Love Completed

LaRue Baptist Church, OH

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The Old Testament reading this morning is Psalm 63 which should be in your Bibles page 479 if you'd like to read along.

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Oh God you are my God earnestly I seek you my soul thirsts for you my flesh faints for you as in a dry as in a dry and weary land where there is no water so I have looked upon you in the sanctuary beholding your power and glory because your steadfast love is better than life my lips will praise you so I will bless you as long as I live and your name

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I will lift up my hands my soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food my mouth will praise you with joyful lips when

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I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night for you have been my help and in the shadow of your wings

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I will sing for joy my soul clings to you your right hand upholds me but those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth they shall be given over to the power of the sword they shall be a portion for jackals but the king shall rejoice in God and all who swear by him shall exult for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

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New Testament reading is 1st John 4 7 through 21 beloved let us let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves has been born of God and knows

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God anyone who does not love does not know God but God is love and this the love of God we made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so that we might live through him and this is love not that we have loved

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God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins beloved if God so loved us we also ought to love one another no one has ever seen

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God if we love one another God abides in us and his love is perfected in us by this we know that we abide in him and that he isn't in us because he gives us of his spirit and we have seen and testify about the father that the father has sent his son to be the savior of the world whoever confesses that Jesus is the son of God God abides in him and he is

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God so we have come to know and to believe that the love of God has for us

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God is love and God abides in him for this is love perfected with us so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment because he is also are we in the world there is no fear in love but for perfect love casts out fear for fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not been perfected in love we love because he first loved us if anyone says

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I love God and hates his brother he is a liar for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love

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God whom he has not seen and this commandment we have have from him whoever loves

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God must also love his brother may be seated if only they'd write songs like that today let's pray our

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God our father just ask for strength and guidance and thanking father as your scripture encourages us and strengthens us and the love that you've shown us father be with us in this hour we we ask in Christ's name so I was gonna be in John but plans changed and Lonnie was in John so I went to a familiar passage in 2nd

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Corinthians and talking about the love of God you know it's a people will say they love

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God not realizing their state that they're still dead in their sin it's unable to understand who

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God is and the love is shown unless they believe in the work at the cross and if our thoughts go back clear to to his mercy to Adam and Eve in the garden why would you send perfect paradise and we can't even contemplate it our minds can't grasp the fullness of his loving compassion that were given to Adam and Eve and yet they fell

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Israel God made a covenant Israel they broke that covenant and yet in our day in our age we think of the love of God it's not the problem that we don't love we love too many other things that crowd in the

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NIV and Psalm 86 says Lord give me undivided heart as we look through John as Lonnie went through last week you see these conditions that God gave to his disciples now his love towards them was unconditional his love he so fit to save a people that were objects of his wrath and we are in that place we need a heart that's fully devoted to God that is what pleases him without faith it's impossible please

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God as the writer of Hebrews spoke love is divided we can love our children more than we love

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God we can love our spouse more than we love God you try to comprehend they go no

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I love God well the love the scriptures talks about is one that serves and is devoted and sacrifices as we think of marriage life it's it's a perfect example of true love

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I remember our marriage counseling which was very short is my wife here there she is quit it settle down the pastor said your love will grow you like there's no way you know there's no way it's gonna grow

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I mean I love her completely fully but he was right he was right because over the years as you experience life and you grow you understand that that love that that love that brings us into mind what

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God says love is love is a covenant he completes his covenant in Christ and let's turn to 2nd

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Corinthians 5 so again reminding ourselves that we need a complete complete heart the hope is in Christ we can be transformed because when we were dead in our transgressions we had no thought of God oh we might we might

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I know I weeped at the cross you know poor Jesus not seeing the glory of God that was was done by wicked hands but it was

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God's will let's think of the Corinthian church as they went through many many divisions their sin rampant there's undivided hearts holding one man above the other this letter comes to the

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Corinthian people out of love Paul always he didn't let those objects of disobedience affect his love

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Paul was a instrument of God to to guide and shape him and realize that that if God is with us who can be against us and especially for the

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Bride of Christ he's already stated earlier in this this book of these these the war that's going on in their own hearts as God is he says do not lose heart though our outer self is wasting away our inner self is being renewed day by day your light and momentary afflictions is preparing for us a eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension as we look not to the things are seen but to the things that are unseen for the things they're seeing a transit but the things are unseen are eternal my mind wanders to a you know we're so comfortable in our nation we're so comfortable of ease we were so comfortable in our freedom my mind wanders to a young Afghan girl who's a

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Christian and wonders what's going to happen next week or hour even that day or young man in Yemen who could suffer death keeping this in mind have we fallen in love with our freedom and our ease and our comfort in this nation

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I think we've been seduced in a way I mean God knows each and every one heart and I'm speaking to people that are devoted to God and and I want to be devoted to God but yet there is areas in my life that I can love too much like I cannot be as devoted as he's called me to be this is the love that's completed the church is the pinnacle of God's love the

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Bride of Christ as it's transformed and renewed this inner working that only

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God can do who can transform the heart and the masses heart only God can do his thoughts are above our thoughts and this love which secures us so let's start in verse 11 in chapter 5 2nd

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Corinthians therefore knowing the fear of the Lord we persuade others but what we are known to God and I hope is known also to your conscience we are not commending ourselves to you again but are giving you cause to boast about us so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearances and not what is in the heart for as we are beside ourselves is for God if we are in our right mind is for you for the love of Christ controls us because we have concluded this that one has died for all therefore all have died and he died for all that those who live may no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised for now on therefore we regard no one according to the flesh even though we once regarded

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Christ according to the flesh we regard him thus no longer therefore anyone who's in Christ is a new creation the old is passed away behold the news come all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself gave us the ministry of reconciliation that is in Christ God was reconciled the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore we are ambassadors for Christ God is making his appeal through us we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin that in him we might become the righteousness of God Paul's addressing to their task a hand so we fear knowing the fear of the

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Lord what is what is the fear of the world we stand in all of God to just to just speak it you know

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I love you God or you know you hear stupid cliches that I'm having an affair with God I hate that it's just a flippant way he is almighty he is our creator he sustains things all the islands are in the hand breath of his his hand he make he can move mountains and yet he's called us to this task a bit reconciling others to himself the significance of what the work is going on in our life too too often we go what are you doing

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Lord what are you doing

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I wouldn't do it this way well you're not God his ways are perfect he chooses the most if we can say it with all the craziest ways we see how would you take just for instance what we're going to address here the work of the cross he could have done it from heaven as we understand who

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Christ is and this work and understanding the love of God he is perfect high priest he is one who can sympathize that we need that don't we we need one who can sympathize us in our weaknesses because we're frail we understand the dips and turns of life there's always something new every week you could probably write it down you know if you if you're faithful to flock you can see a prayer list of this long there's affliction on every side

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God is working and molding his people to the bride it should be

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Paul is a very patient and addressing the people of God here this went through so much but yet they they stand firm and he's addressing to the very gospel that we know this love of Christ controls us

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Jerry Bridges preached on this years ago and I wish I could do him credit by speaking out as he did but the fact that the gospel and what he reminded us the gospel needs to be in your life every day as we understand our unbelieving world who's dead in their sin as we understand our own hearts that were complete because of Christ's love now we are have true reconciliation we don't need the tabernacle we don't need a priest we come before his

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Holy of Holies in prayer and we can commune with him this love of God as we contemplate our lives and our endeavors we've got to understand the perfect work across what

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John Owens says in his book and the union of Christ sin dying in us now at some measure while we are alive these are three concernments of sin which is our wisdom to be acquainted with it is hid only in Christ we read in Romans when

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Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life for if we have planted together in the likeness of his death we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection knowing this that our old man is crucified in him that the body of sin might be destroyed and henceforth we should not serve sin we have to understand in that song we just saying that just talking about he is our righteousness if we don't see our sin we have to wonder if we are truly in Christ if we have truly believed him because he will reveal

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I've been Christian since 92 I see sin every week and I know

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I must be transformed more and more in the likeness of my glorious Savior in our perfect if we could walk perfect as Adam did before the fall but we can't it awaits us salvation's not yet it's it's coming what that love of Christ it does controls because the

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Holy Spirit brings glory to the Sun as we wake up the day and we see a new day we know the mercies are new as Jeremiah quote and lamentations we know there's mercies a new tomorrow that our sins been taken care of the finished work of cross is taken care of we know that we can die to sin we understand and we believe that he died for all and those who live might no longer live for themselves we know we're selfish we know we used to love self more than anything we know a dying world outside of the church is seeking something which it needs to be

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Christ I was talking to a recovered addict Monday he was so confused he believed in aliens he believes in God and I said no no no

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Jesus Christ is the Son of God you don't he say

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I like AA meetings I go find that in the church your community of people who love you but find hope in Christ it's the hope that controls us we're driven by that hope disaster may come to us like Joe and yet we can still worship

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God did you see her this Old Testament reading turn back how beautiful David's words this is the heart after a

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God after God's own heart oh God you are my God earnestly I seek you my soul thirst for you my flesh faints for you as a dry and weary land where there is no water so I've looked upon you in the sanctuary and behold your power and glory because of your steadfast love is better than life how can we make his steadfast love better than this life as we savor him we adore him in worship is is so crucial in that that we worship

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God in it and making our lives a sacrificial sacrifice technology a sacrifice of praise as you go about in your work in your schools wherever you're going this is why he's called us to you know as Levi's teachings first Peter to mm -hmm so true how can we for abiding in this love

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John 15 crisis abide in my love rest at me be confident in me we put this into place making love complete contentment contentment oh that we'd be a people with contentment everything

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God's put in our place aggravating people trouble in your home you name it that we'd be a people that rely on the love of God to compel us to greater service because our

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Redeemer did it perfectly this contentment moving away from self enjoying

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God for one you know if you contemplate he came for our happiness not not in leisure happiness in him to be satisfied in savoring you in when

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David speaks of that in a dry and they're weary land we get rains all the time when you're in an air country

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I've never been overseas but if you don't have a water bottle you're gonna die this is how he's talking about savoring

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God savoring him my mouth is parched no

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I savor God and in the quietness as I lie my head down in my bed at night with troubles you name it

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I can be satisfied in Christ whatever happens tomorrow

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I can be satisfied in his perfect love because he loved us first he loved us first he didn't have to there's no change in his his demeanors his love is everlasting being secure in our faith as we we understand that if anyone isn't

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Christ he's a new creation look at Hebrews 12 with me Hebrews 12 4 through 6 sins talked about a lot in Bible isn't it because it's a big deal it's a big deal before a holy

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God listen to how the writer of Hebrews says in your struggle against sin you have not yet yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood and have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons my son do not regard lightly the discipline of the

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Lord nor be weary when reproved by him for the Lord's disciplines the one he loves and chastens every son whom receives there may be hardship in your life because of sin as a believer

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God may bring hardship in molding you and shaping you and seeing your sin see the promise and back in 2nd

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Corinthians 17 if anyone who is in Christ is a new creation it's brand -new by the blood of Christ you were born again by the

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Spirit of God the old is passed away well not in my life there's still some of it still lingering around we've got to fight it off don't we he's given them great encouragement here he says the old is passed away behold the new it's forgiven all this is from God who who through Christ is reconciling us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation and in Christ God was reconciling the word world to himself not counting their trespasses against him and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore we are ambassadors for Christ we are ones who have been called out for this ministry what's your ministry in life you have a ministry in your workplace in your family

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I commend Smith's for bringing other lovely children into their homes that ministry you pray about that this love of God to us and never can be turned to Romans 8 to affirm this effort just has displayed the working out of God purposes in your life a common verse we know that these those who love

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God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that we might be the firstborn among many brothers and those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified in those whom he justified he also glorified the most dawning task to young people in this day and age who do not know

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Christ they have no purpose they're still dead in their sin and they think getting a job making money having a family is all fine things but that's it we've been brought into this ministry now you think well that that's up to you elders and pastor and the deacons they master and the deaconess no it's this is everybody you all have ministries if you're in Christ your ministry is significant that the purpose in life is to minister

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Christ not in what you do not in where you work that's just a part where God's putting you purpose and here's his love what should we say these things that God is for us who could be against us he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us and how we not also with him graciously gave us all things who shall bring any charge against God's elect that's us is it

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God who justifies who is it condemned Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that who is raised who is at the right hand of God is indeed is interceding for us who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall turbulation or distress persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written for your sake we are being killed all day long we're regarded as sheep to be slaughtered knowing all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us for we are sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth or anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of Christ Jesus in our

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Lord nothing loved ones who go home in Christ are with Christ shouldn't this pursue us on to ministry to know that those who are still dead in their sin have life eternal and judgment they have no hope hope is the key in Christ as we minister alongside people that do not know him they have no hope so the love of God should drive us to that and our confidence in this eternal turn to first John you know

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Christ himself told his disciples in John in John 14 and 15 he keeps continually back love one another love one another it's how the love of God is made perfect it's it's complete the love of God is made complete when we when we minister along people are undeserving because our love towards them can be like Christ in a in a human perspective our love will never be like God's his love so surpasses us we give up on people we're impatient his love is perfected in his passage and John repeats himself as he's making a point as we look at in John 4 starting in verse 7 1st

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John verse 4 verse 7 beloved let us love one another for love is from God and whoever loves have been born of God knows

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God anyone does not love does not know God because God is love in this the love of God was made manifest among us that God sent his only son into the world so we might live through him in this love not that we love

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God that he loved us and sent his son to be a propitiation for our sins beloved is

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God so loved us we also ought to love one another no one has ever seen

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God if we love one another God's abides in us and his love perfected in us by this we know we abide in him and he and us because he has given us his spirit we have seen and testified the father's sin his son the

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Savior of the world and whoever confesses that Jesus is a son of God God abides in him and he and God and we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us

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God is love and whoever abides in love abides in God and God abides in him by this love is perfected with us so that we may be confident on the day of judgment because as he is so also we are in the world there's no fear in love but perfected love casts out fear for love has been done with punishment has to do with punishment whoever fears it not been perfected in love we love because he first loved us if anyone says

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I love God and hates his brother he is a liar he does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love

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God whom he has not seen in this command I have from him whoever loves

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God must also love his brother how do we do that what's the application in this oh you know we can have

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Bible studies we can have prayer partners maybe just calling somebody up writing

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Joyce Mitchell this week being before the throne of grace pleading to God for the church and Christ to be manifested in this country this country where there's so so much false people don't know what to believe because it's so everything's out there the greater is he in us than in the world it gives us confidence when we truly love

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God and believe in what he's done at the cross we know he sits at the right hand of the

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Father we know he intercedes on our behalf we know he's put us in a in a workplace or a family where that needs to know and love

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God I enjoyed the BB boys the other day as they were singing hymns

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I was trying to teach them a new song everybody's heard six things even seven the Lord hates things he cannot stand they didn't know that song

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I get that to you Andrew but it's so good for the young people to sing hymns and worship

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God be praying for our children there they are the church of tomorrow at the

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Church of Christ as we we come before the throne of grace we know God because he has shown his love towards us what would it be like that day when we will see him face to face we just have a glimpse of heaven now and it's great and glorious you that are outside of Christ I want to speak to you you're empty you're hollow

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I know because I was empty and hollow once there's nothing nothing that will satisfy that thirst you can get the best -paying job have the nicest wife on the earth beautiful children it's empty you need

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Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior not at it not as a distant deity but as one who you can call out and say

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I'm hurting and know the promises of God that he is close to the brokenhearted as David said in Psalm 34 he is close to the brokenhearted well everybody misunderstands me that's a common thing with youth

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God knows you he knit you together in your mother's womb you have a heavenly father that loves you

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I love that way and John worries he's abiding me and I and you and he's connecting us to the father all through that because we need we need to call out to the father and say ah but thank you for the love that you instilled to me in Christ Jesus may

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I be an ambassador of yours wherever I go may

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I will speak those words of grace that people need to hear may I be loving and kind and as he said in in 2nd

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Corinthians 6 I put no stumbling block before me it is we're running we're throwing a red carpet out for Jesus Christ's sake the

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Kings here they're going where's yet let me tell you about he's here Christ has arrived and he sits at the right hand of the father and he is real how we transform my life to being a hater to a lover we let envy strice and malice just run rampant in our life when we were unbelievers we were never satisfied when

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Christ Jesus and the kindness came as Paul wrote to Titus it's when we realized that love of God that made us lovers of people that's what we need to be trademarked at may

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God do that father help us to do the things you show in scripture help us to be ambassadors for your name we thank you for a great interceder your son