Sermon
The Gift of Repentance!
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Thank you for the mic fix.
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Yeah, and we just asked that you would bless him, Lord,
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everything that's on your heart this morning to communicate. Would
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you open our minds and hearts to receive your word? Lord,
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Would you give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation
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that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened this morning? Lord,
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bring us closer to you. Thank you, and show us
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Lord what you want to say. Speak to us in
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Jesus' name.
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Amen, Amen, Justin is still part of the prayer. I
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was going to pray over you all. Thanks Justin. Anyway,
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I'm just teasing. That was funny.
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Oh my gosh.
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Okay, Hi, I'm Kim. If you don't know me, stop
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being so serious. Okay, yeah, mom, jokes. Okay, I'm actually
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gonna pray again. Wow, it's like, okay, that's okay, that's
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actually I need to stop joking because actually I think
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this is going to get pretty serious. So okay, let's
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go in, right, Father, Thank you so much. I'm gonna
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pray the same similar thing I pray in first service,
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because why not. It's so good just to remember that
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we are so privileged to be here today. We are
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so privileged to get to meet together without fear. We
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are so privileged to get to hold in our hands
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your word that costs so much to get into our hands.
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We honor you, Jesus for your sacrifice, for your resurrection life.
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We honor you, Lord, for your word that is truth.
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Thank you that it is alive. May our hearts come
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to life as we hear it today, and let this
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be all you. God, put me on like a coat.
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Speak through my mouth, use my thoughts, make my thoughts
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your thoughts. Make my eyes your eyes, or make your
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eyes my eyes.
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You know what I mean. Lord, Yeah, just do it. Father.
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Thank you Jesus for everything you're doing already. I just
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know you're already moving and working. Thank you Father, Thank
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you Lord. Wow, already so interesting in here. It's one
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thing being in there, and then it's interesting being up here.
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And like you can feel, you can feel there's a pool,
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like y'all want more, like y'all are serious, like y'are
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like I'm done with the milk, I'm ready for the meat. Yeah,
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I can feel it. It's kind of a good and
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scary feeling. And while I say scary, I'm gonna say
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again that this is a scary spot to stand in
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because in all vulnerability, I really love speaking to large
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crowds of people, Like my flesh really loves it. And
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the bigger the crowd, the better, and the more people
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looking at me, My.
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Flesh loves that. So yeah, go for it.
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So this is a place that I'm trying to learn
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to be very humble about and to not rely on
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my own self because I have gifts that I can
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just stand up here and in my own self, I
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can use my gifts even if I'm not living it,
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even if I'm not walking it. I can say all
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the things and you'll think I do. So I can
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tell y'all that right now today, standing here, I do
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it with here and trembling and knowing that the things
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that I have to say are the same things that
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God is dealing with my heart about that I've been
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weeping before him about that I have spent hours and
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hours studying and humbling myself before Him, and I am
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far from having arrived. And so I just want y'all
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to know, for service already heard me say this, but
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I am just kim Okay. Any good that there is
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in me is because He has put it there, and
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I do not want to say a word apart from
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him right now, not word. I want to live and
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move and have my being in him, even though I
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could do it apart from him for a little bit,
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it's not true freedom. It may feel good for a while,
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but it's not true freedom. It's not what Jesus came
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to give us. So there's a lot of things to say.
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There's so many scriptures. The thing, last time I was
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up here did this too. I really like reading chunks
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of scripture, so I'm going to start with that. And
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I can't even really make sense of these notes. But
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I'm trusting that he has written his word on my heart.
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I'm trusting him right now to have me say the
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things that need to be said. So I know that's
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a big setup, but you know, a big explanatory thing.
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This right here is what we really care about now.
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What can stream excess. This is a life. This is
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the word of life. This is a living word. It's powerful,
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sharper than any two edged sword. And today you're going
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to and I'm going to be cut by it deeply.
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I hope, I hope and pray deeply, cut in the
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most beautiful and freeing way. So I'm going to spend
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more time reading these words than I am saying my
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own words.
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Is that? Okay with y'all.
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So we're gonna go to Ephesians. I'm reading the New
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Living Translation, and I'm gonna go to Ephesians four. Open
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it up in your app, open up your Bible, share
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a Bible, whatever you need to do, or you can
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listen to it. But here's why I want you to
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look at it. Because when something i'm saying sticks out
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to you and like ooh, I feel that, I want
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you to underline it, highlight it, whatever you need to do,
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and then just keep moving and come back to it
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later and pray about it. Okay, I'm going to read, Oh,
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my glasses, thank you. I'm not used to wearing them,
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but I knew up here I would need them so
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and also it makes all y'all blurry and makes I
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can see the words really well, so it's almost like
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I can't see y'all's faces, which might be a good
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thing on this occasion. Okay, So I'm going to read
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here we go, get ready, Okay, I'm going to do
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four through five nineteen twenty. So it's a lot, it's
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a lot. Oh, sorry, So get ready, here we go,
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new living translation. Thank you Lord for your word. It
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is truth, it is alive. Lord, Let it sink into
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our hearts. Speak to each of us on individually exactly
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what you're wanting to say. Unveil the things in our
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hearts where this word is touching. Help it to be
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exposed to the light. Thank you Jesus. Therefore a prisoner,
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I a prisoner for serving the Lord. Beg you to
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lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have
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been called by God. Always be humble and gentle, patient
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with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because
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of your love. Make every effort to keep yourself united
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in the spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there
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is one body and one spirit, just as you have
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been called to one glorious hope for the future. There
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is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God
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and Father, who is over all and in all, in
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living through all. However, He has given each one to
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each one of us a special gift through the generosity
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of Christ. That is why the scriptures say when he
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ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives
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and gave gifts to his people notice that it says
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he ascended. This clearly means that Christ also descended to
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our lowly world. And the same one who descended is
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the one who us send it higher than all the heavens,
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so that He might fill the entire universe with himself. Now,
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these are the gifts Christ gave to the Church. The apostles,
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the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their
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responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work
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and build up the Church, the body of Christ. This
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will continue until we all come to such unity in
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our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will
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be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full
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and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer
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be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown
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about by every win of new teaching. We will not
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be influenced when people try to trick us lies so
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clever they sound like the truth.
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Instead, we will speak the truth and love.
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Growing in every way more and more Like Christ, who
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is the head of his body, the Church. He makes
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the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does
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its own special work, it helps the other parts grow
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so that the whole body is healthy and growing and
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full of love with the Lord's authority. I say this,
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live no longer as the gentiles do, for they are
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hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness. They wander
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far from the life God gives because they have closed
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their minds and hardened their hearts against Him. They have
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no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and
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eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn't what
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you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus
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and have learned the truth that comes from Him, throw
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off your old sinful nature in your former way of life,
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which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the
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Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature,
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created to be like God, truly righteous and holy.
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So stop telling lies.
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Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are
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all parts of the same body. And don't sin by
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letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down
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while you are still angry, for anger gives the foothold
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to the devil. If you are a thief, quit stealing ooh. Instead,
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use your hands for good hard work, and then give
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generous to others in need. Don't use foul or abusive language.
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Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that
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your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them,
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and do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit. By
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the way you live, Remember He has identified you as
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his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the
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day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger,
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harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of
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evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving
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one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
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Imitate God. Therefore, sorry, it's cutting out. Imitate God. Therefore
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in everything you do, because you are His dear children,
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live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.
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He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us,
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a pleasing aroma to God. Let there be no sexual, immorality,
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and purity or greed among you. Such sins have no
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place among God's people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes,
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these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness
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to God. You can be sure that no immoral and
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pure or greedy person will inherit the kingdom of Christ
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and of God, for a greedy person is an idolatry
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worshiping the things of this world. Don't be fooled by
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those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger
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of God will fall on all who disobey him. Don't
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participate in the things these people do, for once you
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are full of darkness, but now you have light from
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the Lord. So live as people of light, for this
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light within you produces only what is good and right
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and true. Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. Take no
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part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness. Instead,
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expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the
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things that ungodly people do in secret, but their evil
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intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,
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for the light makes everything visible. This is why it
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is said, Awake, oh sleeper, rise from the dead, and
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Christ will give you light. So be careful how you live.
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Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise.
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Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
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Don't act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you
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to do. Don't be drunk with wine, because that will
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ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
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singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and
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making music to the Lord and your hearts, and give
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thanks for everything to God the Father in the name
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of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's just sit in that
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for just a second. Those words do cut me. They
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expose things in my heart that I don't want to admit.
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I have been really praying.
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About the Church, the body. I've been in Ephesians for
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months now. I really highly recommend it. But the Lord
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has just put in my heart to have such a
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desire to see unity in the Body of Christ. And
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when I come in today, I went outside to check
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on my class and I see everybody and y'are all worshiping,
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hugging each other, praying. I'm just like, this is his heart,
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and yet there's so much division. If we want to
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see unity in the body, we have got to get
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real about the crud that's in our hearts.
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We have got to allow the Lord to.
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Expose those dark places inside of us so that we
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can walk in the light as He is in the light.
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Jesus paid to high a price. He's running run and
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running after us, Run and run, and running, and we
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didn't do anything to deserve it?
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Are we running? Run and running? Running after him?
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This morning, when they were singing that song, I saw
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or I heard whatever something It switched around when it
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was saying, there's no shadow, you won't light up, there's
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no mountain.
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You won't climb up.
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I heard me singing, Lord, there's no shadow. I won't
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light up, there's no mountain, I won't climb up. Running
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after you? Yeah, So many of us so are dealing
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with secret things in our hearts, So we don't run
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after him fully like you can have that part of me,
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but you can't have that part. I'll let you in
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this area of my life, but you can't have the
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whole thing. And some of us are so blinded. And
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I stand here as one who is dealing with this
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in my own life, and more than it even being
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a certain sin that you're dealing with. Perhaps it's our ways.
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Perhaps it's our ways of pride. Perhaps it's our ways
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of judgment. Perhaps it's our ways, our habits of bitterness
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and anger. Perhaps it's our ways that we need to surrender,
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that we need to turn from, that we need to
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repent of. I have never gotten up and given a
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message like this before Jesus helped me. I'm the one
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that talks about God's love. I'm the one that talks
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about this great grace that we've been given, which we have,
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But Lord, help us to lead a life worthy of
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a call to which you have called us. Do we
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understand what we have been given? We are chosen, we
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are adopted. We've been given the blood of the Son
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of God. We've been given power. The same power that
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raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us. Jesus
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literally is making intercession for us. The Holy Spirit groans
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on our behalf. Sin no longer has control over us,
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and yet some of us still think that it does.
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Do y'all know that we have been given everything that
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pertains the life and godliness.
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In order to live a life worthy of.
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A call which he has called us, go to first
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Shawn Jesus, first Shawn one. I'm gonna read down through
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two six. This is a message we heard from Jesus,
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and now declare to you. God is light and there
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is no darkness in him at all. So we are
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lying if we say we have fellowship with God, but
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go on living in spiritual darkness, we are not practicing
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the truth. But if we are living in the light
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as God is in the light, then we have fellowship
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with these each other, and the blood of Jesus his
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son cleanses us from all sin.
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That sounds a light like unity.
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If we claim we have no sin, we are only
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fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if
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we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and
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just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from
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all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we
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are calling God a liar and showing that his word
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has no place in our hearts. My dear children, I
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am writing this to you so that you will not sin.
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But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who
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pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ,
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the one who is truly righteous. He himself is a
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sacrifice that atones for our sin, and not only our sins,
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but the sin of the whole world. And we can
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be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.
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I don't think very many of us like that I've
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ignored it. I confess that I've ignored parts of Scripture
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I'm ashamed of that, and that's okay, that's wrong. If
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someone claims I know God, it doesn't obey God's commandments,
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that person is a liar and not living in the truth.
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But those who obey God's words truly, truly show how
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completely they love him. That is how we know we
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are living in Him. Those who say they live in
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God should live their lives as Jesus did. And how
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can God ask such a thing of us? Because his
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very spirit, the same spirit that's in his son, is
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in us. We are believers. There are I think is it?
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Three letters in Revelation to the churches, and in each
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one it says it kind of says like, here's how
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you've done good, here's how you need to do better.
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And also to the one who overcomes, and he talks
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about a reward.
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In this life.
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The biggest thing we're going to have to overcome is
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this right here, this this, this is what keeps us
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from being in unity. Thank you Lord. James five sixteen
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says Confessor sends one to another that you will be forgiven.
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That's unity. When you're seeing all the revivals and stuff,
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it all starts from a place where some people decided
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they're going to be humble, where they were going to unite,
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where they were going to bear with one another's burdens,
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bear with one another's faults, get over themselves, and unite
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for the sake of Jesus. When you see unity, you're
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seeing a group of people that have decided, I'll do
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whatever it takes. I'll lay down this flesh, I won't
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demand my own rights and way, y'all.
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The world is literally the opposite of that.
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And there's some stuff that sounds real close to gospel
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that's talking about it right now, and it's not the gospel.
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And I have fallen pray to that myself. It's real
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easy to.
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Make it all about us, and we will never ever
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see unity if we're always so worried about our feelings,
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our safety. I'm preaching of myself right now. I want
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to caveat it. Nope, I'm not going to. Just kidding,
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what time is it?
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One Corinthians seven eight.
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I'm not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you,
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though I was sorry at first, for I know it
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was painful to you for a little while. Now I'm
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glad I sent it, not because it hurts you, but
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because the pain cause you to repent and change your ways.
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It was a kind of sorrow God wants his people
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to have, so you were not harmed by us in
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any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us
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to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation.
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There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow,
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which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what
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this godly sorrow produced in you. Such earnestness, such concern
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to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to
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see me, such zeal, and such readiness to punish wrong.
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You showed that you have done everything necessary to make
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things right. That's unity. I really believe it is time
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for us to repent. And Justin said something this morning,
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and I've even taught this, like repent is to turn,
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which it is. But the word I think he said
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the Greek. I don't know where he is anyway, he's
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out there, but there's a word that actually means is
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it to burn. Justin you literally burn, you burn your bridge.
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I mean that's not what he said, but that's like
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you burn that thing, and the thing is like nothing
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can separate us from the love of God. Now angels,
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not demons, not principalities, not powers, not spiritual wickedness in
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heavenly places. Not our fears for today, are worries about tomorrow,
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not persecution. Nothing, nothing in all creation could separate you
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from the love of God. But there are things in
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your heart that separate you from loving Him. And if
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you can't love him, you cannot love us. What is it?
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What is it in you? What is it that's hidden?
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Is it a way? Is it a way that you are?
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Is it a habit? It doesn't have to be like
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these What would be like the Big Seven or whatever?
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Like bitterness? How many of you are holding on to bitterness?
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How many of you are holding people captive in your
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heart and punishing them in your mind? How many of
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you and your imaginations are doing things is that no
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one else knows about? God knows you are hiding nothing
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from him. There is nothing hidden from his sight. There's
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a reason it's so healing for us to confess our
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sins one to another. It helps us to know that
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we are not alone. Jesus suffered in every way as us,
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yet he did not sin. Just knowing that he suffered,
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is that not comforting that he suffered with the temptations
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we suffer.
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So when we hear from our.
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Brother and sisters what's happening in our lives, what we're
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dealing with, what we're struggling with, we know that we're
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not alone. Some of you have put up a wall
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and you've walled yourself in away from the rest of
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the Body of Christ. But let me tell you, when
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it talks about the body coming together in unity, there
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is a part that every single person in this room plays.
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But you've gotta let go of having it your way
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all the time, because it's not gonna be It's gonna
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be his way. You gotta lay down your rights. Jesus
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never told us it would feel good. That's why he
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sent us the comforter. You need the comforter. Your feelings
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are gonna get hurt. You're gonna plan something, and in
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the church, somebody's gonna say, well, we're doing.
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It this direction. Well I planned all day. Get over it.
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I'm sorry. I love y'all.
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And there is definitely like a place for us to
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come and reconcile and talk about it, and let's do that, please,
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But let's look at the higher calling here.
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Let's look at what he wants.
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What is the thing, What is the thing in you
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that is keeping you hidden from him? You're hiding from him,
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You're hiding from people. You don't want people to ask
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you questions. You don't want people to see you. You
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don't want them to touch on that certain topic.
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What is it?
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What is it for you? I want you to think
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about it. Can I have a musician? Oh, it's amazing Wayne,
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Thank you Wayne.
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It is amazing shirt. What is it that?
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Like?
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If we did this in first service too?
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So I really like thought about having like a mic
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and letting people come up. And I don't know, do
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we have time for that? Do we have time? Do
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you have extra minutes? There's a couple of things I
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want to do.
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There's a mic. I use that one. Oh I had this?
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Well they need the mic? You got the four mic? Okay.
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I'm sorry, sorry, Wayne, Okay.
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My name is Kim, and I want to confess y'all
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that I have struggled.
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With being really judgmental, even if some of y'all and I'm.
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Sorry, I'm sorry.
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I've also struggled with.
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I just really I want to get passes and I'm
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definitely a better place, but just caring so much about
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what people think.
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I mean. He's kind of helping me get over that today,
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But thank you for listening.
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