Isaiah Lesson 72

Cornerstone Church

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And I want to say good afternoon to us who are here. I know that some of the women are off, I think, at Sight and Sound today.

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So Pastor Jeff is with Pastor Marty Berglund. Every month they get an opportunity, he encourages local pastors.

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So we are here and we are continuing in the book of Isaiah. A couple of weeks ago,

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Jeff finished his two -week session on Isaiah 53, which can very easily be looked at as the pinnacle because it's the great messianic chapter that actually starts in the beginning of the end of 52.

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And he took us there for a couple of weeks. And so as we are coming out of 53, we are kind of looking at almost an echo.

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If you're looking at the pattern of how it was written, it's called the chiastic structure, where you have events leading up and then you have a pinnacle pivot and then events coming down.

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So what we had last week as we are coming down in chapter 54 was a look at the

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Millennial Kingdom, specifically looking at the prophecies of the

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Millennial Kingdom as it relates to God's chosen people, the nation of Israel.

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And in the last part of chapter 54, we actually had a significant teaching of what it's going to look like in the

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Millennial Kingdom. So if you're ever interested, the end of 54 gives us probably the strongest passage on the

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Millennial Kingdom. Where we are now in chapter 55 is God's promises for the rest of humanity, and it's as wonderful as it is for his chosen people because as we go into the post -tribulation period, we know it as the

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Millennial reign. This is God bringing peace and order back to Earth.

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But my one takeaway for this week up on the top of the page is for those who hear and respond,

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God promises blessings, and the significance of it is you have to get through chapter 53, you have to have the

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Messiah, you have to have him going to the cross, you have to have the blood shed, the propitiation for sins.

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Having that, we now come down to the glorious side, and there are no alternatives.

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It's the blood of Christ. That is the answer, that is the solution that man desperately needs.

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In our small group, we are studying, now at this time, the second letter.

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We did the first letter, now the second letter. The first letter is written to encourage these

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Jewish Christians who were being persecuted and abused around Jerusalem, and so they scattered into what we now know as Turkey, Asia Minor, and all these little churches set up.

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So the first letter encouraging them, because you're still going to have a tough time. There's still going to be persecution, and so he's encouraging them to remain strong through that.

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A couple of years later, he writes another letter, and he's giving them a heads up that there will be false teachers, and he wants them to be equipped to stand strong against the false teaching, and specifically last night, there was the warning that from among you, false teachers will arise.

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That becomes very, very scary, but it's true, and we're all told to beware, and to be so grounded on truth.

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Well, in this chapter, we're going to be looking at God's promises to all of humanity who hears and to respond, and the reality of the promises that he has for them, and these promises become fulfilled in the

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Millennial Kingdom, and eventually, they become fulfilled in the New Jerusalem after the Great White Throne of Judgment, after his final return.

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We're going to go into chapter 55, and for now, let's pray. Lord God, as we come to you, we come with the hope of your promises.

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We come with the realization that the world has obstacles in the way.

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The world has been condemned because of man's sin, and mankind has a sin problem, but there is a promise for those who will turn to you for full restoration.

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We look for these words of encouragement this morning, this afternoon, in Jesus' name, amen.

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Rich, you're going to be my Isaiah 55 person, all right? We're going to take it a bit at a time, and Lisa, if you look at my notes,

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Deuteronomy 1012, if you would have that ready. Do you have a sheet? Does she have a sheet?

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Okay. All right. He said, I don't have a sheet. I never get one. First Bob, second

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Bob, third Bob. Bob. We should do

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Japanese and call them by their last name. What is your last name? Ball. Ball?

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Balsam. Balsam. Balsam. Balsam. Balsam.

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That means, how are you doing, Mr. Bob? Arigato. Arigato. Don't touch my mustache.

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Don't mention it. Anyway, that's a little bit of Japanese that I remember.

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All right, Lisa, you're going to get Deuteronomy 1012, Matthew 5, 6, Bob 1, Bob 2,

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Genesis 12, and Bob 3, 2 Samuel. What do I do with it? I'm sorry? What do you mean,

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I get it? You're going to read it for us when I get there. Oh, okay. I hand out verses to read, and we end up discussing them.

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They support. My teaching, as with Jeff's, is expository, which says that we're going to take a book of scripture, and we're going to work through it, and where it takes us next, that's what we're going to preach on, teach on.

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So at this point in time, we're up to 55. We also exegete, which means we take the meaning out of the scripture.

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We don't come up with an idea and try to prove it. But scripture on scripture helps us to understand the fullness of the message.

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So we tend to have verses that we work together with. So give me verses 1 to 5 in Isaiah 55.

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Oh, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters, and you have no money, come buy and eat.

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Yes, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?

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Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.

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Incline your ear and come to me. Here and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David.

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Indeed, I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people.

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Surely you shall call a nation you do not know, and nations who do not know you shall run to you because of the

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Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Now pretty much in the strength of this first section here, this is a promise not to the nation of Israel, but to the nations that are not part of Israel in fulfillment of much of God's promises.

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In all things and in every way, Deuteronomy 10 -12 is the active passage that allows us to participate even in these promises.

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So Lisa, if you could give Deuteronomy 10 -12. And now

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Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the

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Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul? That promise is given to the nation of Israel, but on the strength of where this passage goes, the requirements are the same.

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What does God want? He wants you to heart. He wants you to listen to him. He wants you to walk in his ways.

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And so it starts out in the first verse, come everyone who thirsts. The concept of what does it mean, what does it mean to be thirsty?

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My pregnant pause means if you got a thought, throw it out there. What does it mean to be thirsty?

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You're short of water. You're short of water. You need it. And you need it.

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And you're sensing that it's something that you need. In this particular context, he's using a metaphor, those of you who are thirsty, what do you look for?

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You look for a fountain to get something to drink. When you have money, what do you do with that money? You buy food because you need sustenance.

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But the metaphor is you have a need that goes greater than the need for water and the need for food.

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You have the need for the spiritual cleansing, the spiritual feeding that you have.

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Matthew 5, 6. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

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That's the promise of God is that if you want food, you're going to eat the food, you'll be hungry again.

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If you need water, you're going to drink the water, you're going to thirst again. He says, I'm the living water. And he basically says if you hunger and thirst for righteousness, if that's where your intent is, that's where your seeking is at.

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If you hunger and thirst for righteousness, eventually you will be satisfied. That's true satisfaction.

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He says here, come everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And by the waters, he's talking about being satisfied through God, through the

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Holy Spirit. He who has no money, come and buy and eat. It doesn't even require money for you to receive.

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It's given freely. That's actually what he's saying there. Now he goes on and he says,

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I want you to listen diligently to what I have to say. In verse two, verse three, incline your ear.

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He's seeking attention to the words that need to be spoken, that need to be heard.

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What is the difference between listening and diligently listening?

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Anybody who has a teenager understands this concept. Or if you're me.

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I tend to not listen. I'm sorry, what was the question? What is the difference? Very well done.

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I think listen, listen is to hear. Diligently listen is to hear and process what you're hearing.

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That's what he's asking. That's well said. He is seeking those, to come to church on a

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Sunday, to come to a Bible study and to spend time allowing the words to be spoken so that you hear the words and you can be satisfied that I heard the words and that's enough for me.

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He's saying I need you to go beyond that. I need you to be diligent in your listening.

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I need you to incline your ear. The concept is pay attention, process the words so that the words have impact.

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Even the term thirst. Remember they're a desert community. So we sometimes gloss over that word.

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Yeah, I get thirsty once in a while. I get a drink of water. But just think about their society and culture.

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That would really have a deep meaning for them. To get their thirst satisfied.

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Absolutely. When it says thirst, do they mean like, do you ever get really thirsty and you just chug?

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And you can't stop chugging? Or sometimes you're just thirsty and you take a little drink and you're done. Absolutely.

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Does it indicate which thirst it's talking about? Well this is intense. This is the life desire, the life need for something to satisfy.

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For something to meet your need. And so he's saying listen intently because I've got the answer for you.

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Basically what he's telling them now is I need you to come to me. I need you to come to God. And the benefits of it, in verse 3, your soul may live.

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Yes. And then he goes on and he says, and I will make with you an everlasting covenant.

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The reality of, it's pointed out to man who wants to die, okay?

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But for those who have come and tasted and accepted and heard and have become part of this family, there is an eternal life that goes on beyond that.

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And then he is saying, now again, this particular chapter is focused on the nations outside of Israel.

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And for him now to make a proclamation that you do what I'm asking you to do and I will make with you an everlasting covenant.

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What God is proclaiming, basically it comes out of Genesis 12, 1 -3. Bob, too, you have that?

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Yes, Genesis 12, 1 -3. Now, Adonai said to Abraham, get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father's house and go to the land that I will show you.

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I will make of you a great nation. I will bless you and I will make your name great.

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And you are to be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you.

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And by you, all the families of the earth will be blessed. And other renderings by you, all nations will be blessed.

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So God does establish, in reality, a nation and the rest of the nations.

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He does establish that for his purposes, he has called a people. They have a blessing and they have an obligation, but through them all nations will be blessed.

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Well, this is being fulfilled as we get into this chapter here. Following the pronouns is so important in a chapter like this.

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Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know. The you there, he is speaking to the external nations.

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You will be going towards and seeking out Israel. They have a specific nation.

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And a nation that did not know you, okay, that's Israel, who did not know you because you were outside the camp.

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They will actually run to you. What he's setting up here is a reunion of the manhood, the one race of the human race.

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And that eventually it's not Israel and everybody else, eventually it is mankind.

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Identifying mankind as those who came up from the beginning of this verse and who came through chapter 53.

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And they're thirsting and they're coming and they're paying attention and diligently paying attention.

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He sees all mankind of that definition as one.

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He's bringing them together. 2 Samuel 6, verse 3. And I will provide a place for my people,

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Israel, and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed.

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Wicked people will not oppress them anymore as they did at the beginning and have done ever since.

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Ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from your enemies.

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What is going to happen in the Millennial Kingdom, as we saw last week, is God restoring a land, restoring a land of peace and a land of joy and a land of plenty.

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The nation of Israel is promised that, but in this, the rest of the world of those who are believers are joining in with that promise.

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What we found out last week, and at the end of what you read, Bob, was that there will be a land of peace.

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But we did find out last week, in the end of chapter 55, that there will be a time of opposition, even during the

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Millennial reign. Now, we do know from other teaching that at the end of a thousand years,

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Satan is released and he can deceive as many as would be deceived. The only ones that he could deceive are those who don't already accept him, aren't already his children.

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The only way that works out, only believers enter the Millennial Kingdom, but there are offspring, and those offspring must individually choose.

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Some are not. But it's going to be a land of peace. And how he closes off this opening section is that, because the

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Lord your God and the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you, you, following the pronouns, we're talking again about those nations that are not

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Israel, that have not been part of the camp of Israel, and God is expanding His blessings to all of humanity who have accepted

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Him. And it's actually in fulfillment of Genesis 12, 3. Through you, all nations will be blessed.

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This is His eternal covenant, which holds true. But this is based on a call for you to hunger and thirst and to come to Him, to take what

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He's got, and to listen diligently. And so now we get into some of the details.

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What is He looking for them to do? And you're going to give me 6 -9. And Sue, I want you to get 1

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Chronicles 28 ready, please. And Lisa, you're going to get Acts 3 ready, please.

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And Ephesians 2. I'm just going to speak to that one. You don't have to do that one. But go ahead and give me 6 -9.

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He's now giving them a specific how -to, if you would. I want you to hunger and thirst.

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I want you to come and buy. Here's what I really specifically want you to do. I want you to seek the

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Lord. And then He adds into there this phrase, while He may be found.

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And then He says, call on Him while He is near. Sue, if you would give me 1

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Chronicles 28 -9, please. As for you, my son Solomon, know the

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God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind.

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For the Lord serves His all hearts and understands all the intents of the thoughts.

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If you seek Him, He will be found by you. But if you forsake Him, He will cast you off from Him.

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If you seek Him, other versions will say, if you seek Him, He will let you find Him. Back in Kings, it just happened to me.

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Kings 2 -11. First Kings, second Kings. Second Kings.

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Second Kings 2 -11. I have a note here. Second Samuel 7, which is what

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I read. And it says, if all are killed, the line of David ends.

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Yes. That was from another... Did we study that last time?

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Well, not in this study, but here's an interesting observation off of that.

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From the proclamation in Genesis 3, after...

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We're in... I think it's Isaiah 7, where Lucifer has the five

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I wills of Lucifer. And the final one is, I will make myself like the Most High. And God sends

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Him to Earth. He banishes Him from His presence. And since that time, especially when we get into Genesis 3,

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He will bite my heel. I will crush His head. The first messianic promise. Satan has been on a mission to thwart the approach of the

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Messiah. To obliterate God's chosen people. If you go into the book of Esther, and Haman is going to send out an edict that all

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Jews would be killed. That's Satan trying to destroy the messianic line.

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Well, God had a better way. If you go into 19...

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I'm going to say it's 1949, give or take. Russia established the hydrogen bomb before the

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United States did. And Stalin wanted to rule the entire world.

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And he figured a way to egg the United States into initiating conflict by killing all

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Jews. And so he had an edict written. For all Jews to be killed.

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Figuring the United States wouldn't put up with that. They would initiate a conflict and then he could justify using the hydrogen bomb.

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He mysteriously died in the middle of the night before he signed that edict.

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Satan has had this need to obliterate the line of David. He has.

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But God has protected the line of David throughout history. That's a great catch to what we have here.

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Seek the Lord while he may be found. God brings his very presence to humanity so that humanity could respond.

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What do we call that? What do we call

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God making his presence to man so that man could respond?

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What do we call that? Grace. We call that grace.

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Man in his being is totally incapable of even responding to God because we are so sinful that God provides grace so that we call that regeneration.

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So that our soul can be alive and even respond to God. It says here, seek the

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Lord while he may be found. Call on him while he is near. When God is there and when he is approaching it says in 1

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Chronicles 28 .9 if you're seeking, he's going to let you find him. He is that loving of a

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God that with your heart, if you're seeking after him, he will let you find him. Now here's how this actually then calls out.

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It says that we need, let the wicked forsake his way.

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What does that sound like? Repentance. Yes it does. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.

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I would forsake his way. Go with that. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the

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Lord with all your heart. Be not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths.

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Now to do that we have to first of all acknowledge that our path is wrong. Man that hurts.

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People don't like to be told their path is wrong. But that's what he says. Forsake your way and your unrighteous thoughts.

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Forsake them. That's repentance. Confess them. Forsake them in all your ways. Acknowledge him.

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And then he has some promises for you. If you do that, he says he will have compassion.

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And he will abundantly pardon. You see man has a sin problem and that sin problem has no right in the very presence of God.

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But the reality is, and we know from scripture that God even knew this before day one.

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If we go to Genesis 1, 1. In the beginning God created. Well, before that all happened he already knew.

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And so he put in motion he put in motion the solution. And as you said the

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Davidic line. He needed to kill that Davidic line so that it couldn't come to be. But God protected it.

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And for everyone that is going through chapter 53, for everyone that is doing this, seeking the

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Lord, listening to him while he may be found. His promise is compassion and abundant pardon.

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When I'm living my life when I leave here today and I leave here I don't want to.

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I really seek to have a heart that follows God. But I do recognize I'm going to sin.

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And when I do, what happens? When I sin, what happens?

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Your fellowship is gone. He won't cast you off forever? No, he does not cast us off forever.

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That's the beauty of it. What's going to happen is I'm going to break fellowship with God. God is not going to break his relationship with me, but I'm putting up barriers so that I'm not seeing him because my sin is getting in the way.

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But at the same time the accuser is going up to the throne and he says, John is doing it again.

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Do you really want him in your kingdom? And Jesus is saying,

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I already knew about that one. And I covered it. Don't please stop.

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Keep going. You made a point Sunday morning about the

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Lord from the cross saying, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And I think that's probably only the second or third time

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I've seen anyone put together the fact that all the sins,

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I couldn't figure that out for a long time, why Jesus would say, why have you forsaken me?

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And back a while ago, a couple years ago I guess, it all of a sudden dawned on me that God had to turn away from the cross.

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Had to turn away from Christ. And I thought, well, the Lord never abandons us.

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God never does it. Because it's all uncovered. Why do you think Jesus... Well, but the point is it was covered by Christ.

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And he did forsake Christ. I thought Jesus didn't go to hell. I mean, hell is the absence of God.

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And I just really, I'm still working on that. Why do you think Jesus sweat drops of blood in the garden?

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Yeah, he knew. He knew that he was going to be whipped by that cat of nine tails. He knew that those thorns were going to be crushed down on his head.

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He knew all of that. But he sweat drops of blood because he also knew that there would be a brief instant in time where his fellowship with the

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Father would be broken. For the first time in all eternity past. And never again.

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And that broke his heart to where he sweat drops. He loved us that much. And he said, we are going to receive through his compassion abundant pardon.

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Did I have somebody read Acts 3 .19 already? Go ahead. Please, Lisa. 3 .19

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Repent ye therefore, and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the

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Lord. There is refreshing coming. There is refreshing coming.

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And I ache when I sin. I do. Hopefully. Hopefully I'm not having so much fun that I don't ache, but we will eventually.

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There is refreshing that is coming for a scoundrel. And then

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Ephesians 2 .8 and 9 it sums it up. For by grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves.

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It is the gift of God, not of words which any man should boast. We are told he's ready to be found and he's going to give us the grace.

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While he is there we must seek him, we must respond to him, and then we must repent and confess and turn to him.

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And when that equation is fulfilled, what he promises is full pardon.

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Amen. He goes on by saying your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways.

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We people try to come up with ways to satisfy God and to be acceptable to God.

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No. He has one way. His ways, his ways is the way.

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The heavens are higher than the earth and so are my ways higher than your ways.

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I've got the way and it's for you to seek me. Then comes now his blessings. And again, remember these are for the nations.

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So you're going to give me 10 and 11. Bob, you're going to get

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Proverbs 3, Mark 4, Bob 2, Bob 3,

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John 15, and Philippians 2. Sue, if you would have that ready. Go ahead and give me 10 and 11, please.

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The early church was known as the way. Yes. For the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and does not return there but waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud it.

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That it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater. So shall my word be.

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It goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to be void but it shall accomplish what

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I please and it shall prosper in the thing from which I sent it. I want you, my brethren,

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I want the brethren, and in this letter to the nations, I want you guys to understand the gift that you've got through the word.

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I want you to understand what the word does for you. And to do so, I'm going to paint a picture for you.

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When the rain comes down, it's interesting, they did not understand the hydrostatic cycle back then.

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They didn't understand that. But here it is. It says the rain's not going to come down and then go back up to the clouds until it does what it's supposed to do.

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Well, that's what rain does. It comes down, then it runs off, and eventually it evaporates back up. It's the hydrostatic cycle.

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I love it when the Bible throws these things in that weren't even understood back then. But the rain is going to come down and it's going to do a couple of things.

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And one of them is it's going to nourish the soil. What happens to the soil if there is no rain?

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It gets dry. It gets hard. It gets hard. Nothing grows. Nothing can grow.

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And the my word is going to come down with a purpose. It's not going to return to me.

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We're going to see a passage in just a minute. Proverbs 3. Proverbs 3, 1 -3 -3.

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Yeah. My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.

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Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

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Is that verse 3 also? Yep. What we are going to need is we are going to need the word.

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It's going to be given by God. It's going to come down. I had the opportunity to do a devotional for youth during a sports camp.

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And I wanted to pick up on the reality that this here is a gift that is given to us, but it's not good unless it's used.

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So I had a big tray so that I wouldn't make a mess.

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And I had a 2 liter empty soda bottle. And I had a 2 quart pan with a handle half filled with water.

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And I said, can somebody put the water from this pan into this bottle without spilling a drop?

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I've got $5 if you can do it. Well, the kids were all excited. But nobody could do it.

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I said, man, I'm so sorry guys. I had this big white mouth funnel that fit into the top of the thing.

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I said, I forgot to tell you. I've got this. So use this and if you can do it,

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I've got that $5 for you. So one kid came running up. I couldn't have planted him any better.

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He came running up and he took the pan and started to pour without the funnel. It's like...

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He wasn't listening. He wasn't listening. This word here is everything that you need but it's only good for you if you use it.

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It's only good for you if you take it in. As the rain falls and grows so the word is going to come down.

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But you've got to go into the word and you've got to make it. Mark 4, 20.

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This, by the way, is towards the end of the parable of the soils. Okay? And we have the seed that is cast and some is on rocky soils on the path and some is on thorny soils, etc, etc.

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And finally we get to the good stuff. Would those then on rich soil hear the message, accept it and bear fruit 30, 60 or 100 fold?

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The soil's got to dig up. What happens if you never bear fruit? Does that mean you're not really a

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Christian? I'm going to ask you guys, what do you think about what Lisa just asked? I think the Bible says that you must bear fruit if you are one of His.

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Right. So your answer is no, you can't be a Christian. You can't prune what areas need to be pruned so that you will bear fruit.

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There's something wrong. I'm waiting. I got no fruit. Well, if you go into the book of James and the book of James is so important.

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No, I don't read that one because it makes me depressed. Well, okay.

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Here's what it says. You have faith. This is my paraphrase, it's not a perfect word.

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You have faith. Good. I show you my faith by my works. Faith without works is dead.

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Now, works does not earn salvation. But a relationship that's developed when you have accepted

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Christ it says as many as receive Him to then become the children of God. We are His heirs.

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When you have that relationship developed you want to do things to please Him. That's the works that proves your faith.

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And then you go into Galatians 5. Fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

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It may say something different in yours, but those are nine. We all get them. Now, what does it mean to actually bear fruit?

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I'm going to put out a thought. I was saved the first Friday of April in 1970 and I had no discipleship for the next 21 months.

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I knew nothing. I was a Catholic and so I thought, I guess I better get up at 6 o 'clock every morning and go to chapel before I was at the

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Naval Academy. And after three weeks of doing this I remember saying to myself this was the stupidest thing you've ever done.

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And so I chose to try to live my old life. But here's the fruit that was in my life.

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I believe the Holy Spirit was within me because the things I loved to do no longer made me feel happy.

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I actually got so depressed I went to commit suicide. It was that the attacks of Satan pushing me down a path and the

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Holy Spirit saying, stop, stop, stop, until finally I woke up. I think the fruit of the

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Spirit can be the Holy Spirit distressed in you or it can be outward fruit.

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Yeah, Bob? Doing good things doesn't necessarily have to be doing something.

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It could necessarily be not doing something. Oh, very well said. Recognizing and eschewing that which

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Satan wants you to do. Very well said. You used the word eschewing. Sue?

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Love, joy, peace. I think that's the first word. She doesn't know how to define fruit. Do you know what fruit is?

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You have to study the Scripture to find out what fruit is. Love, joy, peace. That's the fruit of the

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Spirit, yeah. That's the fruit of the Spirit. You don't have any of that. You don't have any of that.

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So, I would love to spend time with you in discussing this because this is an important topic so please, let's make an opportunity to sit and talk about this.

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Sue? I was just going to say that Scripture says that it is appointed and commanded by one's hand to do one's judgment.

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Well, as a Christian, we're not judged because all the awful stuff that is us is under the blood.

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But our works will be judged. And some of them, the good ones, will last with me.

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Other ones will be burned up. And some will be saved. As my Father, in other words, nothing they've done really was of the

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Lord. And the things that we are commended for and we receive crowns for those commendations, what are we going to do with those crowns?

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We're going to recognize that by me, there's nothing of value and it's all coming from Him.

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I'm serious, I'd love to find an opportunity to go over some of this.

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Yeah, I don't know what it is but I don't really feel I have anything to show for 36 years.

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Okay, then this is an important conversation which we do need to have.

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John 15, who's got that? John 15, 7.

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If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.

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This again is this promise of the efficacy, oh that's another fun word, efficacy, how effective is

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God's word. If you're taking in His word and that word is in you, you're going to have this reality,

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I'm actually going to be prayed according to God's will, that's how I'm going to pray. And He's going to do it for me.

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And I'm going to see this building up of a relationship and of life.

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It says that when God proclaims something, His word, it will be efficacy.

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12 and 13, Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for His God who works in you, both to will and to do, is good function.

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He is working in you for His will and the pastor used the phrase

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Sunday morning, the meticulous providence of God. My God is so big that I'm not going to constrain

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Him, He is that big. He says my ways are higher than your ways and then He says I shall accomplish what

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I set out to do for you. Give me verses, not 112, wow, that should be 12 to 13.

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And I'm going to speak to these other verses just for sake of time. Give me 12 and 13. Richard?

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Yes please. He shall act with joy and be let act in peace.

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The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before Him and the trees and the fields shall clap their hands.

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Instead of the thorn, instead of the thorn come up the cypress tree and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree and it shall be to the

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Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

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What was life like in the garden before the fall? Oh, it wasn't like my garden.

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You can't imagine because you don't know what it's like to know sin. That's very well said.

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That's very well said. Without weeds, without the person.

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By the way, do you know that Adam and Eve had to work. They weren't at an all -inclusive resort.

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They did have to cultivate the garden but there weren't weeds, there weren't thorns. And not only that, but what did they get to do in the middle of the afternoon?

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Hang out with God. My goodness. Take a stroll.

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Now, in Genesis 3 What did he do? Shrink himself? What did he do? Shrink himself?

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He took out a form that would be perceptible. Man has never seen the full glory of God, but he took out a form

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It's a call to theophany. God taking out a form that man could abide with.

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Yeah, that's very well said. But in Genesis 3 it all changed and the proclamation that God gave, not only to Adam and to Eve when he said, but the ground will be cursed because of you.

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There will be thorns and by the sweat of your brow. So, it even says that all creation groans waiting for the day.

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So, creation is upside down because of it. But this tells me that there will be a time when you are going to go out in joy and you're going to be led forth in peace.

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It doesn't sound like today, but it is coming and this is the millennial kingdom. And again, this is a promise now for the rest of the nations.

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For those who turn to him. For those who have come through chapter 53, those who seek and listen to him.

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It says the hills and everything else up there. Even creation is going to break out in singing.

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It's at a beautiful time. Now, in Isaiah 35, the first two verses, we learn that the wilderness will actually bloom and it will be done to the glory of God.

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In Isaiah 41 we see where God is opening up the rivers of water and there will be trees and that we will see all of this and we are going to see it and we are going to rejoice.

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These are the pictures of the millennial kingdom. And then in Psalm 19 it says,

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The heavens declare the glory of God. The firmament showeth his handiwork.

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All of creation becoming back the way it was intended to be is not done for me.

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As much as I'm going to get to enjoy it as a believer, and it says here, it shall make a name for the

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Lord. Everlasting sign that won't be cut off. You see, the restoration of this world is going to be enjoyed by mankind but it's for his glory.

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John, did you ever hear the theory of Hialozoism? Hialozoism is like all creation has life.

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All creation is, in a sense, is living because it all reflects the glory of God. I'm going to have to ponder that one.

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It's an interesting theory. Yeah, I'm going to ponder that. But I will say that all creation is in submission to the sovereignty of God.

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And my takeaway from this chapter, all the nations have the opportunity, all the nations have the opportunity, not just Israel, to hear, to seek, to respond, to repent, to choose him.

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And when that occurs, there is a promise even for us, as with Israel, that we are going to go.

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But here's the thing, when God blesses, even those blessings are for his glory.

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And as you said, all of our works are going to be judged at the end. And those that are wrong are going to be burned.

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And those that survive will survive and will receive crowns. And what do we do with them?

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Right back to you. Am I the only one that gets sad when

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I think about everybody burning? Hopefully not. Hopefully we all get sad. Hopefully we all have a heart that aches.

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If your heart, if your heart, at some level, doesn't ache, then

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Vladimir Putin is right now destined for hell. And you want to see him become a child of God.

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That's unconditional love. That's unconditional love. To even have that heart for Vladimir Putin, that you want to see him come...

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Yeah, I get really upset if you think about it too long. It can make you suicidal. It can.

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But if you focus all for the greater glory of God, he will vanquish all evil. Focus on God's greater glory.

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Here's the thing about people going to hell. They're only getting what they asked for. They're only getting what they asked for.

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They ask to not have God in their life and they're only going to get what they asked for. One tells us they are without excuse.

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Everything that we've known about God is either revealed in heaven or definitely in special revelation.

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I know, but they're stupid. There is that. We're going to close now and shut off the video.

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We can continue to have these discussions. Lord God, what a thrill it is to know these truths, this promise, this future hope that we have.

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We're not of the children of Israel, but we are of your children. Lord, by seeking after you, thirsting after you, by walking away from what is wicked, we have an abundant pardon.

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We have a covenant that never ends. We have a future in this world that will be restored to your beauty for your glory.