Sunday Service 1/28/23 (Afternoon)

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Well, good morning beloved. Well, actually not good morning. Why am I saying good morning? Good afternoon people Good to see you
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Well church some recurring announcements, I believe we received this morning of a women's group wins a women's group
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I don't have my sheets in front of me. Is it this week on Friday? women's group excellent, so if you're
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Right member of the gender you're encouraged to go and fellowship with fellow sisters
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Also, we have Do we have men's group this week as well No, so following week.
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I'm assuming we'll do men's group. All right Well church, if you would just join me in a moment of contemplation.
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I know we just had lunch We're probably tired. We're probably eager To go our separate ways, but here we are in the house of Lord So let's enter our hearts around true worship for just a moment and then
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I'll have our call to worship We begin this afternoons call to worship from Psalm 108 verse 5
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The exalted O God above the heavens let your glory be all over all the earth
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That your beloved ones may be delivered give salvation by your right hand and answer me
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Praise God. Well church if you could Stay seated, but turn in your hymnal to page 704.
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We're gonna be singing together Jesus keep me near the cross
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Oh Oh Be my glory
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Amen Well church if you can turn your
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Bibles to Luke chapter 11, we're gonna be examining verses 45 to 54 And when you have that please do stand for the reading of God's Word Again, the main chapter and text this morning is
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Luke chapter 11 and verse 45 Here he this afternoon the word of the
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Lord One of the lawyers answered him teacher in saying these things you insult us also
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And he said woe to you lawyers also For you load people with burdens hard to bear and you yourselves do not touch the burden with one of your fingers
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Woe to you for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your father's killed So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your father for they killed them and you build their tombs
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Therefore also the wisdom of God said I will send them prophets and Apostles some of whom they will kill and persecute
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So that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be charged against this
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Generation from the blood of Abel to the blood Zechariah who perished between the altar and the sanctuary Yes, I tell you it will be required of this
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Generation. Woe to you lawyers for you have taken away the key of knowledge
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You did not enter yourselves and you hinder those who were entering as he went away from there the scribes and the
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Pharisees began to press him hard and to Provoke him to speak about many things lying in wait for him to catch him in something
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He might say this is the word of the Lord. You may be seated I think for a moment of one of the greatest insults
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That can be levied against the person If you're ever in a heat of an argument, maybe of a spouse friend family member or an opponent
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One of the worst things you can hear said against you and against your character are these words you are a hypocrite
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That just hurts doesn't it it stings when a attack like that is levied against us
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Those are one of the most stinging insults a person can get why? Because it attacks the very citadel of the self the very heart
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Preconceived notion of who you are as a person and it says you are not consistent
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With what you say and do therefore you are a hypocrite
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Friends I've got admission. I am a hypocrite Church You would do well to reflect on your walk in your life that you too
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Might be found this morning to be a hypocrite if you have ever
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Uttered a word Believed a doctrine in your heart and have acted against such things
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So your walk and your talk have not aligned and matched You are to some degree a hypocrite the
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Lord Jesus When calling out the Pharisees in his day He levies this accusation against them
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When he says and we see in verse 45 this is when the lawyers answered him so as Jesus was preaching the gospel and he he began to to to to pronounce woes against the
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Pharisees for their neglect of justice for their Neglect of the love of God and he goes on to say that the lawyers answered back saying teacher in saying these things
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You insult us also Consider for a moment what the world thinks of when they hear about Jesus They envision for themselves maybe some type of progressive leader
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Some type of maybe hippie revolutionary who's all about love and peace, you know
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Typically the world maybe thinks of Jesus sometimes of some kind of 1960s or 70s revolutionary
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Where it's all about love peace. It's all about tranquility. It's all about getting along But Jesus here
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Insults a people not in a negative way of Charging something false against them but by bringing out a reality about the individuals with whom he was contending and So the the lawyers levied this attack on Jesus saying teacher and saying these things you insult us also
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But how does Jesus respond and he says this in verse 46? Woe to you lawyers also
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For you load people with burdens hard to bear and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers
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So you're following in the notes today for this afternoon you were given insert this morning
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The Pharisees were insulted at Jesus's rebuke. They were insulted the
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Lord again exposes however, they're double standards and And Hypocrisy Again do you recall your first interaction with an event or person you experienced hypocrisy from someone you loved and trusted
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Sometimes hard things Have been said But Jesus didn't shrink back from rebuking the
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Pharisees and exposing their hypocrisy Likely Jesus had in mind what the Proverbs says in Proverbs 27 5 where it says better is an open rebuke than hidden love
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Certainly one of the marks of mature spiritual leadership is being able to cut through the superficial exterior of a matter or of a person with the intent of calling such ones to repentance and yet Jesus was not
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Was not known to mince words he was direct yet loving He was firm yet gentle He was authoritative but also humble
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This Jesus was unique among all men ever to be born now the reality is that we all struggle here in this room with a spirit of hypocrisy a
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Hypocrite is usually defined as a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
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It also can mean this a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
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If you've ever acted against your beliefs You are a hypocrite Which means we are all in trouble
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Some worse off than others But the question I want to relay to us this afternoon is is there hope for the hypocrite?
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Is there hope for those whose walk doesn't always match their talk? Hopefully as we conclude with this message we will find the answer to be a resounding yes, but it comes of a warning
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There is hope for the hypocrite But there's also a woe to those who act against their stated beliefs and convictions specifically in this text before us this afternoon the
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Lord Jesus is dealing with however a stiff -necked religious elite and That has misrepresented
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God to an entire people group namely the Jewish people and as a result of their hypocritical doctrine
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They are storing up wrath for themselves and those who they are misleading
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Notice what it goes on to say in verse 47 Jesus says this again. Woe to you for you build the tombs of the prophets whom your father's killed
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So you are witnesses and you consent to the deeds of your father for they killed them and you build their tombs
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So I want you to write this in the notes the Pharisees presented themselves as spiritual
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The Pharisees were a class of religious leaders who were counted among the zealots those who were who were students of the law who were to be the keepers of the law to bring forth the doctrine of Moses to the people of God and yet They began layer by layer thing brick by brick building a facade of religiosity building a decadence of Godly appearance and yet proving false to its power
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The Pharisees presented themselves as spiritual but had the same wicked spirit
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That led to the deaths of the prophets once you write that in there as well You see being outwardly righteous and pious is not enough
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Inwardly the Pharisees had the same spirit as their ancestors who stoned the prophets and rejected the oracles of God Now today in this day and age we have something that We contend with a little bit differently.
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We have of course the religious elites that are in the establishments I think of Roman Catholicism for instance and others
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High lofty groups that carry themselves around of this aura of religiosity
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But we also have another group in society that are not religious, but instead they brand themselves as spiritual
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And so today if you're walking on the streets of the Bay Area, you'll likely find someone who's not religious
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But they'll say that they're spiritual These are a lot There's a lot of people in the culture today that believe that they are spiritual forgetting that the demons are also spiritual and They use their spirituality as a cover -up to live and do as they please
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You talk to the average person in the world the average pagan they said well, I'm spiritual I'm just trying to figure things out.
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I'm just going through the world. I'm just I'm just learning and growing And they use all these interesting words and monikers, but truly have no meaning
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They're fleeting emotions have become their God And these are the same individuals that when confronted with biblical truth about the gospel and about holiness
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Pick up their pitchforks to attack Christianity and denounce it as a bigotry Spirituality Spirituality apart from the truth of Jesus Christ is demonic
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It is the same spirit that was in operation with even the Pharisees who again carried themselves with a certain amount of piety and yet had a rebellious spirit the same spirit that led to the deaths of the prophets before Jesus and so We see this spirit at work today even the same spirit that led to the stoning of prophets in spirit that we see at work today according to Ephesians 2 1 the
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Spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience You see our
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Christian love must be free from hypocrisy Therefore we must all be even all the more careful not to foster an environment of gossip
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Or a critical spirit of slander in God's Church Because there's a severe judgment which is reserved for those who walk in that spirit in the house of the
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Lord and so we must be we're not to Attach ourselves to the same spirit that the
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Pharisees Walked around slandering Jesus with as they could not see past their own thoughts and burdens
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Jesus rightly calls them out and rebukes them He says in verse 49 where therefore also the wisdom of God said
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I will send them prophets and apostles Some of whom they will kill and persecute
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Know this beloved Following Jesus doesn't always come With immediate benefits or physical blessing instead
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Part of being a follower of Jesus may mean that you will be persecuted that you be hated for the message and the one for whom you represent the
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Lord Jesus Christ and particularly in this area of the world very liberal space in which supposedly the world celebrates diversity of thought but when confronted with the exclusivity of the doctrine of Christ The world isn't a fan of it.
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And so you will be judged you will be misaligned You will be called bigots
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You will be hated and persecuted by those of this world by the new
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Pharisee class that exists in the culture today But have hope and have faith in this that Jesus is
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God's wisdom which is at work in us today once you write this in the notes. Jesus is
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God's wisdom Who sent prophets and apostles to preach repentance
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And received persecution from his people Israel You see
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Jesus is the key to living a life that pleases God in the spirit of the
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Of what we are reading and learning today. I think it would be appropriate to highlight how gracious a
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God and father is You see our father is good It's impossible for him to be hypocritical
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That is to act against his will or word And our father is so good that he loves us even when we ourselves have been hypocrites
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Offers us forgiveness and the gift of repentance and the opportunity to turn from our sin turn from self -righteousness and to trust in the perfect Righteousness and merit of Jesus Christ Jesus is that perfect wisdom from God coming down from the father for the grace and truth
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He's the power and the wisdom of God according to the word in 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 24
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He is that perfect wisdom from God and in his sovereign foresight He sent for prophets and apostles to preach repentance on to the people of God in Israel yet Ancient Israel failed to receive that good news beloved
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You too beloved Christian do not fall into the same snare For yet though we believe in our election in our certainty of our
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Salvation by means of Jesus Christ. We also must not be Foolish and thinking that we can't fall into the same snares that befell
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God's ancient people God dealt swiftly with his people in ancient times.
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I'm also reading through my personal reading through the book of Jeremiah What's interesting is that the first 12 chapters is just edict after edict of judgment upon God's people
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God's people just being judged harshly and Yahweh doesn't hold back He calls out his people as a as a prostitute
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And says that my people have have committed a horror ascends and he says in chapter 2 Jeremiah Be appalled.
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Oh heavens be appalled All you host for my people have committed a double sin
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They have forsaken me the fountain of living water and they have written they have made for themselves cisterns broken cisterns
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That cannot contain the water so great was the fall of Israel and their apostasy and their rejection of the
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Lord of hosts that he calls Judgment upon them now this judgment of which the prophets spoke of is now culminating in the life and ministry of Jesus Jesus is that final prophet of God's people who is coming and he is
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Warning and he is calling out the religious leaders of his day and say woe to you just as the prophets before him also pronounced woes against the ancient leaders of Israel and Jesus is now proclaiming judgment upon the covenant breakers
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And he's calling them to Repentance and he's calling the nations to be ready for the infiltration of God's kingdom into the world and yet How does
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God's ancient people respond? How do the Pharisees respond?
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by receiving This woe by receiving this judgment because in the first 12 chapters of Jeremiah God is also pronouncing woes upon his people, but then he gives him a chance
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He says but if you would return to me if you would humble yourself Then there would be hope for you covenant breakers.
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There would be hope for your apostasy. There would be hope for your adultery There would be hope for your backsliding
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Yet as Jesus pronounces this same judgment upon ancient and now the first century
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Jews They too do not heed the warning that he is giving even though he is himself the wisdom of God And he sent them prophets and apostles some of whom they will kill and persecute
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But it's for this purpose in verse 50. It says this So that the blood of all the prophets shed from the foundation of the world may be charged against this
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Generation from the blood of Abel to the blood Zechariah who perished between the altar to sanctuary.
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Yes I tell you it will be required of this Generation fascinating text of Scripture here.
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I Want you to write this in the notes God will require vengeance for the blood spilled by Israel If you remember in the early stories of the book of Genesis the first murder that takes place
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Cain and Abel Now it says in Scripture that his blood called to Yahweh The blood of the innocent were was calling crying out to the
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God of heaven Israel's judgment was upon her as Jesus was proclaiming this word
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Letting them know that the blood of all the righteous prophets that was sent beforehand
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Was crying even from the ground and that their cries were being heard by the sovereign
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Lord of history And he would respond with their ultimate demise and destruction of the covenant breakers
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You see it would fall on that generation
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Question is often brought up when we read the Olivet Discourse in Matthew chapter 24 in Luke chapter 21 about What generation is
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Jesus speaking of when he's pronouncing all these judgments in this glorious? Appearance of his judgment coming in in those chapters of text of Scripture And I think it's pretty clear if you were listening to Jesus pronounce these woes if you were listening to Jesus declare
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Emphatically that this generation would face judgment. You wouldn't be thinking to yourself boy those guys in 2024 had a real bad
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Man those guys out in the future. They're the ones they're gonna be in trouble. No beloved. He was talking to that generation to the people
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To whom he was speaking to the religious leaders of zealots the Pharisees the hypocrites. That's who he was addressing
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And he says that upon them would fall all the righteous blood and that this generation would be held accountable in Their rejection not only of the prophets who came before Jesus but also of the very blood of Jesus himself remember when
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Jesus was put on trial and What does the Jewish crowds being to cry as as as as they?
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Plead Jesus case and then they have another man there who was a who's a criminal and they say let his blood be upon us
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Pronouncing a curse upon themselves And so God again would require vengeance for the blood spilled by Israel and it would indeed fall on death generation
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So what is the final result of a people who embrace hypocrisy? It's judgment and calamity
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Jesus time and time again foretells and prophesies the looming destruction of Jerusalem, which was literally fulfilled
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In a three and a half year siege of Jerusalem by the Romans culminating in the city's destruction in the year 70
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AD Certainly upon that generation Had to give an account for the sins committed
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And upon that generation will fall all the righteous blood of the heart of the prophets So there's a lesson for us to learn.
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It's this hypocrisy kills hypocrisy kills The hypocrisy of their religious zealots was of no good or avail on that great day of judgment in fact, if you read the historical facts of the of the invasion of the
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Romans upon Jerusalem in the year 70 AD the Jews were choked out in in the stronghold of the city and Systematically were being pushed pushed pushed into the city when the
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Romans sieged it and came in and all the religious leaders You know where they could be found on the temple
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And they were all gathered at Temple Mount and they were waiting for Yahweh to come save them
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And it reminds me of a prophecy Bofringer Maya in Isaiah that the that the religious leaders would cry out safety safety, but there would be no safety it would result in their destruction and Today we have those who also claim such things
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That there is safety safety that there'll be that there'll be the judgment that it will be due to this generation
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Well, don't worry because we'll be out of here. We'll be raptured. We won't have to see it
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We won't have to live through we won't have to go through anything those people foolishly like the ancient
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Pharisees preach a doctrine of safety safety without seeing the calamity that is coming upon the world and So beware of hypocrisy because hypocrisy kills
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And Isaiah chapter, I mean Luke chapter 11 verse 52 to 54 Jesus says this
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Woe to you Lawyers for you have taken away the key of knowledge
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And he did not enter yourselves And you hindered those who were entering as he went away from there the scribes and the
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Pharisees began to press him hard and to Provoke him to speak about many things Lying and wait for him to catch him in something that he might say
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You see I want you to write this in notes the religious zealots kept knowledge to themselves
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Hindering others from coming to the truth Part of the scourge of hypocrisy is the withholding of information or the withholding of knowledge
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Friends We must have a knowledge that is based upon the
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Word of God God's Word is the antidote to our fallen condition. It's the antidote to our hypocrisy.
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It's the answer That we all need to seek after Because there will be a day in which
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God will judge the world and righteousness And on that day may you not be found to be among the religious zealots or the hypocrites
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But instead that you would be one who out of sincerity served the Lord of a clear conscience
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May you know and receive this word and this warning God has will and has called us to account
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And on that day you will either plea your case or you will have one who plead the case
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And that would be the Lord Jesus Christ Who by his grace and by his perfect obedience was able to offer himself up to God as a perfect ransom for all of our sins and That if we put our faith and trust in him though, we might err though We may backslide though.
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We may be hypocrites. There's hope for the hypocrite. There's hope for the backslider
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There's hope for the sinner and there's hope for all those who would call on the name of the
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Lord See both in the Old Testament and the New Testament when God pronounces judgment he always does so with the hope that he would that the people of God would repent and turn and Trust and that invitation is always given in the
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Old Testament repent turn Believe and the same is true in the
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New Testament God calls us all to believe to trust in him to turn from our wicked ways
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So that we may have life And this is the means by which God has given us eternal life by means of the death burial resurrection of Jesus Christ All of us who trust in Jesus finish work and believe in our heart that God raised from the dead
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The Bible says thou shalt be saved Now you can be saved you will be saved if you confess the
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Lordship of the resurrected Jesus So that there is indeed hope for the hypocrite there is indeed hope for you and I Because that hope has been secured by the blood of Jesus and his glorious resurrection from the dead
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I want to close with just a quick vision of the future So that if you're struggling today know that there's hope
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Even for you should you find yourself this morning to be a hypocrite and that hope will be found in Isaiah chapter 11
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Isaiah the 11th chapter in verse 6 notice the hope for the future
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That the wolf shall dwell the lamb Leopard shall lie down with the young goat the calf and the lion the fattened calf together the little child shall lead them
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The cow and the bear shall graze they're young shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox
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The nursing child shall play over the whole of the Cobra and the weaned child shall put his hands in the adders then
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They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth
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Shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the water cover the sea
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Through Jesus the whole world will one day be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh where we will have peace forevermore and soon, there will be a world rid of hypocrisy of sin a world no longer
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Subject to the weaknesses of the flesh and double -mindedness, but instead Unlike the superficial legalistic knowledge of the
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Pharisees a true knowledge of the Lord Can and will lead us to true repentance and a life free of hypocrisy.
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Why? Because the gospel is the solution to hypocrisy Where even the biggest hypocrites?
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Can be made right with God and have peace of their Creator through Jesus Christ, may you know and receive this peace today, let's pray
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Gracious Father in heaven we come before you recognizing our shortcoming
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Recognizing that we are indeed at times a people that resemble
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Israel more than we ought to when we consider the ancient
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People of God and how they erred and how they sinned and how their walk didn't match their talk
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Lord That's us sometimes Lord Help us not to be stiff -necked as they were
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Hard -hearted as they were in Thick -headed where they could not see their faults and instead stored up even more wrath for themselves
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Lord Help us to recognize our shortcomings this afternoon As we come before you collectively in prayer this afternoon.
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We recognize Lord that indeed we need a Savior Indeed, we need a deliverer to deliver us from ourselves
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To deliver us from the wrath that is to come incurred by our sins and your perfect justice
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And so Lord we ask that in your mercy and your kindness and your forbearance Looking to the promises of Christ and what he has fulfilled in the redemption of his people
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We asked Lord that you would be merciful on us sinners And we pray
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Lord that you'd grant us the gift of thy spirit to lead us on level ground Neither to go to the left or the right but Lord that we would be on that good old path
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That path that leads to eternal life We pray God all these things in Jesus name.
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Amen Well church, I think it'd be appropriate for us to respond to this message with a hymn and song and praise
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Indeed we are sinners. Indeed. We are hypocrites What can wash away our sins?
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What can wash away our hypocrisy? Nothing, but the blood of Jesus.
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Amen. Let's turn to him 677 what can wash away my sins?
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What can wash away my sin nothing but the blood of Jesus What can make me whole again nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh Precious is the flow
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That makes me white as snow Oh For my cleansing this
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I see nothing but the blood of Jesus For my pardon this my plea nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh Precious is the flow
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That makes me white as snow He's us
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Atone nothing but the blood of Jesus Not of good that oh nothing but the blood of Jesus Oh Precious is the flow
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That makes me white as snow Oh This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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This is all my righteousness, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, oh, oh,
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Jesus. Now by this I'll overcome, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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By this I'll reach my home, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
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Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, oh, oh,
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Jesus. Amen, church.
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Why don't we take a moment to reorganize ourselves and find small groups of two, three, or four, and let's fellowship together in prayer.
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And once we have our groups assembled, I will lead us in our first prayer of confession.
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Well, church, our first area of prayer will be in the area of confession, particularly how often we fall into the trap of hypocrisy.
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So let's pray in that effort. Father, we do come before you, Lord, recognizing again our shortcoming, our hypocrisy.
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Lord, it's always the other person that's a hypocrite, never us. But Lord, help us even now recognize where we do fall short, where we are indeed hypocrites, where our walk and our talk do not always align, whether it be in our private homes, in our marriages, in the church.
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Lord, whatever situation we may find ourselves in, Lord, may we strive to be a people whose walk and talk align in such a way that it glorifies our
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Father who's in heaven and does not bring shame upon your name amongst the Gentiles. And so,
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Lord, we pray that we would not be like the stiff -necked people that came before, but instead we would recognize and heed your warning and heed your goodness as we humble ourselves before the mighty hand of God so that in due time we may be exalted.
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We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, church, we're now going to turn our attention in prayer to our needs, particularly that God would grant us repentance from our hypocrisy and serve from a sincere heart, and, of course, other needs that arise in the church.
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And so we'll have Brother John Burchett lead us in that. Please pray with me.
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Father, we come to you as those, as our pastor was reminding us, that we so easily slip into hypocrisy.
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We easily, Father, act as though the things, even those we know to be true, were not.
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In the way that we speak, the way that we act, the way we allow ourselves to feel, we're thankful,
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Father, that we know better things are true of us. We pray, Father, you would bring us to a place where we live confidently, knowing these things are true, that you are a forgiving
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God, that all who come to the Savior will be accepted, that we can come,
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Father, even though you know each and every one of our sins, you know them even far better than we know ourselves, and yet you have loved us, and yet your
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Son has died that we might be brought to you. We thank you that we can live in that confidence, knowing that this world is not our home, knowing that all the things that come to us in your providence come from a
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Father who loves us. We pray, Father, we would live confidently, knowing the
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Savior has secured what is good for us, and that you will withhold nothing from us that is truly good.
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We pray especially for our sister Sue again today. We're thankful for the truth that is proclaimed to us in the book of Pilgrim's Progress, in the
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House of the Interpreter, where a Christian sees the man pouring water on the flame, and yet the flame does not die, and he's shown how there is another pouring oil upon that fire, causing it to burn even more and more brightly, though there is water on it.
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We pray, Father, for our sister and for ourselves, that you would pour that oil upon us more and more, that those in the world would have cause to wonder, wonder whether we are hypocrites, and wonder how can we be so joyful when all the things are coming to us are hard, and yet we are living in light with truth that you are providing for us, and you will strengthen us, and you will cause us to burn more and more, though we are burned up, and yet,
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Father, that is not the end of us. We pray for her, Father, that you'd strengthen her and give her grace to live in a way that shows to all that see her how good you are, even in difficulty.
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We pray, Father, for the many here that have been through these doors that do not fully understand their sin, that live hypocritically as though everything were fine when it is not.
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We think especially of our children who hear your word regularly. We pray,
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Father, you'd have mercy upon them and show them the kindness of revealing themselves to them, that they would come and experience that Savior who has died for sinners.
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We pray, Father, for ourselves, though we who think we stand, that we would yet take the warning of your
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Apostle and take heed that everything we see where people go wrong, that's there we would go also, but for your grace.
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We thank you for your provisions for us, and we pray, Father, that as we go through the turmoil and the trouble of this week, that we would go knowing the truths that are in our hearts, and that we would live them,
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Father, when we experience difficulty, when we experience hatred from the world, when we experience trouble in our homes, when we see our sin popping out in ways that has popped up many times before, that you would have mercy on us and bring us again to that Savior to be washed, to be made new again, and made fit for the world that we are going to.
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We pray you'd be with us through this week for your glory, Father, for our good, especially for the exaltation of our
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Lord Jesus in the eyes of all those with whom we have to do. We pray in his name.
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Amen. Now to praying for the ministries of our church and other churches, in particular that we would lead many from religious hypocrisy into the knowledge that leads to life,
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Pastor Conley will help lead us in that endeavor. Let me start off by reading another prayer letter from another church in our association.
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This is from Redemption Bible Church in Bellefontaine, Ohio. I believe this was actually the request from last week, and I don't have another one updated for this week, so never mind,
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I will skip that today. All right, let's pray for our own church, our own ministries, that we would lead many from religious hypocrisy into a knowledge that leads to life.
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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for the great privilege it is not only to be children of you, but also to declare your word to others.
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You have given us this instrumental role of bringing others into the faith, and we thank you for that.
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However, we acknowledge that we can plant and we can water, but only you can give the growth, and so we ask that you would help us to be faithful in the planting and watering, and we also ask that you would provide the growth.
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In particular, we ask that you would assist us in calling men to repentance from hypocrisy.
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As was pointed out earlier in the message, though many, especially in this area, may not consider themselves religious, they have a religion of their own, they have a sense of moral uprightness, they have a sense of superiority even, and yet the way that they walk is not in accord with true godliness and not even in accord with the logical implications of many of the things they proclaim.
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We ask that though they walk in darkness, though they do not know you, that through the word proclaimed from this pulpit at the food pantry and our various ministries, we ask that people would see the truth.
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Those who already know you, that they would have a greater clarity, those who do not know you, that they would see the reality of their sin and the salvation that exists in Jesus Christ, and they would find that, and we pray that you would lead them into life.
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We ask that your kingdom would advance, that you would, as we are soldiers in your army, that you would grant us that armor of God, both defensive and offensive, that we might do your will and win ground for the kingdom.
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We pray that the gates of Hades would not prevail. We know, we rest on your promises that they shall not, but we request anyway because it is only by your power that your promises come to fulfillment.
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And so we rest and trust on those and plead on the basis of those promises that you have given.
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In Jesus' name, amen. Praying for the world, and particularly our leaders, that God would convict our leaders of their hypocrisy.
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So Brother Ken will help us in that regard. Our Heavenly Father, we lift up to you today the people of the world, and we ask
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God that you would be especially this afternoon with the Central American nation of El Salvador.
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And we thank you, God, that they have achieved, by your grace, God, they have been experiencing a time of stability since the end of the
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Civil War in 1992. We ask, Lord, that you would continue, and we thank you,
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God, for the continuity of the free election cycles that have been occurring there since then. And we beseech you, Lord, for continued improvement in the areas also in El Salvador of corruption.
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We ask God for an end to poverty in this poor nation and also an end to gang violence in this country,
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God. So help also El Salvador to navigate this time of change, as they consider also the tradeoff between security and systems of representative government.
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So, God, we ask that you would be with the President of El Salvador, President Bukele, as he looks to win a second term, even though the
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Constitution previously did not allow the second term. So help El Salvador benefit from the efforts of the
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President to bring order back to this previously gang -ridden society without also giving up the hard -won gains that the country has made in the area of free and fair elections.
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So help El Salvador to recognize also that the heart of their problem is the spiritual issue. So, God, by your grace and by your great power, by your spirit, and by your gospel message,
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Lord, transform the hearts so that the entire nation of El Salvador eschews the evil of gang violence and embraces true love, love for God and love for neighbor.
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God, help this trend to increase. Also help, God, that the number of churches in this nation would continue to grow and not to decrease, and they would have the fire of revival in this country.
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Help your people in El Salvador to consolidate and strengthen the work of discipling nations in this country.
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So, God, please provide your churches in El Salvador godly leadership and help them also bless the seminaries and Bible institutes in this country so that your church in El Salvador can be blessed with pastors, deacons, and teachers that are loyal servants in your kingdom.
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It can lead people to all truth. Lord, bless especially a church in the capital city of San Salvador, Miramonte Baptist Church.
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God, bless this local body of yours as they work in your name to strengthen and deepen the knowledge of the gospel in the capital.
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Lord, bless the educational work that they have set out to do in your name, God, and educating the youth in your ways and educating people that are leaving the
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Catholic religion and turning to true, saving faith, and their Bible school that trains leaders and pastors in the preaching of eternal truth, making disciples of all nations.
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Lord, expand your kingdom work by using your faithful servants in El Salvador, by building and strengthening faith in this country.
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Please let us all, please let them all witness your great work in El Salvador and bring multitudes of your elect into your fold in this country.
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Lord, also, closer to home, we ask you that we bless our government leaders in positions of authority for our good.
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We lift up also the individuals in charge of our military, especially the Commander -in -Chief Joseph Biden.
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Please help him to have your wisdom from on high and give him this wisdom to lead the fighting force of the
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United States on the earth. Help him, Lord, from your throne of mercy and grace so that he does well by the members of the military for the good of the nation, for the good of the entire world because of this powerful force on the earth.
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Which could be for good or for evil, God. And so, Lord, please save the soul of Joe Biden by teaching his heart to repent of all sin and turn to your son, the
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Lord Jesus Christ, in true faith for the forgiveness of iniquity. Lord, through this, give the military leaders of this country wisdom to do their jobs with your kingdom purposes in mind.
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So, Lord, so do and treat Joseph Biden's military right -hand men, such as Lloyd Austin and the
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Chief of Staff Mark Milley, Lord. And save all these men and save the souls of their families, Lord.
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And please give them your wisdom so they can find your solutions to eliminate the risk of unnecessary warfare as we go through a period of turmoil on the earth,
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God, in Ukraine and the Middle East and elsewhere. Help, Lord, as we project strength in this world, the
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United States, and do so in a godly way so that your light shines forth in everything that our nation does.
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And let these leaders be leaders also in Christ's light and shine this light into a dark world so that by leading by example, they can give us an example of Christ's discipleship.
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Lord, let these individuals not bear the sword in vain, but let them bear the spiritual sword for the advancement of your kingdom.
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Save the souls of many in government, Lord, so that your people will live peaceful and quiet lives on the earth, for your glory is a way to return of the
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Savior, your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In his name, amen. Well, church, let's now conclude our time together by standing and singing in doxology.
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Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
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Praise him, all creatures here below.
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Praise him above ye heavenly hosts.
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Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.