Sunday Morning Worship Service August 16, 2020

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Sunday Morning Worship Service from Faith Baptist Church

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Well, good morning to see you on this Lord's Day. What a beautiful day. He's given us a beautiful weekend actually enjoying this
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Nice weather, but what a change, right? We gathered last week had a wonderful Lord's Day and then
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Monday Got blasted by that very powerful storm
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If you hadn't noticed already, maybe you did this morning when you came in we had had a nice big tree down here in the property that got taken out and Some couple of guys few guys got together next day or two and did some short work of that and appreciate that help, but I know a lot of you really
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Had to suffer this week. Many of you had to go without power for sometimes days and You know, no power.
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No water things of that nature, so I'm sure you're rejoicing today in the little things of life.
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Isn't amazing how much we take for granted until we don't have it and Then all of a sudden we're scrambling trying to find a place to get some water something as simple as that so Well, thank the
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Lord that he has brought you through this week and brought us together today on this Lord's Day to worship and serve him
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Just a couple things in your bulletin to remind you of we will be Commemorating Lord's Supper this morning or this morning in the middle of the service on the table and the foyer where those little cups
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I hope you picked one of those up if you can participate with us in that and Then Wednesday evening just a reminder about this weekly video series we're watching of Tim Challis taking us around the world last week went to Australia and New Zealand and Beautiful place a lot of places that a lot of people would love to visit this week we're going to Zambia in Zimbabwe and I don't know
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I don't I don't know that I've ever met anybody that that was on their bucket list to go to Zimbabwe or or Zambia maybe it's on yours if so after a church tell me about that and then make sure you come
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Wednesday night and get your appetite whetted for For those two countries, but we'll do that Wednesday evening
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Psalm 29 verses 1 & 2 as we begin our worship service this morning Tell us encourage us to ascribe to the
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Lord. Oh heavenly beings ascribe to the Lord glory and strength Ascribe to the
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Lord the glory do his name Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness and may we do so today as Jim comes and leads us in our opening hymn
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Oh worship the King Jim Let us do that together in song as well and you turn in your hymnals to number 65 65
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Oh worship. The King will sing verses 1 2 & 4. Let's all stand together, please
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Oh worship the King verses 1 2 & 4 together My father again, we we thank you for your grace and your mercy this past week
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Father we're thankful for Your goodness to us with these storms that passed through earlier in the week
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Father we're in your hands We thank you for All the provisions that were made during that period of time
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And father now as we come to Worship you to sing praises unto your name
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Guide and direct pastor as he brings your word father Help us to have open 10 apart
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We pray these things in Jesus Amen Back of the bulletin is our psalm reading for the week the first 10 verses of Psalm 51.
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I chose this psalm this week because of What we read in verse 6 which is right in the middle of the set of the text and it connects with our message from Ephesians chapter 6 and Gives us verse 6 gives us some insight into David's problem
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Which led to his needing to confess his needing to write this psalm So follow along as I read
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Psalm 51 These first 10 verses. I remind you that he wrote this David did after his sin with Bathsheba and the death is his involvement in the
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Death of Uriah Bathsheba's husband and he was convicted of his sins
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He writes this have mercy upon me. Oh God according to thy loving -kindness According unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions
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Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me
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Against thee the only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight That thou mightest be justified when thou speakest and be clear when thou judgest
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Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom
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Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow
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Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou has broken may rejoice Hide thy face from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities
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Creating me a clean heart. Oh God and renew a right spirit within me
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Lord at his blessing to the reading of this psalm today He was going to come and lead us in him from the song supplement book
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Number 56 this will prepare our hearts for the Lord's table So Jim, please come and lead us in your
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Blue books your supplement books number 56 see the destined day arise verses 1 through 3 all verses together
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See the destined day arise See her
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Sacrifice Jesus to Redeem our loss hangs upon the shameful cross
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Jesus who but you could bear Brass oh great and just a fair every pain and bitter throw
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Finishing your life of woe Yeah Hallelujah Lamb of God This great to sing your praise
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Round your throne through endless days ever with the sons of life blessing
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Your glory my Partake of the elements this morning.
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I want to Read in Mark chapter 15. So read a portion of the scripture and then
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We'll partake of the bread and then another portion of the scripture and then the cup if you are a follower of Christ and you have
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Followed him in obedience by being baptized Welcome to participate in our fellowship at the table this morning
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So first of all, I want to read Mark chapter 15 verses 15 through 20
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Says and so Pilate willing to content the people released Barabbas unto them and delivered
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Jesus when he had scourged him to be crucified and The soldiers led him away into the hall called praetorium and they called together the whole band and they clothed him with purple and plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head and began to salute him hail king of the
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Jews and They smote him on the head with a reed and did spit upon him and bowing their knees
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Worshipped him and when they had mocked him. They took off the purple from him and Put his own clothes on him and led him out to crucify him
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It's just a few hours earlier from this moment that we're reading about right now
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That Jesus was in that upper room with his disciples gathered around that table and he took a loaf of bread and When he took that bread he broke it and he said this is my body which is broken for you
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He passed it to his disciples and he said take and eat we read further in Mark 15 and They bring him unto the place
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Golgotha which is being interpreted the place of a skull And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh, but he received it not
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And when they had crucified him they parted his garments casting lots upon them what every man should take and it was the third hour and they crucified him and When the sixth hour was come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour and at the ninth hour
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Jesus cried with a loud voice saying Eloi Eloi Lama sabachthani
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Which is being interpreted? my god my god, why hast thou forsaken me and some of them that stood by when they heard it said behold he called
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Elias and one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar and put it on a reed and gave him to drink saying let alone let us see whether Elias will come take him down and Jesus cried with a loud voice and Gave up the ghost
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He gave his body to be broken and his blood to be shed and again at that table the night before After the bread was passed and each partook
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Jesus took the cup a single cup filled with wine red
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Speaking of his blood. He says this cup is the new covenant in my blood
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As he passed it to his disciples. He said All of you drink of it our
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Father and our God We are reminded in the partaking of these elements this morning what our
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Savior did for us That we might have pardoned for our sins
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We might be justified in your sight We might have hope for eternity
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We might be saved saved from the saved from the penalty of sin from the power of sin and ultimately from the presence of sin
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And so we are grateful our Father we are so very grateful this morning that the
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Lord Jesus God in the flesh Was willing to take upon himself our sins he who knew no sin
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That he might become sin for us that we sinners Might be made righteous in Christ We're thankful for that sacrifice today
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We're also thankful father that We can come before you because of that sacrifice confessing our sins even as David did his
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We can appeal to you to blot out our transgressions to cleanse us from every sin and we're thankful father that on the basis of the work of Christ we can appeal to you and plead for you to Restore to us the joy of our salvation and we're grateful today that you have promised to do so because of the work of Jesus And so our father we also come before you today grateful that we can intercede in behalf of others
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And we pray today for Sam and Amy Slobodian and their ministry leading
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Missionary pastors and national pastors in Russia and Ukraine the service that they minister in the materials that they provide for these churches helping them to minister more effectively and The training that they also provide the teaching of the word.
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I pray that you would bless them richly in that work We also continue to pray this week for Larry and Emily Shetter and thank you father for the good report
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They shared this past week Larry Finding employment that is meaningful and gainful for him and his family also finding housing a house that they could purchase and Helping them settle in the father.
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We continue to pray for their emotional health and stability and well -being Encourage them we pray we thank you father for the the progress that Harold is making following his surgery and Thank you for the success of that surgery and we pray as he
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Undergoes some rehab very soon that this would be effective and he would make good progress
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Pray also for Kathy that she would also know good progress in rehab and thank you for that Already begun and what's already occurring there and just for the significant improvement that she has
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She has experienced We pray for Bob today and thank you for how you are sustaining him through these days
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So he faces another round of chemo this week. I I pray continue to sustain him give him strength when he faces the fatigue following it pray for Jerry continue to encourage her and Strengthen her emotionally as she is such a such a good strong support for Bob And then father we pray for our church family and for those who are here today who are hurting struggling in some way and Lord, you know each heart, you know each need we're so grateful of your
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Omniscience, we're grateful for your spirits presence and we're thankful that even right now
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Your spirit is praying for us as a body of believers a congregation
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In ways that we don't know and can't understand and yet he is perfecting our prayers.
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I pray for the encouragement of those who are Discouraged and downtrodden today.
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I pray for the health and strength of those who can't be here and are physically struggling this morning
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Also pray for I pray for the joy to return to the sorrowing grieving heart today
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Lord do a work of grace in our midst as only you can do and then we continue to pray for our nation and it's
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It is at a crossroads it seems father. There's so much Violence, there's so much hatred and anarchy
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There is so much anger and there is anxiety and there is fear
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And father we we understand we realize that the root of all of this is
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A people who has abandoned you it is an abandonment of your word in your prints of the principles of your word
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Father, we pray above all things that you would use the chaos of our day to bring conviction of heart and bring sinners to Christ Who is the ultimate only real source of peace and joy and happiness
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May many find him we pray now father as we Continue on in our worship service this morning.
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I pray that you would use your word in our hearts and lives and Challenge us to be the soldiers of Christ that you would have us to be and this we pray in the name of Jesus our
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Savior Amen All right before our next him before the message just a reminder that on Lord's Supper Sundays we receive a benevolence offering and that will be
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Available to do that at the end of the service. There'll be a silver plate on the table there in the foyer
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You can use that for your benevolence offering today Other than that your regular tithes and offerings giving you can use that little box.
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There's a box on the table there Been there a few weeks now, you're probably getting used to that Of course, you can also continue to give online.
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So Jim, please come lead us in that next As we come
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Your truth Planet D In us Live and fashion us
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In your likeness That the light Of Christ Might be seen
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Today In our acts of love And our deeds of faith
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Speak O Lord For your glory
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Speak O Lord And renew Peace will stand
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On your promises And my faith will Speak O Lord It's built
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Thank you, please be seated
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Our scripture reading this morning we want to read
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Ephesians chapter 6 verses 13 through 18 Ephesians 6 13 through 18
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Actually going to be parked in these few verses for a couple of weeks Hope that doesn't get old but there's just way too much in there to Gloss over quickly
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Ephesians 6 Follow along as I read Beginning in verse 13
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Paul writes Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God That you may be able to withstand in the evil day
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And having done all To stand Stand therefore having your loins
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Gird about with truth And having on the breastplate of righteousness And your feet shod with the preparation
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Of the gospel of peace Above all taking the shield of faith Wherewith you shall be able to quench
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All the fiery darts of the wicked And take the helmet of salvation And the sword of the spirit
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Which is the word of God Praying always with all prayer and supplication In the spirit
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And watching thereunto with all perseverance And supplication for all saints Just a brief prayer
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Speak O Lord as we come to you Receive the food from your holy word Plant these truths deep within us we pray
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In Jesus name Amen Well I'm a little bit more than half way
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Through Ron Chernow's book Ulysses S. Grant His biography of that great general
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And then president of the United States You may have heard me mention that book
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A few weeks back and you're wondering Man it sure is taking a long time to work your way Through that book well it is after all
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Well over 900 pages long So You know I'm on page 566
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Or 7 something like that I'm in a couple of Chapters past the assassination
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Of President Lincoln And the responsibility That's been placed on Lieutenant General Grant to Provide Protection for the
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Nation he's the general Over all the armies of the union And also to Work toward he's involved
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In In Enforcing Peace in the reconstruction
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Efforts and he's highly involved In that as well But of course you know
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General Grant maybe not only Because of the president but because He was the general that led the
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Union army To victory in the Civil War he has been
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Described up to his Time in history As One of the greatest if not the
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Greatest military General that history has Ever known he was an exceptional
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Military leader he was Charged with coordinating a million Man army
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That stretched from the east coast To the state of Texas And coordinating all of Their movements and all of their efforts to try
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To bring about a conclusion to That Civil War There are several things that may grant a very
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Effective military leader For example He had this incredible ability
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To perceive Accurately where the Enemy was and what the enemy
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Was going to do not only In a given battle but Even for the whole war
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I mean he knew He is stationed in Virginia for example
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And he knew what the enemy was planning To do in Tennessee And in Missouri and in Georgia and so forth
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He had this incredible ability To perceive the enemy and to Perceive its strength
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He also Was very Effective at making sure that His army was well
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Supplied was well equipped With the resources Necessary to fight
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But also just the Basic necessities of food and clothing And shelter and that's in Stark contrast to What the confederate army had to deal
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With especially as the war was winding Down and then Grant was also very effective
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At motivating his regiments To hold their position And often times
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I mean he made that charge But often times initially In a particular battle
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Ground was lost by the union But he made sure That whatever ground was lost
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One day was regained The next and then some The next day
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So I think about that in contrast To for example His predecessors that led
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The army of the Potomac There were several armies that made up the union Forces the army of the
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Potomac Some of the generals That preceded Grant Leading the army of the
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Potomac They would Enter into some battle And they'd get pretty soundly
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Defeated by Robert E. Lee And some of those confederate Forces and then those
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Generals retreated Not Grant Not Grant He persisted in holding
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The line Holding the position Now I share all that because of the
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The tone and the Text that we're reading Today in Ephesians chapter 6
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Paul is talking about Taking on armor as Soldiers in a
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Spiritual battle So this whole passage Ephesians 6 beginning in verse 10
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And down through 18 Is a passage that has to do with Warfare and so I find
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Very instructive and very Illustrative of Our responsibility as soldiers
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In Christ's army if you will How Grant Carried out his function and responsibility
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As a general leading The union forces You and I Who are believers in Christ followers of Christ We're engaged in A cosmic conflict
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A spiritual Warfare it's one that Involves us corporately
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As a church Corporately as Christians around the world
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But also involves us Individually And we need to soldier on And we need to soldier effectively
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But to do that To soldier effectively Several things
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Are necessary on our part Individually and the first of these I just by way of review just a
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Reminder the first of these Things that we need to do if we're going to Soldier effectively is that we
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Need to have our eyes open To the threat that is all Around us verse 12
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Speaks of that threat Paul says we wrestled not against flesh and Blood but against principalities
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Against powers against the rulers of the Darkness of this world against Spiritual wickedness in high
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Places the threat that Is all around us is not Primarily I get this
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It's not primarily A physical one It's not primarily a physical
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One now our enemy and In this warfare and His tactics that he employs
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He uses physical Things material things And people and things that we
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Can see and feel Physically but the Battle itself the warfare itself
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The threat itself Is not primarily physical It is spiritual and It is therefore
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More dangerous I mean if you're If your threat is simply
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Something that you can see right in front of You and that's all it is You have a much better chance of being able
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To deal with that but if there is something Sinister behind it and it's broader Than that it's deeper than that it's
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Higher than that it's more powerful than that One thing you're looking at It makes the threat all the more dangerous
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And that threat Is varied And subtle You notice in the last
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Part of verse 11 Paul Speaks of being able to stand against The wiles the
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Schemes the methods Of the devil He's very
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Very effective at Deception we'll say more About that later we also
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Need to realize that that threat is All around us and these different Categories If you will of The devil's army
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Different regiments maybe if we could Look at it that way of the devil's army Described here in verse 12 principalities
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Powers Rulers of the darkness of this world Spiritual wickedness in high places We might think of it like this
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The threat that is all around Us is a threat that includes And involves government
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And politics at Every level principalities Are influencing
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The governmental processes In this world Also this threat influences
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Decision makers The powers the authorities That are over us
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And that wield their authority In this world It influences The concepts of Morality and ethics in Our world why is it
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That something that doesn't seem So bad today Seem to be terribly
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Immoral A generation ago Why is that why is there such change
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In what's considered right and Wrong and what's considered moral And immoral why
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Because of the Spiritual warfare that's Going on the spiritual threat
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To your very soul And that threat influences The very culture in which we
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Live and That culture That culture
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Expresses itself in All kinds of Different avenues through The printed page
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Through the screen whether it's The television screen or The theater screen or your iPad screen or your phone
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Screen the screens That reflect our Culture influence
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Have an influence on us and They are influenced by The Enemy forces of the wicked
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One you can think of The culture the Spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies
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As the end of verse 12 speaks Of you could think of them as The instigators and The propagators of Corrupt ideas
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That filter Throughout the cultural Expressions of our world
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So this threat is Not primarily physical It's spiritual it's varied
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And subtle the wiles Of the devil it's all around Us and then verse 13
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Makes it clear to us That that threat Is inevitable Because paul says
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That you may be able to withstand In the evil day There is not a
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Hint of there being a Possibility of there being an evil Day there is
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The declaration that there will Be an evil day What exactly does he talk
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About here what does he mean by the evil day He's not referring Primarily to Evil in a moral
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Sense That's the way we normally would take the word He's the word
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That's translated evil here Speaks more of A Incredibly difficult
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Time period The word communicates Challenge and struggle
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And grueling Difficulty So for example
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Think of In recent couple of months The police officers in some
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Of our cities who have had to Work 12 hour Shifts day after day
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After day without any day Off and that is just That's wearing them down And they get halfway through their shift
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And it's grueling To continue on to get through the next Half of the shift
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And some of them are doing having to Pull double shifts and getting very little Sleep and this is
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These are grueling days For those police officers In the doing of their job in the carrying out of their
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Responsibility You think about that struggle That difficulty that Grueling effort that they have
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To go through in the carrying out of their job This is the kind Of day that Paul is talking about He's talking about a
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Spiritually grueling day Where it seems difficult Just to get through the day
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On a spiritual level You know emotionally you're struggling Physically you're feeling
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Fatigued and weary Mentally you're having a hard time Staying focused just because of All that's going on And it's oppressing upon You This threat is a very
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Real threat and you need to have Your eyes open to this threat But secondly
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To soldier effectively not only Do you have to have your eyes open to the threat Paul tells you in verse
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Tells us in verses 11 and 13 That we need to hold our position So he says in verse 11
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Put on the whole armor of God That you may be able to stand Against the wiles of the devil
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Verse 13 He says that you may be able to withstand an evil Day and having done all
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To stand And this Is not talking so much about A physical
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Standing rather than falling down He's talking about holding your position This is what general
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Grant meant when he often times Sent a communique To a
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Commander in battle Who was being sieged by The confederate
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The rebel forces rebel army And he would send a communique And say something to the effect that That you need to hold
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Your position at all costs No matter what It takes hold your position
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And that's What Paul is talking about Hold your position at all costs
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Now when Grant sent those Communiques he Almost always had
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A message of hope to go With it and that was Reinforcements are coming Hold your position until General so and so Makes his way with his
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Regiment in your place Hold your position This does involve
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A certain posture The word stand Communicates that posture
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But it's not so much a posture of physically standing As what is Implied in that physical standing
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When the enemy is Approaching you stand Your ground
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Hold a position that Is one of courage A courageous
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Posture not cowering In fear As Paul told
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Timothy In 2nd Timothy chapter 1 he says Stir up the gift of God that is in you
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Why? Because God has not given us The spirit of fear
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But of power And of love and of a sound Mind That's true for Those of us in pastoral ministry
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But it's also true for every believer in Christ What is the gift Of God that he has given to you
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What is the place where he has Placed you Well whatever that place is you are going to be
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Threatened by the wicked one He definitely wants to attack you He will he shall
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What do you do stand Hold up your posture Be courageous
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Don't cower in fear But this Word also communicates
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The necessity of A particular position Stand Don't run
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Don't hide Don't retreat Don't give
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Ground Like in Ephesians chapter 4 back a page In your bible probably
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Verse 26 Verse 27 Paul says
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Neither give place to the devil Don't give any ground To the devil
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Notice what that statement is on the heels of Verse 26
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Be ye angry and sin not Let not the sun go down Upon your wrath neither give place
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To the devil Why did Paul write verse 27 after he wrote Verse 26 Because Paul Understood the spiritual battle
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That's going on when you're Feeling angry When that emotion
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Of anger wells up within you He knows exactly What you may be
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Tempted to do how you may be Tempted to act Giving place to the devil
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And doing something that An hour or two or Day or two or maybe
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A week or two later you're going to Look back on and regret I tried to narrow down the number of times
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That I have I've had to deal with that And I remember one
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Particular incident that comes to mind I know this is Totally blow you away thinking
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No way you There was something that occurred I won't say what that was
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But it was definitely A terrible thing and it was a thing That rightly
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Incited anger And if I you knew what it was you would Say yeah that's a totally understandable
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That you would get angry over such a thing So the anger Itself was an appropriate
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Response but the giving place To the devil in that anger was Not and in my anger over That situation
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I was standing in the dining room of our House and we have a stairway That stairwell that goes upstairs
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And there's a door to that Stairwell and that That door was
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Open wide open And I got this news That was so Angering to me that I closed my flip
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Phone tells you how long ago it was right I closed my flip phone Slammed it down on the
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Table and I took that door And I just slammed it as hard As I could in anger
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Now What did that accomplish What did that Well you say you vented
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I did and I'm Grateful that it was a door and not a person But had the person
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Who created such an angry Response been standing in front of me It's hard telling what
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I might Have said I wouldn't have Physically hit the person that's not Me I don't think
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I could Do that but I'm I'm afraid to think of what I might Have said in such a
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Situation giving Place to the devil that's why That's why Paul wrote that right
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After the anger thing because he knows We're in a spiritual battle there's something that Riles you
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Hold your position Hold your position Don't give the devil ground
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To get Into this situation and make It all the worse Hold your position
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And then thirdly if we're going to soldier Effectively We need to engage in powerful
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Resistance Engage in powerful resistance Verse 13 Paul says take the whole armor of God That you may be able to withstand
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In the evil day To withstand and that word Withstand is a different word that's
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Than the one Earlier and later Where he says to stand To withstand
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Um Requires more than simply Holding your position
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It involves A resistance against That which would try to Cause you to flee from your position
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Or to lose your position You physically you personally Powerfully resist
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Against that thing whatever that Force may happen to be So again by way of illustration
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It is because of what I'm reading Right now it's just easiest to to have These things come to my mind
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But I'm thinking of I'm thinking of Robert E. Lee If you know anything about Civil war read
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Civil war stuff one of the Most challenging battlefields In Virginia Was what's called the wilderness area
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And there was more Than one battle In that wilderness area The army of the
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Potomac got Mired down in the wilderness Area and The first time
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And ended up getting defeated And the general that was leading the Army he retreated
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Lee stood his ground But later on When Grant brought his
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Forces into the wilderness They're on full attack The Union forces full attack
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Through that wilderness area and it was challenging Ground General Lee Robert E. Lee knew that ground
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Very well and so he was Able to withstand He was able to resist
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There was an awful lot An awful lot of horrific bloodshed In the wilderness area
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Because Lee Resisted Which is in stark
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Contrast to some of his Other officers the Confederate officers in Places like Nashville and Chattanooga When the
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Union Forces came to Nashville They didn't have too much Of a fight on their
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Hands and the Confederate forces just pretty much Evacuated the city of Nashville And turned it over to the unions
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The Union force they did not resist Hardly at all Well You and I need to resist
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The spiritual Warfare the Threats that come at us we need to resist
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Which demands In the first place a will To fight it's not always
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There is it it's not always there Sometimes it's the last thing you want
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To do sometimes You want to just I give up I'm just tired of this
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Alright need a will To fight remind yourself
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Of what is at stake A will to fight Again I think of the closing days just Before Lee surrendered
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At Appomattox one of the things that Really caused him to do That Was he watched
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Lee Watched regiment after Regiment And Totally lose their will to fight
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And they just They just left their guns and walked Away Hundreds of thousands
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Of Confederate soldiers they just They were starving They were their clothing was threadbare
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They were Tired they were weary And they just said
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I've had enough And they left They walked away you need The will to fight but that is
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Not enough either is it That's not enough either you actually Need to do so And in our
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Fighting against the wicked One and his devices and his Wiles and schemes and so Forth we need to fight like Jesus What do
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I mean by that Remember in Ephesians Chapter 12 Ephesians 12 or I'm sorry
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Hebrews 12 follows right on Hebrews 11 Hebrews 11 the faith chapter Of all those people of great
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Expressions of faith and how they Showed faith and demonstrated faith Chapter 12 verse 1 says
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Seeing we have this great cloud of witnesses All these people who testify To the nature of The effectiveness of faith
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Let's run with Run with patience the race That is set before us the writer of Hebrews uses a different analogy
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But it's the same idea the race The fight let us fight the fight That we're in that we are in That we have to fight and then
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He says looking unto Jesus the author And the finisher of our faith who
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For the joy that was set before him Out in front of him The joy
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That was set before him Endured the cross He fought the fight
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Of the cross we Just reflected on that This morning Despising its shame
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For the joy set before him Then the writer of Hebrews Says this in verses 3 and 4
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He says Consider him Jesus Who endured from sinners
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Such hostility against Himself so that Why why consider
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Jesus and the and What he endured in the hostility That was that was
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Played out against him Is expressed against him Why consider Jesus So that You may not grow
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Weary or faint hearted In your struggle Against sin the writer
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Goes on to say you have not Yet resisted to the point Of shedding your blood
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Fight like Jesus We need to Engage in powerful resistance
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And fight like Jesus And fight under our General James 4 verse 7
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Says to us submit yourselves Therefore to God There's our general
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Submit yourselves therefore to God Resist the devil There's our word withstand against The devil resist the devil
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And he will flee From you And then we need to fight In confident
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Faith Confident faith First Peter 5
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Another passage that Talks about this necessary resistance Peter writes this
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He says your adversary the devil As a roaring lion is walking About seeking whom
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He may devour again another analogy Right our enemy Is like this roaring
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Lion waiting to pounce On you and devour you Resist him
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Peter says Resist him firm in your Faith knowing that the same kinds
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Of suffering are being experienced By your brotherhood throughout the world You are not alone in your fight
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Against the wicked one Your brothers and Sisters in Christ In California In Africa In China In Australia In Canada Your brothers and sisters all around this world
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Are engaged in this same Battle And Peter goes on to say and after you have
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Suffered a little while here's where the Faith comes in fighting in Confident faith after you
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Have suffered a little while the God of all Grace who has called you to his Eternal glory in Christ will
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Himself restore Confirm strengthen And establish you
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And right now you May be feeling like Man do I need that And the fight goes
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On and the battle rages Fight in Confident faith that yes
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In his time and in His grace and in his Providence The God of all grace will
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Himself restore confirm Strengthen and establish you You need to Actually fight
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So Soldier effectively we need to have Our eyes open to the threat we need to Hold our position we need
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To engage in powerful resistance And then Verses 11 to 13 that we're really
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Going to get into Slightly this morning We need to purposefully
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Equip ourselves for battle Paul Places on our shoulders
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The responsibility Of taking upon ourselves The armor of God Now here's the thing
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God has Provided us adequately For the battle
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He's provided adequately for us He's given Us this armor
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That we take upon Ourselves Again I Think of some human battles remember
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The war of independence The colonists against the british Oh the british were well
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Equipped right they had their beautiful Red coats and all their Rifles and they could march in their
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Excellent formation with their Rifles on their shoulders and all the rest What did the colonists have to fight against The british what did the colonists
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Have and they had They had a gun in there and they All had guns they that's
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What they used they used their own Supplied their own God doesn't leave us to fight
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This battle with our own resources He did We would definitely be
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Defeated before we ever got started God's provided for the battle But we're responsible to take
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That armor and to put it on And here's where we begin Here's where we begin in verse 14
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First part of the verse Stand therefore having your
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Loins girt about With truth Begin with adequate
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Preparation This is the imagery of the Loins being girt about Being having the
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The you have to think about The the typical Garb of the roman soldier
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Had the flowing longer Garments that Could be loose and could impede
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Movement and so forth and so To prepare for battle There would be the
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Tying up of those garments Into the belt So that they were
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Prepared to fight This is the idea This is the imagery here
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Literally this verse begins Having yourself Fastened on the
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Belt of truth In other words you yourself have to Fasten on the belt of Truth you need to prepare
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Yourself I emphasize that because Well okay i've been i've been in Pastoral ministry of some form or another
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For 40 years as long as I've been married 40 years and about once Each decade
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Somebody has said to me in those 40 years Somebody has said to me We're going to go to another
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Church because I'm just not being fed I'm just Not being fed
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As if the person Is sitting in his high chair With his little tray in front of him
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And i have to go Get the little dish that has Its little compartments in it and i have
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The little spoon and i Sit down across from them with the dish And put it down on their
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Little tray in front of them and i Take the spoon and Pick up a taste of the
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Pablum and i you know No No there is a
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Sense in which yes The pastoral responsibility Is to study the word and to present
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The word and to proclaim the word and teach The truth yes but there Is also a responsibility
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On the individual christian To to Feed it is
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His responsibility to prepare Himself And i think this is why the writer
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Of hebrews exhorts the believers In chapter 10 verse 25 when he says
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Not neglecting To meet together as the manner of some Is so why does he say that Because some were
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Neglecting to meet together and in that Neglect to meet together there is a Neglect of preparation there
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Is a neglect of preparing oneself To Neglect the church
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Is A grave failure Of preparing oneself You need to prepare yourself
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But with what The truth Having yourself
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Fastened on The belt of truth Why begin here
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I mean you read Down this List of weaponry in The panoply of god
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The full armor of god And there's some pretty Some pretty Stout pieces of armor isn't
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There you know you got this breastplate of Righteousness you've got this You've got the the sword of the
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Spirit you've got this shield of faith And you've got the helmet Of salvation and then he talks about A belt
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A belt the belt of truth Why begin with the belt Of truth let me give you three
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Reasons First of all I think because of the devil's Preeminent scheme
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The devil's preeminent scheme Is to undermine To distort
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To disparage To dilute the truth Wasn't that his opening
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Salvo in Genesis chapter three Has god said
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Yes And he hasn't stopped ever since You think about the relentless
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Attack that he That he had engaged in With jesus in that wilderness
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The temptation in the wilderness right What was the devil's Tack what was his approach
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An Undermining of the truth And that's exactly what he does
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With you and he's Been very effective at this with Numerous professing
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Believers Believers Who've swallowed things like Lies of the devil
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Like you know you're going to be far Happier if you throw off The shackles of god's rules
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And regulations all those things are just Tying you down they're just a terrible Burden like all of that Fruit that's out there in the garden of Eden yeah you don't want any of that stuff
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And god shackled you with this thing About not eating this delicious fruit Look at how good that is
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Surely you want this Yeah I do
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Because the devil's preeminent scheme A second reason i think to begin here Is because And this ties us in with Psalm 51 because When you dismiss the truth
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You open yourself up To failure to heartache And the misery
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You cannot read psalm 51 Without realizing that david Feels Awful that he is in a state
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Of misery Why Verse 6 gives us some insight
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You lord Desire truth In the inward part You will make me know
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Wisdom in the inward part Why am i Praying like this why do i have to come
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Before you and confess this sin to you Like i do because i have Forsaken the truth i thought
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That i could have fun with Bathsheba and i thought i could Eliminate uriah and get away with It and be happy And i'm absolutely miserable
01:01:37
Because i have forsaken The truth Third reason to begin here is that Because with the
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Truth you have a very Powerful defensive Weapon Again what did jesus do in the wilderness
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Right satan comes To him tries to apply him With some temptation and what
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How did jesus respond with the truth With the truth With the truth you have a powerful
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Defensive weapon so Begin here well begin with what truth I think
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I think paul is talking about Truth in a general Sense that which god has
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Revealed in a general sense So begin with the truth About the existence
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Of god the person of god The character of god the work Of god begin
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With the truth about the nature Of man and Your true condition
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All your Weaknesses all Your vulnerabilities Your root problem
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Which is sin Your fundamental Essential need
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Which is having that Sin dealt with Its penalty
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Its power Its presence Which then brings up the truth about Christ the need
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For christ the person And the work of christ Begin with the truth
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About your enemy and his Tactics you close your eyes To your enemy you dismiss the truth
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About who your enemy is what He does his tactics that He employs In other words begin
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With the truth the entire scope Of divine Revelation regarding reality
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Because if romans 1 Is any indication I understand that if we don't begin
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Here we set Ourselves up for disaster Remember romans 1
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Verse 18 says The wrath of god Is revealed from heaven against All ungodliness and Unrighteousness of men who
01:03:57
Suppress the Truth in Unrighteousness later on Paul says in verses 25 and 6
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They change the Truth of god into a lie And worshipped and served the creature
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More than the creator who is blessed forever Amen for this cause He goes on to say
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Because they change the truth Of god because they suppress the Truth for this cause god
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Gave them up unto vile Affections And verse 28 and Even as they did not like to retain
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The knowledge of god It retained god in Their knowledge god gave them
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Over to a reprobate mind To do those things which Are not convenient
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The truth Of god the truth that god Has revealed about reality Is what you and i need
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To begin with and to hold On to and to have our Our minds and our hearts
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Prepared with That's why jesus said what he did In john 12 know the
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Truth and what The truth Shall make you free
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And it's why he prayed What he prayed in john 17 In that high priestly prayer for us For his followers
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He says to the father Sanctify them by your Truth set them apart
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By your truth Your word Is truth all right
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Are you a follower of jesus Are you a soldier Of the cross
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If so Then prepare yourself For relentless battle
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With god's truth And so our father I pray that you would impress
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Upon our hearts this morning How critically important it is To be
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Prepared with the truth We pray in jesus name Amen would you take your
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Hymnal and turn to number 574 574
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Is this song am i a soldier of the cross A follower of the lamb listen if you're not If you're not a follower of jesus today
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Oh let me implore you See who you really are See what your real need
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Is you need The savior Turn to him today
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Come to him today the answer To your plight of sin Let's stand together as we sing the first third
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And fourth stanzas Am i a soldier of the cross Number 574 Am i a soldier
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Of the cross A follower of the Lamb Now may you grow
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In the grace and knowledge of our lord And savior jesus christ To him
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Be the glory both now And to the day of eternity We pray in his name