Sermon
Sunday Message (1st service) - Pastor Brad Neuschwander (August 16, 2026) | Life Bible Church
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Welcome to the Life Bible Church podcast. We
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want to thank you for joining us today, and we
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hope you find today's sermon impacting as you
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listen to it wherever you are in your daily walk.
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To find service times and watch messages online,
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see our website at lifebiblechurch .org. Now,
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enjoy this week's message. Amen. It's good to
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be in the house of the Lord and be in the presence
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of God's people. But most of all, be in his presence.
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He's here today. So Holy Spirit, word of God,
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Jesus Christ, Heavenly Father, we thank you.
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Thank you for your amazing grace. Thank you,
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sir. Thank you for your love for us that is beyond
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what we can even understand. Lord, I just simply
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thank you today. that you remain unchangeable
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and ever faithful. You are our rock, the rock
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of our strength, our faith. You are the shelter
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that we run to. And I pray for each and every
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person this morning as we open the very word
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of God and we go through the scriptures. Jesus,
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you are the master teacher preacher. And I'm
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asking Lord that you would release your illumination
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to every heart and mind that's in this room.
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Fresh thoughts. Lord, that would come to us fresh
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bread of heaven. Oh Lord, as we open the word
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of God, you are the one that multiplies it and
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feeds us. God, we bring our little understanding.
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And we're asking you to expand it with your great
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illumination revelation of who you are as the
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living word of God. We welcome it today. We welcome
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your presence. We love you. In Jesus name. Amen.
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Amen. Would you turn to the gospel of John chapter
John 4 chapter mention
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4 please. Thank you Jesus. Well, we've been in
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a little series here talking about Jesus and
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the journey to Pentecost. And it's taken him
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a long time to get to where we've been going.
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I'm just kidding. Some of you got that. But we're
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talking about the genius of Jesus. We're talking
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about the reality of how amazing. Not only was
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the ministry and the life of Jesus as the one
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who came to be the gift from the Father, to be
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our gift that would breach, excuse me, close
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the breach for us to have relationship back with
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the Father, but Jesus' intentional focus on God,
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the Father, and the nature of God, the Father,
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Son, and Holy Spirit of being gift givers. And
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it's interesting this last week and the week
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before as I was studying this passage, the nature
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of God's gift giving has been so muted and hindered
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in our understanding as Western believers. My
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hope here, as I've been just thinking about this
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and pondering and allowing it to set in my spirit,
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is that God would begin to move inside of us
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to unpin. Some of the restrictions and hindrances
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that thought processes and culture and experience
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and disappointment have tried to just bring God's
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gift only down to just Jesus. I am grateful for
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this gift. This gift, it hinges on everything.
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My life hinges on that gift, but there's more.
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in Jesus Christ because he's of the same nature
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as the father. And there's more in him. Please
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don't get nervous if you're visiting today thinking
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that I'm going to be talking on money. I'm not.
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Relax. Tell your neighbor, praise God. Okay.
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That's not what we're talking about. We're talking
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about Jesus giving of himself and us being ready
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and having a platform to always be willing to
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receive the gifts of his grace and of his nature.
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And the Holy Spirit is the primary gift and the
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giftings within the Holy Spirit that Jesus actually
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gives. It's mind -boggling to me the arguments
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and the mindsets that have come to restrict the
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Father's gift of Jesus simply only to salvation.
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It is pivotal. It is the cornerstone. It is the
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first and essential, most holy, righteous gift
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that all have to start our born -again life with.
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But it should be added to, like, I would say
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it this way, like a beautiful diamond in a string
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of pearls should be the gift of salvation, each
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pearl representing the truth of God's gifts and
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graces that we all should be wearing. It's beautiful.
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And so the genius of Jesus is that in his teaching
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and in his ministry for the three and a half
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years as he was anointed, he highlights the nature
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of God, revealing a key component about God,
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that God himself is a giver. And Jesus is separating
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out of the disciples their wrong perspectives
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about the Father, which in turn bring wrong perspectives
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about the Son and wrong perspectives about the
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Holy Spirit. Because if you get off not knowing
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the trail, you get off the trail of not actually
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understanding and receiving the nature of the
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Father, you cannot embrace the nature fully of
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the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And so we have
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to go back to this truth. There's no better truth
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to highlight this than Romans 11, 28. I know
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you got your finger in John 4. We're going to
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go there, a very famous passage. Romans 11, 28
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is probably, well, for the context today and
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in the political realm of, even in theological
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realms, this verse speaks to a hotbed of issues.
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Romans 11, 28 says this, concerning the gospel,
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they, meaning what? Israel. are enemies for your
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sake. But concerning the election, we're not
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talking American election, okay? Some of you
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are like, well, what election did they win? No,
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the election meaning of the foreknowledge of
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God. Concerning their election in the foreknowledge
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of God, they are beloved. for the sake of the
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fathers. Now, I don't want to spend too much
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time on this this morning, but I want us to drill
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down on this because it is such a topic that
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gets hit from every angle. And if you take it
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to the extreme on the concert, if you would say
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Jewish only side of extremism, it becomes out
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of balance. If you take it well there, it's there.
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They've missed their boat. It's all now fulfilled
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in the church. You've taken it to extremism and
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missed the boat on that. There is a reality here
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that God is saying, Paul is saying something
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to us in the saying to the Roman Jewish believers.
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He said, you need to understand that if God is
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actually holding intention, his promises, In
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the midst why his people who he coveted with
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are enemies. And that promise becomes an anchor
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to you for you to look at. Yes, in the flesh,
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they're your enemy and they don't see or appreciate
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what you see in Jesus. So he's saying here, concerning
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the gospel, Israel are your enemies for your
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sake. gives you enemies. For your sake. To have,
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listen, to just kind of crumple it up as used
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aluminum and to say, well, that's done. No. He's
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going to keep that group of people on the basis
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Of his foreknowledge and election. And I'm going
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to drill down on one part of this. So that you
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understand it. It is on the basis of his promise.
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Of his character. That it's impossible for him
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to lie. So therefore what God promised. As it
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says in the word. These two things are immutable,
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that God cannot lie and God swears by himself
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there is no higher realm. If he was to violate
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this tenet, then all of our promises are void.
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Please hear me on that for those that are trying
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to understand the theology of how does Israel
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and Palestine and where does all of this come
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into play? You have to understand that God understood
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that there was going to be enemies all the way
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through, even until the very end. Many will end
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up turning at the end, but not all. And the all
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doesn't mean that it's all of Israel that is
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all Israel. It also means all of Israel that
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believes, that has become Israel as Jew and Gentile
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in the Israel of God, the church. But it certainly
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includes Jews that are born again and choose
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Jesus as the Messiah. Listen, I'm highlighting
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this because your promises, my promises, are
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actually based out of this verse. But concerning
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election, they are beloved for the sake of the
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fathers. When you go, you see, oh man, there's
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so many trails, I can see them. I feel like I'm
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on the Oregon coast and there's just trails over
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sand dunes everywhere. The reality is this. Notice
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he says they are beloved. Beloved for the sake
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of the fathers. And it goes back to, again, we're
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highlighting, remember, Pentecost, Jesus' journey
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to Pentecost. In Romans 11, right here, verse
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28, it's actually highlighting something that
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happened in Genesis 12. Paul is bringing back
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to the mind of Jewish believers that are in Rome
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and Gentile believers, that the promise that
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when God turned, so to speak, and gave up the
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nations at the Tower of Babel and scattered them,
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and instead chose Abraham and built from Abraham
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a people, the fathers are not just random fathers.
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There were three fathers that he was talking
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to, representing a type, and I'm gonna say this
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carefully, representing a type and shadow of
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God himself in triune nature. The fathers were
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Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the promise to
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the fathers that were a type of, every time God
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refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he's referring
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to that he sees them before them. He doesn't
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just refer to Israel as the 12 tribes. and look
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at their each identity, although he does, but
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in his heart, he refers to Abraham, Isaac, and
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Jacob, because when he made covenant with Abraham,
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he then reaffirmed it with Isaac and he reaffirmed
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it with Jacob. So anytime you read in the scriptures,
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he's made the election sake for the fathers.
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It's not any other fathers. It's those three.
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And in that truth, in that Abraham, Isaac, and
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Jacob of that, if you will, earthly type and
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shadow of father, son, Holy spirit. Notice what,
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what, what we highlighted Abraham, Isaac, and
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Jacob, the father who had what a promise who
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had the. Only begotten son. That's why God would
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not allow Ishmael to stand before him. Why? Because
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he was made out of mixture. He wasn't made out
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according to the promise. Ishmael was made according
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to the flesh. Isaac was birthed supernaturally
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by the spirit. When things were dead and impossible
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inside of the flesh, that there was no hope.
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God touched the womb. God touched the man. Listen.
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Is there any woman in here at 90 years old that
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would just ask God for a baby? Okay, just even
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that in itself is, I mean, that's partly why
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her name was changed to laughter. All right?
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It's like, are you stinking kidding me? I literally,
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she says it, after I'm all dried up. You ladies
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know what that means. Again, many trails are
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before me. I mean, literally, at that point,
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God supernaturally quickens her body and supernaturally
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quickens Abraham's seed to do what? Bring the
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promised son. And then what? The hole in the
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womb, two nations struggle. One that would represent
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the arm and the work of the flesh versus one
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that started off a deceiver and a manipulator
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who God would take and train his backside for
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about 20 years under Laban until he actually
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gets a limp and says, I can't be like my brother.
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I actually have to walk in the favor and in the
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grace of covenant. God shows his covenant. True
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to the fathers. And that's why he brings it.
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All the way through. And the people that were
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born. Of that. Now listen. There was no Jewish
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person. Prior to Abraham. He was. Are you ready
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for this? Made a Jew. Let me just say that again.
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He was made. A Jew. And therefore. The promises
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because he was willing to come out of idolatry,
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come out of the system, come out from his father,
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come out from the land, come out from everything.
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God promised and validated it every step. Now
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God said it, but each time tested him and re
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-promised and covenanted himself to Abraham and
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then to Isaac and then to Jacob. So when you
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read, I'm getting a little excited here. I'm
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not mad at anybody. I'm just preaching myself
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happy. For your sake, but concerning the election,
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they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.
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For the ones God coveted. You have to keep, please,
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I beg of thee. You have to keep this picture.
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Oh, my goodness. Oh, there's so much. I got to
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get it out and make sense. You have to keep the
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picture of the flood and what happened after
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the flood in your mind when you read these scriptures.
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Because if you don't, you miss a gigantic key
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to the whole scripture of the promise to the
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fathers. Because God wiped out all of humanity.
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Except for the eight that were in the ark. Right?
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Noah, his wife, his three sons, and their three
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wives. Eight. Eight being the number of what?
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New beginnings. A few of you. Bible college students
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should have just spoke up here. Eight is the
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number of what? There we go. Thank you. New beginnings.
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Cleared the decks. I'm not planning on preaching
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Genesis 6 today, but man, I got a lot of stuff
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on that. The sons of God came into the daughters
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of men, created giants on the earth, calling
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Nephilim. And from that point of time of sinful
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humanity, plus now wickedness from a fallen nature
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that should have never breached in, the Bible
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says man's thoughts were evil continually. And
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that perversion of thought, of sexuality, of
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everything. Every form and thing destroyed all
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that God had wanted. So he had to do what? Destroy
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the earth with a flood. Then you read, after
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Noah gets out of the ark and all the stupid stuff
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that happens when he builds a vineyard and drinks
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from his own vineyard. Let me just preach a message
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on that. Are you with me this morning? Because
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there's a lot of messages coming out here. The
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reality is, if you want to create havoc in your
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home, build a vineyard and keep drinking in front
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of your kids. That's a good word, preacher. It's
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not today's message, but it is a message. If
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you want to just cause havoc and open the doors,
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just read Genesis 8 and 9. Moving on. Then we
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get to the passages of Genesis 10 and 11. Now,
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we don't spend a lot of time in Genesis 10. And
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we should. Why? Because in Genesis 10, it tells
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us crazy, funky things. I like to read the Bible
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for the obscure things. Right? Now, I know we
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don't build doctrine on the obscure things, but
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I kind of like the stuff that makes people go,
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hmm. I've always, I like that stuff. It's bizarre.
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It's cool and weird at the same time. And it
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means that somewhere the writers of the scriptures,
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they... understood something that potentially
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they didn't put down that should have either
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a been a given and a known, or they left out
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intentionally because they didn't want us to
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focus on it. How many ever grabbed a cookie when
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you were told not to grab a cookie? Sometimes
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I just like diving into the stuff that says it's
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not very clear. Let me ponder. Let me think.
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Let me research. Let me. Find out what is there.
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So in this process of Genesis 10, it says, and
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in the days, and please, don't name your kid
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this name. In the days of Peg Leg. Not a very
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popular name today. How you doing, little Peg
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Leg? I mean, in the days of Peg Leg, the earth
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was divided. Say what? days of peg leg, the earth
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was divided. That's a big statement in itself.
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So there's a whole lot of stuff going on that
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somewhere most scholars believe that the earth
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in our continents actually drifted apart. That
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was probably more landmass that was together.
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And in that day, God divided the earth. Why did
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he divide it? Because he's getting ready to do
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something that he saw. In his foreknowledge that
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people would do. They chose after everyone was
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destroyed and only eight people started. You
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can read in Genesis 10 of about 70 different
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nations now that came out of that family. 70
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different people groups. You can begin to read
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it. Not because they were new people groups,
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but that they came out of Ham, Shem, Japheth
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the sons of Noah and you begin to read and then
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what is the what is the result of it and this
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is the part that we fail to grasp the result
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is what they chose to and it's not written you
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have to catch it on the inference they chose
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to do what listen to a voice to build a tower
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and a system that was opposite of what God had
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done for them and chose how they should live
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and in fellowship with him. If you miss, and
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I'm gonna call this the big gap theory, if you
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miss the gap that they were listening to something
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else, you see, you wonder, and I don't wanna
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go too deep into it, but you wonder, why did
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giants appear after the flood? Hmm. How could
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giants appear after the flood? Hmm. Was it possible
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that the same voices and the same influence that
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caused that which came down to the daughters
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of men, even though those Nephilim were wiped
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out, is it possible that the same spirits that
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are fallen actually look to communicate with
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people on the earth? Yeah. Duh. Spirit. and angels
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come on spirits and angels don't die their voice
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of fallenness still speaks and all of Genesis
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11 Babel which is the root of Babylon is a reference
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to that which is fallen and a reference to that
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which is man made man's approach to mixture to
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make God accessible the way I want to get to
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him, not the way he asked me to get to him. And
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if you don't get that peace, if you don't get
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that peace, you don't understand foreknowledge
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and election. Because God's next choice would
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just say, I'm messing up your languages. You
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will be scattered because you can't understand
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or communicate with one another. And I'm going
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to now step away from the other ones that chose
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clearly. Folks, let me say what this is just
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in a nutshell. Genesis 11 was the mark. You need
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to hear in type and shadow. It wasn't actually
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a mark on their wrist or their head, but it was
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a mark of what? Do not accept God's way, God's
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will, and God's word. I will make for myself.
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That is the essence of the mark. And that's why
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Babel is the root of Babylon. And what the scripture
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calls, and forgive me here, the mother of all
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harlots. Why is she called the mother of all
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harlots? It's not just because of sexual sin,
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that's included. She's called the mother of all
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harlots because she's the one that gives birth
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to an approach to go and try to gain access to
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God rather than the one pure way through Christ.
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It's a spiritual issue. And then if you don't
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see God turning from the nations and now saying,
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all right, I will choose one for myself. One
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that will believe me by faith. One that will
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operate in the midst of a culture and in a world
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system. Because why? God could have chosen another
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way to destroy the world, but he had already
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promised that he wouldn't flood the earth again.
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See, we take that as, well, he didn't do that.
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We forget that he was looking at what would take
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place even in his foreknowledge. And he reminded
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himself, I'm not going to wipe them out again
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because they're going to do the same thing. And
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he chose Abraham. And in Abraham, he saw the
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promised son. And in the promised son, he saw
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Jacob. that would be changed and represent the
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12 tribes. And the 12 tribes owe everything to
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the covenant of the fathers that learned to walk
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with God, follow God from faith. And it is from
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that point alone that we get Romans 11, 28. It
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says, for the gospel, they, Israel, are enemies
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for your sake. But concerning the election, They
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are beloved for the sake of the fathers. And
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then he adds this and he ties it right to us.
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He says, for the gifts and callings of God are
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irrevocable. This should answer the question
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of why does God still put up with their rejection
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of Jesus the Messiah, Because it doesn't mean
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that God forgives their sin until they actually
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ask for the blood of Jesus. But he is fond toward
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them and blesses them and chooses for them not
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to be eliminated. Why? Because the gifts and
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callings of God are irrevocable. And if he says
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those are revocable there, then yours are revocable.
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If he can revoke his promises that he made to
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the fathers there, then what promise can he revoke
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with you? But God by his nature chooses to be
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what? Faithful even when we're not faithful.
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Remains true when we're not true. That's the
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whole. tenor of the scripture that God himself
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does not change. And if he spoke it and he validated
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by swearing within himself, which I don't even
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know how that happens, but the issue is it's
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for us really. It's not for him to remind us
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that if I say this and I do this and I, by my
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own word, granted the covenant, gave the covenant,
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and I made the promise and you really had nothing
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to do with it, but just say yes. then I who made
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the covenant will uphold the covenant by my everlasting
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life. That's why you can say if you know Jesus
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and you walk in fellowship with him, there's
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no one that can breach that covenant. No one.
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Why? Because the gift and the calling of God
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is irrevocable. That's why when he made Abraham
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the promise, even though circumstances, life,
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body, time, everything that Abraham was waiting
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on that the world says, ha, God is not gonna
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do, just make yourself the provision. Have a
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son with your maidservant. Dumbest move ever.
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Trails are before me. To think that God will
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prosper you out of a work of the flesh that you
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will prove him right is simply deception and
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stupidity. You can't make God's covenant promise
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come to pass. Your job in that covenant is to
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believe and to trust and to obey that which is
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holy and the boundaries of what he says is holy.
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To try to reach into the world, reach into mixture,
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reach into other circumstances to make his promise
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procured for you will always bring heartache.
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Just ask Sarah how that went. I mean, that's
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a whole message in itself. How many spouses have,
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let's just talk on that. Take this one trail.
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How many spouses have talked? their other spouse
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into a decision because of their desire for something
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that they wanted, that when they finally got
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it, they loathed it when they finally got it.
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I'm not looking. Come on. You allowed your children
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to talk you into something that you knew in your
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gut. In the spirit of God inside of you that
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that shouldn't happen, that you shouldn't do
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it, but because of pressure and because of your
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own sense of, well, maybe, and you stretch out
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beyond what you thought you should have done
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because God gave you wisdom and understanding
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for a season you didn't even see or know, you
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wished you would have never done that decision.
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That's Sarah. The gifts and callings of God,
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let's get back on track. The gifts of callings
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of God are irrevocable. The English word irrevocable,
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okay, in the Greek means, that word that's used
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there, means without regret or without repentance.
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Now this is key because it says the gifts of
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callings, we use the word irrevocable meaning
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it's limited. But if you take the Greek understanding
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of it, it says the gifts and callings of God
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are without regret. Meaning that every good and
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perfect gift that comes to you and every promise
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that God made with you and the covenant of promise,
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you'll never, it'll never have regret to it.
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It'll never have. regret it. And also if it's
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from God and it's really his gift, it will never
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need repentance. You say, well, what does that
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mean? I mean, repentance means you'll never have
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to change the way you think of why you asked
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for it and why God gave it. If it's from him,
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you'll never change your thinking on it because
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repentance really means. changing my thought
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process before I actually walk different. That's
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what most people, most people think repentance
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is, well, just walking away from it. No, no,
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no, no. It's the changing of your mind before
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you ever actually walk out repentance. So repentance
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has two stages to it for it actually to be real
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repentance. You can walk away from something
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and not be repentful. It's the changing of the
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way you think that you surrendered your thoughts
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and embrace God's thoughts about that issue and
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about that section or that truth of your life.
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And in that point, the Bible says the gifts and
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callings of God are without repentance. Meaning
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what? There is no place to turn to have a different
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angle or a different thought. It will always
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be pure, true, and connected to his nature. Hmm.
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So when we understand that now we can actually
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get to our message in John chapter four, you're
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doing okay. Okay. I know. Listen, I'm a firm
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believer in good appetizers prior to the meal.
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Okay. I live that message. Hallelujah. All right.
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John, John chapter four, verse 10. I'm going
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to start there. Because this passage is so incredible.
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Let me just say this about John 4. And I think
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it needs to be said. It possibly could be one
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of the most preached scriptures in Christendom.
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But I believe it's one of the most unmind scriptures
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preached. That the treasury of the nuggets of
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truth that Jesus was revealing. If you have no
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understanding of the Holy Spirit and the gifts
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of the Holy Spirit, you'll only go so deep in
-
the revelation of this passage. The understanding
-
of the Holy Spirit and God as a gift giver will
-
expand the understanding of what Jesus was dealing
-
with with this woman at the well who was a Samaritan
-
woman. John 4, 10 says, and Jesus, Answered her.
-
John 4 .10. And Jesus answered her. If you knew.
-
Can you say that with me? If you knew. What?
-
The gift of God. And who it is. And who it is.
-
We missed that phrase. Most of us automatically.
-
put Jesus as the gift of God, and he is. But
-
here, Jesus is referring to something that he
-
wants her to make a distinction or at least understand
-
that the two are connected. If you knew the gift
-
of God and who it is that is saying to you, give
-
me a drink, You would have asked him and he would
-
have given you living water. Jesus is revealing
-
himself. He's revealing himself as the gift of
-
God and as the giver. Please, theologically,
-
put that, maybe just write that on the note.
-
He is the gift. He is the giver. And in doing
-
so, Jesus is declaring the heart of the father
-
to this woman. He's declaring the heart of the
-
father. Remember, because you have to take the
-
theology of what Jesus said. If you've seen me,
-
you've seen the father. If you've heard me. You've
-
heard the father. If you see the, if you don't
-
believe in the words that I do, believe in the
-
works that I do for the works testify that I
-
come from the father and these works are done
-
in him. So Jesus is now in John four. He's talking
-
with the woman at the well. He's talking with
-
a number one, a, a Mick. I want you to say this
-
word mixed. Can we say that together? A mixed
-
up woman. Mixed in her understanding of faith.
-
Mixed in her understanding of covenant. Mixed
-
in her understanding of how to navigate life.
-
Mixed in personal relationships. Mixed in community
-
relationships. She is mixed at. every level,
-
not to mention she's a Samaritan, which means
-
what? She's mixed in the mindset of the Jews
-
that she did not stay pure to where they were
-
once a whole nation of Israel. She's part of
-
the tribe that left and went to worship the Baals,
-
the golden calf gods that were set up in Dan
-
and set up in Bethel. Jeroboam took the people
-
and Rehoboam was only left with just a small
-
portion of Israel. Mixed at every level. Jesus
-
saying, if you knew who it was, if you knew the
-
gift and who it was that says this to you. Jesus
-
was revealing that the nature of the father was
-
totally different than anything she'd experienced
-
on earth. Because the nature of the heavenly
-
father was to what? Give of himself. So Jesus
-
is meeting her against every form of religious
-
boundary. Every form, I mean, this is amazing.
-
Every form of protocol, every form of taboo.
-
Jesus is... Not that he's doing anything weird.
-
He's just encountering her with conversation.
-
And prophetically, by the word of God, by the
-
knowledge of God, by the love of God, he is revealing
-
and showing her that who he is is connected to
-
someone. that she says she's after and thinks
-
she's connected to, that she has no idea who
-
God actually is. This is probably, just preaching
-
this passage, this is probably the biggest issue
-
in our culture, is that there is so much mixture.
-
Mixture in the mind's mixture of what they believe.
-
Here a little, there a little. I'll make a potpourri
-
of Christian faith. And it smells horrible. Why?
-
Because it's not pure. But then that mixture
-
gets passed on. It gets passed on to children.
-
And pretty soon, the very lifestyles that they
-
live, that they say, I am a Christian, it's supposed
-
to be a Christ follower, doesn't even look like
-
a Christ follower at any level. Because everything
-
they do, every value that they have is contrary
-
to what is written of what it means to be close
-
and have a fellowship and a relationship with
-
God. Yet they would be hard pressed and they
-
would defend their statement that they were.
-
This is where the Samaritan woman was. This is
-
2026 right here. Jesus was revealing the father's
-
nature of giving himself through his son and
-
what his son came to bring. And there is no greater
-
gift than to receive something that is from God
-
and of God. Please put that in your understanding.
-
There is no greater gift than to receive something
-
that is from God and of God. Meaning of all the
-
gifts that you have been ever given in the world
-
of your life, there is nothing greater than getting
-
something from God and of God. That includes
-
and starts with salvation, but it also includes
-
everything that's connected to God that he has
-
for you. So what does it also say to us? Well,
-
number two, the gift of God wants to be known.
-
It should be right clear from this point. That
-
as Jesus is doing this, he is declaring to this
-
woman, I come to declare to you by breaking social
-
norms, by breaking religious norms, by acting
-
totally different than every other group that
-
would just stay in their box to what they think,
-
that I am letting you know the reason I am breaking
-
every barrier is because God wants, the Father
-
wants to be known through the Son and the Son's
-
gift. to whoever will ask. The whole goal of
-
the father is to be known. This is the very weight
-
of this precious gift is that God wants to be
-
known. Jesus is saying to the woman and to all
-
Gentiles, my people Israel, now hear me say this,
-
this is important. My people Israel know that
-
God gives gifts. You see, they knew that. You
-
could not ask a person that had a Jewish background
-
and was trained going to synagogue and operating
-
in the Sabbath and in their whole life as they
-
were dedicated to know Jehovah God or Yahweh,
-
the one true God. You could not find a answer
-
in any genuine believer of a Jewish believer,
-
they would all say that God plans to give us
-
a gift. Every prophet that prophesied was prophesying
-
in accordance to God is going to give a gift
-
of the Messiah. A king is coming. God will establish.
-
one that will rule on the throne of David. God
-
will establish the covenant of the fathers. They
-
believed in what? They would get land. They believed
-
they would have favor. They believed there would
-
be a king that was coming and they would all
-
share in the bounty of that king as a gift to
-
them. That was the whole platform. Everything
-
about their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's
-
covenant expression was what was coming to the
-
family. So it was passed down not only from oral
-
history from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through
-
the 400 years of Israel and then at the giving
-
of the law in Exodus 23 and 24 of what God was
-
actually giving was to do what? Be my own special
-
treasure, my own holy people that the nations
-
of the world now would see that God dwells among
-
the people and you would give the gift. You would
-
be a gift to the peoples. That was the promise.
-
So in their DNA, Tyler, in their DNA was put,
-
sorry, you're just looking right at me. In their
-
DNA, right from the beginning of how they were
-
raised, it was put inside of them, you're a gift.
-
You're a gift. Not just in your circle that mom
-
and dad would say, Tyler's a gift. Right from
-
the get -go. What was put into them based on
-
everything around them. On covenant. On rehearsing
-
it. On everything that they would read from the
-
holy book of God. And read from the Torah. Everything
-
would reinforce what? Not just a gift. You're
-
a gift to the world. That was your impartation.
-
You're a gift to the world. And you're carrying.
-
a message, and a relationship that is supposed
-
to provoke the people of the world to want what
-
you want, to want what you have. You see, if
-
that was the old covenant, folks, if that was
-
what was absolutely put in them right from the
-
beginning, that God said, I'm putting in you
-
my declaration, over the promise to the fathers
-
of everyone that would be born of Abraham, Isaac,
-
and Jacob, I put in them that they are a gift
-
to the world. And they will carry my word and
-
my presence. And I see them as a gift and they
-
should see themselves as a gift. Why don't we
-
believe that? We have a better covenant. We actually
-
have been born from above. We're not born of
-
natural birth into that gift. We're now born
-
of a superior birth spiritually by faith in Jesus,
-
which is a better covenant. And that same mark
-
is actually on you. You are a gift. Yes. To your
-
parents. To your spouse. To each other, thank
-
you. I was struggling. Thank you, James. And
-
you're thinking to yourself, oh yeah, you're
-
a gift, oh boy. But you're a gift to the world.
-
And the very core, now I want you to see this.
-
We've chosen to believe that salvation is just
-
for us and for our getting Jesus and for our
-
hell insurance to be paid up. But that is only
-
part of the equation. You've got half a perspective.
-
Your perspective is right. But the other perspective
-
is not only does he save you, but he then in
-
doing so accepts you, AJ, loves you, and gives
-
himself to you as a personal gift and grace and
-
fellowship and removes the handwriting of the
-
law that was against you and puts your name in
-
the Lamb's book of life. That's half of it. And
-
we've been guilty as the church. Unfortunately,
-
I say the church as in, the Western church, that
-
that's the only half we preach. It's all about
-
me. Jesus, salvation is only for me. And what
-
you'll do in my world. That's half the song.
-
When the other part of the song is, it's all
-
about them. and I've been given as a gift. As
-
the son of man was given to do only what he could
-
do, now those that are found faith in him are
-
given a gift to do what he said he needed us
-
to finish. And if we miss the call and the impartation
-
and the infusion that you're a gift to the world.
-
You're a gift to the nations. You're a gift to
-
the lost. You're a gift. We've got to get back
-
to that. Yes, it starts with you having security
-
in the blood of Jesus, in his covenant, and in
-
his promise that you'll be with him forever.
-
has to start there. It cannot start anywhere
-
else. You can't work your way around it. You
-
can't earn it. It's a gift of God. It's free.
-
It's his mercy. It's his grace. It's his truth.
-
And he always starts with you, but the impartation
-
has to be received. I am a gift. Now, trust me,
-
there will be people in this church that will
-
help you not get proud if you get too big for
-
that. But the reality is that's what the Lord
-
is looking to impart to us as he was imparting
-
this to the Samaritan woman. He said, my people
-
know this. This was the big shift that we failed
-
to see in the dialogue with the Samaritan woman
-
and with Jesus. He was getting at the root system.
-
Why? Because she kept pulling up arguments about,
-
Where they believed they worshipped. And what
-
you guys believe over here. And constantly diverting
-
things. Because it was about going to a place.
-
Or being part of a culture. That God just accepts
-
everything. Versus Jesus saying listen. Salvation
-
is of the Jews. They he knew. And it was purposeful
-
that they understood their covenant with God
-
made them a gift. They received the blessing.
-
It's in their DNA. I don't want to go too far.
-
on this, but you can just see it throughout history.
-
Even if they don't have faith, that DNA of covenant
-
of being blessed because they knew they were
-
a gift based on covenant to the fathers has followed
-
them irrevocably all the way through even to
-
today. And you want to ask, well, why does it
-
seem that they're always in positions of favor
-
and money and dah, dah, dah, dah, and yet they
-
do some crazy things? Because right from the
-
DNA of their start. They were declared a gift
-
to the nations. Well if that's true. And the
-
gifts of callings of God are irrevocable. How
-
much more true. That's what the scripture says
-
in Hebrews. It said if the old covenant that
-
was. administrated by angels proved true how
-
much more to the God who's living who now has
-
promises gave his only son we've got to get inside
-
of us that from the very DNA see Jesus started
-
with this Samaritan woman pulling the mixture
-
to get to a place where she could actually live,
-
not bound still by the religion, the poles of
-
society, the mindset of her past. She could actually
-
live in the truth that she was born to be a gift.
-
Jesus was saying, Jenny, come to the piano. That's
-
what Jesus was saying. Thank you, honey. Jesus
-
is saying, if you really knew, if you knew God's
-
nature, if you knew his heart, you would want
-
what he has. You would want who he is. And you
-
would want all that he has for you. You would
-
want who he is. You would want what he has. And
-
you would want all that he has for you. If you
-
knew. It means that if there's places in your
-
life right now where you have not wanted all
-
that he is and all that he has for you, it means
-
what? It means you don't know. In some area.
-
You don't actually know. What does that mean?
-
Well. You better come to church next week. To
-
find out the answer. He was. He was speaking
-
to something. That in the Greek languages. There
-
were two words for it. No. There's one that was
-
known just as fact and having information. There
-
was another word that means to know by experience
-
relationship that actually is something that
-
touches you on the inside. Jesus was going to
-
start off with the woman of the well, not giving
-
her. Only an understanding of information. Because
-
when you get information alone, you revert back
-
to your old practices. Please think that through.
-
When you get information alone about Jesus, it's
-
wonderful. But it doesn't transform you. The
-
knowing him part of relational experience through
-
his salvation and grace is the part that actually
-
transforms you. Then the information increases
-
your love for him because the real knowing happened.
-
If you only know him at a distance and never
-
have the experience of having him come and live
-
and be transformational, You'll never really
-
know all or have a desire to have all the gifts
-
God has for you. Would you bow your head and
-
close your eyes just for a moment? This is really
-
important this morning because the call is going
-
out. The God of heaven has never revoked. His
-
salvation, his call and his desire to know you,
-
to save you, to fill you with his love and to
-
bring you past the gap and the breach that has
-
been created. He gave of his son to not only
-
pay for sin, but not to leave you on the other
-
side, but to draw you near. And he says to you,
-
as he said to the Samaritan woman today here
-
in 2006, 26, sorry, 2026. He said it in 2006
-
too, but in 2026, he says what? If you knew the
-
gift of God and who it is that speaks to you,
-
you would have asked of me and I would have given
-
you a drink. Of the living water. He is the giver.
-
Of living water. We all know that our bodies
-
without water. Will die. And our soul. Without
-
living water. Will die as well. He is the giver
-
of living water. He invites you to know him.
-
He invites you because all of the barriers that
-
like the Samaritan woman had, all the barriers
-
that you and I think that we have, he sets aside
-
because he wants you to know he's the giver of
-
life, the giver of grace, the giver of love,
-
the giver of forgiveness, the giver of identity.
-
and the giver of hope, and the giver of eternal
-
life, that you will bypass the experience of
-
eternal death. Not only that, but enjoy the riches
-
of fellowship with the one who is life himself.
-
He invites you to that place. That's what the
-
cross of Christ and the resurrection of Jesus
-
from the dead did. He opened the door. through
-
his son, that you might know living true life.
-
If you're here this morning, and you find your
-
place having drifted from what you knew to be
-
a real relationship with Jesus, he's inviting
-
you back. If you're here this morning and you
-
have not encountered and known the Lord, As truth
-
comes into you and it's experienced in his person
-
and in his forgiveness and love, if you've never
-
known him in what the Greek would say in the
-
word noisko, a relational exchange with Jesus,
-
he's inviting you this morning. He opens his
-
arms, he opens his life, and he invites you to
-
come. Now, in just a moment, I'm going to ask
-
you to lift your hands. We've got pastors, we've
-
got prayer team members stationed all over. You
-
don't need to come forward, but you do need to
-
take a step of faith. And I'm asking you now,
-
if that's you this morning, and you would receive
-
Jesus as life, as the water of life experience,
-
I'm asking you now just to lift your hand. above
-
your head so that I can see it and send somebody
-
to you. Thank you, sir. Back here. Thank you.
-
If you begin to move. David, thank you. Anyone
-
else? I'm looking. Help me out. Thank you, sir.
-
I got someone coming to you. Anyone else? Mom,
-
this is your time. If you knew the gift of God
-
and who it was that is speaking to you, it's
-
not me. This ain't me. I have nothing to do.
-
I'm just simply a conduit that he speaks through.
-
If you knew who the gift of God was and who it
-
was that says to you, give me a drink of your
-
life and I'll give you living water. Amen. Derek.
-
Come on, it's time to get life back. It's time
-
to get living water back. Father, I want to thank
-
you this morning. That you know every one of
-
our hearts. Just like you, on purpose, stopped
-
it that well. Let the disciples go on into town.
-
Do the things that they needed to do to take
-
care of daily needs. But you had a purpose. And
-
Jesus, you quoted it. I had food to eat that
-
you do not know of. to do the will of my Father.
-
It is the Father's good will that Jesus stop
-
and give you living water, if you'll ask. We
-
bless them now. We bless them now. Let the joy
-
of salvation come. Let the joy of salvation,
-
Lord, begin to flow and bubble up inside of them
-
as they meet with the Lord, as they encounter
-
the one who is life. We bless these now and we
-
bless the church as we pursue Christ and all
-
the gifts of the Spirit of God together in Jesus'
-
holy name. Amen. Thank you for taking the time
-
to listen to this week's message. We are so grateful
-
for those who tune in each week and have given
-
generously to this ministry. If you would like
-
to give click the link in the episode description
-
below. You can also help us by subscribing to
-
this podcast and sharing it with your friends
-
and family. Lastly, if you are in need of prayer
-
send us a text message at 541 -625 -1365. We
-
would love to pray with you.