February 13, 2022 - Sunday Service Live Stream

Ascension Presbyterian Church Longwood

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Grace and peace to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome to the corporate worship of our

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God. Please stand. Brethren, you have come to Mount Zion, into the city of the living

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God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the

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General Assembly and Church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

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As we have gathered in his presence, in his name, come now, let us worship him.

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Please pray with me. O Lord, you are our God. We bless your holy name.

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We recognize in Christ you have blessed us with every blessing in the heavenly places.

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We praise that glory of your grace that chose us in him before the foundation of the world, and that we should be holy and blameless before him.

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We thank you that in love you have predestined us to adoption as sons.

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We rejoice that we have been sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise.

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We worship and adore you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We ask that you would open the eyes of our hearts, that we may know the hope of your calling, the riches of the glory of our inheritance, and the surpassing greatness of your power toward us in Jesus Christ.

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All this you have brought about in Christ when you raised him from the dead and seated him at your right hand in the heavenly places.

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Receive now, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, our worship and our praise to the glory of your name.

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We ask these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Please kneel as we corporately confess our sin.

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Let us now confess our sins in unison. Have mercy on me,

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O God. My sin is ever before me.

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Purge me of your face from my sins and blot out all my spirit within me.

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Cast me not away from your presence and take not your

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Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and uphold me with the willing.

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Please stand. What words of refreshment and encouragement to take delight now in the assurance of pardon.

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This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts and inscribe them on their minds.

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Their sins and their lawless acts I will remember no more. Amen. What a great word from the scripture.

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Please turn in your bibles, excuse me, your hymn books to number 529. Love divine, all loves excelling.

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529. Thus says the

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Lord. Heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house that you will build me?

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And where is the place of my rest? For all those things my hand has made.

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And all those things exist, says the Lord. But on this one will I look.

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On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit. And who trembles at my word.

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He who kills a bull is as if he enslaves a man. He who sacrifices a lamb as if he breaks a dog's neck.

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He who offers a grain offering as if he offers swine's blood. He who burns incense as if he blesses an idol.

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Just as they have chosen their own ways and their soul delights in their abominations. So will

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I choose their delusions and bring their fears on them. Because when

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I called, no one answered. When I spoke, they did not hear. But they did evil before my eyes and chose that in which

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I do not delight. Hear the word of the Lord, you who tremble at his word. Your brethren who hated you, who cast you out for my name's sake.

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And let the Lord be glorified, that we may see your joy.

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But they shall be ashamed. The sound of noise from the city, the voice from the temple.

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The voice of the Lord, who fully repays his enemies. Before she was in labor, she gave birth.

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Before her pain came, she delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing?

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Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be torn at once?

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For as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children. Shall it bring to the time of birth and not cause delivery, says the

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Lord. Shut up the womb, says our God.

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Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad with her, all you who love her. Rejoice for joy with her, all you who mourn for her.

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That you may feed and be satisfied with the consolation of her bosom. That you may drink deeply and be delighted.

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For thus says the Lord. Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river. And the glory of the

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Gentiles like a flowing stream. Then you shall feed. On her sides shall you be carried.

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And be dandled on her knees.

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So I will comfort you. And you shall be comforted in Jerusalem. When you see this, your heart will rejoice.

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And your bones shall flourish like grass. The hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants.

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And his indignation to his enemies. For behold, the Lord will come with fire.

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And with his chariots like a whirlwind. To render his anger with fury. And his rebuke with flames of fire.

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For by fire and by his sword the Lord will judge all flesh. And his slaying of the Lord shall be many.

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Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves. To go to the gardens after an idol in the midst.

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Eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the mouse. Shall be consumed together, says the

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Lord. For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations in tongues.

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And they shall come and see my glory. I will send a sign among them. And those among them who escape.

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I will send to the nations. To Tarshish and Pul and Lud. You who draw the bow.

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And Tubal and Javan. To the coastlands afar. Of who have not heard my name.

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Nor seen my glory. And they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. Then they shall bring all your brethren.

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Offer an offering to the Lord. Out of all nations. On horses and in chariots.

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And in litters. On mules and on camels. To my holy mountain Jerusalem. Says the

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Lord. As the children of Israel bring an offering. And a clean vessel into the house of the

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Lord. And I will also take some of them. For priests and Levites. For as the new heavens and the new earth.

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Which I will make. Shall remain before me. Says the Lord. So shall your descendants in your name remain.

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And it shall come to pass. That from one new moon to another. And from one Sabbath to another.

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All flesh shall come to worship. Before me. Says the Lord. And they shall go forth and look.

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Upon the corpses of the men. Who have transgressed against me. For their worm does not die.

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And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. This is the word of the

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Lord. We start in the hymnal to number 690.

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It is well with my soul. 690. Please make preparations now for the prayers of the people.

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In seeing the multitudes. Jesus went up on a mountain. And when he was seated.

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His disciples came to him. Then he opened his mouth. And taught them saying. Blessed are the poor in spirit.

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For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Lord we are poor.

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Blessed are those who mourn. For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek.

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For they shall inherit the earth. Our strength.

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Blessed are those who hunger. And thirst for righteousness. For they shall be filled.

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Blessed are the merciful. For they shall obtain mercy. Mindful of what forgiveness.

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Blessed are the pure in heart. For they shall see God. Pure heart.

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That we are unable to do this ourselves Lord. We pray that you would create in us. A clean heart. And renew a right spirit within us.

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Blessed are the peacemakers. For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted.

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For righteousness sake. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile.

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And persecute you. And say all kinds of evil. Against you falsely. For my sake.

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Rejoice and be exceedingly glad. For great is your reward. And they persecuted the prophet.

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Please stand and take up the insert. And find our psalm of the month.

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Psalm 63. It says. Oh Lord my God most earnestly.

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I seek your holy face. Please remain standing.

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And turn in your Bibles. To 2nd Corinthians chapter 10. In verses 1 through 6.

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This is God's holy. And infallible word. 2nd

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Corinthians 10. Now I Paul.

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Myself am pleading with you. By the meekness.

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And gentleness of Christ. Who in presence. And lowly among you.

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But being absent. And bold towards you. But I beg you.

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That when I am present. I may not be bold. With that confidence. By which

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I intended to be bold. Against some. Who think of us.

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As if we walked. According to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh.

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We do not war. Against the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare.

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Are not carnal. But mighty in God. For pulling down strongholds.

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Casting down arguments. In every high thing. That exalts itself. Against the knowledge of God.

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Bringing every thought. Into captivity. To the obedience of Christ.

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And being ready to punish. All disobedience. When your obedience. Is fulfilled.

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Oh Lord. We ask that your. Message. Would take shape and flight.

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And the power. And the power of your Holy Spirit. That we would have a clear.

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Sight of the war. That we're facing. Your glorious provision.

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For weapons. Of our warfare. The absolute victory. For you.

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O Christ. Over all of your foes. And all of ours. We thank you that you have conquered us.

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With your grace and your love. And you conquer. The nations with your gospel. We ask that you would be exalted.

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In a profound. Special way today. In the hearts of your people. We ask this in the name of Jesus.

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Amen. Please be seated. Second Corinthians.

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The weapons of our. Warfare. You are in a.

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Spiritual war. And in this spiritual war. Your victorious king.

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Conquers all of his. And your enemies. Therefore.

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Wage war. With the weapons that he has. Supplied. Today we begin the last.

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Section of second Corinthians. And resume. Paul's defense of his apostasy.

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authority. You'll remember that his motive is the integrity of Christ's lordship and gospel and not his own honor and reputation.

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To reject Paul in Corinth is to reject Christ. Paul begins now and he uses a warfare motif to speak of the reality of the conflict.

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Like Paul, you too are in a spiritual war and you must use those weapons which

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Christ has supplied. I've got three points for you to consider.

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They'll help you organize your notes if you're taking them first. Paul pleads for the false teachers to repent.

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Paul pleads for the false teachers to repent. Number two, we're going to see something of Paul's boldness.

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Paul's boldness. Number three is the title of the message, the weapons of our warfare.

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Number four would be application. I'm going to go through that one time again really quickly. Paul pleads for the false teachers to repent.

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Paul's boldness. Number two.

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Number three, the weapons of our warfare. It's an astonishing thing that Paul spent maybe one to two years in Corinth establishing a church, a beacon for the gospel of Christ, and it's a very important part of Greece.

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And soon after his departure, he began to be assailed on many sides, particularly by false teachers who were seeking honor for themselves.

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You'll remember in 1st Corinthians, they became a little bit tribal and schismatic. They had preferences for people like Peter and Apollos and some of them had an allegiance to Paul and others were super spiritual.

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They only followed Christ. So there's been a lot of that's happened up to this point and Paul's very strong letter in 1st

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Corinthians pointed out and outlined a lot of areas in which the church needed to change and to repent and there had been many great works of repentance among them.

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In our chapter, in our recent sections, we've been talking about the taking of that offering for the church in Jerusalem who suffered under the harsh conditions in a famine.

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But now Paul takes a different turn. The liberals have often said that this is not part of the original 2nd

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Corinthians letter and of course that is hogwash. Everything they say is. They're liberals.

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They hate the scripture. They want to tear it apart. When you write a letter to someone or to a church, you sometimes cover many different subjects and Paul has returned to the subject that he started at the beginning of the letter.

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He concludes this section. The last four chapters are devoted to this cause.

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Let's begin looking at verse 1 of chapter 10 again. It's important to notice that Paul makes a big shift.

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There's a very consequential statement in the last verse of chapter 9. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

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And now he shifts direction. Now I, Paul, myself, am pleading with you.

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Think about this. Paul is pleading with them and you have to wonder why is he pleading with them.

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They're accusing him of being of little substance. He's unimpressive in their minds.

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They're questioning his authority and it would seem that at some point Paul's going to retaliate and come back and exact a little personal vengeance.

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But he doesn't do that and I should point out you and I, when we are spitefully treated, should resist every urge to retaliate.

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That is a natural, carnal response and it's not befitting the people of God.

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We're a different kind and different sort of people. So we see here

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Paul is now confronting the false teachers and maybe a couple of those church members who are in the middle are not sure where they stand.

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Maybe some of them have some allegiance to them. His rebuke doesn't start off as harsh but it comes in tenderly.

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I'm pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

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He sets up Christ as the example and who has exhibited power and authority and gentleness and humility and long -suffering like Christ?

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No one. Christ has all authority over all things and the preeminence of all things and he wields his authority with great restraint.

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He's not prone to making rash, angry outbursts or decisions.

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So Paul starts with pleading. Pleading with that long -suffering, enduring under trial and mistreatment, meekness and he does it with the gentleness of Christ.

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And I would point out to you my suspicion is that the false teachers and those who esteem them, they don't operate this way.

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You may remember the Greek people do not like humility. They like arrogance.

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They like external confidence. So this is a different kind of living.

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The Christian looked very different to the unbelieving world. I should point out to you, you and I must look different to this world.

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They must see something of Christ in us. We should not have the customs.

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Our language should be different. Our manner should be different. Our comportment, the way we carry ourselves, the way we conduct our business, the way we live our lives, the way we have our marriages and our homes and are working, all that we do should be reflective of Christ.

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And here he takes a little bit of a wordplay in this section. You remember he reverts back to that language, who in presence am lowly among you.

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That's the accusation. Paul's a big man when he's writing letters, but when he comes here to talk to us, he's just not that impressive.

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He says, and kind of using their own argument, he says, who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent and bold towards you.

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But now it turns and look at verse 2. Paul's now coming in with warfare.

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Paul's now coming in as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. In fact, a five -star general in God's army, he's coming now with a little bit more strength and boldness.

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He says, but I beg you that when I am present, I may not be bold with that confidence by which

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I intended to be bold against some. Paul's saying, you don't want me to come wielding my apostolic authority.

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You don't want to see me in a full demonstration of the Holy Spirit and power.

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Receive my pleas now. I implore you to stop this nonsense of undermining my authority, which is in fact undermining the authority of Christ.

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It's gonna be a couple months before I come. You better get this in order, or I will, with great boldness, set things aright.

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I'd like us to consider something Paul said in the first letter. It seems to help us put this all together in one place and have our thoughts be right about it.

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Please turn to 1st Corinthians in chapter 1. This is going to lead us into our next section and it's going to help us kind of connect all these ideas cohesively from both letters.

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1st Corinthians in chapter 1. The warfare motif has started, but the weapons are different than you expect.

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There's something very, very different about the weapons of our warfare.

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1st Corinthians 1 .18. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.

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I've enjoyed how much the liturgy has been in line with the sermons and how much the

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Sunday school lesson have been, and certainly only the Lord can orchestrate all that. What a wonderful thing for all these things to fall together.

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The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, and that's still true today.

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Can you imagine in the Greek Roman world the idea of a suffering

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Savior? Utter nonsense to them for being saved.

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It's the power of God. 1st Corinthians 1 .19. For it is written,

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I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

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The people of this age are creating a new wisdom, a new morality.

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Our God is going to destroy that wisdom, the wisdom of the world. It's gonna be utterly crushed.

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He's going to bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.

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Back to Corinthians verse 20. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe?

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Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

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I should point out to you that you and I are under the heavy influence of the wisdom of the world, and I would argue even a virtuous people like yourselves, you are more under the influence of the wisdom of the world than you are the

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Holy Scripture. You consume far more of the world's wisdom on your phones and on your laptops and your tablets than you do the wisdom of God in Scripture.

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We must repent in wailing and sackcloth and ashes that we have imbibed in the world's wisdom like we have.

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Every one of us could could do more to be fully immersed in the wisdom of God.

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God is bringing the wisdom of the world to nothing. It says, for since in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know

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God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

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What is the need of the hour? Is it more diversity?

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Is it racial reparations? Is it socialism for all?

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Is that going to solve our problem? Well, the problem is sin, and there's only one provision for that problem, and that's the

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Lord Jesus Christ. The world's trying to figure out, and they're playing the shell game, moving the pieces around, trying to solve all of its problems without ever addressing the source.

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Please, God, through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

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For Jews request a sign and Greeks seek after wisdom.

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What does Paul do? He says in verse 23, we preach

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Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the

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Greeks foolishness. But to those who are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

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Children, do you have any idea what the weapons of our warfare might be given the language of 1st

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Corinthians? It says, verse 25, because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God, if there could ever be such a thing, is stronger.

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One pastor,

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I was referencing this message, referred to essentially a a

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Nerf gun being shot at him by one of his grandsons. The weapons of the world's warfare are

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Nerf guns with soft little rubber tips. The weapons of our warfare are cosmically powerful because they come from God.

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God gives the power to his method. It's foolishness.

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I need more signs. I present to you the

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Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's the message. It continues in verse 26, saying, for you see your calling brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.

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But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise.

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God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

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The base things of the world and the things which are despised, God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in his presence.

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But of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that it is as it is written, he who glories, let him glory in the

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Lord. And Paul says again a few verses later, for I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

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And now an acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the critique, verse 3. This is what the false teachers are saying about him still in 2nd

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Corinthians. I was with you in weakness and fear and in much trembling.

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As a man standing in the flesh, Paul exhibited those behaviors.

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And he says, my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the...

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Let's turn back to our text in 2nd Corinthians and see if we can make some sense of all this. 2nd

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Corinthians 10. Paul's war motif starts, and he starts with sarcasm.

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He says, I'm pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, and then it turns a little bit here, who in presence and lowly among you,

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I came to you in fear and weakness and in much trembling. But when

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I write my letters, I am bold toward you. But now I beg you,

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I plead with you, repent of your evil ways, because I'm coming in the name of God, in the power of God, for the glory of Christ.

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You see, he says in verse 3, another play on words, for though we walk in the flesh, the accusation at the end of verse 2 is that Paul has been walking according to a sinful desire.

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He wants honor, he wants money, he wants prominence among the men. In reality, the so -called super apostles who want to supplant him, they don't like the place of honor that Paul has, and they would like to have it.

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So they're going to tear him down, they might be put. He takes this language and turn of phrase and says, for though we walk in the flesh, we are physical beings, we are just mere men, we do not war according to the flesh, and I bet you the false teachers were warring according to the flesh.

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One of the things that there's a temptation for us in the culture battles is to dive into the muck and mire with the world, and to argue in their ways.

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What are their ways? The false teachers who harm the church are using carnal methods, and these methods are as old as time.

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They come from Satan himself. What are they? They're fleshly, they're carnal, they're things like manipulation.

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Manipulation is used from everything to get you to click on a screen to buy a card for your mother on Mother's Day.

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You are manipulated every single day. The Christian should have no part of manipulation in those people whom they love.

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We should never use the world's ways. The world also appeals to carnal appetites.

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They use sexually provocative imagery and language to sell things as nebulous as ice cream.

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They are coercive. They push you in a direction by force.

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They try to bully you into their ways. They make false accusations, as they did against Paul.

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They did this in an attempt to undermine his real authority, to call into question his character and integrity.

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They also engage in ad hominem personal attacks, attacking his perceived weaknesses.

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And again, they just do not value this idea of meekness and humility. And we have to ask the question, it's in such short supply in the church today,

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I don't think we esteem it either. It's really sad. The picture of power, patience, humility, meekness, is the

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Lord Jesus Christ. But we like our heroes like the world's heroes.

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Paul calls us to use a different kind of weapon in our warfare, because we do not war according to the flesh.

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Turn back a couple of books to the book of Romans in chapter 1. I'm going to just do a quick observation here.

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Paul is so eager to preach the gospel. He says in verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.

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For it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the

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Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.

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As it is written, the just shall live by faith. And children,

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I'd like you to pay close attention to this next section, because as Christians we cannot be sullied by the world's ways.

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They are subject to the wrath of God. Why would we give any quarter or go and play with them?

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Why would we do that? Utter foolishness for us. Verse 18, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

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Take a look around you. All the things that the culture espouses are embodiments of this very thing.

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Men cannot have babies. Homosexuality will never be legitimized.

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Fornication will never be acceptable. Adultery will never be accepted.

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Irrevocable, permanent, fixed in heaven and on earth truths, never to be violated.

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People are suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. And this is very powerful.

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It speaks to the nature of man and his knowledge of God. Verse 19, because what may be known of God is manifest in them.

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For God has shown it to them. Since the creation of the world,

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His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understand by things that are made.

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And here comes again, even his eternal power and Godhead, so they are without excuse.

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Guys, all of our so -called friends who are now enslaved in these aberrant lifestyles and approving of them have been given over to these things is a horrible judgment.

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A big church in town is now espousing their diversity and how they have all these people in the church serving and working together and giving and it's just a wonderful, happy, diverse

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LGBTQ and everything. They've lost the gospel of Christ.

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If these things no longer matter, then why did Christ have to die on a cross? If there's no set rule, why are we called sinners?

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If it's all up for grabs, why do we have to have a Savior? Verse 21 of Romans 1 says, because although they knew

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God, they did not glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened.

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Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible

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God into an image made like corruptible man and birds and four -footed animals and creeping thing.

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Therefore, God also gave them up to uncleanness and the lusts of their hearts to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the

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Creator, who was blessed forever. Amen. For this reason,

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God gave them up to vile passions, for even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.

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Likewise, also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lusts for one another, men with men committing what is shameful and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.

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All of this garbage is celebrated now. This is trash from the pit of hell.

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The people who hate God love it because they have no desire.

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They did not like to retain God in their knowledge. God gave them over to a debased mind to do those things which are not fitting.

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Being filled with, and look around you, all the world, all unrighteousness, sexual morality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil -mindedness.

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They are whispers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boastful, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents.

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And I must pause here. I'm coaching flag football with little boys on Saturday mornings.

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I have to say the decline and respect of children for their own parents or any kind of authority is at an all -time low.

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All the stuff of Romans 1 I see with my own eyes. Verse 31, they're undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful, who knowing the righteous judgment of God that those who practice such things are deserving of death, do the same but also approve of those who practice them.

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So the world system, under the sway of the enemy, under the sway of the world, the flesh, and the devil, they are at odds with God and they are seemingly a powerful force in this world because they feed the flesh of their fellow unbelievers.

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How do we combat this? It's a big question. Go back to 2 Corinthians 10.

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It's stated negatively that these weapons are not carnal, that we are to use.

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They're not fleshly and not worldly. Each of us has to soberly ask the question, have we used the world's ways?

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And we need to stop. There's some arguments for plundering the

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Egyptians but we could never take on their manner and way inside of God.

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The question has to be asked, well what do we do then?

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Look at verse 4. It says, for the weapons of warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

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Several hundred years before Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians, the

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Corinthians erected an Acropolis on upper Corinth on the rock.

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Strongholds are synonymous with fortresses. I want you to have this picture in your mind of a fortress.

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And on that rock, in that fortress, in that stronghold, was a temple dedicated to Aphrodite, the so -called goddess of love.

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And in that temple there were at least 1 ,000 temple prostitutes engaging in horrific acts with the men of Corinth.

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They found a way to wed their perversion with their religion.

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Seems to be happening today. Let's have a religion that suits and feeds my perversions, my abominations.

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I'll believe in that. This fortress is stone and it's like granite.

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So too are the strongholds that have taken hold in our time, in our culture. Every Christian generation has to deal with this.

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If I were to throw a rock at Aphrodite's temple, it would smash in pieces and fall to the ground.

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The temple would remain. But if I employ

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God's methods of warfare, the temple will lie in ruins.

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And I believe because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the temple of Aphrodite is in ruins in upper

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Corinth on the Acropolis because of Christ and Him crucified. Follow my logic.

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If I preach to the men of Corinth that they are to turn from their sin and to honor the commitment they made to their wives and to be radically obedient to Christ and they obey that command, the temple goes out of business.

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And it gets even better. The conquering love of Jesus Christ is so strong, so powerful, the conquering love of Christ, the message of his gospel gets into the temple, and guess what?

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The temple prostitutes turn to Christ. They walk out. You see, what we need in our time is not a tit -for -tat jousting match with the world.

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We need a demonstration of the Holy Spirit and of power, and that can only come through the bold proclamation of Christ's gospel, the person and work of Christ.

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There's something else. What is the antidote to error? There can only be one.

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There's one singular antidote to error. It's the truth, and we have it.

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We have every bit of it. The morality that's being created in the world contradicts this truth, but everything in this book shows me the reality of God and His truth.

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When I look at the world and interpret through the lens of Scripture, everything is true that He says.

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So what are the weapons of our warfare? Christ, His gospel,

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His Word, His own holy law created entirely for His service.

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These are the things that tear down strongholds, and what are the strongholds actually?

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This usually goes down and degrades into a demonology. Some of you have been to churches where this is all they talk about in relation to this text, but look what the stronghold is and what these weapons of warfare do.

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Verse 5, casting down arguments. There is no

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God. Those arguments get cast down. There's only naturalism, man doing what is natural for him.

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There's no higher power. We must sort these things out ourselves, they would say. The strongholds are those arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.

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All the things that men erect, Romans chapter 1. What happens when we use the weapons of this warfare?

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Paul says we bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

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We have to confess and acknowledge our part in this. The potency of Christ and His message has been obscured by our failure and unwillingness to walk in obedience of Christ.

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We've been corrupted by the world, we love its ways, and we seek to win the world with the world's ways.

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Look at the churches and all the nonsense they do. I want more people to know about Ascension than know about it currently, but I don't want to be reduced down to a marketing plan.

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It's Super Bowl Sunday, we could have today given away a 72 -inch TV in a raffle and had a lot of people come to church today, but I don't want to participate in that manipulation to fill the walls, fill the doors, the seats, open the doors.

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What would happen if, as we said last week, one man came to Christ? What would happen today if the people of God and little humble

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Ascension Presbyterian Church walked in radical obedience to Christ?

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They took Him at His word and they believed it. Every jot and tittle, every horn, every breathing mark of the

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Scripture, they owned it and lived like it. Marvelous things would occur.

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Look at verse 6, and Paul's sarcasm earlier is now coming to light.

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It says, and it sounds a little confusing on the serpents, I think it'll make more sense in just a second, verse 6, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

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I think Paul is invoking two things. He's asking the people of Corinth to choose their side.

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He's saying church discipline is coming and the

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Holy Spirit and the power of me being an apostle is coming. You don't want to be on the side of the false teachers.

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You're gonna be cast out. The false teachers, repent before I get there or you're going to be gone.

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You're gonna be purged from the church. You and I are in a spiritual war, but in this spiritual war, our victorious king conquers all of his and our enemies.

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Some of them are reduced to rubble and they are sentenced to eternal torment, but sometimes he conquers the temple prostitutes and makes them faithful daughters of the king.

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And in fact, it makes me think that Paul has some acquaintance with that himself. Paul was a chief of the

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Pharisees, which at the time of his conversion was an apostate

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Judaism. Do not forget that. At the time of Paul's conversion, to be a

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Jew in the manner that he was was to be an apostate because they rejected

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Christ. And when Paul was on a road to Damascus to punish and persecute

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Christians with the weapons of the warfare that Christ used to save Paul are now at the disposal, as we learned in Sunday School today, of all the rank -and -file people of God.

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Paul was going as an enemy, as hostile to the church, to bind and to torture and to kill

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Christians, to snuff out the message of Christ, and now he is the greatest ambassador for Christ that's ever lived.

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Nerf guns versus cosmic nuclear weapons.

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It's not a fair fight and we're on the side of the victor. Let's rejoice in this and I'll have now a quick word of application.

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First, you and I need to esteem what God esteems and we need to imitate the meekness and gentleness of Christ.

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Paul was long -suffering and patient and like 1st

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Peter 2 says, Paul was not reviling in return, but he was suffering under this mistreatment and lack of respect righteously for the glory of God.

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Number two, we need to know when it is time to be bold.

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We're talking about at our Sunday School today about witnessing and sometimes we feel sheepish about that and sometimes we we do it in a kind of friendly, passive way and sometimes we have to be bold.

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We have to tell people that they're on the road to hell and that they need Christ. Good soldiers of Christ march following the footsteps of their

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King. Skillful warriors always minimize collateral damage.

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We don't kill women and children when we're fighting a war unless the

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Lord tells us to, but we strategically pull the enemy apart.

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We have to be discerning to know are we being harsh and bold with this person or are we being kind and gentle and compassionate.

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Paul demonstrates both of those and our Lord did as well. Gentle, kind, the bruised reed, the smoking flax, but also very harsh with the proud.

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We have to know when it's time to be bold. Third, you and I need to mortify all carnality in ourselves.

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Whatever it is, we have to purge it. Stop excusing it and rationalizing it. Get rid of it in your life.

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There's an added benefit, not only just growing in holiness, but you will not use the weapons of the world in the battle, which we've learned are impotent.

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All of that would be very weak in comparison to the mighty power of God. I was going to go there, but I didn't have a chance.

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Put on the full armor of God. We have to become skillful.

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Think about the story of David and Goliath. David was trained killing bears and lions in protection of the sheep and God used that for him to speak the

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Word of God, primarily prayer, the gospel, defending the faith, all these things that are very basic.

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We'd have to become very, very skillful. You and I need to become so good that when we see something happening in the world, six or eight or ten chapters or verses of Scripture come to mind which refute the folly of the world at its age.

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We have to grow and become more skillful. Finally, you and I need to learn the truth about Christ and His Word that we would easily be able to discern truth from error.

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Wouldn't it be something if all of the people who are condemned under that Romans 1 kind of righteous judgment be conquered with the truth and the power of God?

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Wouldn't that be something? That's what the mighty power of God has done.

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He's done it with Christ. He's done it with the cross. He uses feeble, weak people like you and me to carry this conquering message of truth.

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I want you to consider the weapons of our warfare today. Please pray with me.

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Lord, we have so much power. I pray that we would, the weapons that Christ has given, that we would yield, wield the sword of the

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Spirit, that we'd be clothed in truth and righteousness and salvation with peace, all the fruits of the

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Spirit, the armor of God, and that you'd use us,

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O Lord, to advance your kingdom, to take those who are captive in their own sin, who they have erected fortresses and strongholds, which has become for them not a defense of their prison, but a prison.

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And not only a prison, O Lord, but it's going to entomb them. That's going to be the hill they die on and are judged for.

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O Lord, we ask that you and the power of your Spirit would conquer and set those captives free.

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We ask all these things in the name of Jesus. Let's continue our worship through giving of tithes and offerings.

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Please stand. Let's pray together.

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O Lord, we thank you for this beautiful life that you have given to us. I pray that you would cause us to give thanksgiving for the provision that you have supplied for us in Christ, spiritually, and all the myriad of ways materially you have blessed us.

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We pray that these offerings we use for your glory and namesake, the propagation of your truth over against this error, that Christ might be glorified and exalted in the hearts of men, women, and children who do not yet know him.

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We ask you would do this, O Lord, through us in Jesus' name. Let us give glory to God with great zeal and joy, knowing that God is with us, he is for us, he has made us his people.

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Let us give him the glory due his name. The Lord be with you.

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Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the

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Lord. It is right and a good and joyful thing that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to you,

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O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Everlasting God, because you have sent your beloved

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Son to redeem us from sin and death and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life, that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.

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Therefore, with angels and archangels, with all the company of heaven, we praise and magnify your most glorious name, evermore praising you, and sing.

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Please be seated.

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Our portion of the service is so fixed,

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I thought it would be a good reminder just really quickly to invite you to the table and remind you of some of what we're doing here, even though it's very well spelled out, just a fresh glance and look at it again today.

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Our Lord Jesus instituted this sacred supper as the covenant meal of the

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New Testament, commanding us to do this in remembrance of him, and by so doing proclaim his death until he comes.

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The supper supersedes the Passover as the covenant meal for the people of God, even as the cross supersedes the

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Exodus as the culminating redemptive event of history. And like all other covenant meals, this is in first place, of course, it is both a sign portraying

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Christ's benefits and a seal confirming or ratifying our covenant with Christ.

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As we partake of the emblems of Christ's suffering, God confirms afresh the promised benefits of the cross, pardon, reconciliation, and eternal life.

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And we, in turn, reaffirm our covenant privileges and take on those responsibilities in the present with longing and anticipation for his future return.

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Please pray with me. Lord, grant that you have created and been

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Lord over all things. We think of your conquering love today.

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You are the sovereign King, the majesty over all whom we have offended, and yet you are our most loving and merciful

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Father. In this great love you have given your

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Son to reconcile us to yourself. We see that,

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Lord, you have ratified the New Testament with your precious blood. We thank you for instituting this, your holy sacrament, to be celebrated in remembrance of Christ till his return.

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So we ask that you would sanctify these, your creatures, of bread and wine. And according to your institution and command, we set apart to this holy use, that they may be sacramentally the body and blood of the

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Son, Jesus Christ. Let's approach the table now by praying together in unison.

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We do not presume to come to this door table, O merciful

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Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.

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We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same

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Lord who always shows mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear

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Son, Jesus Christ, and to drink of his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body, and our souls wash through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us.

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Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the peace, the gifts of God, for the people of God.

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Thanks be to the Lord. It's a great privilege to be sealed as God's people, as his children.

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Let's make that commitment and return to him now. Almighty and ever -living

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God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your

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Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your

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Son and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And, O Lord, grant us this other benefit, but having them imprinted in our hearts, may we grow and increase daily in the faith which is at work in every good deed.

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And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our

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Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory now and forever.

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Amen. Please stand. Praise God has written his righteous, holy name upon you.

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You are his people. Receive the beautiful blessing of the children of God. The Lord bless you and keep you.

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The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

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The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and grant you peace.