Sermon
Episode 29: Becoming a Vessel of Reconciliation
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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In the name of the Glorious Trinity.
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Father and Son and Holy Spirit forever.
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Amen. Glory be to the Everlasting
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mercies which sent you to us. Oh, Christ the light of the
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world and the life of all give us wisdom by a law and Enlighten
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our impulses, by your knowledge sanctify, our souls by your
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truth and Grant that we may be obedient to your words and may
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fulfill your Commandments at every hour.
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O you who enlightens the rationale with the knowledge of
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your greatness? He's doin light O My Lord.
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Our thoughts that we made meditate upon your holy and
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divine scriptures at all times. Oh Lord of all Father and Son
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and Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
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Double-edged sword. A Christian podcast Ministry
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presented by father, jonard Lazar father.
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Jernard is a parish priest of the mud edit Parish of the
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Assyrian Church of the East and Turlock California.
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Here's father jernard a suggest the topic by one of our
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listeners was becoming a vessel of reconciliation.
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I mean after all we are the children of God.
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According to Galatians chapter 3, verses 26 to 27, through our
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faith in Jesus Christ in our baptism and according to
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Matthew, 5:9 one of our many obligations is to be makers, of
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Peace blessed. Are they says, the Lord who make
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peace for, they will be called the children of God and Saint.
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John chrysostom comments on this verse, he writes, Here.
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Jesus not only response that they meaning, the disciples and
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us should not Feud and become hateful to one another.
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But he's also looking for some months, something else and
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something more that we bring together others who are feuding.
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And again, he goes on, he promises a spiritual reward.
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What kind of a reward is it that they themselves Shall be Called
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children of God. For, in fact, this was the
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crucial Of the only begotten to bring together things divided
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and to reconcile the alienated Saint John chrysostom.
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The question can be presented in many ways, ways that can reflect
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the significance of being a vessel of reconciliation ways
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that highlight the obligatory factor of being a vessel of
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reconciliation and one of those being, how do I continue and
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live my title as a child of God? Good or better?
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Still, how do I become like the only begotten Son of God.
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Who reconciled us to God when we were his enemies?
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Second Corinthians 5:18 but let's just keep this discussion,
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according to the initial request and question.
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So to begin with, to become a vessel of reconciliation, we
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need to place ourselves. That is our minds, our hearts,
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our intentions, our aim, our purpose, our bodies, and our
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souls into the all, sanctifying all righteous path of God, to be
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directed, according to his will not ours, according to God's
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perfect will and his wisdom and his power.
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We need to have the same Love and Desire and intention.
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As did Christ The Glorious reconciler through whom God the
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Father reconciled us onto himself again. 2nd Corinthians
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5:18. Why?
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Because so God loved the world. John 3:16.
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We need to First possess We need to value and nurture the type of
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love that is found in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 13, Verse
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6, the love that, possesses the quality of not rejoicing in
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evil, but rejoices in the truth. You see, beloved.
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It is evil that Brothers and Sisters in Christ or biological
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brothers and sisters are not at peace with each other.
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And at times over the most pity and puny of things.
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And at times, even enemies, just as it is evil or it was evil as
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when man and God became enemies in the Garden of Eden.
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Why why did we become the enemies of God?
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Because the righteousness Holiness of God could not be at
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odds with the evil and corrupted nature of men.
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So there was animosity and that is evil.
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What goodness is there in enmity and animosity and hatred?
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We need to determine an acknowledge that that which is
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good and that, which is evil. And this commands, this
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knowledge commands in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve ate
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from the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.
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So off the bat, we need to discern.
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If it's a good thing or it's an evil thing for brothers and
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sisters friends, family relatives neighbors to be at
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each other's throats. When we determine if it is good
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which is not. Obviously then there were in
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danger but when we acknowledge that note that that is evil,
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then we can take our first step to be that vessel of
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reconciliation to bring peace. We need to call good good.
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Isaiah 5:20. Whoa, why in there soon
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language? Why Allah when Jesus says in the
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Bible says, Whoa, We need to be very careful and very cautious.
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We're in danger. Woe to those who call evil good
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and good evil, and put light for darkness and darkness for light,
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and put bitter for sweet and Sweet for bitter.
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We need to acknowledge, we need to recognize the good.
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All the evil in one relationship that we're trying to be a vessel
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of reconciliation. We need to sacrifice, if need be
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sacrifice our reputation. So if you right at this moment,
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you're thinking uh, there's a lot.
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You know, the onus is truly on the person that wants to be that
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vessel of sacrifice of reconciliation.
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Amen to that, you know, Jesus just didn't just come down from
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heaven and said, blew his his his holy o life.
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Giving breath and said you're all reconciled.
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No, he had to go to the Cross, you know?
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When when Saint Paul says the cross even the cross, that's
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when he says Untold death even until the death of death of the
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Cross is trying to emphasize that the cross was a sign of
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suffering. A sign of ridicule, a sign of
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pain, a sign of unrighteousness. So when we want to become a
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vessel of reconciliation, we need to be prepared to sacrifice
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reputation, favoritism friendship and it's at times.
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Even Kingsman sheep, you know, families and relatives.
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What I mean, is calling a spade, a spade, regardless of who that
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person is when trying to bring peace and Reconciliation, you
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see, Christ was not accepted by his own relatives.
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We read in Mark chapter 3, verse 21 and all his relatives heard
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and they went out to take hold of him.
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For they were saying he has gone out of his mind relative, not
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families relative. There's a difference between a
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relative and a family member has asthma will be a tutor.
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So Christ was not expect accepted by his own relatives,
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why? Because he was speaking the
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truth. So we need to be truthful as
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well. Not show partiality at all.
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Just as there is no partiality with God.
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We read in Romans chapter 2, verse 11.
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We need to have the same feelings for both the victim and
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the victimizer. You see the prodigal son, when
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The Prodigal Son returned, and the father received them by the
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way, the father didn't say to the prodigal son, I'm sorry,
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son, there is nothing. I have to repay for what you've
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done. I have someone has to repay for
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what you have done. The damage you've caused the
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relationship broken? Is that you've caused?
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No, he didn't. He embraced him.
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And and and and the father had the same love for the prodigal
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son. Just as the same love for the
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son, that was obedient. And yet.
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Yes, he says to the older Elder son, everything that I have is
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yours, but he did the same with her prodigal son.
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So, we need to have the same feelings, for both the victim
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and the victimizer. We need to have love compassion.
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Understanding, we need to be ready to listen, more than we
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speak. James 1:19.
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Our next episode is about taming the tongue, and we're going to
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look at this. We need to be prepared to
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listen, not to make a partial judgment judgment in partiality.
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And in haste, we need to listen at times.
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We need to absorb and we need to think about ponder about the
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situation, you know, for three years, Jesus was on Earth,
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praise and glory, be to his name with three years, he was in
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communication with his father in communication with man as well.
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And the process of Reckless reconciliation took three years
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and it was completed on the cross, the sacrifice that I was
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talking about and he listened, he would listen to everyone.
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He would entertain everyone's complain.
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And even those who came to attack to oppose him, he would
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listen. And then he would speak.
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When Christ was captured, You know, one of the traditions and
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one of the father's rights that from the point that Christ was
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captured, he spoke no more. It was as though he was a
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sacrifice lamb. So that's how they count the
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three days that he was resurrected on the third day,
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when Christ was captured captured and brought to the
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tribunal. He didn't say much that he, he
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was listening. He didn't say much.
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It was very quick to hear, but slow to speak.
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Why? Because he was a short, he knew,
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Was going to happen. He knew the ridicule that he had
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to receive and accept, but he knew the glory that was
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awaiting. Him was a resurrection, was
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victory over death, Satan and sin.
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We need to be able to soothe. And be cautious.
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Not to aggravate sometimes when we want to bring peace and be
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that mediator the, the tribunal, we put our foot in it, we make
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things worse. We go in the, the intention that
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we have, the AIM that we have, we go in there, through our
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mind, our own thoughts, our own understanding, our own power as
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opposed to resorting to God's understanding knowledge and
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power. And right.
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Is this? Proverbs chapter 15 verse verse
Proverbs 15 chapter mention
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1. Quotes a swole, a soft word
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turns away anger and a hard word arouses Wrath.
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We need to have the mindset of Jesus Christ.
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As I said, previously is very important.
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We need to Value, peace and Reconciliation.
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We need to understand that when there is no peace, no
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reconciliation. And there is, as I said
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animosity, it is evil. God is not pleased, God is not a
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piece and does not take any joy in animosity.
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Family breakups, friendship, being split and hatred.
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And confusion and hurt. Because for God for God so loved
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the world that he gave up his only begotten, son.
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That's the mindset we need to have.
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And yes just when you thought that I'll be has forgotten his
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cliché. Here it is praying.
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We need to be prayerful. Most importantly we need to pray
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for the reconciliation of the two people.
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You know, we're going into a battle.
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This is the spiritual wisdom. Someone asked has requested that
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we speak. About the spiritual and the
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secular world were Warfare. We have here is by the way, a
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dream is heated. Yeah, we are going into a
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spiritual battle because there is evil.
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And when there is evil there is Satan and his demons that are
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trying to aggravate. Turn up the flame of evil and
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hatred. So before we try to even attempt
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to reconcile, we must pray and be in that mindset in that
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spiritual realm, in that spiritual situation, where we
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represent Jesus Christ in that relationship.
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And how do we do that? We need to rely only on Jesus
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Christ. We need to understand beloved
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that, either the victim or the victimizer a, both Sinners.
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They are, they are other Fallen broken corrupt nature and when
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you want to step up and make peace, God bless you.
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That is when we are the children of God, but we live and we
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portray that that sonship with God when Amongst many other
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things perform that Commandment that blessing.
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We want the blessing. We want to gain the blessing.
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Take the blessing that we truly become makers of peace and not
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aggravators of the situation, woe to those who enjoy evil woe
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to those. Isaiah writes who call evil good
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and want to even flame even more.
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The, the fire of Whoa, whoa, whoa.
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To those people but blessed, truly blessed are those who make
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peace? Because they become like Christ,
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you know, there is one of the aspects of being christ-like.
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That's why we call ourselves Christians christ-like.
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Let me give you an example. Now, this, this was taken both
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ways, but personally, this is my personal take during the the
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there's ceremony of the or inauguration of the new
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patriarch eight of the assume Church of the east in arable his
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grace Mara's, was presenting his speech in the Kurdish language
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because there is a lot of people from the Kurdish government
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there while he was speaking. The Islamic call to prayer Was
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Heard. Mara Breeze stopped.
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Now for many reasons, one being that while there is going on and
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Mara Brazil is presenting his preach.
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His speech there would be an interruption and people would
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not understand or hear, clearly what maribor's talking about.
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But he's also taken in a good gesture.
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In a Christian gesture that Mara bar has stopped talking until it
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was over. And today I was reading some of
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the comments. It was a post that had about 50,
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something thousand views and thousand and something comments
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and what I would read from the non-christians even that they
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would comment that this is the respect and the love and the
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peace. That Christians have see, there
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it is. this is being christ-like, beloved Not being
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stubborn. We don't need to be stubborn and
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we don't need to be always in competition.
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We don't need to, we just need to portray the love.
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The respect that Christ. Gave the entire world.
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Remember, God gave his son for the entire world.
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The sun is there. I'm sorry to say this way to bit
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likely has the Lord had pity on me.
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The sun, is there for the taking Grace.
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Is there for the taking? All we need to do is believe and
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we receive it. So when we want to be
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christ-like, one of many ways is also be makers of Peace.
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So right at this moment while you are vacuuming, and I always
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mention this while you're washing the dishes.
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Is all you're just sleeping in your room on your bed and just
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looking at the at the ceiling. And you're listening to this
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podcast or you're driving, be careful, always be cautious when
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you're driving. Think about it, who do you know
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that are not on? Good terms at the moment.
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Maybe not enemies, but still not on good terms.
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Who do you know that right? At this moment, our enemies at
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each other's throats locking horns, every time.
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Well, you are a child of God. You want to be blessed by the
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blessings that Jesus has there for the taking as a child of
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God. You know, maybe think about
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being that Peacemaker but before you do before you take that
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step, go back and revisit every listen to this episode.
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And then when You have prayed. And even faster.
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Because beloved as I said evil when you hear the word evil we
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must always remember Satan and his evil demons and Christ has
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commanded us. That when we want to attack when
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we talk we want when we want to go against these demons, we need
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to do it through prayer and fasting.
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And if you're successful, praise and glory, be to Jesus Christ.
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Don't take credit. You can't take correct.
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We cannot take credit for being the peacemakers.
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The only credit, Had his that God looks at us as his two
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children. Why?
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Because Jesus is the Prince of Peace, okay?
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So you're just presenting Jesus in that equation in that
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circumstance, but when we do become successful, as I said
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and, you know, the two parties May calm ends meet and and and
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they let bygones be bygones, then glory be to Jesus Christ.
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Our Lord, you know, we can do this.
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Why would Jesus? Provide this blessing, if he
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knew that we could not do this, we can do it through his
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strength, through his wisdom, through his knowledge, through
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the righteousness. That is evident in the
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scriptures and in the church liturgy.
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So do we just stand back and become more aggravators?
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I got it right aggravators of the situation or do we become
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the true children of God? Who bring that soothing peace.
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So that the Peace of Jesus Christ.
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Which supersedes all knowledge. All understanding will overcome
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and be triumphant, praise and glory be to God, the Father and
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Son. And Holy Spirit for
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one last thing. Please also don't forget to rate
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and review this podcast and share with your friends.
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double edged sword. God bless you all.