Sermon
Living Waters of Grace, March 17th, 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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Why would we want to hurt one another?
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Why would we want to say evil things about one another?
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Why would we want to be unforgiving and bitter and
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hateful and spiteful and lustful and, and just all these
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characteristics that come out of the depraved human heart when
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God is the way he is and we see him in that throne room and
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pictured as the Holy One who loves us and.
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Who's given everything for us? Last time on Living Waters of
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Grace, Pastor Clark shared with us how Jesus is called the Lamb
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of God. We learned that Jesus was called
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the Lamb of God because of the correlation to the Passover
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lamb. Today, Pastor Clark will focus
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on the love of God that was displayed through the life of
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Jesus and this should be our example.
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Our lives, like the life of Jesus, should be for the sake of
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others. Our love for God should be seen
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in how we love the people around us, including those we might
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define as enemies. Now here's Pastor Clark in
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Revelation Chapter 5 with today's edition of Living Waters
Revelation 5 chapter mention
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of Grace. And no one in heaven are on
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earth or under the. Earth was able to.
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Open the scroll or. To look at it and the reason
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that is, is that. We're all sinful people.
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There's only one. That has the power and the
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ability and the right to cast judgment.
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Right now, you and I aren't to judge.
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The Bible says judge not lest she be judged.
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One of my prayers every day is Lord help me to judge my own
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sins. And not the sins of my brothers
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and sisters. It's easy for us to judge, but
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our judgments have no power. They have no authority.
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And I'm not talking about the judgments.
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Of sin or church discipline those have been given to us that
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authority by. The word of God.
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But in regard. To judging sinful people, well,
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this person deserves to go to. Hell, because of.
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This and this and that. Well, if that's the case, we all
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deserve to go to hell, right? There's none of us that are
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worthy. Praise God that when you look at
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someone who's messed up that your heart would pray for the
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Lord. To save them and.
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Work in their lives as he's worked in yours, and that you
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wouldn't be casting judgment. But John's weeping.
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This was so broken understanding that we are so unholy.
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Compared to the greatness. Of our God our.
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Savior Jesus Christ. In John 87 it says He that is
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without sin among you, let him. Cast the first stone.
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Who of us here today can pick up a stone and throw it at each
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other? None of us.
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God's our judge the Scripture. Reminds us about this.
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Picture of the scepter. Of God's righteousness.
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That only is given to the one. From the tribe of Judah, Jesus
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Christ himself in Genesis. 44910 It says a scepter shall not
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depart from. Judah, nor a lawgiver from
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between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the
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gathering. Of the people be.
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And we see that verse 4 says he wept so much that no one was
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found worthy to open and read the scroll or to look at it.
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But one of the elders said to me, do not.
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Weep, behold the lion. Of the tribe of Judah, the root
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of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to lucid 7 seals.
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And so the the beauty of this is Jesus isn't only the descendant.
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Of the throne of. David.
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But he's the one who established the throne before the earth was
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made. So David truly is a descendant
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of our Savior, the Messiah Jesus.
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Christ, but in Jesus humanity he is a descendant of this lineage.
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Through David. 'S father, Jesse.
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And the Messiah is. This word Shiloh is taken from
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the word. Meaning Messiah, and he takes
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the scepter the. Symbol of the right.
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To govern, There's only one that has the authority to govern the
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universe and the whole. World and that's our Savior
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Jesus Christ and all those in the.
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Line of Judah David. And Solomon and Rehoboam were.
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Actually kings from the line of Judah, but Jesus himself is.
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Truly the king of. Kings and the Lord of Lords that
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was preordained and prophesized by the Old Testament Saints and
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the Prophets. In Acts 13 is an interesting
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verse that ties into this if you got your.
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Bible to flip over there to Acts 13, it's amazing.
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How all these things connect together.
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Acts 13 verse 22 and 23 it says. And when he had removed him, he
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raised up for them David as king, to whom also he gave
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testimony and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man
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after my own heart, who will do my will from this man's seed.
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Referring to David, according to the promise God raised up for
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Israel a Savior Jesus. And so Jesus is.
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This one that's being. Spoken about in the Book of
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Revelation, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of
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David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven
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seals. Jesus is seen as he looks in
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verse 6. And behold, in the midst of the
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throne, and are the four living creatures.
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Into the midst of the elder stood a lamb as though it had
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been slain, having 7 horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
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spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
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Then he came and took the scroll out of the right hand of him who
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sat on the throne. Again, when we study the Book of
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Revelation. Some of these things are quite
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graphic and strange. You know that we would think,
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OK, here's here's the Lord here referred to as a lamb, the Lamb
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of God. Who taketh away the?
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Sin of the world. That's what John the Baptist
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said whenever he saw Jesus walking at him.
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He said, behold, the Lamb of God.
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Now Jesus was not coming down the road as a lamb, but he's
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pictured in type and the old. Testament is a Passover.
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Lamb that he is the true Lamb of God that has the ability to take
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away the sins of the world. Well, John is.
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Giving us a. Picture as though.
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It had been slain and he's describing what he's seeing in
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this this vision and the lion is referring to the one who judges
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the sins of the ungodly, the lion of the tribe of Judah.
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And the seven horns represent the complete omnipotent power of
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God. 7 is always a number of completeness and perfection.
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The seven eyes show the. Omniscience of God, that God is
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all seeing. He's everywhere present.
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And knows all things I mean today he.
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Looks into your heart and mine. He sees it all.
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We can't see each other's hearts.
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But God sees it all. He's receiving now, taking into
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his own hands the title. D to the universe, the beautiful
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picture. Is that only the father has the
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authority? To give this.
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Scroll and only the Son has the power and the authority to
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receive it, no one else. And what happens in verse 8 when
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he takes this scroll the the living creatures, the four
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creatures and the 24 elders, they fall down before the lamb.
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They fall down and adore him and worship him do.
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You ever experience in your life?
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I'm sure you have certain times in your life.
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And I sense that at times here when our worship team leads us,
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and sometimes I just want to throw myself on my face on the
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ground. And I would tell you that that
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would never be inappropriate here.
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If you ever are inclined to get on your knees during the
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worship, there's nothing wrong with that.
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And it isn't body language that gets the heart of God, it's our
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heart. I mean we could be on our knees
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and our heart could be 1,000,000 miles from God, but what God
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wants is those who worship Him in spirit and truth.
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And sometimes our physical ways about us represent what's going
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on in our heart. Whether we raise our hands or
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bow on our knees. But I find that in my home, in
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my own prayer closet, that's where I'm most comfortable
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getting on my face with God, right?
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No one can judge me saying, why is he doing that?
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Is he trying to be spiritual or trying to act like he's
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something? No, but God sees me alone,
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right? And at times I'm just thrown to
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to be on my. Face before the Lord.
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And that's what's happening here.
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All this. Beauty.
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Can you imagine? Seeing the Lord Jesus grabbing
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this, taking the scroll. And his hand from the father,
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and knowing there as John knows that he's the.
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Only one that's. Worthy and the elders see.
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Worthy as a lamb. And the creatures that God has
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manifests and created, they're worshipping.
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It's astounding. It's overwhelming.
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How could one not be on their face?
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Before the Lord. And I love this part here which
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says they have these golden balls full of incense which are
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the prayers of the Saints. All the prayers that you and I
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have sent up to the Kingdom since we've known the Lord.
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Many of. Them are still unanswered, but I
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believe one day that God will take those prayers that we've
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given to him and and bring a conclusion to those prayers.
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Some of the answers will be yes, some of the answers will be no.
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But one of the big. Answers.
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That He will give us is the prayer that the Lord gave his
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disciples, where He said our. Father who art in.
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Heaven hallowed be thy name thy. Kingdom come on earth as it is
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in. Heaven, this is the.
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Beginning of the. Kingdom of God eventually coming
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to this earth and being established in in Jerusalem and
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Jesus will roll with an iron hand for a. 1000 years and
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forever and ever and ever and we'll roll with him.
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But the beauty of this incense of the prayers of the Saints are
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like sweet smelling incense to his heart, is that the prayers
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that you and I give up to the Lord are never forgotten by God
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and God. Has those prayers.
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They're not wasted. I I find it amazing that all the
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prayers are put in a bowl. Not one of them are worthless.
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Not one of them to God are senseless or.
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Unimportant and it. Says they're going to sing a new
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song in verse 9, a new song they're going to sing not
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something they remember when they sang the Hellel songs in
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the Psalms of the Old Testament that were very symbolic of the
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nation of Israel and worship to God or in the in the in the
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garden at the time that Jesus was.
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Being. Prepared to give his life There
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was some hymns that were sung but this is a brand new song and
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you know Rick and the. Guys, if they wanted to, they
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could write the music to the song.
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You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals,
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for you were slain and have redeemed us to God by your
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blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
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and it made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign
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on the earth. That's a brand new song.
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You know when the gospel goes out and we support missionaries,
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especially some. Who are in unreached?
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People groups like the Dawsons in Venezuela, the beauty of
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missions and the beauty of being involved.
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As a. Church in Missions is that we
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are all part of what's happening.
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On the mission field here from this local church and as they
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are out there laboring and being faithful to give the gospel and
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and these. Tribal Indians come to know the
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Lord. They'll be in the Kingdom of
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heaven one day at the same table that you and I will be.
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At the marriage supper of the lamb.
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It says there will be representatives there from every
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tongue, every language group, every tribe, every people in
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every. Nation.
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No sectarianism in heaven, No prejudice believers made-up of
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every tongue. Tribe, kindred and nation.
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And they'll sing this new song. You have redeemed us, He has
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bought us with His blood, and now we see that there is true
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dominion because He's making us kings and priests to our God,
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and we shall reign on the earth. That's hard to fathom that
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whenever we come. Back with.
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Christ at the second coming that we're going to have positions of
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authority in the earth during that 1000 years.
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We're going to. Have roll and reign.
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As kings and priests for our God on the face of the earth.
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I don't know some of you you. You might be.
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The new mayor of. Greensburg or something, I don't
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know, but we're going to have amazing titles and, and just to
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encourage you, there is no one unimportant.
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In the body of Christ. Guys, there is no one here and
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no one down here. We're all the same.
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Christ is ahead and He loves us and accepts us the same way.
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There's no one insignificant. We are precious in His sight, so
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precious that even the very hairs of our head are numbered.
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He has a specific purpose for you during that millennial
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reign, already chosen, already picked out, already described to
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fit your temperament, your personality, how God's made you
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and created you to be. You're not to be like me and I'm
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not to be like you. We're all different and unique
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and. Precious in his sight, the body
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of Christ. Not one member can say to the
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other member I have. No need of you can we?
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We all need each other and the parts that seem to be the less.
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Important in the eyes. Of man, God.
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Chooses them to be. The most important, the most
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quietest, loving, godly, meek, prayerful person in our church
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is seen by God to be so much greater than the person who's
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speaking and talking all the time.
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The Kingdom is upside down, isn't it?
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The world looks for. Fame and fortune and.
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Personality and popularity, and the Kingdom of God looks for
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humility and meekness. And quietness.
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And so we see these songs being sung.
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And the true dominion is beautiful because as God
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intended this world to be when he created Adam and Eve, one day
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it'll be. Restored to that place that it
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was. Before the fall and that
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original part of creation where? God had that beautiful.
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Garden and that scene. Where?
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Man and woman could talk to God audibly and they could hear his
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voice and all the heavenly hosts.
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In verse 11 it says I heard the voice of many angels around the
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throne and living creatures and the elders, and the numbers of
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them were 10,000 * 10,000 and thousands of thousands saying
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with a loud voice, Worthy is a lamb who is slain to receive
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power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and
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blessing. How many have the new King James
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Version in here? Read Raise your hand.
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I want you to read this with me in unison.
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Worthy is a lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and
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wisdom and strength and honor and.
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Glory and blessing. We have maybe 30 people that
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read that with me. OK?
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Can you imagine 10,000 * 10,000 the myriad of angels and the
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heavenly hosts? It's going to be this deafening
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the sound. And the glory of God.
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True dominion where Christ will. Truly reign and roll and we will
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roll with him and this heavenly host in verse 11.
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They're going to break out and this voice and John hears this
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and the wicked. Will no.
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Longer have an opportunity to prosper as the judgment is about
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to be poured out on the earth. The Dominion of the.
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Evil one will be destroyed. In other words, the title.
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Deed of the Earth. Right now, the enemy.
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Is the Prince of the power? Of the air.
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He's the small G God of this. World that has.
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A degree of dominion for a period of.
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Time only under the authority. Of God, but.
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One day he will have, absolutely.
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No more influence and no more. Ability to dominate.
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The evil one will be destroyed. Now we.
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Look at the. Throne of God and all these
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angelic beings. And angels are very, very
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fascinating because they're here with us today.
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We can't see them. But they're in our.
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Midst they're listening. The Bible says that every time
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the Word is preached, the angels are in anticipation of wanting
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to hear. Something new to learn.
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Something more the heavenly host.
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I love the artwork of the picture of the.
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Mother and father at the bed. Of their child.
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And they're praying and asking God to work in their.
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Heart of their. Children so that they'll come to
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know the. Lord and the Evil.
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One is wanting to come in and just destroy the.
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Family, but the heavenly. Hosts The Archangels are
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surrounding outside the window and they're.
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Preventing evil and ungodliness and and darkness to enter into
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the life of. The family as the parents are
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praying for their home and for their family and for their.
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Children, what a beautiful, beautiful picture.
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But you have these three spheres of heaven.
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Paul was taken up into that place where John was, and he saw
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things he said he couldn't even describe with human words.
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But we have in that first realm the Seraphim and the Cherifim.
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And the Thrones, the principalities of God that are.
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Designated to be in that particular domain of heaven,
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they're the. Guardians.
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Of the throne of. Guard of God.
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And the second sphere is. We read about this in Ephesians
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and the. Chapter 6 about the the weapons
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of. Our warfare and the armor of
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God. The dominions, the virtues
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meaning the might and the powers.
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They're the heavenly governors of the Kingdom.
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And then the third sphere is the Principalities, the Archangels
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and the Angels. And these are the ones that are
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the messengers. They're the ones that take the
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message out to the far ends of the Earth, and they're.
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Also the soldiers. They're.
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Guarding you and me. Today I love what?
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It says in. Hebrews about the angels, are
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they not ministering spirits sent forth to minister to them
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who are the heirs of salvation? You have a guardian Angel.
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I do too. And I think many times my
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guardian Angel is saying, why did you assign me to Clark?
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You know, he's just been a real problem.
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I'll have to apologize to my Angel when I get to the Kingdom
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one day for the things he's had to put up with me.
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But the good news is, is that God has assigned angelic beings.
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To watch over you and to protect you.
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And then the last two verses and as we finish this chapter says
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in every creature in verse 13 which is in heaven and on earth
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and and under the earth, and as such are in the.
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Sea and all that. Are in them are heard saying the
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amazing thing the Bible. Says Jesus talks about the
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descendants and the people who were proud because they were of
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the lineage of David. And Jesus tells them that, you
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know, I could cause these rocks to rejoice and praise me if I
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wanted to. The whole creation.
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It says in Romans. Is waiting in earnest
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expectation to praise and magnify God.
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Waiting for the culmination of these things that we're studying
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about in Revelation. And they're saying blessing and
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honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne, and
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to the Lamb forever and ever glorifying.
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The Lamb of God and the. Father, the four living
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creatures, the 24 elders, and the numerous angels and all the
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creatures of the universe, worshipping and giving.
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Glory to God. And then the four living
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creatures said Amen, It's. Good to say.
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Amen. Amen.
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We can say. Amen.
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They say it in heaven. We can say it here on earth too.
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So be it. Lord and the 24 elders fell down
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and worshipped Him. Who lives?
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Forever and ever. So this scene.
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That we're studying today is a prelude to the righteous
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judgments from a holy God, which will begin to erupt.
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Upon those still on the earth who have refused God's mercy and
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love, holding on to their. Sin and rebellion against God
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it's hard to fathom we. Hear these things today.
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And God knows our hearts and some of us might be here today
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and think, well, who cares? So what?
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What's this mean to me? Well, if you're a believer in.
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Christ, you wouldn't. Say that this means everything
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to you. It's God's love letter to you,
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His promises to you, but He's prepared for you.
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But if you're lost and you can't see, this is bizarre.
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It's strange, it's confusing, it's not drawing because you
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hold on to something that has got you in bondage and that's
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your. Sin and your rebellion.
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Of wanting to. Have your own way.
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And be part. Of the crowd that says.
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We will not have this man to. Rule over us.
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Let's crucify Him and we crucify Christ by our own sin.
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As unbelievers, we basically are still driving nails into Him,
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hating Him for what he represents and what he came to
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do. Why would we want to do that to
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the one who loves us so much that he gave us his only
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begotten Son? Why would we want to hurt one
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another? Why would we want to say evil
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things about one another? Why would we want to be
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unforgiving and bitter and hateful and spiteful and lustful
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and, and this all these characteristics that come out of
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the depraved human heart when God is the way he is and we see
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him in that throne room and pictured is the Holy One who
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loves us and has given everything for us.
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And John sees what it cost him when he's giving this vision to
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the people that are listening and those who us today who are
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hearing it. And where do we fit in with all
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this? Where?
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Where do we? Belong.
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Do we belong in that room, that throne room with John?
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Are we still on the outside looking in?
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That's what we have to ask ourselves today.
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And the heart is deep. The Bible says it's a very, very
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unwielding part of the human psyche.
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The heart is a vessel that is hard.
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It is rebellious. The Bible tells us it's
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desperately wicked, and it's only the.
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Lord, who can? Try our hearts and know our
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thoughts, right? And so I'd like to just conclude
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today and giving the Lord again the opportunity to examine our
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hearts. To see where.
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We are with these wonderful things of God, will we?
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Walk away from this. Today.
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And just think, So what? Or will we walk away and a
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deeper appreciation of the majesty and the greatness and
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the glory and the dominion and the authority of our Lord.
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That's what I pray will be a case for all of us.
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We are digging into the Book of Revelation here on Living Waters
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of Grace. Pastor Clark is tackling this
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challenging book as we try to discern the messages that are
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within its pages. There's so much imagery and at
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times you're not always sure what's literal and what's
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metaphorical. At one point there's a reference
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to an adulterous woman riding on a beast.
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And as someone else mentioned, at one point it almost sounds
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like a rodeo from hell. And in actuality it kind of is.
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You learn about the downfall and demise of a sinful and
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rebellious world, falling down in worship to someone who is the
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anti hero, the enemy, Satan working his insidious ways into
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the minds of fallen people. It's sad and it's heartbreaking,
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but it's a classic story of good versus evil.
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Thankfully, we know how this story ends.
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Jesus wins, Jesus reigns, and evil is conquered once and for
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all. We pray and trust you've
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received Jesus as your Savior. But if you haven't, don't wait
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until the events in Revelation become what's happening on the
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streets. None of us wants you to be there
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at that time. Instead, we'd love for you to be
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with us in heaven as we celebrate the marriage supper
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with Jesus as his bridegroom. To get a better understanding of
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where we are in the Book of Revelation, to listen to any
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messages before or after this one, you can find them at our
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website, calvarychapelonline.com.
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That's it for today's edition, but we hope you'll want to hear
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Pastor Clark teach more from the Book of Revelation.
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It can be exciting to think about the future for believers,
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but it can feel a bit harrowing for those who don't believe.
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Come hear more next time on Living Waters of Grace.