Preventative Maintenance (Part 2)

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Thanks for tuning in to No Compromise Radio with pastor and author Dr. Mike Abendroth.

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Today on No Compromise Radio we'll be hearing Pastor Mike open the Word of God in a recent message he preached at Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston, Massachusetts.

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Now let's join Pastor Mike in progress as he preaches through the scriptures verse by verse with No Compromise.

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Pop quizzes. Why do professors and teachers give pop quizzes?

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I give pop quizzes maybe because I want to make the students suffer. No, just kidding. I want them to be ready because if they just wait until the exam at the end they might not study throughout the time.

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So when you think the Lord could come back at any moment, it helps you live a holy life.

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Jesus said, be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known of what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

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For this reason you be ready too, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think he will.

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Not sure if he's going to come tonight. No wonder Robert Murray McShane said to all his friends, the young preacher who died at 29 years old, do you think

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Christ will come tonight? No. No. No. Then he would always repeat that text, the

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Son of Man comes at an hour when you think not. G. Campbell Morgan, the predecessor of Martyn Lloyd -Jones said,

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I never lay my head on my pillow without thinking that maybe before the morning breaks, the final morning may have dawned.

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If the Lord is coming back soon, holy living. Matthew 25,

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Jesus said, be on the alert for you do not know the day or the hour. Mark 13, be on the alert because you do not know when the master of the house is coming.

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I say to you and I say to you all, be on the alert. Don't be taken off guard.

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The Lord is coming back. No wonder John said, amen, come Lord Jesus. No wonder

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Paul goes on to say in chapter 16, oh Lord come. No wonder Jesus taught us to pray, thy kingdom come.

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Luther said, I preach as though Christ died yesterday, he rose from the dead today and he's coming back tomorrow.

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I think we have to watch out for the return of Christ, but also we should watch out for corrosive behavior and corrosive doctrines in the church.

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The same word is used in 1 Peter 5, be on the alert, your adversary, the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

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Spiritual warfare is real. And if you turn on Christian TV, by the way, there's no really such thing that I know of.

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It's usually all crazy stuff on supposed Christian TV. There's a battle, there's corrosive influences that you better watch out for them.

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Ever take a flashlight and you say, well, I don't really, can't figure out why this flashlight won't work.

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And so you open it up, you try to slide the two or three D cells out and they don't slide out, why?

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Because there's been a leak and you look in there and you have to pound it down on the workbench and out comes the three gross

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D batteries with all this corrosive nasty stuff in there. Never be a

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Duracell battery, only Energizer, but sometimes the Energizer just leak all over. Used to work for Duracell.

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One quick story. The first service didn't get this. You know, they have these big display things for retail stores and so I was unregenerate.

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I was about 22, got a job for Duracell and they've got these big displays from Energizer and so you just pick those displays up when no one's looking and you take them down into the trash compactor that they have in the corner and you push this green button and it's funny what the thing does.

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Okay, back to the point. Listen, this isn't just for elders.

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Oh, the elders stand sentinel for the church and hold sound doctrine. Yes, Titus chapter 1.

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The elders guard against false doctrine. Yes, but this is to the church. You are responsible.

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You can't just say, well, you know what? It's unloving to stand up for truth and to watch out for these kind of things and spiritual warfare.

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The elders do it. I don't even like when the elders do it, but that's their job. No, well, it's unloving if you ever watch out for these spiritual influences that corrupt and say something about it.

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Sorry, it's unloving if you don't. This is the charge from God. No wonder

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Mark 14, Jesus said to the disciples, keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation.

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The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Watch, temptations come, corrosive, worldly, demonic influences come.

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Watch out. The Corinthians should have known that. They were judging each other. Influence of bad theology, chapter 5, chapter 15.

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Can't be lulled into some lethargic apathy. It's time to wake up, to be alert.

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Positively, I could say be alert for opportunities to evangelize, be alert to opportunities to serve. I'll just push that snooze button for one more year.

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Number two, in light of your calling and who Christ is and what he's done for you, your love for the church, be watchful, number one.

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Number two, stand firm in the faith. See that in verse 13, stand firm in the faith.

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NAS and ESV translated the same way. This is for the group. Lock your shield with the person next to you and you stand ready.

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I'm not going to be a pushover. I'm not going to stand on some kind of ice of slippery theology, minimum spiritual disciplines.

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Hold your ground. What do you say? This is military language. You say to the people who are at a strategic spot or by a hill or by some kind of upper area that you need to keep in Korea or something during the war.

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Hold your ground. Stand firm. This is military language. Tough days require tough gospel standing.

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It's a battle. You say, well, you know, I just don't like all this contending and battling.

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Friend, this isn't for the elders. This is for everyone. If you're a Christian, this is for you. Stand firm.

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I taught Gracie's basketball team once or Luke's team once about how you just need to keep your legs underneath you in shoulder width stance and I'd have them stand kind of like a stork and then

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I would push their forehead and over they would go, not all the way over. I didn't slay anybody in the spirit, but I could move them from their position.

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Now open your legs a shoulder width apart and bend your knees and I would push on them. They couldn't get pushed back.

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They were standing there firm. Hold your ground. Defend the truth.

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Look at chapter 15 verse 1. He says, I would remind you brothers of the gospel. I preached to you what you received in which you what stand well taught in the words stand your ground.

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I think maybe in the old days when I was younger, I kind of like to fight for the faith agonize for the faith defend the faith.

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I'm tired of it. I'm tired of the relentless ongoing satanic worldly smash against the gospel sanctification the word of God Christology and the local church.

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I'm tired. So now what? Okay. No, God uses these kind of exhortations to say listen, you're a man under authority.

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You are a church under authority. You've been bought with a price the blood of Christ Jesus.

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And so now it's a good year ending message a good year to start message. It's time to stand tired or not stand not going sideways not going backwards.

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It's easy to cave in by the way, and it feels so good because then you're not labeled as unloving you're not labeled as you know, oh, you know, that's the church that's known for what they're for and what they're against with some kind of derisive monikers against us this church better be known for what it's for and what it's against stand firm.

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What was Paul saying stability for the Christian sometimes stability comes from running by the way flee immorality flee idolatry chapter 6 and chapter 10 when you give in when you don't stand your ground.

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It never ends think this way for a minute. Oh, you know what if we just give the

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Palestinian PLO folks Gaza, they'll quit no, and then it's the

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Golan Heights and then it's Jerusalem itself. They're not going to give in well, let's just give them civil unions for gay marriage for gay relationships, then it'll all quit.

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I don't think so. You know, I'm just tired of being the one labeled as unloving because I'm just trying to stand up for the for the word of God and so I'll make concessions and I'll just run the white flag of I'm just tired and I'm going to quit.

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I'll give this doctrine away. If you'll just say I'm loving if you just say I'm in for unity if you'll just say

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I love other people and want to be with their churches to didn't Paul just say in first Corinthians 15 be steadfast immovable if you don't grow if you're not popular, it doesn't matter stand firm number three, if you're going to do these kind of things you need this exhortation in light of what

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Christ has done for us. How can we not want to obey be watchful stand firm in the faith number three men and women and children.

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He's addressing the church. It's a second person plural. It's ye it's all y 'all act like men, by the way.

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That's why it's super bad to have some neutered Bible translation and gender neutral.

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There's a reason why he says act like men by the way. This is the root word Andre you have to say it like that by the way

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Andre not Anthropos man mankind, but even a more masculine word that means manly it's

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Andre and when you think about Andre I always think about the most masculine man

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I could think of ever at least in my day Andre the giant

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King James says quit ye like men. Here's what he's saying. He's not saying women are inferior.

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He's not saying women are sinful. He's comparing men and toddlers.

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He's comparing men and children. He's comparing men and in mature people be mature be courageous act like men.

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That's what he's doing get out of Junior Church. I don't know why

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I'm after Junior Church today. I really like Junior Church for a season maturity and courage are called for it's time for the

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Corinthians who would say well, you know what kids, you know, just live and let live or immature or okay, whatever we did that for 15 chapters and look where it got us.

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It's time to act like men. This is a military command as well. We're the valorous men were the manly men were the church that says we don't want to be children anymore tossed to and fro by various doctrines.

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When the pressures of society come where are the men somebody comes after the family your personal family and then where's the dad he's in the garage hiding doesn't make sense.

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Does it childish ways be gone? My favorite story about acting like a man is from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa days.

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Pastor Roman was talking to a couple on a Monday and the husband was throwing things and yelling and knocking over things and acting very childish.

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And so the couple came in their marriage was in trouble. And so Roman talked to the husband said follow me.

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They went down the dark hallway of the church into a room light still off Roman takes something picks it up hands it into the man's hands.

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He accepts it. The light is turned on. They're in the nursery. It's a diaper and Pastor Roman said it's time for you to grow up and act like a man and the next time you want to act like a baby around your wife.

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You go ahead and put the diaper on do what babies do in diapers. Take a shower and go out and be a man to your wife.

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I don't think there was ever a session to for that be manly be manly

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Church. Act like men don't be immature. You know immaturity is fine.

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If you're a brand -new Christian, if you're not a brand -new Christian, you ought not to be immature. Now, this is right from the

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Old Testament way of thinking when there's a battle going on times are tough.

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Listen to Joshua be strong and what courageous there you go.

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Second Chronicles first Chronicles chapter 28 David said to Solomon his son be strong and courageous.

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Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed for the Lord God even my God is with you. Where are the men where the godly men praise

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God? We have many in this church and I praise God. We have many ladies here who keep their femininity who act like men who are not childish.

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By the way, if you're struggling with this ladies, I think of a here's what I want you to be a spiritual

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Maggie Thatcher. Maybe you don't like her politics, but she was she was tough tozer said the church at this moment needs men the right kind of men bold men.

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The talk is that we need Revival. We need a new movement of the spirit and God knows we must have both but God will not revive mice.

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He will not fill rabbits with the Holy Ghost. We languish for men who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul who cannot be frightened by threats of death because they're already dead to the world.

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The true Church's leaders heard from God and went ahead Holy independent of popular support are the lack of it.

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They knew their Lord's will and did it and their people followed them sometimes a triumph often are to insults and public persecution and their sufficient reward was the satisfaction of being right in a wrong world conduct yourself in a courageous way.

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When things are challenging Deuteronomy 31 says be strong and courageous do not fear our be in dread of them for it is the

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Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you. Forsake you here's what this word means to be manly to carry out your responsibilities, even though it might cost you danger, but I have to do it be valiant be brave be mature and might

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I say Bethlehem Bible Church, and you know this and I'm very thankful for it. The way to mature is through the word and through the word alone.

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I'd like to get a zap and then I can be more mature. I've been there done that it doesn't work. It's through the word.

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I just want to take the easy way out. No, it's through the word. No wonder first John 2 says I write to you young men because you're strong and the word of God abides in you.

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How do you become strong? How do you grow up? It's all through the word God's ordained way to do. This is through the word of God flipping chapter 2 holding fast to the word of life.

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The good news is when you grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, it helps with unity. It helps with your stability.

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Focusing on the redemptive work of Christ strengthens the church. Don't let it ever be said of Bethlehem Bible Church of a or of you personally

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Hebrews 5 for though by this time you ought to be teachers you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

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Well, the Bible says more about maturity, but we need to move on. So let's go to exhortation number four.

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This is also a military command. This is also plural. This is also present.

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Be strong the response of the Christian who has been called by God and saved forgiven.

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So be on the alert stand firm in the faith act like men number four be strong now.

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Here's a really neat thing with this one. It's passive which means you have to be strengthened.

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So Paul is saying be strengthened get strength. In other words, we are weak and we need strength from the outside.

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It's not in us. It's not native to us. It's not inherent in us. We need help from the outside become strong.

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Kisten Walker said in the passive voice the verb means to be made strong through experiences that God prepares for the believer.

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And not only that it's for prayer go Lord help me to be strong. Help me to be strong in the grace that is in Christ.

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Jesus 2nd Timothy chapter 2. Now think about that Old Testament again be strong and courageous be strong and courageous be strong and courageous.

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What's he say here be courageous and strong. Kind of ironic to isn't it that the

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Corinthians so despise weakness and Paul is saying you're weak and you need strength from someone else the

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Lord God be strengthened Paul said in 2nd

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Corinthians. My grace is sufficient for you quoting Jesus for power is perfected in weakness most gladly therefore.

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I will rather boast about my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me and when

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God strengthens you then it's Philippians 4 quoted properly. I can do all things through him who strengthens me whether it's the context of contentment and then anything else he calls you for be strong.

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And then lastly number five be loving this one isn't a military term this is a

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Christian term it's from the word agape and remember J Vernon McGee he'd always say this is not agape this is not sloppy agape this is agape so let's find out be on the alert stand firm act like men be strong number five be loving verse 14 let all that you do be done in love.

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Everything you do you think about what God the son has done on your behalf a good demonstration of sacrificial love and so you work in that sphere to one man said love frames the letters closing let all that you do be done in love wouldn't have this solve the problems for the church of Corinth unity issues solved by love spiritual gifts issue solved by love no wonder

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Paul says in chapter eight of this book love builds up do everything in love one radio

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Bible teacher says love compliments and balances everything else it's the beautiful softening principle it keeps our firmness from becoming hardness and our strength from becoming domineering it keeps our maturity gentle and considerate it keeps our right doctrine from becoming obstinate dogmatism and our right living from becoming smug self righteousness these just compliment one another don't they

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I think about if I'm too tough and not kind enough at times then

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I have my lovely wife who will say honey you need to be kinder you need to love more and then sometimes if she's not tough enough or firm enough

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I might have to say honey you've got to be firm and so we compliment one another these verses compliment each other as well because there's the tough strong stand act like man watch out and then you've got the other tender side do things in love right 1st

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Thessalonians chapter 2 Paul's like I was like a tender mother taking care of you do everything in love right after be manly 1st

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Corinthians 14 pursue love 1st Corinthians 13 love is patient love is kind not jealous love sacrifices 1st

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Peter 4 8 above all keep fervent in your love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins you're fighting you're in a battle you're in a warfare but don't forget you're not supposed to turn your guns and shoot yourselves you don't shoot the other people you don't shoot people on your side love the enemy as well but make sure when you're caught up in all this warfare that it doesn't become cannibalistic love covers a multitude of sins

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Galatians 6 says so then while we have the opportunity to let us do good to all men and especially of those who are the household of faith so it's been another year the

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Lord has been faithful and good he's protected us and now we have some marching orders these are good marching orders these are good marching orders for this time well

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I don't really know what's going to happen with the world and our president and the politics and the world system

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I'm afraid for my children I think that kind of talk needs to be replaced with this

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I have been made so I can know

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God and he knows me and it's time to be strong it's time to be courageous it's time to stop acting like a baby walking around going you know what the sky is falling the sky isn't going to fall one day it's going to open up it's going to be rent in two and the king's coming back and in the meantime it's time to not walk around going you know what politics and guns and issues and social economic and racial and everything else all these issues they run my life

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I've got some news for you act like men be strong the world is going to cave in the world acts exactly like the world and now we have the privilege of being

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Christian emissaries and ambassadors for the gospel when the world is the worst the gospel rides swiftly on its chariot so these are good marching orders because can you imagine how much better we have it in the states today than these people did back at Corinth we're on the opportunity list for all kinds of ministry and we stand firm against the truth against the falsehood for the truth

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I think you know what I need to do I think I need to put these five commands in front of my

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Bible and replace it replace the Eisenhower I think maybe this should be in front of my

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Bible instead and probably in yours to be watchful stand firm in the faith act like men be strong let all that you do be done in love no compromise radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston Massachusetts Bethlehem Bible Church is a

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Bible teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life transforming power of God's Word through verse by verse exposition of the sacred text please come and join us our service times are

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Sunday morning at 830 and 11 a .m. and Sunday evenings at 6 p .m. we're located on route 110 in West Boylston, Massachusetts you can check us out online at BBC church .org