Gods will for every Christian!

Here I Stand Theology

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he arose. The hope of the Christian is eternal life.

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We truly as Christians have that hope. In the book of Job, Job actually made this statement,

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Oh that my words were written, oh that they were inscribed in a book, that they were engraved on a rock with an iron pin and led forever, for I know that my

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Redeemer lives, and he shall stand at the last day on the earth, and after my skin is destroyed, this

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I know, that I shall see God in my flesh. The Old Testament, this is proclaimed in the

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New Testament, it's proclaimed in the epistles that one day, no man knows the day nor the hour, but one day

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Christ is coming back, and when Christ comes back every eye will behold him, and the dead in Christ will be raised first because of the hope of eternal life, and then those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up together with the

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Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. That is our hope.

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I will say this though, it is, I think it's unrealistic for us to be completely honest with ourselves and for us each and every one to say though that we have this hope, it does not make life challenging and difficult somewhat to live through, but we live with a certain hope, and that is the hope of the resurrection from the dead one day because of Jesus Christ, and so because of what

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Christ has done throughout the Word of God, particularly where we're at in the book of Colossians this morning, chapter 1, we're going to look at and we're going to pick back right back up and look at the knowledge of God's will, that you, again

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I'm going to say it, that you beyond a shadow of a doubt have no excuse for not knowing what

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God's will is when you leave here today. If you can hear the words that are spoken, if you have heard the words that have been sung, if you hear the words that have been taught, if you hear the word that is going to be preached right now, you will know what the will of God is for your life.

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I say that humbly, I say that respectfully, but I say it with confidence because the

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Word of God is clear. We're going to see the will of God for the

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Christian today. Some people think that the will of God is a mystery, that it's something to be, that you have to look under rocks and you have to go through, jump through hoops and circles and do dances and this and that to find, but friend, if you will but open the

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Word of God, you will find the will of God for your life. And so that's the major theme today of the message.

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It is God's will for every believer. God's will for every believer.

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You remember some weeks ago, and I'm going to add a little bit more, another question for you to consider as each week you listen to the messages that are preached.

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Several weeks ago, maybe several months ago now, we encouraged and challenged you as a body, as a church member, as a member here to, when you come to end the sermon, to know what the theme of the sermon or the message is before you leave, to know what the theme of the message is, to know what the principles that are taught from the

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Word of God that are being preached and taught from the pulpit. Now this, it is the preacher's responsibility somewhat to maybe point to you and say, this is the theme and these are the principles, but there's another question that I want you to be able to answer as you listen to preaching throughout your years and your sojourn here on the earth as a

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Christian, and it is this, it is the so what question. When the preacher preaches, when you hear the message today,

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I want you to be able to answer so what. What does this mean for me? Preacher, what are you trying to get me to believe?

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What are you trying to get me to do according to the Word of God? So according to the

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Word of God, what we intend for you to know and learn this morning is to know what

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God's will is for the life of every believer, and to know not only what is

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God's will, but what to do with God's will. How do you respond to God's will?

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How do you react to God's will? A question isn't asked.

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If I looked at you, sir, and I said, sir, do you have a $100 bill that I can have? Now, I've got an intent behind my question, right?

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I'm obviously asking you for a $100 bill, but what most people will do, will zone out when the $100 bill gets mentioned, and they'll try to avoid the question.

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I don't want you to avoid these questions. These questions are important. I'm not asking you for $100.

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I'm asking you simply to pay attention, because you need to know

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God's will. So three things concerning God's will we're going to look at this morning.

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Ma 'am told me to preach loud because she was sleepy, so if I'm louder than normal, it's my mother -in -law's fault.

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I'm going to pass the buck. It was the mother -in -law that the

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Lord gave me. That's right. That's right.

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Three things concerning God's will for every believer. Three things we're going to look at. Number one, we're going to look at God's will for the redeemed, or for the saved, for every believer.

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God's will for the Christian, for those whom he has chosen and called unto salvation.

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God's will for the Christian, and we're going to look at particular texts. God's will for the

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Christian is to redeem you and to keep you. You do not have to worry about saving yourself, and you do not have to worry about keeping yourself.

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That is the work of God. Number two concerning God's will for every believer is this.

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God's will for every believer is holiness and sanctification. Holiness and sanctification.

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And number three, God's will for the Christian is to obey what the

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Bible says concerning our practices, meaning how we live our life.

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To obey what the Bible says concerning our roles as men and women and children.

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I believe that covers everybody in here, don't it? If you're a man, woman, or child, can I see your hand? That's good.

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That keeps the blood flowing. And to know and to obey

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God's role, purpose, and plan for our lives as his people in our employment, employer relationship.

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Whether you are an employer, whether you're a supervisor, whether you're on the bottom of the totem pole or you're at the top of the totem pole,

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God's will is that you honor him in every area and in every aspect of our lives.

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And so that being said, let's read the text. Colossians chapter one, verse nine, and we're going to read down through verse, um, actually through verse 12.

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For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will.

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Remember, Paul is writing to a group of people who are practicing heresy, who are seeking to worship

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God outside the means that God has ordained, seeking other mediators other than Jesus Christ.

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And what Paul is encouraging the Colossian people to know and to understand is to know the will of God.

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So that you be filled with the knowledge of his will and all wisdom and spiritual understanding that you, verse 10, that you may walk worthy of the

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Lord. So what, what are you trying to, what is the text saying to us or what is the text being spoken to the

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Colossians? The text being spoken to the Colossians is that Paul is praying for them, that they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will.

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So what's it saying to you that you need to be filled with the knowledge of God's will so that you might have spiritual understanding.

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So what preacher, we've heard all this before. Well, the problem comes when you don't respond appropriately to the word of God and you don't walk according to the will of God nor walk according and worthy of the

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Lord. The Lord deserves us to give him every bit of ourselves, every area of our lives.

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So Paul said, do this so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

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So what are you increasing in the knowledge of God? Do you leave the church house on Sunday increased in the knowledge of God?

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If it's the preacher's fault, then talk to the preacher. But if it's your fault, repent, pay attention, focus, take notes, do what is necessary so that your knowledge of God from the word of God would increase so that you may glorify him in your life.

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Going on, the word of God says, Paul goes on to say, strengthen with all might according to his glorious power so that you would be strengthened.

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That's the so what? For all patience and long suffering with joy because life is hard.

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Life is difficult. Each and every one of you face different trials. You face different circumstances.

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You face different problems, but friends, we serve the same God and he is able to save you and to keep you.

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And he is able to give you wisdom according to his word that you may know him, that you may love him better.

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Patience and all long suffering with joy, giving thanks to the father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

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If you would turn over to John's gospel chapter 17 for just a moment here, and we're going to take the scripture and from the scripture, give you examples and illustrations and prove that God's will.

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Number one thing we're going to look at God's will is that he saves, he redeems, and he keeps those whom he has called unto himself.

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Matter of fact, in earlier in John's gospel, we're turning to John 17, but just as a point of reference earlier in John's gospel, in John chapter six,

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Jesus said, all that the father has given me, I have lost none. That is a wonderful statement there.

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It brings the believer in the Christian hope and joy, but let's look at John 17 and we'll see that God's will for those whom he has called and redeemed is to keep them.

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The Bible says this, Jesus high priestly prayer in John chapter 17, the prayer that he prayed in the garden,

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Jesus spoke these words, 17 verse one, lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, father, the hour has come glorify your son, that your son may also glorify you as you have given him authority over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him.

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We are in the hands of God. Back in the old days, back three or four or 500 years ago,

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George Whitfield or maybe in Jonathan Edwards or George Whitfield, I can't remember which one preached the sermon sinners in the hands of an angry

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God standing out in an open field with crowds gathered in men and women, children alike wept and cried and moaned and wailed by the time he got done.

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Not because he was long winded, but because the proclamation of the sovereignty and the character and the nature and the power of a holy

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God and that all men are in the hands of God. The Bible goes on to say this, and this is eternal life that they may know you.

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What was Paul's prayer? That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, that you may increase in the knowledge of God.

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Eternal life is that you may know the only true

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God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. This was the prayer of Jesus Christ.

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And he goes on to say, I've glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work, which you have given me to do.

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And now father glorify me together with yourself, with the glory, which

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I had with you before the world was. We see the eternal and the true nature of who

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Jesus Christ is that Jesus Christ was not the first of God's created beings.

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He was not created. He was in the beginning with God. The Bible goes on here in verse nine or verse six.

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And Jesus says, I've manifested, I've declared your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world.

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Now he's speaking particularly here of those disciples. He said, they were yours.

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You gave them to me and they have kept your word.

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Now they have known that all things, which you have given me are from you for I have given to them the words, which you have given me and they have received them and have known surely that I came forth from you and they have believed that you have sent me.

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It is God's will to save all those whom the father has given to the son and to keep them.

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We're going to see that here. The next phrase, I pray for them. Jesus said, verse nine,

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I do not pray for the world, but for those whom you have given me for they are yours and all mine are yours and yours are mine and I am glorified in them.

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Jesus said, now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world and I come to you.

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Jesus says, holy father, keep through your name, keep through your name.

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Friend, we put our trust and our confidence in our loved one's prayers, but there is one person's prayer who will never fail or falter.

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And that is the prayer that Christ prayed. I pray that you would keep them.

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Jesus said, keep them. I come to you, holy father, keep them through your name. Those whom you have given me that they may be one as we are.

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While I was with them in the world, I kept them in your name. Those whom you gave me,

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I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition,

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Judas, that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now Jesus said,

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I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

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You will most certainly be overcome by this world if you are not filled with the knowledge of God's will for your life.

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That word again, that Paul uses in Colossians, it means to be filled to the fullest, filled to the fullest.

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And the word used for knowledge means this, that you would have a full orb and an accurate understanding of who

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God is and what God's will is for you. Now this is the keeping will of God.

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We see this going on a little bit further. Jesus said in verse 14, I've given him your word and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

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I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one.

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This is that keeping grace of God. This is God's will. And you need to remember and know this, that whatever

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God says, whatever God does, and whatever God allows is ultimately his will, because there is nothing happens outside of the sovereign hand of our holy

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God. So Jesus said, keep them, keep them that they may be one as we are one.

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And then Jesus goes on in verse 22, or actually yeah, verse 22, and the glory which you gave me,

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I have given them that they may be one just as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be made perfect.

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That word perfect means complete, whole, that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.

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Father, I desire that they also, whom you gave me, may be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which you have given me for you loved me, but for the foundation of the world.

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Jesus is declaring his eternal relationship with the father. Verse 25,

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O righteous father, the world has not known you, but I have known you and these have known that you sent me and I have declared to them your name.

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And it is that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.

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We see in this recorded prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ, truly, it was really other than the other gospel account,

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Matthew, Mark, Luke. We have just a brief portion of the prayer where Jesus said, father, let this cup pass from me.

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By the way, that cup that he's speaking of, what was in that cup, he was the wrath of almighty God.

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No other man, woman, boy, girl, person ever lived shall ever live would be able to take that cup, but Jesus Christ, he saved us and it is he who keeps us.

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So we know it is God's will that he saves those whom he has called unto salvation.

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And we know that it is God's will that he secures those of us who are in him.

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Next thing, let's move to the second point. God's will for the Christian is holiness and sanctification.

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Now, here's where we get in more into the, so what, what does that mean to me, preacher? What does that have to do with me?

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How can I, what do you expect me to do with this text that you're about to, what do I expect you to do with the text that you're about to hear?

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I expect you to do what the Holy Spirit put it in the word of God for to obey the text, to obey the text.

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God's will for every Christian is holiness and sanctification. First Thessalonians chapter four, first Thessalonians chapter four.

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I'll give you just a moment to get there. And I know some of you may be saying it's Easter.

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Aren't you supposed to be preaching about the resurrection? We began by preaching about the resurrection and here in the middle, we're preaching about the resurrection because it is only by the power of the resurrected

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Christ that you are able to obey God. It is the will of God to save those whom he has called unto salvation.

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It is the will of God to keep those whom he has called unto salvation. And it is

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God's will that every Christian walk in holiness and sanctification. First Thessalonians chapter four in verse one, the apostle

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Paul writing to the church at Thessalonica says this, finally then, or in closing, finally then brethren, we urge and exhort you in the

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Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more just as you receive from us how you ought to walk and to please

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God. For you know what commandment we gave you through the

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Lord Jesus. Now listen, verse three, somebody correct me.

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Maybe I'm just, maybe I'm just reading something into this, but Paul said, for this is the will of God, your sanctification.

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He was speaking to the Thessalonian church. Now sanctification was not something just for the people that are being written to at that time.

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Sanctification is for the people of God all time. And so we're not trying to read this into our modern context.

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We are reading this as it is written. And what do we do with it? We ought to obey it for this is the will of God, your sanctification.

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What is sanctification? It sanctification is the work of God by which the Christian is made pure and clean where we grow in holiness, where we grow in holiness.

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And that happens. And that comes when we are obedient unto the Lord's word. And we do what the will of God teaches us that we should do.

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And Paul is very specific moving forward here. Paul says this, this is the will of God, sanctification, that you very clear that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the

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Gentiles who do not know God that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the

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Lord is the avenger of all such as also we forewarned you and testified for God did not call us to uncleanness, but unto holiness.

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It is the will of God for your life.

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Therefore, and Paul makes a big statement here. Therefore, he who rejects this does not reject man, but God who has given also unto us his

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Holy Spirit. So what preacher, what am I to do with this text? Obey the text.

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If you are living in the, under the power and the lust of your flesh, every time you turn around and all you want to do is fulfill the lust of your flesh, then my friend, examine yourself to see whether you be in the faith or not, because you ought to know how to control yourself as a

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Christian. That's what Paul said. It is God's will that we live in holiness and sanctification.

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And last of all, it is God's will for every believer, for every

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Christian to obey what the Bible says concerning our practices, how we live our lives.

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If you go to the book of Ephesians in chapter five, beginning in verse 15,

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Ephesians chapter five, verse 15, keeping in mind

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God's will for you as a Christian is to obey his word, not to obey the preacher, not to obey the teachers, not to obey the singers, not to obey the

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Sunday school teachers. But if all of all of these folks are working as we ought to be working, then we're all teaching you the same thing, the word of God.

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And you ought to obey the word of God because that is God's will for your life. Okay, let's move.

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Verse 15, he says this, see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.

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Don't be foolish. Don't walk around with your head in the air.

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Don't walk around with your head hung down because listen, you can run into a wall just as quickly.

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If all you do is walk around with your nose up in the air, as you, if you all you do is walk with your nose down to the ground, we're called to be wise.

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Jesus told his disciples in the gospels, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.

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Always be alert. Matter of fact, another place, Paul said, be on guard for your adversary as a roaring lion walks around seeking whom he may devour.

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When I was a child walking through our neighborhood, if I would go to one of my friend's house down the street, from the moment

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I walked outside my door, I had my ears attuned for the jingling and rattling of dog leashes, dogs breathing because I hated them then and I hate them now because I was,

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I was afraid of them then. And I'm still a little afraid of them now, but we are called to be on guard, to be alert, to be aware.

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That's what Paul is saying. Be on guard, redeem the time because the days are evil.

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We are not guaranteed one moment. We are not guaranteed another day, another hour.

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We ought to make the most of the time that we have here. And that ought to be made the most of by glorifying

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God with our lives. Paul goes on to say, do not be unwise.

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Are you following along in the text? Do not be unwise. He's referring to don't be a fool.

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Don't be foolish. But do what? Understand what?

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What the will of the Lord is. So what preacher?

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What am I supposed to do with that? Well, I think the text is pretty clear. You need to be wise.

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You need to consider what the word of God is saying, and you need to do what the word of God tells you to do.

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Be not wise, have understanding, knowing what the will of the

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Lord is. Now, here we go. We go into our practices, into our lives. Some might say, preacher, you're diving into, you're sticking your nose into areas that don't belong.

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No, listen, my nose belongs where the word of God says my nose belongs.

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What needs to be preached from the pulpit is the word of God. Be not wise, but understanding what the will of the

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Lord is. And Paul speaking to the church at Ephesus, he said, do not be drunk with wine.

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Wine in the Old Testament, we find in the book of Proverbs, wine is a mocker and strong drink raging.

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And he that partakes of it is not wise. Who has red eyes, who has an achy head, him who has lingered long at the wine.

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That's what the word of God says. Paul says that to the Christian church there, you do not need to be drunk with wine because it's wasteful.

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It's dissipation, but you must be filled with the spirit.

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How are you filled with the spirit? Can somebody just come and lay their hands on you and you'd be filled with the spirit?

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Good answer, Rebecca. No, I don't give you the spirit of God, nor does anybody in here give another the spirit of God.

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God gives his spirit. And if any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God and God who gives liberally unto all men will do that.

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How do you, how am I filled with the spirit then preacher? You got to study the word. You got to seek the face of God.

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You got to know God's will for your life. You got to get rid of the junk that don't belong in your life.

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You need to repent and turn from your sin, turn unto the savior. That's been the message as long as the word's been around.

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Some don't want to preach it because people won't like them or they'll get offended. Some people say, well,

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I'll take, I'll take my little red wagon and go to another church. I mean this in love, get your wagon and go because folks, we ain't got time to fool around with worldliness.

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We ain't got time to fool around with pleasing ourselves. We must be about the Lord's business.

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We must be about seeking to honor the Lord. Paul said, be wise, understanding what the will of the

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Lord is. Do not be drunk with wine wherein is dissipation, but be filled with the spirit.

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I listened to this Hannah. Sounds a lot like Colossians speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the

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Lord. Instead of walking around passing the bottle to each other, he said, you need to be teaching each other what the word of God says.

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Sing it to one another, speak it to one another, teach it to one another, preach it to one another.

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How often does a man, woman, boy or girl need to hear the gospel? We need it every single day to know and to be reminded that Christ, the

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Holy Lord of glory, gave his life for our sins, that he suffered on the cross, was buried in a grave and on the third day arose from the dead, alive forevermore.

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The will of God for the Christian is to know how we ought to live rightly.

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Don't be drunk with wine. Teach each other through Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody in your heart to the

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Lord, giving thanks always. What is God's will for your life? That you are a thankful person.

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Oh, our preacher, you don't know what I'm going through. I ain't got nothing to be thankful for. You're breathing right now. That's enough.

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You are not in hell at this moment. That is enough.

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For the wrath of God had been taken by Jesus Christ for my sin.

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It is enough for me. It is enough for me. He goes on to say, giving thanks always for all things to God the

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Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

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Well, Tim, I ain't going to submit to you. Or Tim may say to Angie, I ain't going to submit to you.

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Angie will give him a look and he'll just get that grin on his face that he's got now.

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She'll just shake her head. What's the point? That's his little phone.

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Submitting to one another, Paul said, it is God's will that we submit to one another.

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Why? As a respect and honor to the Lord in the fear of the

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Lord. And Paul gives these specific areas. And we're going to move to close. But I want you to hear this very, very well.

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Because again, much of what is termed the mystery of knowing

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God's will is folks trying to find out what God wants them to do. Does God want me to do this vocation?

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Does God want me to do that vocation? It's not about specific vocations. It's about how you do the vocation that you're in.

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It is not unclear in the word of God. First of all, he speaks about God's will concerning our familial relations, husbands and wives, children.

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For Paul says, submit to one another in the fear of God. Verse 22, he moves directly to the wives and the husbands.

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And this is what the word of God says, wives submit to your own husbands as to the

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Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as also

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Christ is the head of the church. And he is the savior of the body.

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Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

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This is what we are taught. Wives, how you are to respond to your husbands, but wives, don't worry, you're not left out.

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Husbands, love your wives. Some men might say, my wife won't submit to me.

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She won't even respect me or honor me. Maybe you need to love her like Christ loved the church.

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Maybe you need to give yourself to her completely. Maybe you need to drop the rugged manliness and just serve your wife with everything that you have.

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Maybe you should do like Jesus did, wash your wife's feet, give up your rights for the sake of your wife.

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For that is what Christ has done. That is what Christ has done. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself for her that he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word that he might present her to himself, a glorious church.

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Again, this comparison is made to the church. We are members in particular of the church members in particular, not each one having the same function or having the same office, but we do all operate together.

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And the husbands and wives in the home ought to operate in unity, in fear of the

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Lord, to honor and reverence and respect the Lord. For the word goes on to say in verse 28, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies.

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He who loves his wife loves himself. Husbands, so what am

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I supposed to do with that preacher? So what am I supposed to do with that text? Man, it's pretty clear.

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Love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. Wives, you say, what am

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I supposed to do with that? So what? Wives, submit unto your husbands unto the

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Lord. The kids are saying, you tell my mom and daddy preacher, they need to hear this.

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Well, luckily the Lord didn't leave you out. Whether you're an old kid or a young kid, the

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Lord tells us, children obey your parents. Let's move down to that chapter six, verse one there.

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Children obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. So what preacher, what am

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I, how am I supposed to interpret that text? Well, it's the right thing to do.

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That's what Paul said. So if it's the right thing to do, then don't you think you ought to do that?

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It is God's will for you as a Christian child to honor your father and your mother.

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And Paul says this, which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you. And you may live long on the earth.

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And he says this, he goes back into that familial relationship and he says, you fathers do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurturing and admonition of the

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Lord. I had for years, I've had the hardest time understanding what that first part meant.

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Don't provoke your children wrath. Does that mean don't make them angry? No. If you read the whole statement, you can understand what that first part means.

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If we train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we teach them what the scripture says and we love them like the scripture says we ought to love them.

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Then the opposite of doing that would be pushing them out into the world and telling them to live as they want to live and telling them that it's okay for them to be under the wrath of God.

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Friend, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God. My son's as lost as a man can get.

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But I'm going to tell you something. It is not because he has not been taught the truth. We have not provoked him to wrath.

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We have raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. It is the Lord's job to save him.

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And when the Lord does that, He'll not only save him completely, but He'll keep him completely.

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That is our hope. It's God's will to save those whom He has chosen and called and to keep those whom

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He has chosen and called. It is God's will for the Christian to live and walk in holiness. It is God's will for the

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Christian to obey the word of God in our family relationships, husbands and wives and children.

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It is God's will in verse 5 here. Bond servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart as to Christ.

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What is God's will for your life and your vocation? It is for you to be obedient to your bosses.

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Preacher, there's got to be more you can read into this. No, there's not. It's simple and it's plain in the word of God.

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God's will for your life as a believer is to be an obedient employee.

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Now if your boss tells you to kill somebody, obviously be reasonable. You don't say, okay, the

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Lord told me to be obedient to you. No, we don't do that. We know murder is sin.

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Amen. Amen. Hopefully you say amen right there. Be obedient to your masters in sincerity of heart as to Christ.

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Let everything you do be as unto Christ, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bond servants, as slaves of Christ.

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What's it say right there? Do it. Are you all there?

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Maybe your Bibles don't say what mine says right there. Verse six, not with eye service as men pleasers, but as bond servants of Christ.

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What? Doing the will of God from the heart.

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So what preacher, what do you expect me to do with that text? What does the Holy Spirit expect you to do with the text?

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Might be a better question. Be obedient. With goodwill, doing service as to the

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Lord and not to men. And you, masters.

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So we have the employee and now we have the master. We have the boss. We have the supervisor. We have the head honchos.

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Some of you may refer to them as biggins when they come in the room. Or some of you may have other disrespectful names.

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I encourage you to change your mind today, to change your actions today, to repent of your sin today, and to follow

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Christ. You masters do the same things to them.

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Paul just flipped the table on them and he said, everything I just told the employees to be to their masters,

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I'm telling you masters to be to your employees. If you're a boss, you ought to treat people with respect.

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People are made in the image of God and they deserve respect and honor. Giving up threatening.

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That's what he said to the bosses. Giving up threatening, knowing that your own master also is in heaven and there is no partiality with him.

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If he says stop it or I'm going to kill you, God will, you'll either do one or two things.

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Stop it or die. That's what the word of God is. It's clear on that.

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So God's will for every Christian is that he saves those whom he has called and redeemed unto himself, that he keeps those that he has called and redeemed unto himself.

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Number two, God's will for every Christian is that you walk in holiness and sanctification.

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I told you, you're not going to be able to leave today. You're excuse -less now.

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Absolutely excuse -less because the word of God has stopped my mouth and the word of God has stopped your mouth and he's left us with the clear truth and the word of God is for us to obey the word of God.

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What the Bible says concerning our practices, how we live our lives, what we do. Your private life is just as important as your public life.

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As a matter of fact, in most cases, your private life will dictate your public life.

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You can only do so much to hide sin, but God judges the secrets of men's hearts.

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He knows what's going on. He knows what you do. He knows what you're up to and he knows whether it honors and glorifies him.

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And if it honors and glorifies him, then you are walking pleasing unto the Lord and you are not bringing reproach into his name or into his church.

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But if you are walking displeasing to the Lord and you are dishonoring

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God and you are dishonoring his church here in the world and so God's will for you.

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Now you know. Now comes the so what. Last of all, let me read you a couple of verses in Luke's gospel very quickly here.

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Luke chapter 24. Jesus, after his resurrection, appears to the disciples.

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He opens the scriptures to the disciples, reveals himself to them.

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They understand and realize that he is the fulfillment of all the scriptures and it's because he has opened their understanding.

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And this is what part of his closing statement to the disciples were after his resurrection.

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He said this. These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the

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Psalms concerning me. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures, that they would know his will, that they would have an accurate and a full knowledge of God.

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Then he said to them, thus it is written or because these things have been written and thus it was necessary for the

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Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. Thank you, Lord. I've done what

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I've determined. I front loaded the message with the gospel. I've preached the gospel in the middle and I'm closing this message with the gospel.

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That Christ died and he suffered and rose from the dead the third day.

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And this is what Jesus said in that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.

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The apostle Peter preached the first gospel message if you'd have it there on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.

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And the gospel is spread throughout. And it is our responsibility as the church of God to continue to proclaim this message, remission of sins.

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Repentance actually, repentance means to turn away from sin. And the remission of sin is the taking away of sin.

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Jesus Christ took our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God.

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And what is the right response? Repent, turn from your sin to the last man.

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The message is repent and believe the gospel. To the saved, to the church of the living

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God, to those of you who are redeemed, saved by God's grace, born again, the message to you is this.

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If you say you have believed the gospel, then repent.

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Do the will of God. Heavenly father, we thank you and we praise you for this day.

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I thank you and I praise you for the privilege and the honor today to be in your house, gathered together to be able to sing praises under your name, being able to look at your word, be able to know the truth and the power of your word, and to be able to proclaim your word today, unashamed and somewhat unafraid this morning, because I know that it is in your hands.

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Those who are saved by grace will hear this message. Those who are saved by grace, according to your word, will heed this message.

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And God, I thank you for that reality, but I ask you for mercy and for grace on those who may profess to be saved and yet refuse to heed your word because they are demonstrating by their very actions and by their very deeds that they are not your children.

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Give them grace. Give them, God, please, a little bit more time.

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Give them a little bit more mercy. Demonstrate your long -suffering and your compassionate and your kind nature unto them in that, and help us all, each and every one, to present our bodies, living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto you because,

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God, it is the least that we can do for you, for it is in the name of Jesus I pray.

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Amen and amen. God's will for your life, that he saves you and that he keeps you, that you walk in holiness and sanctification, that you obey his will for your life, that you do not live in drunkenness, but that you walk in holiness.

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Husbands, that you love your wives. Wives, that you love your husbands and submit to them. Children, that you obey your parents.

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Employees, that you submit to your employers. And employers, that you show respect and kindness and patience and compassion to those who are employed by you.

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That's God's will for your life. Share that with somebody this week. I encourage you, if you're a

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Christian, share that with somebody. You know the theme. You know the principles now.

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You know the so what question. And you know what you need to do. Now it's on you.

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It's out of my hands. I love you all with all of my heart. Let me look around at you in just a minute.

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I love yins. I thank God for yins. And if the Lord, we're not going to have, sir, are you okay with not having a

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Bible study tonight? I want to encourage you to spend time with your families. Do what you normally do with your families.

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Take time, encourage them. Week after next, we'll pick up in men's Bible study, Matthew chapter 13.

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I believe it is where we're at. Give you two weeks to study up on that. Again, on behalf of Kenny, I want to say thank you to the men who took the time to study out the text that they were given to teach the text to us in class.

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And for you other folks, be on the lookout. Kenny could likely call you or send you a text.

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So I want you to read a chapter. Amen. All right. Anybody got anything else you need to say?