Sermon
Episode 102: At Christ's Disposal
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy
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Spirit, forever Amen. Glory be to the everlasting
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mercies which sent you to us, O Christ, the light of the world
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and the life of all. Give us wisdom by your law and
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enlighten our impulses by Your knowledge.
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Sanctify our souls by Your truth and grant that we may be
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obedient to Your words and may fulfil Your commandments at
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every hour. O You who enlightens the
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rational with the knowledge of Your greatness, do enlight, O my
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Lord, our thoughts, that we may meditate upon Your holy and
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divine Scriptures at all times. O Lord of all, Father and Son
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and Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
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The 1963 song by Leslie Gore that's taking you guys back.
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You know, it's before I was born as well.
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But 1963 song by Leslie Gore. It's my party and I'll cry if I
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want to. It's my party, you know.
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Yeah. Now that has to me.
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That has two significant points. The 1st is my.
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That is mine. And if I want to, it's my party.
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I'll cry if I want to. They are authoritative words.
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They are blunt words and true. It's mine.
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I do as I please. Now things brings us to what we
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are going to discuss today. And it's from the Gospel
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according to the preaching of Saint Matthew.
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That is the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the
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preaching of Saint Matthew, chapter 20, verse 15.
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Jesus says do I can do whatever I want to do with my own.
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Now let me give you a brief this description a the story behind
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this. It's the parable of the workers
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in the field. Some went out 6:00 in the
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morning and they were promised to be given one Dinari.
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Let's, let's bring it to today, $200.
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And then the, the landlord, the landowner went out at 9:00 AM
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and saw people hanging out, chilling out, waiting for
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someone to hire them. And he hired them and said, I'll
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give you 100 Dinari. Then he went out 12 PM, 12 noon
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and he did the same, went out at 3:00 PM, did the same and went
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out at 5:00 PM and he did the same.
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And at 6:00 PM, after 12 hours, he calls his servants and says
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call all the employees and give them what they have been
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promised. Start from the last to the
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first. Now the last came who only
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worked one hour, remember just one hour and they got the $100
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or $200 we promised, right? I'm glad I'm not the landowner.
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They got the $200. Now those who worked for 12
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hours thought great, that must be over $1000.
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But they too received $200.00. And they started grumbling and
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murmuring and saying what is this?
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This is not fair. This is outright not fair, This
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is robbery. But the landowner prays me to
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his name, resembling Jesus, says, my friend, listen, let me
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tell you something. Did we not agree to a contract,
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agree to a payment that you work all day, I'll pay you $200.00.
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So there's your $200. I'm not doing any evil to you.
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I want to give this last person $200.
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Then he says, are you evil? Are you bitter because I'm good?
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There's goodness coming out of me.
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Or Jesus says, can I not do whatever I want to do with what
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is mine? It's my field, you're my
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employees, it's my money, and I'll do what I want to do with
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them. So let me now pose your
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question. What in the world that we see
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and cannot see tangible and intangible, comprehensible and
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incomprehensible, speakable and unspeakable, Fathomable or
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unfathomable? What in this world, in those
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categories doesn't belong to God?
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You tell me. Let me blow your minds a little.
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As a matter of fact, even evil. Yes.
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Oh, Rabi, how can you say that? No, no, no, I don't say the
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Scriptures say it. But there's a perfect reason and
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there's a there's an interpretation.
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Thank God for the church. Thank God for the life of the
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church, the framework of the church.
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Thank God for the church fathers, even evil.
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In Isaiah chapter 45 verse 7, we read, for He formed light and he
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created darkness. Now listen, He formed light and
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created darkness. So because he formed light,
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darkness was created. We're going to talk about that.
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So for he formed light and he created darkness.
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He made peace and he created evil.
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Is Isaiah erring here? He that is God made peace and
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created evil. I am the Lord God, I who have
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done all these things. Now let's come to my favorite
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church fathers, one of my favorite Saint John Chrysostom.
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We call him Johannan Pommedawa, John the mouth, the golden
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mouth. Look at what he comments.
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God said through the prophets, I, God, am making peace and
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creating evils. See the key is in making and
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creating. And he goes on to say what sort
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of evils? Captivity, servitude, that is
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bondage and things like that. Not fornication, not sex out of
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marriage, not a homosexual relationship.
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No, no, not not licentiousness, that is wastefulness, not
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avarice, that is greed and anything like that.
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He goes on to say do not let the false prophets undermine you.
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That is the government's today. Do not let the false prophets
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undermine you. God can give you peace and
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consign, that is, entrust you to captivity, which is the meaning
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of making peace and creating evils for you to learn.
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He goes on to say for you to learn that this is true.
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Let us make a precise examination of the individual
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expressions after saying before, that is, before he said I made
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evil. He says I am the one who brought
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light and darkness into being. He then went on to say making
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peace and creating evils. He cited 2 opposite 1st and then
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two opposites after. That is for you to learn that he
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is referring not to fornication but to calamities and to
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disasters. He goes on to say I mean what is
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said as the opposite of peace. Clearly captivity, not
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wastefulness, no fornication or greed.
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So just as he cited 2 opposites first, so too in these causes.
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So he's saying when he says I created good or I made good,
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automatically evil is created. That's all.
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We're going to talk about that because I've I've, I've
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mentioned that Isaiah that says God has created evil.
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I want to clarify it also. Other church fathers comment and
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say evil is also the punishment of sin through the law.
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Now when does sin become in existence?
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When is sin actually committed? When law is broken or disobeyed?
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So when the law came, Saint Paul comments on this sin then came.
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So God didn't create sin. God created the law, which
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automatically brings sin. So God didn't create evil as in
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evil. Let me give you an example when
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you're traveling, and I've given this before.
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Let me share it again. I think this is a great example.
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Let's copyright it. Stephen trademarket.
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Asha Gennad's a great example. When you're traveling on a
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street and there's no signs, there's no Rd. signs at all, you
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can do as you can drive as fast as you you want, as fast as you
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please, and you're not committed in crime.
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There's no crime. Now, naturally, yes, naturally,
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and that's another story. But naturally, yeah, it's bad,
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it's wrong. But according to the law of
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speeding and the law of driving, there's no crime.
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But as soon as that sign, that speed sign of 50 or 45 or
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whatever it is, is posted and you drive 100, then there is
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there is a crime. So and then there is a
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punishment of crime. So that sign which the
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government has placed on the road has also placed the
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punishment, the evil of the crime itself.
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I think you understand what I'm saying.
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So let's get to back, back back to it's my party and I'll cry if
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I want. You see, beloved, everything
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belongs to God, everything belongs to God is held by God
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through His Son Jesus Christ, being God by nature, true God of
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true God being God by nature, by power and by authority.
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He poses this question to all of us.
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Can I not do as I please with my own?
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Now that answers many questions and puts us in our places in a
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spiritual check when we ask God why?
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Why? Let's do that, let's ask God.
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Join me in asking God a few questions and you may have your
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own, but I pray that these answers will answer your
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question. Why must I obey you?
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Oh God, why? If we read scriptures, listen to
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our conscience and our mind, maybe not even read scriptures,
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but the law of nature, the conscience will say because you
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are mine. God is saying, why must you obey
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God? Because you are gods.
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He created you from dirt. God created me from dirt.
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God is saying I created you from dirt.
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You cannot come from nothing. Guys, let's not be fooled by
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this stupidity, this ridiculous law that something came from
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nothing. It's proven that it's wrong.
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It's a theory. It's an inconsistent theory.
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For the past 7008 thousand years, it's constantly changing
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because it's inconsistent. Let me tell you what is
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consistent for six to 7000 or maybe 10,000 year years.
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Genesis chapter 2, verse seven, the first part and the Lord God
Genesis 2 chapter mention
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formed Adam from the dust, from the soil.
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And look at what our disobedient did.
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So I created you. I made you, you are mine.
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Now if that's not good enough, God is saying I made you a
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living soul. I could have kept you as a as a
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fashion dirt, a body made of dirt and no life a lifeless
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dirt. I could have done that.
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But I breathed in your face the breath of life.
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I gave you that life. Not 2 molecules out shopping,
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colliding and an explosion happened and then life came.
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No, no, no. I gave you that life.
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Genesis chapter 2, verse 7, second part of that verse.
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I breathed into his face, God breathed into his face, breath
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of life and Adam was a living soul.
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I gave you life. You are mine and you
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transgressed and I planned your planned, your reinstatement,
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your redemption. I came down and took on your
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flesh. I took on death.
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I died and I overcame death for you all for you.
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So when I do what I want to do with you, through you, by you,
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which is mine, I do it for your own good.
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It's all for your good. Why am I restricted with what I
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can do with my own wisdom? You know we always confess to
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the Lord in our frailty, in our foolishness.
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In truth, Oh my Lord, we are not worthy.
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Have mercy upon us, Oh my Lord, for we are not worthy through
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our frailty because of our foolishness.
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Why? Why am I restricted to brag
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about my fool wisdom and to do what I want to do with my
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wisdom? Because God will answer.
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It wasn't your wisdom from the beginning.
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Don't brag about your wisdom. It's not yours.
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I gave it to you along with knowledge and along with
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understanding. Grace upon grace.
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Proverbs chapter 2, verse 6. For your good, I gave you
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wisdom. So today you can make a car,
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right, Steven? In two years time, it's going to
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be a cab. It's a Tesla.
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You can buy it for $30,000. You can use it and there's no
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steering wheels there because the car drives by itself.
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You can use it for your own personal use or you can rent it
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out. And yeah, people can hire the
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cab, right? I gave you that wisdom, not Elon
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Musk. God bless you.
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It wasn't your wisdom. It wasn't it was God who gave
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you that wisdom. God gave us that wisdom.
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That's why we are restricted because you know what I just
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mentioned? It's great.
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I love it. Now, I don't know how safe it
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is. That's that's another story.
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But I love that. I love to see man succeed in
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technology for good, for good. I like social medias, Beloved.
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Look at what we're doing through these mediums.
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We're preaching the word of God. We're bringing people to
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understand, to know their creator.
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Look at what we do through Instagrams, through Facebooks,
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through Snapchats. I have all of those through
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Twitter. Do people still use Twitter?
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They do, right? Yeah, through Twitter.
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What else is this now? There's there's a lot more
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things now. Sorry, tick ticked.
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Oh, no, no, I don't have ticked, unfortunately.
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Look at what we do through this. Yes, people use it for evil.
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That's the wisdom God doesn't want you to use.
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He restricts you don't use it for evil.
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You don't need to take a picture of your body and your and your
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dress and say this is my dress. Well, congratulations.
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God bless you, Brachta, Brachta. Why do you want me to show me?
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Show me your dress. Talk to me about your life.
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Talk to me about your your, your experience with God.
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Use your wisdom, your knowledge, your understanding for good, not
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for evil, because God uses you who are His property, because He
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bought you by that precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ
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for good. Why am I restricted with what I
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can do with my knowledge and wisdom?
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Well spoke about that. God gave it to you.
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Why can't I do as I please with my body?
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My body? We've already ascertained that
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because I fashioned it again from dirt.
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It's not yours. You didn't make it.
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I made it. Well, my parents.
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Yeah. Your parents.
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Yeah. Birds and the bees.
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Yeah, your parents made it. But keep going.
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Where did your parents come from?
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Keep going and going and going. Then you come to the flood and
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you go post flood and pre flood and you keep going.
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Adam and Eve. God made them, Adam and Eve.
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I created you, God said with XX chromosomes.
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My dear sisters, I created you with that.
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It was perfect. I created you with XY
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chromosomes, my dear brothers, I fashioned you.
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I designed and instructed it in a way that is great for my
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beloved sisters, our dear females.
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I gave you uteruses for childbearing so that you can be
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a part of me. Something from you will come,
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even the the the the male. Something comes from you.
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You become a creator. You give life.
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Just just as I am the fountain of life.
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Through you there's life. I gave you breasts to produce
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milk for child suckling. I'm not going to keep going with
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that because they may be underage listeners, but you get
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the point. I made you and I made you
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perfect. I have every right to use you
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and what you have, what I've given you for His glory and for
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your good. For your good.
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All of it is mine. I can do and demand as I please
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with it. I can do what I please with you.
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God is telling us be grateful beloved brothers and sisters, be
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grateful and take heart that God is good.
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Be grateful and take heart that God can do anything with you
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because all that he does, as I said, is good.
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Hence all He created was good as we read in Genesis chapter one
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verse 31, chapter 131. Yes, good, actually perfect
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Psalm chapter 100, Psalm 100 verse 5.
Psalms 100 chapter mention Psalms 100:5
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The Lord God is good and his grace is for eternity and his
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faithfulness for a generation of generations.
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So I want God to use me as he pleases because he is good.
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Nothing evil will come from God. Nothing.
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The only evil has to say this God cleanse me to come from God
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is when he tells me don't because when I do that's the
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evil that's created from what God has made me not to do what I
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do how I do and when I do with what is mine is always good and
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pleasing says the Lord God all good for you.
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Why because he loves you. He loves us beloved.
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Look at what he's telling you and I come on stop here we go.
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Stop, pull over to one side and stop your vacuuming stop your
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diaper changing. Stop doing what you're doing.
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Please. Please not for God's sake, for
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our sake, for our knowledge and understanding.
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Please listen, honey, Linda, listen.
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Please listen to what Isaiah chapter 49 verse 6 is telling
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us. God is telling us, Behold, on
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the palms of my hands. I have engraved you on the palm
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of my hands. You see all who believe in
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Christ, you do say it. Do you say it to yourself?
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Say what I mean, yes, I do. You believe in Christ while you
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are in the hands of the Father. So let him do what he pleases.
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Don't grumble because it's good. Now in the case of death, you
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know this is the most difficult circumstance in life.
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You know when I think one thing that may ease pain and help to
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understand and come to our understanding and acceptance of
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death is that remind ourselves from whom was life in the 1st
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place? Who gave us life who go back to
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Genesis, it was God, praise and glory be to his name.
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Look at what we have. What do you have?
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You have wealth, you have wealth, your stocks did well
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last night. Praise God you sold many houses
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within the month. Praise God you have wealth.
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May the Lord replenish it and multiply it a hundredfold.
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You know, when we pray on a a bride and a groom, we pray that
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God will increase the bride and the groom in health, wealth and
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faith. Wealth.
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Yeah, so that you can do good because it's his, it's not
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yours. And when you do good, don't take
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pride, don't brag about it. It's not yours.
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It's God's right. What is it?
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Wealth, health, material, children, etcetera.
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These are all provisions from God and he can use them as he
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pleases. Let me ask you a question again.
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Is not free will from God as well, you know, And that's a
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gift of independence, right? Yeah, I'm free.
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I'm free. I'm free will who gave you free
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will who who created you with free will, with rationale and
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you know, understanding for you to choose who got Yes, yes, God
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did. And yet God at times so rightly
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so meet in perfect and fitting interferes with our will.
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Now some will say, well, well, where's the where's the loving
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God who's interfering with my free will?
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Well, if you pay attention, God interferes for good.
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Remember our beloved Jonah the prophet.
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You know all Assyrians must remember Jonah the prophet,
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Jonah Yonan, right? And all Assyrians should that be
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grateful. He didn't want to go to Assyria.
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He didn't want to go to Nineveh. No, he wanted to see Nineveh
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destroyed, right? When God, when God returned and,
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and and showed mercy on the city of Nineveh, he was, he was such
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a grumbling. He wasn't happy, right?
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What did God do? He didn't want to go.
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There's his free will, but God caused him to go.
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God put him on a boat and there was a storm and he knew.
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He said, listen, throw me out, throw me out in the water.
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And then the whale swallowed him and and the story goes on,
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right? Yeah, God can interfere with
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your free will, of course, because he gave you that free
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will. And when he sees that your free
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will is being used for evil, you know, pray to the Lord.
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Lord, I pray. Now let let this be our prayer
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point. Now, if you've parked to one
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side and you're at home, bow your heads.
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Let's pray. Lord, Lord, we surrender our
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free will to You. When we are using it for evil.
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We surrender, Render it to You so that you can interfere and
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take over and use it for good, just as you did with Jonah your
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prophet. Having a God that is good,
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gracious, and full of mercy, we should at all times commit all
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that we have from Him to Him to do as He pleases.
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Let us not murmur, beloved. Let us not murmur, grunt, and
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complain when Christ does as He pleases with what is His.
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Let us not think evil because He is good.
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Let us humble ourselves before Him that we may receive the
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promise of exaltation by Him. Let us glorify Him at all times,
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surrending, surrendering all of our life into His perfect hands.
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Praise and glory be to His name, now and at all times and
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forever. Amen.
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We hope you enjoyed this week's message.
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double edged sword. Until next time, God bless you
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all.