What If The Holy Spirit Left BBC? (part 2)

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Beyond The Basics 8: The Church, misc (part 3)

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If anybody ever asked you the question, when did you get saved, how would you answer the question?
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If you're not a Christian, you can't answer that question because God has not saved you from your own sin and from Satan and hell and ultimate death.
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But if you're a Christian and someone said, when were you saved? We know that's a five -prong answer, don't we?
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And we know that salvation is used of lots of things in the Bible. So if anybody says, when did you get saved?
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The long answer would be, I was saved in eternity past when God the
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Father chose me, not based on my own good works, but based on his own good pleasure.
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Just as he chose Israel for no reason in Deuteronomy 7 except it pleased him to choose, God chose me in eternity past and saved me then.
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The second step to that salvation would be at Calvary. God, the Father, sent his
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Son to rescue sinners. He died a substitutionary death at Calvary.
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He redeemed me. He propitiated the wrath of God in my place. He reconciled me to the
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Holy Father, the just Father. And it should have been me getting punished, but Jesus was punished in my place.
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And it was such a wonderful work that God raised him from the dead. So I wasn't only saved in eternity past, but I was also saved around 2 ,000 years ago at Calvary.
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But I also was saved in time when the Holy Spirit came and arrested me and made me alive.
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He made me alive to see the truths of God. And this was the day of our salvation. This is what people normally think of when we say, when did you get saved?
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And for me, it was 1989 and I was running away from God. I didn't want anything to do with God. And God, the
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Father, because of Christ the Son's work, sent the Spirit and he made me born again.
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He caused my salvation. So in eternity past, at Calvary, in time.
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Salvation is also used, number four, as an ongoing process, what we call sanctification. We as Christians now are being saved.
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Not from the penalty of sin, but we're being saved as we're sanctified, saying on a regular basis no to sin and yes to righteousness.
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So we are being saved now, present tense, and then we ultimately will be saved.
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And we will be saved when we are in glory, when we're in heaven. That is the final salvation.
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There's a salvation yet to come. And so we are saved in eternity past. We're saved at Calvary. We're saved in time when
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God makes us born again. We are being saved now and we'll ultimately be saved. So when someone asks you, when are you saved, you have a long story to tell them about the great gospel, don't you?
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And about the Lord who saves, specifically even in the pastoral epistles. What do we need to know about God?
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He is a God who is by nature a Savior, God our Savior.
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Today's message is going to focus in on the fourth part of salvation, what we like to call sanctification.
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We're going to be talking about not necessarily what God has done in eternity past at Calvary.
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We're going to talk about something that's directly related to our sanctification. Listen to what
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Ryrie said. He said, the solution to the problems of the church today is to solve the individual
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Christian's problems. And the solution to those problems is, what would you say, what would be the solution to the problem in a local church made up of Christians?
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How do you help Christians? If you said, you know, what's the problem in churches these days generally? How do we prepare a seminar to fix the church?
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How do we make the church better? The church seems broken. What do we do? Ryrie said, the answer, the solution to that problem isn't an answer, it's a person.
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And that person is the Holy Spirit. He said, the solution to those problems is a person, the
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Holy Spirit. He is the antidote for every error, the power of every weakness, the victory for every defeat, and the answer for every need, the
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Holy Spirit. And I believe that. Not just because I believe it, but because the Bible teaches that.
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And so today we want to focus a little bit more on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
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Called in theological circles, what kind of ology? We have Christology, the study of Christ.
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We have angelology, the study of angels. We have, what is the study of the
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Holy Spirit? Pneumatology. And pneumatology just means the Spirit's doctrine, the doctrine of the
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Spirit, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. How many people here have been to Bible college or Bible seminary?
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How many people haven't been but would like to go? Good, you're in the right church today.
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Because I'm going to give you a college class this morning on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
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And you say, well that kind of turns me off, I don't like to study. Well then you're in the wrong church. And any church that teaches the
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Bible is going to have a problem because we are to study to show ourselves approved. We are to study the Scriptures because God wants us to worship
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Him with our minds. To think about God properly is what we want to do.
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And so lots of times there's not much focus on the Holy Spirit and so today I want to talk about the Holy Spirit so we think about Him properly with one main purpose.
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The side purpose is that you know but the main purpose is that you know so that you bless
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God the Father. Ephesians chapter 1 verse 3, God the Father is to be blessed as you understand the
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Father's role, yes, the Son's role, yes, but also the Spirit's role. The ultimate praise we give is not praise of the
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Holy Spirit. The Spirit is worthy of the praise certainly but the Spirit wants the praise to go to the
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Father so we might understand the Spirit of God so that we might praise God the
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Father more. Let's make it more specific, so that you might praise God the Father more. You are a living sacrifice and it should be your heart's desire to praise the
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Father and so the doctrine of the Holy Spirit should help you. Let me give you a little background before we pick up where we were last week.
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I believe that the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person. Forget I believe, the
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Bible teaches the Holy Spirit is a person. He is not some it, He is not some thing,
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He is not an influence, He is not impersonal, He is not a force, He is a person.
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The early church denied Arius because he said the Holy Spirit is not a person.
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Jehovah's Witnesses today, the Spirit is not a person. Mormons today, there are only two persons,
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God the Father and God the Son. We deny that. We can sing with Reginald Heber, holy, holy, holy,
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God in three persons, blessed Trinity. We learned last week that God the
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Holy Spirit has mind, emotions and will. All things that we would consider making up a person.
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We learned last week that the Holy Spirit can be grieved. Ever tried to grieve a holy, a force,
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I just grieved that impersonal force, can't happen. Blasphemed, yes the
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Holy Spirit can be blasphemed. The Holy Spirit, when He was working in the life of Christ, the people said, oh
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Jesus didn't cast out those demons, Satan did, and they were blaspheming the Holy Spirit.
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The Holy Spirit can be resisted as a person, remember Stephen when he said, you men who are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the
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Holy Spirit. You're doing just as your fathers did. As a whole, as a person the
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Spirit can be obeyed. As a person the Spirit can be insulted. Ever tried to insult a force?
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Hebrews 10, 29, how much severe punishment do you think he will deserve who is trampled under the foot of the
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Son of God and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified and has insulted the
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Spirit of grace. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God, that He has divine attributes.
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If you would with me turn to the book of Genesis please, we're going to jump around a little bit, I'm mainly going to drive to Galatians chapter 5 today so this is all introduction and review.
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Genesis chapter 1 please, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit was also involved at creation.
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It gets exposed a little bit more in the New Testament but the Holy Spirit was there at the beginning, before time, before the world, before anything, the
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Spirit of God was there. He is God. Genesis chapter 1, 1, we know from our memory verses probably as children, in the beginning
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God created, that word there is used only of God's creation, He creates the heavens and the earth.
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Verse 2, the earth was formless and void and darkness was over the surface of the deep and the
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Spirit of God, the third person in the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the person was moving over the surface of the waters.
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The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit was active in salvation of Old Testament believers. The Bible teaches that the
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Holy Spirit would come upon people for special acts of service. While you have your
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Bibles open, turn to Mark chapter 12 and again, in just a review and just a preface before we get our main passage, the
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Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit revealed and inspired scripture. We could go to 2 Peter chapter 1 but go with me to Mark chapter 12 and we'll see what
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Jesus said. Even He taught that the Old Testament writers were guided by the Holy Spirit. Mark chapter 12, verse 35, and Jesus began to say as He taught in the temple, how is it
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Mark 12, 35, that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David and here we see the
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Spirit's work in writing the Old Testament. Jesus said in verse 36, David himself said in the
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Holy Spirit, the Lord said to my Lord, don't sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet.
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David himself calls Him Lord, so in what sense is He His son? And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him.
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And so the Holy Spirit is involved in revelation and inspiration, certainly Jesus affirms that here.
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We'll also, if we'll turn our Bibles to Matthew chapter 1, the Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit was overseeing
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Christ's incarnation. How was Jesus born sinless? How was
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Mary going to have a child in her womb when she did not know a man?
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The answer is, it was the work of the Holy Spirit, third person of the Godhead. This is a fascinating passage,
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Matthew chapter 1. Now before we even dive into this, it would be wrong to think that Mary supplied the humanity of Jesus and the
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Holy Spirit applied the deity of Jesus. What would be wrong with that? Mary supplies the humanity, the
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Holy Spirit supplies the deity. We've got lots of problems with that.
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First of all, we have an eternal God, Jesus, who has always existed and He doesn't need the Holy Spirit to give
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Him deity, does He? Let's find out. Matthew chapter 1, verse 20.
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But after He had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to Him, Joseph, in a dream and said,
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Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from, literally, ek in the
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Greek, stressing origin, of the Holy Spirit. Because what is conceived in her is of the
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Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give Him the name Jesus because He will save His people from their sins.
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What the Holy Spirit did was assure the sinlessness of humanity, the sinlessness of somehow having
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Mary taint Jesus. Jesus' deity was eternal, but the
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Holy Spirit begets the human nature of Jesus, so He is sinless. True or false?
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The Holy Spirit brought the humanity of Christ into being. Yes? True?
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False? Jaffer goes on to say, it is too often assumed that Mary, the mother of Christ, contributed
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His humanity and that the Holy Spirit contributed His deity. But a moment's reflection would disclose that the deity of Christ was
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His own from all eternity and therefore was not originated at the time of His birth, because He became incarnate when
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His eternal person took on human form. The Spirit caused the humanity of Christ to originate and that is his act of generation
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Say how can it be that you have this God? Born of a woman and he's not tainted by sin.
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The answer is found in Luke 1 turn with me They're Luke chapter 1. I know we're jumping around but we'll get to Galatians 5
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Sometime I'm hoping this is only two part of it. You never know Again my whole purpose again is to show you what the
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Holy Spirit does who he is Luke 1 34
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Mary said to the angel, how can this be? Hey, that's a great question. How can I have a child since I am a virgin?
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The angel answered and said to her this fascinated 135 of chapter of Luke the
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Holy Spirit will come upon you Did you know that's the same terminology that was found in Acts chapter 1 when the
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Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles? It's exact same The Holy Spirit will come upon you this is not some kind of Sexual thing at all.
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He will come upon you and the power of the Most High will what? overshadow
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Will overshadow you and for that reason the Holy Child Not like every other child that's been born post fall.
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The Holy Child shall be called the Son of God Not from Joseph and making sure that whatever
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Humanity Mary supplied it was not going to be tainted by sin because we can't have a sinful Savior now
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Can we throw with me to mark chapter 1?
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Let me show you how the Holy Spirit was involved in the ministry of Jesus This may be one of my favorite passages in all the Bible Mark chapter 1 again
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What we're going to do is we're going to talk about the importance of the Holy Spirit today But before we do that, we're just quickly reviewing how the
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Holy Spirit was used By God how the Holy Spirit was used as God in the
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Old Testament and in the New Testament as well Mark chapter 1 verse 9. This is that fast -paced gospel the gospel of Mark And we see in verse 9 of chapter 1 in those days.
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Jesus came from Nazareth and Galilee was baptized by John in the Jordan Immediately coming up out of the water
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He saw the heavens opening and the spirit like a dove Descending on him and a voice came out of the heavens.
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You are my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Verse 9 10 and 11.
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It's almost like it's a breathless pace. Have you ever run? Along ways and then stopped and try to talk to someone
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It's just that's the kind of gospel. This is I lots of times ride my bicycle in the study there and I make phone calls
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I remember I was talking to Steve Lawson on the phone and I said by the way if I'm huffing and puffing as I talk
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To you, it's not because I'm nervous or anything else, but I'm on the life cycle And so what does that have to do with anything?
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Obviously nothing based on your action back to the text, but it is a fast paced at once no intervals
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Action gospel and here the heavens are opened. He saw the heavens open verse 10
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By the way, this is the word schism our tear our rip same word used when the veil when
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Jesus died was what? Ripped asunder torn in half Top down by the way for you
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Greek students as a present passive participle. The sky is being ripped open It's like you're watching it right there.
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It's in the process of being ripped open It's an act of God and now we're going to see how the
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Holy Spirit anoints Jesus for public ministry What kind of ministry you ask? I'm glad you asked verse 10 and the spirit like a dove descended upon him
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I have a question The spirit descends like a dove. I said to Maddie this morning during breakfast
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Maddie Why was this? Why did the spirit descend like a dove?
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She said because the Bible says so Great. I thought that is a great answer by the way, because the text says it but is there a significance to dove?
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Now without trying to be blasphemous or anything. I'm just gonna try to make the point Why did the spirit not descend like an ostrich?
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Why did the spirit not descend like a vulture why did the spirit not descend like a penguin
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Why did the spirit not descend as a loon? You're saying because if you ask one more question, you're gonna be the loon.
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I know Why did the spirit not descend as a flamingo? Why dove? There's a reason for dove and it's not so you can have some cool thing on the on the bumper of your car
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Shaped like a dove and a little cross in the middle. I think like a Jew for a minute
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You may be thinking Noah's Ark dove branch other things But if you're thinking like a
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Jew and you're thinking Mosaic law, you're thinking Torah You're thinking instruction dove meant something and what did dove mean?
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What kind of inauguration is the Holy Spirit giving Jesus into what kind of ministry is he saying?
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The Father has given his blessing and here I'm going to help you and empower you as your cloak in Humanity weak humanity
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Sinless humanity, but still needing the triune God to affect salvation.
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Why a dove? What significance would a Jew say that dove has?
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It was a bird or what of sacrifice Listen as I read
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Leviticus 5 But if a person who sins cannot afford a lamb And he shall bring to Yahweh his guilt offering for that in which he has sinned
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Two doves are turtle doves are two young pigeons One for an offering of sin the other for a burnt offering
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He shall bring them to the priest who shall offer first that which is for the sin offering and shall nip its head at the
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Front of the neck, but he shall not sever it He shall also sprinkle some of the blood of the sin offering on the side of the altar
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While the rest of the blood shall be drained out at the base of the altar It is a sin offering chapter 12 of Leviticus But if she cannot afford a lamb
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Then she shall take two turtle doves or two young pigeons one for the burnt offering and one for a sin offering the
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Spirit of God comes upon Jesus and he inaugurates him into this ministry his public ministry certainly of preaching teaching exorcisms, but also into his sacrificial ministry and it starts quickly verse 12 of Mark and Immediately Look at the connection between baptism and temptation immediately the
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Spirit impelled him to go out into the wilderness That's the word impelled by the way when you want to drive a demon out in the
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New Testament time you drive out demons by Impelling them and here the Spirit of God Drives Jesus out into the wilderness the wilderness
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The very same Holy Spirit who comes upon Jesus for his inauguration of public ministry
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Drives him and impels him into Satan's lair
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By the way wilderness in the Old Testament is full of God's curse and desolation frightening lonely
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Demonic this is what's said of the
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Bible when it says in Luke 4 18 the Spirit of the Lord is upon me Jesus said for this public ministry
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Acts chapter 10 verse 38 how God Anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power
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This is the Spirit when Jesus in his ministry cast out demons I cast out demons by the
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Spirit of God this is the same Spirit who in Jesus sacrificial ministry is
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Involved in the death of Christ how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit? Offered himself without blemish to God Hebrews chapter 9.
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This is the same Holy Spirit That's involved in the resurrection of Jesus Romans 1 4 and through the Spirit of holiness
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Was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection The Holy Spirit is a person.
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He's alive He's active in the life of the Old Testament pre Old Testament New Testament, but what about today?
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So I asked a question last week if the Holy Spirit could conceivably leave the church. What would happen?
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We know it's just for the sake of argument for a teaching tool But I said last week number one that Jesus would recede into the background if the
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Holy Spirit left We looked at John 15 26 where Jesus is The one whom the
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Father testifies to and the Spirit of God points to Jesus show me a church That's Holy Spirit filled that church will point to Jesus Christ.
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The Holy Spirit will not point to himself That's never been his ministry. It's always been to point to Jesus the second person the
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Trinity he will testify about me Jesus said well What if the Holy Spirit left number two everybody would lose their salvation turn with me to 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 1, please 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 If the Holy Spirit were to leave
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We would all lose our salvation So my point here is it is because of the Holy Spirit that we have a guarantee that we're saved if we could lose our salvation
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We would many many times We didn't save ourselves and we don't keep ourselves
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We are commanded to walk according to the laws of God. Yes But the Holy Spirit is used as a seal 2nd
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Corinthians chapter 1 verse 20 Echoes what we looked at last week in Ephesians chapter 1 for as many as be the promises of God in him they are
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Yes Wherefore also by him 2nd Corinthians 1 20 is our amen to the glory of God through us
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Now he who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God Who also sealed us and gave us the capital s spirit in our hearts as a what?
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Pledge that God will keep us intact that we are kept safe by God God is not careless.
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God is not lax. God does not lose things. I can't even keep my keys straight and I'm losing everything but here the
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Spirit of God Privilege and pleasure is to seal us to the day of redemption
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It is not I imagine so is not I hope so is not likely so Samuel Rutherford said
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That this is the strong rope of our fastened anchor Our salvation is fastened with God's own hand and Christ's own strength to the strong stake of God's unchangeable nature
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If the Holy Spirit left Bethlehem Bible Church Nobody would point to Jesus. Everybody would lose their salvation and number three.
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No one would get saved No one would get saved turn with me to John chapter 3.
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We're almost to Galatians John chapter 3 John chapter 3
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Salvation is due to a triune work of God which includes the Holy Spirit's work Good thing because if it was up to our will to save ourselves and our sinful hands and hearts to save ourselves we would be in big trouble if you have a loved one and Certainly, there are some even in this church
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They have loved ones on their deathbed if it was up to them to save their loved ones It would be impossible if it was up to the loved one to save themself.
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It would be impossible But we know with Thomas Watson that God rides forth conquering in the chariot of his
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Gospel, he conquers the pride of the heart and makes the will which stood out as a fort against him
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To yield and stoop to his great God the Holy Spirit makes the stony heart bleed
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Look at this illustration of the Holy Spirit salvation in John. I thought
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I had a favorite verse just in Mark Maybe this is my new favorite John chapter 3. You've probably read it a thousand times
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So just take a look at it carefully and closely. There's a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a ruler of the Jews This man came to him by night
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You think well, he was shy. I don't know why he came at night Study night sometime in God John's gospel and you're gonna find things in the gospel of John about night
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It would be summarized by one word Sinister He's coming at night
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Rabbi, we know that you have come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him
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Even the unbelieving people even those who are around knew Jesus did these miracles. We know you do miracles
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And Jesus answered and said to him You didn't ask me this question, but I'm gonna give you this answer
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Jesus is going to answer a question that Nicodemus didn't even bring up Truly truly
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I say to you verse 3 unless one is born again born from above. He cannot see the kingdom of God Let's just get right to the to the source of the issue
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Born again, remember back in chapter 1 being not born from our will born of the flesh
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This is how do you become a child of God? It has to be done to you. You can't make yourself a child verse 4
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How can a man be born when he's old he cannot enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born can he
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I Have in my notes earth to Nicodemus if Physical rebirth is impossible.
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How much more impossible is spiritual rebirth? but for the Holy Spirit verse 5 truly truly
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I say to you unless one is born of water and The spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Friends don't ever think that's baptismal regeneration.
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You can't get to heaven unless you're baptized in water That is a blasphemy and be not even textual
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Don't think this is some kind of amniotic fluid. The first one's born of water You've got to be born the first time out of your mother's womb with some amniotic fluid, you know, they're gonna
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What do they call that when they break the water break the water? That's right Break the water and then be born of the spirit
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No Don't turn there. But listen to these words. This is Nicodemus the teacher.
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He does he know the Old Testament of Course listen to these words from Ezekiel Then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean
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I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and your idols Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my
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Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and you will be careful to observe my ordinances
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Jesus is saying Nicodemus. Don't you know as Ezekiel chapter 36? He's talking about cleansing and talking about the
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Spirit of God And you can't even Understand this verse 6 of John chapter 3 that which is born of flesh is flesh
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Flesh just makes flesh and that what is born of spirit capital s is spirit You must be born again
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It's not that you have some kind of Morality boost in your life and you think you know now I pay my bills and now
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I don't lie and now I don't beat My wife and now I'm on time and all these other kind of things clean up on the inside.
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I'm punctual Wear a suit the problems internal and the problem is you can't save yourself
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You must be born again, but you can't save yourself verse 8 Then who saves the wind blows where it wishes who knows?
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Maybe the wind blew by right then we don't know And you hear the sound of it you do not know where it comes from and where it is going so everyone who was born of the
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Spirit we need the Spirit of God for salvation because otherwise no one would be saved No prayers would be answered.
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No one would understand the Bible and now let's get to Galatians chapter 5 without the Holy Spirit They'd be no fruit of the
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Spirit in your life or in this church How would you like to come here every Sunday and have like a
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Jerry Springer thing break out How would you like to come here and instead of a fellowship meal and communion?
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Getting together and encouraging one another that when you got together here.
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There was nothing but immorality Idolatry disputes and factions. How would you like that?
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I Wouldn't like it. I don't think I'd probably come anymore Fellowship luncheons communion services full of dissensions and carousing and envy and sexual sin
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If it wasn't for the Spirit of God, that's exactly what we would be doing. Let's turn to Galatians 5 as I said and Answer this question
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How do we deal with sin when we struggle with sin?
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How can we say no to sin? Are we forever quote -unquote addicted to the sins we commit is that sin?
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That's in my life that I just can't seem to break always going to be there Is there something about death that I'm gonna look back and say at least
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I don't have to deal with that sin anymore There's probably some truth to that but here in Galatians chapter 5 We are going to learn how to struggle with sin and it is by the power of the third person the
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Trinity the Holy Spirit It's gonna get black before it gets white.
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It's going to look ugly before it gets good And Paul is purposely going to say let me show you the black velvet backdrop
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Before I show you the diamond to just show you how great the difference is between Flesh controlled people and spirit controlled people verse 16 of Galatians chapter 5
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It's all about the Holy Spirit. It's all about true godly living. It's all about Anything but moralism trying to do better stay up late work harder sweat and toil without the
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Holy Spirit Verse 16, but I say walk by the
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Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh With an imperative with an ongoing imperative may your conduct be directed by the
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Spirit of God May you surrender yourself to the spirits controlling and if you do you will not carry out the desire of the flesh
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As the Spirit of God influences you You don't
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Carry out this fallen humanness You say yeah, but life's hard ever wonder why life on earth is so hard as a redeemed
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Christian answer verse 17 Why is it so hard to live a godly life?
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You'll find out it's not Satan, although I'm sure he contributes But here Paul says here's the reason why it's difficult to live a
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Christ honoring life for the flesh That unredeemed part of us that spiritual that sinful hangover that we have
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Sets its desire against the Spirit capital s the Holy Spirit And by the way, it goes both ways and the
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Holy Spirit against the flesh There's a war going on for these things are in opposition to one another.
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It's like two magnets both on the same side Repulsing each other they're in opposition to one another so that you may not do the things that you please
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You want to obey you want to honor God you realize you've been saved from your past life and sin say
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God I want to honor you, but I just sometimes don't Sounds like Romans 7 to me doesn't it to you for that what
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I would do I do not do but what I hate that do I and then he says verse 18
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But if you were led by the Spirit you were not under the law The Holy Spirit's gonna bring you into all that now he talks about the deeds of the flesh
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And so here's what you should do I've got a little book that I'm reading to the kids at night, and it's called.
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What's the name of the book? It's a to Z Bible characters And so we went through K the other day and it was kindness and we said look at how
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Unkind this person is isn't that ugly and gross who wants to be like that unkind person the kids are like I don't
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I'm unkind sometimes, but who wants to be like that Horrible unkind person who'd like to be like this kind person and generous and giving and loving oh,
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I would That's exactly how Paul's writing this you're gonna see these next few things and you're gonna go. This is bad
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This is gross this makes me want to just throw up so therefore get rid of that put it behind you and now walk according to the
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Control of the Spirit of God, so let's look at the bad stuff first This is basically Go to any college dorm, and you're gonna see this or go into any unbelievers heart, and you're going to see this
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Or go into our unbelieving heart before salvation, and you would see this so why would we want it in our life as Christians?
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By the way these all come from within it's not environment. It's not the past. It's not because your mother spanked you
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It's not because of anything else. It's from your heart mark chapter 7 these come from within Jesus's Verse 19
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Now the deeds of the flesh are evident Sadly pick up a newspaper Which are and then he gives the list it's a horrible list and it's supposed to be horrible
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So we'll all say I hate those things Kind of maybe four categories the first category certainly sexual sins
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Show me someone that's not walking according to the Spirit who's walking according to flesh You're going to see all kinds of sexual sins.
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Maybe they won't find a person to do these things with but they'll find a Their minds to do these things with immorality.
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It's where we get the word pornography porneia It's just all kinds of sexual sin adultery fornication homosexuality bestiality
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Prostitution it doesn't matter. It's just all this what the world calls. It's a right. It's a human desire
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Paul calls through the spirits ministry of inspiration. It's immorality.
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It's not moral It's immoral and almost worse still talking about sexual sins the next one impurity
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Impurity this was a originally a medical term still used now when you Have to put in a catheter.
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What do you do to a person when you put in a catheter? You want to get anything that's bad out of their system and this is the word that's to catheter eyes, but with an a in front of it a
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Catharsis is a medical term. It says you know what? Here's this wound and I'm gonna do I'm gonna be graphic for a reason
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This is a wound that's infected And it's full of pus and it's so full of pus.
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It's not yellow pus anymore. It's green pus sexual sin a
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Putrid pussy smelly sore. That's exactly what sexual sin is in God's eyes impure
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It's exactly what pours out of people's computer screens and pours through their mind Sensuality, here's another word sensuality is again in a sexual
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Context it means people are ready for any kind of sexual pleasure No restraint flaunt at all have the parades any excuse you show me excuse
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You look at me the right way and I'm often at it a Verse that sticks out of my mind more than any other verse that talks about this
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Readiness for any kind of sexual sin is found in Jeremiah 5 8 listen They were like well -fed lusty stallions each one made
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After his neighbor's wife no bit in the horse's mouth.
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No restraint runaway horse of sexual sin One night stands hooking up It's not just sexual sin.
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There's religious sin. Look at Idolatry, here's this vice list. They're supposed to be the gross list.
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So we say I don't want that. I've been saved from that I've been saved out of that. That's not Christ honoring
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These are all words that would never be used of on my Lord Christ idolatry Not just little graven images
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Not just little things that you put in your pocket and carry to overseas and you can get out and worship it at the right time a day
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You want to know the biggest idol that we all have here in this room, I already know it greed
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Colossians chapter 3 says greed which amounts to idolatry to get to have to own all at the expense of Thoughts and desires and time spent for God he gives something else here sorcery.
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Let me give you the Greek word Pharmakaia, what's that sound like? Pharmacy using some kind of drugs and medicines to alter your mind and alter your mood
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So you could practice kind of a magic and witchcraft of these false gods and there's other sins
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Look, what would happen if the Holy Spirit would leave the church? Here's what we would have by the way when you see these things in a local church
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You know those people who are doing these things are not led by the Spirit of God. They're led by their own lust and their own flesh enmities
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It's hateful attitudes wrong attitudes, they're hostile Strife By the way, if you're one of these people that loves to hate
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Democrats and loves to hate Republicans It loves to hate something else that you aren't that is not
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Holy Spirit driven That is strife driven enmity driven jealousy driven.
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Look at outburst of anger You may hate some of the politicians stands on things, of course
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But you ought not to be the fighters look at Disputes self -seeking for for your own gain dissensions
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Hat fields and McCoys. I like to talk about that hat dissensions factions it's like you know the couple who says we're gonna divide this house for the sake of the kids and the sake of the people in the church we've got to Stay together.
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We're gonna draw a line down the middle of the house. You can't go on that side. I can't go on that side That's exactly what's happening here.
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Is that Holy Spirit driven? Envying look at some of these other things drunkenness.
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I mean the list goes on carousing and then
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Paul says and Things like these there are more But Paul says
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I think you get the point Bethlehem Bible Church. I think we get the point Of which I forewarned you just as I have forewarned you
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That those who practice as a lifestyle as a habit as a characterization Those who practice such things this is just like first Corinthians chapter 6 shall not inherit the kingdom of God their lifestyles of unbelievers and now we have the blessed contrast verse 22, but All that black backdrop was needed
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So we see how choice these things are how wonderful these things are what the Spirit of God does in the life of a redeemed sinner
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When I look at these things, I think this is godliness. This is who Christ is. This is what I want
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By the way before I dive into this passage Some people go. I love
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Spurgeon. I love Spurgeon, too. I love Jonathan Edwards. I love Jonathan Edwards, too I like Amy Carmichael.
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I like Amy Carmichael, too But it wasn't Spurgeon Carmichael are
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Edwards who did these great things Left to themselves, you know what they would have been doing Galatians chapter 5 and the entities and the striving and the sins
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This is God the Holy Spirit working through a sinful person If God could use
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Spurgeon Edwards and Carmichael, I wonder if he could use you British evangelist
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Henry Varley said The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to him
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DL Moody said of that comment of Farley a man Barney means any man
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Varley didn't say he had to be educated or brilliant or anything else. Just a man Well by the
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Holy Spirit in me, I'll be that man and look what the
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Holy Spirit can do to you better husband better wife better student
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Better deacon better elder, but the fruit of the Spirit by the way, is that singular or plural? Singular these are all a unity
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It's like a bunch of grapes instead of separate pieces of fruit but the fruit of the Spirit show me what a spirit the
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Spirit of God does in a person's life and I'll show you this list He just will just have to go through these quickly
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Love but the fruit of the Spirit at the top of the list is love. I Will commit myself to your good.
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I will say I don't care what it costs me But I'm gonna look out for your good your good is at the top of my list.
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That's what biblical agape love is It's sacrificial love Christ gave himself for the church
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These chapter 5 husbands love your wife just as Christ also loved the church so much for I think
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I'm falling in love We could probably change that tune around a little bit and say I think I'm falling in commitment to the welfare of another personal choice
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You can't do that on your own that's why the Spirit of God has to do it in you say Oh, I just can't love my spouse anymore
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Well, you're right You're right But the Spirit of God can give you that fruit
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There's more fruit though More parts of the fruit I guess to be technical joy Joy I'm gonna be inside thankful and rejoicing and happy no matter what my external circumstances are
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They're painful. It's horrible at the end of my rope but the
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Spirit of God Grants freely and with great mercy this inward feeling of happiness and a reliance upon spiritual realities
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And it comes out with joy Inexpressible and full of glory see
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I struggle with depression. I struggle with moodiness. I struggle with being down I have a hard time with these issues
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Well, you can't fix yourself and nobody can fix you But the
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Spirit of God can grant you joy Would you like love would you like joy when
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I think of love and joy? I'm beginning to think that's a picture of my Savior Christ Jesus more than that.
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Peace The fruit of the Spirit is peace. We'd have none of this if it wasn't for the Spirit of God Now when we think of peace sometimes we think you know, it's an absence of quarrels
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I just want some peace in my house kids daddy It's a been a long Sunday ministering for the glory of God and now daddy wants some peace and quiet But you have to think like a
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Jew you have to say to yourself. What is Shalom? It's not just the absence of something bad
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It's the presence of a life of wholeness and togetherness and all -sidedness
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I want wholeness in my life You could use it with the modern expression.
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I want it all together My life is all fragmented. I'd like to have it all bound together perfectly
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That's what joy is and you can't do it. Nobody can give it to you Nobody can make you do it, but the
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Spirit of God can give you this joy Patience look at the next one Easiest way to teach patience is by saying this is long nostril
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The word is a derivative of having a long nose Why would this be long -nosed?
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You want a long nose? I don't mean Pinocchio style. I just mean here's with the picture.
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Here's the symbolism Here's the picture so we can understand it If you have a long nose, it takes a long time for that hot steaming anger to get out to infect somebody else
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It's hard to vent that anger out of the long nose because it takes a long while to get out God I'd like patience.
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I can't do it on my own. This is January 1st I tried for about five days to be patient and I still retaliate when
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I'm provoked Just shows you how weak we are and it has to be given by the
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Spirit of God I'm injured by others, but I'll accept it other people irritate me, but I accept it
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Look at the next one kindness again. These are all just of Christ. Jesus. This is a picture of our risen
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King Kindness I'm going to talk about this tonight an awareness of Others so that you're tender and you're concerned for them
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Goodness I'm gonna deal with people even though They don't do anything back to me.
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That's good I'm gonna have the spiritual excellence a goodness about myself that I'm just gonna give to people faithfulness
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I'm gonna be faithful to the word to the Lord to my wife to the church I have spiritual convictions that on my own.
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I just drop everything else in my life I've been unfaithful in but the Spirit of God gives me faithfulness
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And here's another one. I love this. This is spoken of of Christ Jesus in Matthew 11 29 gentleness
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Moses was called very gentle in Numbers 12 and Jesus in Matthew 11 is called gentle and lowly in heart controlled strength
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Controlled strength from a humble heart and then the last one self -control an
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Inward personal mastery one man said that submits my desires to the greater cause of God's will
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Now if you have the Spirit of God working in someone's life this way Do you have to give them a rule book and say do this and don't do that?
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Do you need a rule book for this kind of living? Well, the answer is found in Verse 23 against such there is what no law
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What am I gonna do say it's against the law to love people and be nice to them It's a felony to have joy
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I have to restrict their conduct because they're too kind and they're too good Maybe that's what our country will come to I don't know
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Verse 24 now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh all that green yellow
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Ugliness that was the work of the flesh Remember when God saved us we died to that that was dead and gone we don't owe that lifestyle anything anymore have crucified the flesh with its passions and Desires and now
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Paul comes full circle verse 25 if we live by the
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Spirit Let us also walk by the Spirit let him govern govern all our intentions
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And you say I'd really like that I'm going to show you one more verse in closing and this is going to be the key to unlock your
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Holy Spirit filled life Colossians chapter 3 verse 16 Colossians chapter 3 verse 16 directly proportional to your fruit filled life driven by the
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Holy Spirit is Going to be the intake and application of the Word of God Show me someone who doesn't know the
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Word show me someone that doesn't study the Word show me someone that gives lift service to the Word show me somebody that says
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I won't pick up that Bible again until it's the next Sunday morning And I'll show you somebody that has a troubling time walking according to the
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Spirit's desires It's directly related you say well. You know what I'm having a hard time obeying this week
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I could do this if I was going to be a counselor you come in and say I'm having a difficult time pastor
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And I would say this Don't tell me how you are Tell me what you've been doing this week because if I know what you've been doing.
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I'll know how you are Right, I don't need to know how you're feeling. You're obviously not feeling very well.
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Why would you be in here? I want to know what you're doing because God grants feelings commensurate to our actions in Kindness and in love and so you say to yourself my life has been dominated by fleshly things lately
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What's going on? Oh, I've been planting fleshly desires, and they've been growing up, too I better do something about that by the
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Spirit's strength and spirits power It's talking to Michelle about this yesterday.
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You take your finger. You touch it to the hot stove and you go God I hate you for giving me nerve endings
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Is that what you say it's just the consequence putting my finger to something hot it's
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God's goodness and God's kindness And you have a life that's filled by the desires of the flesh and you're involved in that and you're in deeply and you've got all kinds of issues of anxiety and depression and Sexual sin and the list goes on whatever those are.
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There's a whole list That's the goodness of God that you feel the way you do so you go Let me put it in my father's vernacular.
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I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired What I don't need is to only deal with the symptoms
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I need to deal with the root and the root is I have a life that's driven by my own lust and my own flesh
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If it's not for God to come in and rescue me, I'm gonna undo myself Spirit of God work with me take me shape me mold me
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Influence me and how does he do that by getting slain in the spirit? I wish it was that easy
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I wish anybody here that struggled with sin could come up to the front and I could push your forehead down and slam you down As Jack Kurtz caught you
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Charlie Crane caught you in the catching ministry. What kind of what kind of Credentials do you need spiritually to have the catching ministry?
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I wish I could just say here's your zap Sadly those people don't get any better.
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Oh, they may have a euphoria for a while What is the key to holy living?
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How does the Spirit of God work By what sovereign decree does he choose to work in the lives of the people so they have love joy?
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peace Faithfulness, what is the channel? Here is the channel?
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Lay back and let God Colossians 3 16 says no let the word of Christ Richly dwell within you
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Show me someone whose life is having the Word of God dwell in them richly I'll show you someone that teaches admonishes sings with psalms and hymns spiritual songs sings with thanks
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Thanksfulness in their hearts. They do all things with with an eye to the Father and they submit themselves one to another
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That sounds exactly like Ephesians chapter 5 when you're filled with the Spirit. What do you do? You sing you submit you show.
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Thanks. That's exactly the same It's the same thing the Spirit of God uses the Word of God to control us say
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I struggle with sin and I need help because of Christ Jesus in his perfect life and death and resurrection and The word that he has given you you have every thing you have everything you need and my exhortation is by the spirits prompting
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Open the Bible and watch the mind of God work watch the Savior and you will be
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Influenced by the Spirit of God Here's your homework for the week because we'll be in Matthew 6 next week.
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Your homework is to read the gospel of Matthew to read the gospel of Matthew and Begin to pour in your mind.
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Who is God? Forget this where's Waldo kind of theology. I want a sermon today about me
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I want to read the Bible verses today about me. It's like that. Where's Waldo book? I look over in the page and I got to find
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Waldo I got to look all in this Bible and find where am I? Well, you know where you are in the book of Matthew nowhere
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That's the way it should be because all week we put ourselves way up here and we need to realize that God is the king
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And where Waldo is it doesn't matter and where we are. It doesn't matter We worship the king and that the king has set his scepter out
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Towards us in clemency and the personal work of Christ Jesus and has loved us with an everlasting love. We respond with God You're an awesome
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God Let's pray Thank you Lord for our day You are a great father and we are your children
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We would ask that you would help us walk in a manner worthy of our calling
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That you would help us not exalt the Spirit But to rely on the Spirit that the
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Spirit would so energize Bethlehem Bible Church that we would be people that would speak well of Christ Jesus to one another
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It wouldn't just be about theology and doctrine in the latest book but it would be about the exaltation of the person of Christ and Lord may we be infectious not with the deeds of our flesh
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But to others with the personal work of Christ so that we might preach the gospel to them The good news that Jesus came on a rescue mission to save sinners just like the people we talked to Lord, I pray for our church that you prevent us from factions and strife and disputes you have this church be full of love and peace and joy and Lord, you might do that as you give us a desire to study your word more so we'd be more like your son