Sermon
The Glorious Christ
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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Has it been good to you?
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In the morning I'll sing you are good.
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I've had one stirring in me this morning since early.
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Because I know what I'm preaching.
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They didn't, but they've sung all over it this morning.
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But I've had an oldie just burning down deep.
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On page 279 of that old Redback hymn,
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there's a song titled, Oh I Want to See Him.
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And the further we get along in this old world,
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the more I want to see Him.
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They've just really sung in my heart today.
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It's Jesus, just give me Jesus.
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You can have this old world, just give me Jesus.
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Amen?
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It goes something like this.
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Oh as I journey through the land, oh singing as I go.
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Oh pointing souls to Calvary, oh to the crimson floor.
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Oh many arrows pierce my soul from without within.
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Listen, but my Lord, through Him I must win.
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Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
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Oh there to sing forever of His saving grace.
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It's on the streets of glory.
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Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
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I'm home at last.
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Listen to this verse now.
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When in service for my Lord, dark may be the night.
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But I'll cling more close to Him, oh He will give me light.
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Satan's snares may vex my soul.
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Listen, but my Lord goes ahead and leads me where be tied.
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Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
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Oh there to sing forever, oh I'll be saving grace.
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It's on the streets of glory.
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Let me lift my voice, cares all past.
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I'm home at last.
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Listen to this one.
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When in valleys low I look toward the mountains high.
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And behold my Savior there, He's leading in the fight.
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Oh with a tender hand out straight toward the valley low.
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He's guiding me, I can see as I onward go.
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Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
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Oh it's there to sing forever, I'll be saving grace.
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It's on the streets of glory.
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Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
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When before me billows rise from the valley low.
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Then my Lord directs my bark and He does safely keep.
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Oh and He leads me gently on.
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Oh He friend to me and oh I love Him so.
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Now oh I want to see Him, look upon His face.
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Oh there to sing forever, I'll be saving grace.
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It's on the streets of glory.
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Let me lift my voice, oh cares all.
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I'm home at last ever to rejoice.
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How many of you want to see the Lord?
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I'm ready to see Jesus.
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I'm ready to see Jesus.
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Hallelujah.
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I know sometimes somebody says what's barking got to do with it?
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What's barking got to do with it?
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What's directing my bark got to do with anything?
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Well that's your way, that's your path, that's the journey, your embarkment.
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Folks don't talk like we used to talk anymore.
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We got a generation today, well what's barking got to do with anything?
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You just got to have a little preacher old enough to tell you what barking's got to do with it.
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Amen.
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If you have your Bibles, trust you do.
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Let's turn to Revelation chapter 1.
Revelation 1 chapter mention
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Revelation 1.
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So good to see you in the house of the Lord.
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If you're visiting with us today,
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we act like this most of the time.
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And it's about to probably even get a little more strange.
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Amen.
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I love the Lord.
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I try to love him the way he asks us to love him,
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with all my heart, all my soul, with all my being.
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I try to love him that way.
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I try to live and practice just like I preach to you.
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I try to live that before you and before the world and most of all before God.
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Amen.
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This could get exciting this morning.
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This is just, I'm literally shaking this morning with our subject matter today.
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Beginning in verse 9, Revelation chapter 1, the revelator penned these words.
Revelation 1 chapter mention
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I, John, who also am your brother and companion in tribulation
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and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ,
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was in the isle that is called Patmos for the word of God
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and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
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He said, I am where I am because I preached Jesus.
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I was in the spirit on the Lord's day
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and I heard behind me a great voice as of a trumpet saying,
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I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,
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and what thou seest right in a book and send it unto the seven churches
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which are in Asia, unto Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira,
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Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.
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And I turned to see the voice, he hadn't even turned around yet,
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and I turned to see the voice that spake with me and being turned,
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I saw seven golden candlesticks and in the midst of the seven candlesticks,
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one likened to the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the foot
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and girdled about the paps with a golden girdle.
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His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow,
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and his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his feet like unto fine brass,
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as if they burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many waters.
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And he had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth
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went a sharp two-edged sword, and his countenance was as the sun
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shineth in his strength.
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And when I saw him, I felt that his feet is dead,
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and he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me,
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Fear not, I am the first and the last.
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I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.
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Amen.
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And have the keys of hell and of death.
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Just for a little bit this morning, with the Lord's help, what time is it?
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It don't, but it is. It's 1128.
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So if I'm not done by 1228, somebody just wave.
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I'm going to preach on the thought, the glorious Christ.
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The glorious Christ.
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Our need for him, his provision for us, and anything else I can get in between.
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We're going to talk about the glorious Christ.
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Amen?
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Father, I love you.
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Lord, I thank you for the glorious Christ.
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I thank you for what I feel stirring in my soul this very moment
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as I stand before your people.
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Lord, behind this sacred desk and this holy sanctuary,
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I thank you for the anointing that I feel stirring,
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the unction that I feel urging me forward today.
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And I ask God that you would help us, that we might hear,
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and that we might know, and that we might understand your love for us.
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And Lord, that we may leave this place strengthened by your grace,
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Lord, and empowered by your word.
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And may the richness of your Holy Spirit dwell within us,
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overflow us, that we may be a light into this dark world.
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To you be praised forever in Christ's name, the church said.
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Amen.
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I ask you neighbor, are you in pursuit of the glorious Christ?
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As believers, as Christians, I don't know about you and your faith,
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but from time to time, I need a little reassurance in my faith.
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When I begin to look at the world that we're living in,
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I need more assurance daily.
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Amen?
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Last week, we had a little bit of a rebuke for us
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in our entrance into the house of the Lord
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and how we come into the sanctuary of the Lord.
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And preparing ourselves, and what the sanctuary of the Lord is,
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and who we come to meet.
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And it's not about us, but it's about him and our reverence for him
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and for the holy place of God.
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Amen?
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And it's never been more, I've never been made more aware
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than this week in reading and seeing some things
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that have popped up in our culture to let us know
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that we need that holy place more now than we've ever needed it before.
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Humanity needs a holy place where the sanctity of the presence of God
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can be experienced more than in any other day.
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It must have really, really, really been bad
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when fire fell from heaven and consumed Sodom and Gomorrah.
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Because just this week with my own two eyes,
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I saw a video of a transgender person who was desiring
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to have a complete uterus transplantation.
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A complete uterus transplant.
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I'm talking about a would-be man, I guess you might want to call it,
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wanting to have a uterus transplant
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so that they might be able to conceive,
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not so that it could bring life into the world,
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but this was this person's own confession
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so that I might be the first transgender to have an abortion.
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My God, that made me so mad I couldn't hardly see straight.
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Well, you're supposed to be angry and sinned.
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I didn't sin. I didn't try to find them. Hello?
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I didn't sin, but I did pray for them.
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It lets me know the depravity and the separation of our society
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and how deeply this world is getting.
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So I see the transgression of the world and sinners sin.
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We know that, and that's the reason we need to be in pursuit
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of a glorious Christ even more.
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Because men's hearts and humanity's hearts
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are being driven so far away from the knowledge of a saving grace
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or the acknowledgement that there is a just God
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who will one day pronounce judgment.
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I don't want to see God's wrath,
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God's judgment poured out on any of His creation,
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and no well-meaning, blood-born-again believer
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should stand in front of you and say that they pray for the wrath of God
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down on lost humanity.
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That's not the heart that we've been given.
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But it aches me, it infuriated me to know that the devil
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has got such a grip on humanity that men's minds are going
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to such low depth in culture and society.
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Well, I finally just about halfway got over that,
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and then later on this week I saw something else
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that just really infuriated me.
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Over the Super Bowl weekend I saw an article about a mega-church
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which runs on multiple campuses, 34,000 people a weekend.
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Are you hearing me?
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34,000 people a weekend on multiple campuses
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on their Super Bowl Sunday in their,
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I don't know what you try to call it,
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but it was supposed to be in a service.
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Hearing that service, ministers, pastors, so-called God men
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and women called, they had a Bible,
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and they set it up like a football on a tee
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and kicked it into the crowd.
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Not once, but they did that twice.
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I later learned that it wasn't a real Bible,
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it was made up to look like a Bible.
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You just as well kick the real thing if you would even play like
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or even make believe that you're doing something
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so low and sacrilegious.
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We've just been singing about Jesus this morning.
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I've just read to you the revelation of John about Jesus,
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and his word just happens to be so precious to me.
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And I've talked about it.
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We don't even, how many of you won't even put another book
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on top of it at home?
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You won't put anything, you're not going to degrade
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or disgrace the Word of God.
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But how far have we gotten that the church is even playing
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like it's booting a Bible into the crowd?
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You see now, here come up my righteous indignation again,
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because I love the Word of God.
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And it's nothing to play with, it's nothing to play like,
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and the sacrilegious act of doing something
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infuriated me all over again.
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So you see, missing the mark is just not in the world,
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it's in the church today.
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What we call, I don't call that a church, any, any person
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calling themselves called of God that would even stoop as low
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to even play like they're doing that.
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I question your call, I question your love for Jesus,
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and it didn't affect your soul like it affects mine.
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I don't care what kind of point they were trying to make,
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I don't even know if they made it.
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I didn't even read that far, it bothered me so bad.
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I'm here to tell us today, we need to be in pursuit
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of the glorious Christ.
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You say, well, how does things get that far?
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It comes from the podium, it comes from the platform.
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When we begin to latin up on the standard,
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just in case you're wondering why I nipped it in the bud
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last week, it's because we cannot afford to compromise
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the sanctity of the sanctuary of the Lord God Almighty
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because it just takes one little step,
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and the next thing you know, they're doing something
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that disgraceful.
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So what is it?
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Just keep the standard strong, keep the standard sure,
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and be in pursuit of the glorious Christ.
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Keep that which is holy, holy, keep the sanctuary full
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of sanctity, and keep it sanctified.
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Why? Because we need the glorious presence of Jesus Christ
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among us because a lost and dying world is in desperate need
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of saving.
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So as believers, I need some reassurance from God.
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I needed some this week.
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Some reassurance of our faith and that we're standing
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for the truth and living out the truth as the Word of God,
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not a football, but the Word of God empowers our life
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for daily living.
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That assurance that we receive as believers comes from
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varying sources.
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The source of prayer, we talked about this a few weeks ago.
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Breakthrough by prayer.
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Prayer is part of the resource that we have.
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Worship is another resource that we have.
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Worship is not a 35-minute appointed scheduled event
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for a service.
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It is an act of the heart of the believer.
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It's where we come in in full recognition that we are
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glorifying Jesus Christ, that we are lifting up and edifying
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the Father of all.
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Amen?
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He who is above all and that the power of the Holy Ghost
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has preeminence in our lives and that we realize that it is
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God in whom we worship.
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And so when we come out of what we've come out of through the
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week and we enter into a sanctuary that is consecrated
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holy, that we can enter into the security and the sanctity
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and the sanctuary where we abide within His presence and we
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worship Him, the resource of prayer and worship,
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the resource of testimony.
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We overcome the enemy.
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We overcome Him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our
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testimony.
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Has anybody been tested this week?
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Then you've got a money to go with it if you're here.
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Hallelujah.
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You've made it.
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You've made it in again to the sanctuary of the Lord where you
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have now been enabled to worship Him and I hope you brought Him
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the best gift that you could this morning.
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I hope you brought Him a whole and pure heart poured out before
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Him.
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I hope you don't leave anything behind.
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I hope you don't take anything home with you that is resemblance
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of praise or worship but that every time you enter in,
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you give Him your all.
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Prayer, worship, testimony, but the most assuring thing we have
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is the Scripture.
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You see why I've been so bothered this week.
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The Scripture, our hope rests in Christ and Christ alone.
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He who was in the beginning, who was the Word.
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Scripture revealed to us in many different types,
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figures and shadows the significance of who Christ is.
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The Old Testament points to Him wherein the New Testament
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reveals Him to us.
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The Old Testament points to the seed that will bruise the head
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of the enemy.
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Come on.
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The Old Testament points to the doorway of the tabernacle.
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The Old Testament points to the shepherd.
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The Old Testament points to the fountain, the well of salvation.
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The Old Testament points toward the wonderful, the counselor,
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the mighty God who is the Prince of Peace whom the government
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rests upon His shoulders.
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That's who it points to.
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The Old Testament points to the lily of the valley.
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The Old Testament points to the rose of Sharon.
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Hallelujah.
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The Old Testament points to the morning dove of the song of
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Solomon.
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You are a witness in a house today.
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The Old Testament points toward the ancient of days.
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The Old Testament points to He who is risen with healing in His
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wings.
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It is a type and shadow and we see every semblance of Him.
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But we see that semblance come to revelation in the New Testament
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as the New Testament begins to reveal Him as that Son that was
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promised, that was born of the Virgin in the manger of
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Bethlehem.
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It reveals to us Emmanuel who is God with us.
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It reveals the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the
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world.
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It reveals to us the door.
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Amen.
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He reveals to us the way, the truth, and the life.
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The New Testament reveals to us, amen, the bread of life, the
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water of life, that great and good shepherd, the resurrection
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and the life, the living water, the Word, the light, and the
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true vine.
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We see Him revealed through Scripture.
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So why do we think we can even play like we're kicking it into
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the crowd?
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Trying to get off that little hobby horse, you all have to
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pray for me.
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The Scripture, the Word of God personified in the flesh through
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Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God.
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He who was and He is as we've read in our text this morning,
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the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning and the end thereof,
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and the fulfillment of every point in between.
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And of all the descriptions that we have of Christ and all the
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types and shadows and all the revelations, none are more
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powerful, none are more revealing than the one that John
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gives us from Patmos himself here in this first chapter of the
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book of Revelation.
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He gives us no less than ten descriptives of Jesus throughout
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this little pericope of Scripture that I've read to you.
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And what this Scripture reveals to us is the dignity and the
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deity and the distinction of who Christ is.
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And John's description speaks further of the Lord's prominence,
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of the Lord's prowess, of the Lord's purpose,
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and of the Lord's power.
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John is giving you an insight to the Son of the living God.
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John is giving you and I an insight into the resurrected
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Lord, the predominance.
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I'm here to just bring our attention again today to the
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reality of the Christ who was crucified but has rose again.
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I know we're five weeks out from Easter,
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and you may hear this again on Easter Sunday.
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I don't know because the glorious Christ is stirring in
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my soul because of the darkness of the world in which we are
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living and man's heart given over to sin and the willingness
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to accept every and any manner of sin.
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Oh, it just causes my heart to ache because I know what he
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delivered me from.
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I know what he saved me from.
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I know the sins that he washed pure from my life.
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Can I get a witness in here?
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Are there any reformed sinners in the house today?
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Somebody stand up and give him glory.
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You know without the precious blood you would probably be
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burning in a devil's hell today.
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But because of the blood and the sacrifice of this glorious
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Christ, you're here redeemed, redeemed, redeemed, redeemed.
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And can I tell you again, oh, I want to see him.
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I want to look upon his face.
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I want to be there to sing forever of his amazing saving grace.
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Hallelujah.
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John begins to tell us what he saw the day that he was in the
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spirit.
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Can you imagine those of us who are baptized in the Holy Ghost
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would get in the spirit on the seventh day and come in on the
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first day?
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Huh?
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What if we were like John in the spirit when we got here?
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They didn't have to try to sing you up.
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Hello?
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Didn't have to try to sing you in because some Sunday mornings I
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don't know that I'd keep singing if I was them.
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Because sometimes you look like you're twice dead and plucked
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up by the root.
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And I'm down here thinking it's as quiet as a church house
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mouse sometimes.
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I'm thinking are they hearing what I'm hearing or are we
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lifting up to he who sits on the throne?
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And sometimes I just about soon go ahead and preach you up so
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you can at least praise your way out.
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What are you saying?
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I think we need to do just a hair bit better because when we
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come into a symbol, let your mind be raptured to the thought
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it's about the glorious Christ and it's not about me.
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Hallelujah.
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It's about the glorious Christ.
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And Lord, could we sing with honest hearts, give me Jesus.
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Give me Jesus.
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Give me Jesus.
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That's all I want.
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You can have the world, but just give me Jesus.
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When that's all you're concentrated on, when that's all
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you're focused on, they could sing the phone book to you and
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you would shout because you're going to get Jesus in the
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alphabet A because he's the affirmation of your faith.
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You can sing when they hit B because he's the builder of
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your hope.
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Hallelujah.
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You can shout and run an aisle when they got to the alphabet C
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because he's the caregiver of your righteous soul.
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My God, when you get to D, you can glorify because he's the
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doer of the work.
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Hallelujah.
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When you get to E, you can sing it because he's the excellent.
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My God, this morning.
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We've been fasting 10 days and I can feel it.
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Hello.
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I almost got caught up in the spirit and said, let's go 10
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more.
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But I got a hold of me.
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I said, whoa, don't let that out.
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Whoo.
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I think that was the flesh his brother Ron called it.
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I about got out of the anointing.
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It wouldn't matter what song.
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We're going to glorify him in it.
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You can see the station of muscle.
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What do you get with that?
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Then how do you get something with that?
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He's the Xerox of my faith.
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Come on.
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When you get in the Lord's spirit on any day of the week and
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you bring yourself to a corporate gathering of worship,
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things begin to elevate, don't they?
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Because surely if I can just get one or two more with me.
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He said there will I be in the midst of them.
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So really all I'm looking for is about two more on Sunday
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because I've done made up my mind.
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I'm coming in having been in his presence.
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That's the reason I get so excited.
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That's the reason the word burns with a passion in me.
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Amen.
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That's the reason I want us to tow the line so that the glory
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of the Lord, the glorious Christ can visit and be among us.
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He is the resurrected Christ.
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In the 13th verse, John begins to describe him one like into
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the Son of Man.
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Understand now John is seeing him in his human form,
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but yet glorified.
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Jesus suddenly inside the upper chamber.
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After his crucifixion, he's risen again.
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They're hiding in the upper chamber for fear of their life.
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And then all of a sudden, Jesus walks in without opening the
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door.
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My God, I'm here to tell you he can get into your situation
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whether there's any access or not.
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He doesn't need access.
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He is the access.
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Hallelujah.
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He can make his way right to where you are.
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He talked with the two men on the Emmaus road with a heavy
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heart and a heavy mind, but yet he encouraged him.
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He appeared by the Galilean sea when the men were out fishing
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the disciples on the boat.
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And when he said, come and dine, when they turned to look,
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he had bread and fish upon the fire.
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I'm talking about the glorious Christ this morning.
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Hallelujah.
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Hallelujah.
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He wasn't fully revealed in all his glory because they were to
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be unable to contain it.
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You got to remember that John was somewhat familiar with the
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glorious Christ in a portion of his glory.
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Well, how so?
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Well, you need to go read Matthew 17 because with John on
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the side of the mountain is Peter and James.
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And Jesus is there with them.
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And he is transfigured right before their very eyes.
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And if you go read that 17th chapter, Matthew records those
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words and the testimony of Peter, James and John is like
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this.
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They said his face was as bright and shining as the sun and his
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clothes were as bright as the light.
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So John had a good idea.
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This voice that was behind him when he turned to see him.
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Yes, I'm familiar with you.
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Why?
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Because I've been in your glorified presence before.
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My God, don't make me stop and preach right there.
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Hallelujah.
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I recognize him when he shows up because I've been in his
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presence before.
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I recognize him when the anointing begins to flow because
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it's flowed over me before.
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Hallelujah.
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When I swim in the depths of his grace, it's because I've been in
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the depths of his grace before.
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John had a good idea.
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This is the same face that glistened as the morning
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sunrise.
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It was the same garment that was as bright as the light.
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Oh, not able to behold, they fell before him there.
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And John only had one response here on Patmos and that was to
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fall as he was dead.
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Hallelujah.
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Mary recognized him in the garden as the disciples enjoyed
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him in that upper room.
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There's a day coming when you and I will recognize the
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Savior, hallelujah.
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There's a day coming when we too shall behold him.
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Isn't that what John would write in that first little letter,
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three and two?
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Beloved, now we are the sons of God and it does not yet appear
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what we shall be, but we know that.
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Can I get a witness?
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Does somebody know that?
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Does somebody know that when we see him, we shall be like him?
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For when he appears, hallelujah, we shall see him as he is.
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Does anybody know that?
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Does anybody have a hope in that?
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Because you've been in the glorious presence of the Lord.
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But beloved, I don't know what it's going to look like.
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I don't know what we're going to look like.
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I don't know what we're going to sound like.
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But one thing I do know, that when I see him, I'm going to be
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like him, for I shall see him as he is when he appears.
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Hallelujah.
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And this old mortal, hallelujah, is going to take on immortality.
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The corruptibility of this flesh, it's going to take on
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incorruptibility because we're going to be transformed into his
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likeness and take hold of that glorious image for ourself.
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And in this world of darkness, there needs to be some light to
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shine.
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Hallelujah.
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We're going to recognize him.
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Fanny Crosby in one of her songs put this down.
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She said, I shall know him, I shall know him.
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And redeemed by his side, I shall stand.
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I shall know him, I shall know him by the print of the nails in
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his hand.
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Hallelujah.
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One of these days when I stand beside him, I'm not going to be
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looking for a nail print.
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I'm going to be looking for this revelation that John has seen
-
now for the second time.
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I'm going to be looking for his face that shines as bright as
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the rising eastern sun.
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I'm going to be looking for the splendor of a robe that is
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lighting up and illuminating the world.
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Hallelujah.
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Why?
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Because when I see him, I shall be like him and I shall see him.
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Whoo.
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When we finally get to see him, our transformation will take
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place so that our eyes may behold him.
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Well, my God, hallelujah.
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Whoo.
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Man, we done all that in six minutes.
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Not hardly.
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Death could not keep him.
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The grave had not the authority nor the power to remain him
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bound.
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He proved that at Lazarus' place.
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Come forth.
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Death had no grip over his voice, let alone his person.
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He couldn't hold him, couldn't deny him.
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Matthew 28 and 7, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he
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is risen from the dead and indeed he is going before you
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into Galilee.
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There you will see him.
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Behold, I've told you.
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My Lord, that's what I want to do sometimes.
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Behold, I've told you.
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Listen.
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Listen, hear.
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He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
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You will see.
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Well, I'm about to get ahead of myself.
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I started to tell you one day you'll stand before just Christ.
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You'll stand before the glorious one.
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The Lord is risen indeed.
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The message was he's appeared unto Simon in Luke 24.
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He's the resurrected Christ.
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Can you believe there's 10 of these and we've only touched one?
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Somebody said, oh, no.
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Are you going to do all 10?
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I don't know.
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He is the reigning Christ.
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He's the reigning, the resurrected reigning Christ.
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Remember, Christ is not his last name.
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It's his identifier.
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It identifies Jesus as the anointed one, the Messiah, the one hoped for,
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the one expected, the one who came, the Christ.
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Revelation 1 and 13 reveals to us that Jesus was clothed in this garment
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that flow plumbed to the ground.
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And as John would say, it's bright as the light.
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This glorious ground gives us this description indicating that it could be
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a kingly robe or the robe of a judge.
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After all, he is the king of kings and he is the judge of all judges.
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Amen.
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He declares to us that he's already come as Savior and he will come as king
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and judge.
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He will return as sovereign.
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He will be coming back as that righteous judge where the unrepentant will stand
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and give an account.
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Well, how say you that, preacher?
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Because the word of God declares from the beginning that it is appointed
-
and the man wants to die and then to face the judgment.
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And what you'll do is stand before the judge and receive your sentence.
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Well, what is the sentence?
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It's either depart from me, thou worker of iniquity.
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I have never known you.
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Or it's going to be come right on in.
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Let me give you the water's parallel.
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It's going to be just come right on in.
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Supper's on the table and your seat has your name by it.
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Just come right on in.
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Come on in and the declaration will be well done.
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Thy good and faithful servant, you've been just and full.
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Over a few things and I'm going to call you to become a ruler over many.
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Come on in, my faithful servant.
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Come on in.
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Revelation betrays Jesus as no other, no other book of the Bible.
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All of the pointing and the road signs of the Old Testament and all of the images
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that we see him fulfill in the new.
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None declare him like John in his revelation.
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You do remember there's no S on it.
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It's a revelation, not revelations.
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It's not plural.
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It was one.
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And the one revelation is that we may see the glorious Christ, the declaration of the
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glorious Christ.
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Write it and let everybody read it.
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Don't take anything away from it.
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Don't add anything to it.
-
Read it.
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He is the righteous Christ.
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His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, John said.
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You whiteheads, mine's getting there, frost is coming on up.
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Some of you baldheaded folk ain't going to know the privilege of turning gray.
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There's a privilege to it because you know that you've earned every single one.
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For us today, it's a depiction of wisdom.
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Right?
-
You want to know something, go ask somebody who's got silver hair.
-
Talk to them.
-
Surely they've seen it or known it and can advise us.
-
He is the wisdom of all ages.
-
That white hair depicts purity, holiness, a relationship with Christ, this glorious
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Christ produces a cleansing and a purity in our life that aligns us with himself and hides
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us in his righteousness.
-
Isaiah 118 declares it this way, come now and let us reason together, says the Lord.
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Though your sins are like scarlet, they be as white as snow.
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Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool, pure because of his sacrifice.
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Wise because he's knowing.
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He's the revealing Christ in verse 14.
-
We see his eyes like as a flame of fire.
-
His discerning vision will examine every single one of us.
-
At the resurrection of the dead where the righteous are called forth, we'll stand before
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the judgment seat of Christ.
-
And we'll be judged according to our works.
-
Paul makes it plain, some of it's going to come out like wood, hay and stubble.
-
What's that mean?
-
It's going up in smoke.
-
Because some of the things that are done for his namesake are done through vainglory.
-
Look at me.
-
Right?
-
You know those people.
-
Because they're always telling you what they've done.
-
It's going to be tried by fire.
-
I've thought about that quite a bit.
-
I don't think there will be a furnace there that we have to walk through.
-
I think we'll be gazing into the furnace as he stands before us.
-
And those eyes that are like fire merely have to gaze upon us.
-
Huh?
-
Before x-ray vision was, there was the eye of Christ.
-
All he merely has to do is gaze upon us.
-
And he will judge the reason for everything we have done.
-
Everything.
-
So that's just the righteous dead that are raised.
-
John would further later in the book talk about a second resurrection.
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Of the unrighteous.
-
They would lay themselves by what is known as the great white throne judgment.
-
And before a just and holy God will be judged for the rejection, not for their sin,
-
but for the rejection of his Christ.
-
The rejection of his Christ.
-
The righteous Christ.
-
The revealing Christ.
-
There is no creature according to Hebrews 4 and 13 hidden from his sight,
-
but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.
-
There are people in this world who think they have no accountability to no one or no thing,
-
but they will give an account to God.
-
So if you enjoy placating in your life and dabbling in sin,
-
hear this old time gospel preacher this morning.
-
I'm presenting to you a way out that being the glorious Christ who was the redeemer of lost humanity.
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For God so loved this world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever
-
believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
-
I'm so glad, I am so glad that there's not just an escape from but there's a deliverance from.
-
It's not like monopoly and you pass jail and collect 200 bucks.
-
It's redemption.
-
And 200 holds no comparison to the reward of the redeemed.
-
Oh Lord.
-
No comparison to the reward of the redeemed.
-
He's the regal Christ.
-
Regal meaning relating to suitable for a king, notable excellence or magnificence.
-
That's him.
-
John describes his voice in verse 15 as the sound of many waters.
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The psalmist in 29, three and four says the voice of the Lord is upon the waters.
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The God of glory thunders the Lord is upon many waters.
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The voice of the Lord is powerful.
-
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
-
The regal Christ.
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You remember the disciples when he spoke to the winds and the waves they said we've never seen it like this.
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Never has a man spoke like this.
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It's because they weren't just looking at a man.
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Amen.
-
They were looking at Christ.
-
The creator of the way, the creator of the water, the trees from which their boat was built.
-
And his declaration was peace be still.
-
I don't think he raised his voice.
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I don't think he had to holler.
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Hello.
-
He didn't yell.
-
Peace be still.
-
The regal Christ.
-
He is the revenge in Christ as well.
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I'm going to try to quit.
-
Because you've had about all you can take this morning.
-
The revenge in Christ.
-
In verse 16, out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.
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For all of you who have been wronged or feel like you're wronged now.
-
You do not have to vindicate yourself.
-
Don't feel as though you have to wreak vengeance on others around you.
-
Because the revenge in Christ will do so for you.
-
You serve him.
-
You humble yourself before him.
-
You forgive those who despitefully used you.
-
Release them.
-
Whereby you release yourself.
-
Vengeance is mine, said the Lord.
-
The sword, his holy word, he's not only coming back to receive us.
-
To receive his own, but he will also take vengeance upon the enemy.
-
Revelation 2, 16, we hear these words as John Penn's repent.
-
Or else I will come to you quickly and we'll fight against them with the sword in my mouth.
-
In 1915, John says, now I saw heaven open and behold a white horse.
-
He who sat on him was called faithful and true.
-
And in righteousness he judges and makes war.
-
Now out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations.
-
And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron.
-
He himself treads the wine press and the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
-
He's the revenge in Christ.
-
Makes way for the glorious return of Christ.
-
His countenance like the sun shining.
-
Paul saw that face and was stricken blind.
-
The light of heaven is Christ.
-
John said that city that he saw coming down will need no light.
-
For Jesus will be there.
-
Amen.
-
My people hear my voice.
-
I am coming again.
-
I am coming again.
-
Thank you, Spirit of God. Thank you, Holy Ghost.
-
Thank you for your divine interruption this morning.
-
Before I go any further, for those of you who may just be totally unaware or unfamiliar with what has just happened,
-
you can read through 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 and you'll find the gifts of the Spirit.
-
What has happened here this morning is a message and an interpretation.
-
The Spirit of God is spoken.
-
By virtue of that, the glorious Christ is our reassuring Christ.
-
John said when I saw him, I fell at his feet though I were dead.
-
But he laid his right hand upon me and said, don't be afraid.
-
I'm the first and the last.
-
I am he who lives and was dead.
-
I am forevermore.
-
What you've heard is an invitation from the Spirit of God himself.
-
As the Holy Spirit has broken in, spoken through yielded humanity to give you a warning and an invitation.
-
Don't reject him.
-
Don't refuse the Christ.
-
Don't refuse the invitation to know this glorious Christ in free pardon of sin,
-
which only comes through him and from him.
-
That Lamb of God.
-
John sees him in this vision of revelation as he stands before with his vesture
-
as though it were dipped in blood as a redemption of humanity, the redeeming, the saving.
-
The kids bowed all over this house this morning with urgency and great importance.
-
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I invite you to come to this altar
-
and let me lead you to him through repentance.
-
Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-
There's no heaven without repentance.
-
There's no streets of gold without repentance.
-
There's no mansion without repentance.
-
There's no robe without repentance.
-
No crown of life without repentance.
-
I can feel the convicting power of the Holy Ghost in here this morning.
-
It's not about playing church.
-
I've heard of people talk about going to church all their lives and later in their years
-
realize that they had never repented and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
-
Went through all the deeds, went through all the church functions, done everything
-
but had never accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
-
You must repent. The wages of sin are dead.
-
But there's life and righteousness and hope in Jesus Christ.
-
Saints of God, you ought to be praying. Come on. Come on.
-
Pray, saints.
-
Pray.
-
Pray this morning.
-
Anybody else you find, just stand right there, young man. You stand right there.
-
There's no right way, no wrong way.
-
Getting on that altar is the best place to be.
-
If you're here this morning, sins in your life, would you come and join us?
-
Let's repent.
-
If you don't know Christ as your Lord and Savior, would you come this morning?
-
Come and know this glorious Christ through the wonder of salvation.
-
Come on. Come on.
-
It's not about religion. It's not about individuals. It's about Christ.
-
It's about yielding our heart, confessing our sins and accepting His sacrifice for it.
-
That's what it's about.
-
Come on.
-
Come on.
-
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
-
Thank you. You're welcome, son. Hang in there.
-
Hallelujah. Father, I love you today.
-
Anybody else? Anybody else?