pray together, but we're not so
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fragmented in our Christian walk that every little situation in
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the world and, and sense of you should do this.
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If you're married, you should have this kind of place or this
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kind of, you know, you can really get carried away with the
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world in regard to the objects and the material issues that are
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required. I I think it's wise as Paul
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lived to be simple and have a very basic and very, very simple
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life in regard to how connected to the world.
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But in verse 30 says those who weep as those they did not weep,
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those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy
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as though they did not possess and those who use this world as
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not misusing it for the form of this world is passing away.
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So in other words, everything that we can put our emphasis on
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in our lives in the culture as married people can really get
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out of context right. It's very easy to get into debt.
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It's very easy to begin to pursue things that aren't good
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for developing our our Christian life.
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I mean, Paul teaches also everything in moderation, but I
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won't be brought under the control of any certain thing.
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But he says I want you to be without care.
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He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord, how he
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may please the Lord. And I have some friends who are
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single and they don't have rebellious teenagers.
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They don't have MasterCard or visas that maybe aren't under
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control. They're not worried about
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replacing the sofa, you know, or getting the new dining room
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table. They're just not connected with
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those kind of concepts, right? And so they're able to totally
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focus on the Lord. This 100%.
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And nothing distracts him. Verse 33.
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But he who is married cares about the things of the world,
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how he may please his wife. And us guys know if Mama ain't
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happy, no one is happy, right. I've learned that after 39 years
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of marriage. You know, I mean, the Bible says
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I'm the head of the house. But you know, really it seems
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like Cindy has many times, you know, even though she, you know,
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respects the spiritual headship and all that.
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It's, you know, my, my job is to to please her.
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And I'm thankful she's a godly woman and she's not asking me
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for anything that's unreasonable.
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But nonetheless, our job as as husbands is to please our wives.
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There is a difference between a wife and a virgin.
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The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she
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may be wholly both in body and spirit, but she who is married
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cares about the things of the world, how she may please her
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husband. And this I say to your own
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prophet, not that I may put a leash on you, but for what is
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proper and that you may serve the Lord without distraction.
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So again, today, if you're single, don't put pressure on
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yourself to think you have to get married.
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I mean, God may have a plan for you to get married.
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I think there's a lot of pressure in the culture today in
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churches, they look at some single person, well, when are
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you going to get married? And the person's like, I don't
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know, there's no one even in my life.
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And and then they think maybe there's something wrong with
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them if there isn't a person who they're going to get married to.
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Well, that isn't the general context all the time.
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God does choose some people to live celibate lives.
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Some people, as Paul said, lost a husband or a wife through
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death, or maybe someone abandoned someone.
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It isn't necessary all the time for that person to find another
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mate. Sometimes, as Paul said, the
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Lord freed that person. Now they don't have to be held
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in that kind of capacity anymore and they're free to do what the
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Lord wants them to do. As a married man, and Cindy is a
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married woman, we are committed to the Lord 100% to do whatever
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it is He's called us and asked us to do.
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But there are sometimes some certain impossibilities that
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marriage does perhaps cause a little bit more difficulty
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sometimes if you're called to go to China to be a missionary, if
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you're single, it's a lot easier than if you are married and have
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a bunch of kids. It has to be supported right.
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So it's it's different for everybody.
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But at the same time, Paul tells us in Hebrews 13 four marriage
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is honorable among all and the bed undefiled but fornicators
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and adulterers. God will not judge.
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So when you read this in Revelation about these ones that
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were not defiled with women, the apostle John isn't saying
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sexuality is impure or immoral within marriage.
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It's a beautiful thing. As Paul said in Hebrews, the
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marriage bed is undefiled. So he sanctifies the sexual
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union between a a man and a woman.
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But you have to look at the context.
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So what was it like in those days that people are living on
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the earth during this tribulation period and these
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144,000 Jewish evangelists who are totally committed to the
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things of the Lord and have chosen by a gift not to become
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married. What is it like in the last days
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and what type of intensity will be brought upon the earth?
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Now today, marriage is mocked. I I get calls all the time.
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People want me to get married in the church and want me to do a
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wedding. Well, the first thing I asked
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them, are you living together? And they say, yeah, so well, you
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know, before we even begin to to talk, you need to not be living
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together and you need to have counseling, marital premarital
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counseling. My purpose in doing that is to
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see people come to Christ during that time and also to give them
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insight as to what they're going to be dealing with when they
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make these commitments. Most of the time I hear the
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phone click after I say that, well, we'll get back to you and
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that kind of thing. So the the institution of
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marriage within the culture and within the context of the church
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is very, very mock today. What's big today is
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cohabitation, isn't it? How many people know people
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living together raise your hands despite everybody in here you,
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you have friends or people you know that they just think it's
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OK to live together. How about same sex unions?
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That's growing today, right? There is not as closet mentality
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anymore. People are very open about
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living together in a same sex unions divorce rate.
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Today, four out of five marriages end up in divorce.
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And that's even within the context of the Christian
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community, which is unbelievable.
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There's a growth of all this immoral context in the media,
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the Internet and magazines and billboards and media and songs
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and that kind of stuff. It's unbelievable how graphic
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the immorality is on the airwaves.
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It's just out of control. Marriage is disconnected from
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Christ. There's people getting married.
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They don't want anything to do with getting married in the
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church, seeing it as as a celebration and as a blessing to
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be married before the Lord and what we call holy matrimony.
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A lot of people don't even want to have a a wedding in churches
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nowadays, let alone be counseled or pray or or consecrate
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themselves to to the Lord in regard to their marriage.
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Romans chapter 1 talks about the way the world was back in Paul's
Romans 1 chapter mention
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day and that we think things are getting worse now.
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I don't think I mean, I think the world has always been messed
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up. It's just the fact that we know
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about it more because of the media and connection of Internet
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and all that kind of stuff. News 24 hour news networks.
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But it says in verse 21 of Romans one, because although
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they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, nor we're
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thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish
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hearts were dark, darkened, professing to be wise.
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They became fools and they changed the glory of the
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incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and
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birds and forfeited animals and creeping things.
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Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness and the lusts of
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their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves.
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And we see that today with fornication, adultery, sexual
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immorality, homosexuality, lesbianism, I mean all over the
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place, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie and
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worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator
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who is blessed forever. All men.
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For this reason God gave them up to vow passions for even their
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women exchange the natural use for what is against nature.
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So lesbianism or homosexuality isn't a current phenomena.
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It's been that way since the beginning of time.
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It says likewise also the men leaving the natural use of the
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woman they burned in their lust for one another.
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Men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in
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themselves the penalty of the air which was due so perhaps in
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this time, in the last days. I mean, things are so bad now
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and I don't think we noticed it because we're isolated.
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If we're Christians, we're not feeding on that garbage.
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We're not listening to it, we're not participating it.
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It's certainly not in the in the church community.
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But we see in this day and age the growth and at the end of
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time, when the Holy Spirit in the church is pulled out, the
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Holy Spirit will still be convicting the world, but the
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church presence won't be here. You won't have people working
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against ungodly principles. You'll have people today who
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stand up against things that the government tries to do that are
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ungodly, right and impure. We have voices, people who will
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get out in the streets and canvas the community, and we're
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like a tide against the spread of darkness and immorality in
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the world. But when the church, the bride
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isn't here anymore, who's going to be the voice against these
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kind of things? And so the heightened level of
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sexual immorality and fornication and even going back
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to Pagan rights is going to be unbelievable.
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Idolatry will be huge in the last days.
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The worship of self through gratification of the desires of
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the fallen nature, using religion, Pagan religion, as its
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deception. Back in Ephesus they had the
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Temple of Diana. It was a large temple in the
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midst of Ephesus where people would go and do religious
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things, but it was all under the guise of impurity, prostitution,
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sexual immorality. And so they were involved in
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that. And they had a sense that what
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they were doing was OK because it was like in a religious type
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of service, but it was a Pagan ungodly, right?
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And so people will be moved in that the deception, the worship
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of Antichrist himself is going to be manifesting itself itself
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in unrighteousness, Val uncleanness, perversity like we
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remember in the Old Testament, the study of the fertility
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called Savastrath where sexual sin was rampant.
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Now we look at things a day and unless you're reading or talking
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with people who are in these kind of lifestyles, you sort of
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maybe miss the fact that the things are really bad.
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I mean, most of us have filters on our computer to prevent
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impure stuff from coming into our homes.
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And so we're isolated. We have filters maybe in our TV
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or maybe we don't prescribe to certain cable networks because
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of the Holy Spirit in our lives and that we belong to the Lord.
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Video games, we're cautious about what our kids are playing
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with and watching that kind of stuff.
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So we're somewhat isolated for the tide of immorality that's
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spreading around the world, but it is it is an all time high.
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The sex slavery market where people are being kidnapped in
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different countries, young girls and young boys, and taken to
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places like Thailand where the sex trade is, is just
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unbelievable. And these poor kids are put out
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in the street to be abused and sodomized by ungodly people.
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It's just the filth upon the earth is just unimaginable.
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I can't imagine how much worse it's going to be again when the
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church is taken out at the rapture.
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And then of course, the willful abandonment of God will truly
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flourish at that time because there'll be no one to bring any
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spiritual conviction outside of these 144,000 and a few others
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like them who will still preach the gospel regardless of what
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things occurred to them and their martyrdom and that kind of
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stuff. If you turn to Luke chapter 17
Luke 17 chapter mention
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for a minute, Luke chapter 17, 14 verse 26, this is Jesus
Luke 17 chapter mention
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speaking as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in
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the days of the Son of Man. People will be eating, drinking,
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marrying wise, and they were given in marriage until the day
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was that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed
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them all. So it'll take the world by
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surprise. And Jesus said that his time of
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return and all the stuff that's going to happen on the earth is
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going to be very similar to the days of Noah.
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Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot.
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And they ate and they drank and they bought and they sold, they
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planted, they built this everyday life going on, right?
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But on that day, Lot went out of Sodom.
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It rained fire and brimstone in heaven and destroyed them all.
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Even so, will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
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Now you think about Sodom and Gomorrah.
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Things were horrible there. God is telling a lot to get out
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his wife and his kids. These impure people are knocking
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on the door. Whenever the angels came to warn
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them to flee the wrath, it was to come.
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They're knocking on the door. Let us in that we may have sex
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with those men in there. The angels impure Lot was
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freaking out. He didn't know what to do.
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He's like trying to barter with them.
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We'll take my daughters. They're virgins.
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I mean, that blows your mind in the in the sense that here's
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God's calling Lot, righteous lot and fearing for his own life.
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Thank God the the Lord protected his daughters.
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But nonetheless, it says in these last days, this is what
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it's going to become, like Genesis chapter 6 verse 5 says
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regarding Noah and the days of Noah.
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Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in
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the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was
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only evil continually. Can you imagine that having a
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mind? Maybe you remember when your
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mind was like that, before you knew Christ, that every thought
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you had was evil continually. You were constantly planning in
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your mind what next corrupt thing you were going to do, what
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next sinful thing you were going to plan.
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And as the Lord looks on the earth today, He sees the human
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race for the most part being this way, that the thoughts of
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the heart are people outside of the Lord are only evil
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continually. Can you imagine when again, when
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we're not around the bride of Christ, there's no salt left,
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there's no light to repel the darkness.
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Sin will be released like a flood, drowning the world in
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perdition and judgment. And how amazing is this group in
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Revelation chapter 14 when you think about their commitment to
Revelation 14 chapter mention
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the Lord? In verse four and five, it says
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these are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
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These are the ones that follow the Lamb wherever he goes.
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They've been chosen by the Lord to be entirely separated unto
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the Lamb. They follow Jesus, His plan, His
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life, His teaching, at all costs, at at all times and in
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all places. I wonder what we're like in our
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own lives and our own walk with the Lord when no one else sees
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us. Are we like these that are
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represented here in Revelation That we follow the Lord's plan
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in our life and His teaching at all costs, at all times and in
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every place that we might find ourselves?
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Psalm 119, verse one and two says blessed are the undefiled
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in the way who walk in the way or the law of the Lord.
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Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with
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the whole heart. They also do no iniquity and
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they walk in His way. So the picture of the people
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that the psalmist is speaking to is very similar to the people
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here in Revelation chapter 4, that God says you're blessed in
Revelation 4 chapter mention
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your life. You're walking in not impurity.
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You're walking in the way of the Lord.
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You're walking in the law of the Lord.
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You're blessed if you keep His testimonies, if you seek Him
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with your whole heart, not part of your heart or just on Sunday
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or whenever you feel like it, but every day you're like, Lord,
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I want my heart to be your heart.
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I want my thoughts to be your thoughts.
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I want Your Holy Spirit to control me and convict me so
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that there isn't anything in my life that will be found to be
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impure and bring disgrace on You.
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Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with
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the whole heart. I want to be blessed, don't you?
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And if you want to be blessed, do what the psalmist says, keep
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the word of God, seek him with your whole heart, and you'll
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find that you're not going to be interested in intentionally
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sinning against him. You're going to walk in his
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ways. The definition to undefiled
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means not to be filthy. That's why the Bible says we
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aren't like filthy jesting, dirty language, dirty talks,
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dirty stories. We're not like that anymore.
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We want purity in our life. We're uncorrupted in the sense
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that we're not allowing the ways of the world to defile us.
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These people that were the virgins weren't allowing
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themselves to be involved in any kind of sexual union.
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That would be seen as being impure.
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Sexual union that would be impure would be homosexuality,
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fornication, adultery and a lot of people justify that today.
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Well, I'm in love and I have emotions and my hormones or
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whatever and and the Lord does never makes allowances for that.
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He says if you are struggling with your sexual drive and you
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can't address it and allow the Lord to control it and give you
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peace. He as Paul speaks, you need to
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get married so that you don't burn the lust.
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But if you're able to, as these virgins obviously were these
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144,000 Jewish evangelist, they were able to look to the Lord
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and not allow themselves to be drawn into the context of the
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culture of the prostitutes that were in the streets, constantly
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calling them to come in and enjoy them.
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They kept their eyes fixed on the Lord and they wanted to do
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what he wanted them to do. Again, though, in marriage, you
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know, some people get some warped ideas in the culture that
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somehow a sexuality is not a good thing.
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It's a good thing in marriage, but only in marriage.
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That's why Paul says the marriage bed is undefiled.
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There's no corruption in the marriage bed with the sexual
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union between the husband and the wife.
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So we're not talking about marriage here.
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In regard to the context of why these people chose to be
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virgins, I don't think if you went out there in that time, in
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the last days, could any of these people actually find find
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a godly woman? If everybody's heart is thinking
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evil continually, the pickings are pretty slim.
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Some of you single folks know the pickings are sort of slim
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now. Or you know, you look and you
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say, well, where is a godly man or a godly woman?
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Are you willing to wait on the Lord before you would try to get
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involved with someone just because you think you need to be
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married? You'll you'll regret that the
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rest of your life. Perhaps no godly women or men
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are left to marry at this time. And so these people like Paul
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chose to be entirely separated to Christ for the ministry in
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this time of tribulation. So they're not affected by
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distractions. Some people are called to this
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idea of a celibacy in in being virgins.
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Turn over to Matthew 19 and very interesting comments that you
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find that as I read what Paul said and also what Jesus says
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himself here in Matthew 19. In the Book of Revelation,
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Pastor Clark is taking us through all kinds of events and
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happenings that are predicted for the future.
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But for those who believe and follow Jesus, there's much to
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look forward to in heaven with Jesus.
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However, for those who are here on earth during the Tribulation,
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there's all kinds of chaos that will unfold.
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The Bible talks about an Antichrist, a false prophet, and
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of course that evil enemy Satan. You see how there are such
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clever attempts for the enemy to disguise himself as God and even
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the Trinity, the true Savior of the world is God and how he
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comes to rescue through his triune nature, God the Father,
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Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
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Just like Satan tried to take over for God in heaven was cast
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out, Satan will try to convince people on earth that he is the
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triune God to be worshipped instead of the legitimate God in
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heaven. It's an attempt, and although he
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will capture plenty in his schemes, he will not win.
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The true God wins, and Revelation unpacks how that will
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all happen in detail. Be encouraged because there's a
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way out for all of this madness that will ensue on this earth.
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But you don't want to wait indefinitely to make that
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decision about Jesus. We don't know when the church
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will be raptured, and you want to be ready to be with Jesus.
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To learn more about this, head over to calvarychapelonline.com.
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We're so glad you've been with us today.
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And if you'd like to connect further with this ministry, find
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us on Facebook or YouTube. You can also download our mobile
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app at calvarychapelonline.com. Be sure to join us for weekly
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services at 400 E Pittsburgh St. Ste. 6B in Greensburg, PA 15601.
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This has been living waters of grace.