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We need to do something to become approved unto God and you don't, it's done and now that

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it's done and you've been given heaven and forgiveness of sins and justification by faith

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and righteousness.

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Now that it's all yours for free out of your inner man out of your new creation being

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come forth good works.

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That's why you're here today.

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Welcome to the CityLight Church Podcast.

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Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth

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that He has for us.

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If you want to connect with CityLight Church feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com that's

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citylightnyc.com.

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Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already

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working in our hearts and minds.

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As you listen to today's teaching remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you

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are surrounded by His grace and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

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Grateful that you're here in person and grateful for those of you joining us online.

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Hallelujah.

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I joked in the first service.

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I was just reminded why typically Emily and I take a mini vacation and we're not here

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on this Sunday because our anniversary is December the first and we'll be celebrating

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11 years now.

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For some of you were just getting started I know but 11 years, nothing is needed.

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The Bible talks about the fruit of long suffering and she has, what was it meant to be that

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funny just meant to be a little joke on the side and I'm gesticulated towards my wife

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she's so we normally we normally take and I'm because so many of our people are out

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and but we wanted to stay here and it's good to be with you all while a lot of our people

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are still on their way back or tripping out on trip to fame still recovering but what

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a wonderful name we have in Jesus it's the all access passed to the Father and to heaven

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and I am so thankful this Thanksgiving weekend amen.

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We are in Galatians we are concluding our series on Galatians clash of the covenants

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and what a what a trip it's been.

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I've said this earlier I want to reiterate it I pray for you often and I pray about what's

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ahead for us and what's happening in the world.

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Taking note that we're entering into 2024 and another election cycle and if you remember

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four years ago things got very very crazy or have you forgotten already.

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You talk about brother will rise up against brother father against son and one's enemies

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will be they of their own household and I don't expect anything less in 2024 and so

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my job is to prepare you and I can't think of any better preparation than being firmly

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planted in the new covenant and really understanding the grace of God.

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When you are firmly planted in the new covenant and you understand the grace of God several

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things are going to happen you're going to be bold the Bible says the righteous are as

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bold as a lion.

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Another thing that will happen is you'll be a friend of the Holy Spirit who's also called

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the Spirit of truth so that you're not led astray that you're not blinded that you're

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not been boozled if 2020 has shown anything it's that if a lie is repeated often enough

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almost everyone will believe it and so that we stick close to the Spirit of truth who

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will keep us in his truth and that we don't go to the left or to the right or go astray

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but that we're firm and close with Jesus say man.

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So we're in Galatians chapter 6 we're wrapping up and for the first five chapters of Galatians

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it truly was the clash of the covenants as Paul reiterated over and over again that

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we're no longer bound to the old covenant of the law but we're now living under the

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new covenant of grace.

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Chapter 6 is going to deal more with the way we relate to each other within the context

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of a Christian community.

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So I must recap once again Galatians 1 through 5 60 seconds are you ready go two covenants

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the old the old covenant you endeavor to become righteous you endeavor to be accepted by

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God based on your own law keeping based on your own ability to keep God's law crossing

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every tea dieting every eye the end result was that we failed over and over again and

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when I say we I mean humanity any person who endeavors to keep the law will fail why

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because the law places a demand on you but does not fulfill you or excuse me does not

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give you the power to fulfill that demand so you always come up short it's designed

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to show us as incapable of walking rightly with God which without Jesus we are so it's

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a failing covenant and then Hebrews it says that having found fault with them with the

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people and with the covenant there was a new under the new covenant it's totally different

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you're not trying to get God's approval you already have it you're not trying to get

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God's righteousness you already have it you're not trying to get God's acceptance you already

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have it it's not based on what you do it's based on what Jesus has already done whoo and because

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of that we celebrate Jesus's cross his blood and this new covenant in which we stand but there

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is a warning all throughout Galatians because this group known as the Judaizers came in and they

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took this new group of Christians the Galatians who had just come to faith in Christ they just

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got saved and they told them it's wonderful that your Christian and that you believe in Jesus but

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you still have to keep the the law so the gospel is Jesus plus nothing equals everything you cannot

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add to Christ's already completed work but they began to add and we as people as human beings

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were prone to do the same thing we somehow want a part of the salvation process even though he

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did it all and when he was done he sat down that means he went into a place of rest the position of

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rest there was no more work to do and really do you know that's what the Sabbath is all about the

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Sabbath was under the old covenant one physical day where you abstained from your labor just as God

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did from his during creation under the new covenant Jesus abstained from the work of salvation because

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it was finished he sat down so under the new covenant the Sabbath is celebrated every day

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every hour every minute you get to sit back and go wow thank you Jesus you did it all and I don't

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get to contribute I can now follow you I can now allow you to fill me with the Holy Spirit and I

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can be led by the Spirit but as far as my salvation it is finished it's a done deal and I can cease

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from my labors amen so every day Sabbath day and do not allow Judaizers to come in now with

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the Galatians Judaizers were an actual physical people group maybe that can happen today but

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oftentimes we are our own worst covenant adders and Judaizers we tell ourselves we need to help

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us save your out we tell ourselves we need to do something we do do people we need to do something to

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become approved unto God we and you don't it's done and now that it's done and you've been given

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heaven and forgiveness of sins and justification by faith and righteousness now that it's all yours

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for free out of your inner man out of your new creation being come forth good works that's

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why you're here today I'm Thanksgiving Sunday not because somebody guilty during to being here

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not because you feel like you have to be here otherwise God won't love you anymore but you're

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here out of a gratitude of what he has already done do you see the difference you're not trying to

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earn salvation you're not trying to earn God's unearnable unmerited favor which is grace but

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you're doing the right thing because of what you've already received amen and so once again

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I pray for you I love you and with the coming year be mindful of grace because it'll draw you

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into the presence of God and I know that you will be safe when you're when you're close to him

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when you keep your head upon his breast somebody who's mixing covenants somebody who's under condemnation

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they're not quick to rest their head and Jesus is breast but those who know their loved forever

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those who know they're forgiven forever they will and they'll hear the heart of their Savior

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and no matter what happens come hell or high water the Bible says in destruction and famine you shall

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laugh a thousand will fall at your side ten thousand at your right hand but may your confession be

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it will not come near me only with my eyes I will behold and see the reward of the wicked

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and then you get to say well I'm not wicked not because I'm so awesome but because Jesus has made

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me righteous and he's forgiven all of my sins so I qualify for all of the benefits and all

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of the blessings of God and he's forgiven your sins past present and future someone says how

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could it be my future sins how does that work well every sin is a future sin he died for you two

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thousand years ago in fact he didn't forgive you of your sins plural he forgave you of sin

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the entirety of sin when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming over the hill he said behold the

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Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world singular sin as a concept will be nailed to the cross

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in Jesus and to all those who believe their sin past present and future done away with and that

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is the blessedness of the new covenant hallelujah so let's get into Galatians chapter six as we

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finish up clash of the covenants it wasn't much of a battle huh chapter six Paul says brethren

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if a man is overtaken in any trespass you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of

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gentleness considering yourself lest you also be tempted now that first sentence note that he says

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if a man is overtaken in any trespass so not just the little ones any trespass and this person

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is overtaken I want you to know that nobody chooses how they fall Christians sometimes fall

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you don't have to have faith that you're gonna fall you don't have to believe God for it but it

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might happen and you don't get to choose if I got to choose how I was gonna fall I'd probably choose

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that banana peel right by my temperatech mattress and I'd slip and fall and land nice and cushy

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but you don't get to choose how you fall you don't get to choose what kind of an accident

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I pick a fender a little fender bender every time I'm not metaphorically speaking now sometimes

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it's a head-on collision and he gives us instructions on how to treat people within our community

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people within the church if they're overtaken in a sin or in a trespass you who are spiritual

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not those who are secretly happy that you fell into public disgrace because it makes them seem

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more spiritual not the busy buddies not the gassips but the ones who've partaken of the grace of

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God and they have his love in their hearts you are spiritual restore that word restore there

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from the Greek is brace like a cast come around them with love not condemnation not judgment but come

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around them like a cast like a brace and brace them up with prayer with encouragement with love

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with support God does the healing but you're the outward cast that's bracing them up it's been said

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the Christian army is the only army that shoots it's wounded I'd have to agree bizarre thing

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and I do find this that in churches where the covenants are mixed and the people are under the

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law that breeds pride that breeds a condemning spirit you'll see a lot more of that

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but when grace is champion and celebrated and when we're conscious of all that we've been

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forgiven of then we're not quick to finger point at somebody else but a compassion will arise

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from within us you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness and he says

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as a warning considering yourself lest you also be tempted because if you don't restore such a

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one in a spirit of gentleness with love if you're secretly happy that they fell then that same

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thing may be coming for you so consider yourself you think you're above that sometimes we get

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disgusted how can they fall like that how can they do that what are they thinking

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you know in the 80s there were several preachers who had a very public fall

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I won't get into their names but I remember one of them fell very publicly and then other

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major ministries they pointed the finger and publicly they spoke against them and then one by one

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it was exposed that they were all guilty of the same sin you don't want to be the finger pointer

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you want to be the one who comes embraces and loves and sees God's restoration and healing

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considering yourself because you're not above that if you think you are your next

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verse 2 bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ he's kind of winking at the

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Judaizers he's saying those of you who love the law of Moses so much and you think you can be

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saved by it there is a higher law he talked about it in the chapter before in Galatians 5 the law

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of Christ to love your neighbor as yourself so bear one another's burdens he's going to use two

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words burdens and loads a burden is in the Greek it's like a backpack but that's overflowing with

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too much stuff everybody gets a backpack a load everyone has a backpack in life a load they have to

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carry but if you come across somebody who's just gotten too much now they're being crushed underneath

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the weight of a burden of life help them and in that way you'll be fulfilling the ultimate law

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to love your brother and your neighbor as yourself verse 3

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for if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself i've been joking

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lately about what kind of a scripture plaque i'd like in my office turns out this is really the one

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I should have aimed at me if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives

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himself there is this attitude of the heart that we should have and both can coexist at the same

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time one attitude says i am a victor in Christ i am an overcomer more than an overcomer but within

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Christ i am blessed i'm highly favored i'm expecting something good to happen to me i'm a child

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i qualify for all of heaven's benefits and at the same time to have a heart pasture where you say

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in and of myself i'm nothing in and of myself i am wretched in and of myself i don't deserve heaven

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i don't deserve forgiveness i don't deserve a thing the bible says that god resists the proud

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but gives grace to the humble which is kind of a frightening verse because i don't like it when

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Satan resists me let alone when god himself resists me and it says that pride opens you up to the

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very resistance of god but he gives grace to the humble so what is humility it is your dependency

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on the Lord it is you not having confidence in yourself the rebuke that Jesus gave the laodice

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in church in Revelation chapter three the church age most believe that we're living in the rebuke

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was you think you're all that but really you don't even realize you're naked but you think

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you have costly garments on you think you can see but you're blind you think you're rich but

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really you're poor and the rebuke was that they thought that they were strong in and of themselves

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that they had arrived may we carry both attitudes of the heart simultaneously and it is possible

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i'm a champion i'm a victor and also i need Jesus i really really need him because without him

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i'm nothing for if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself

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verse four but let each one examine his own work and then he will have rejoicing

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and himself alone and not and another bit of a cryptic verse here Paul says examine take

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inventory of yourself and examine your own works and really he has echoed this in several other

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places in New Testament where Christians will stand before judgment seat there's several judgments

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that the New Testament talks about one is the great white throne judgment at the end of Revelation

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that is the final judgment the good news is you won't be a part of that do you remember

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if you remember some wild west history they talked about those hanging judges with a hanging

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they're not really trying to find out whether you're guilty or innocent everyone's guilty

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it's kind of like the great white throne judgment if you appear there it's for unbelievers not

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believers and if you appear there there that means you have rejected Jesus you've died in your sin

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and there's only one verdict guilty thankfully because of Jesus' great gift and what he's done

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for you you'll never stand before the great white throne judgment but Paul does talk about the

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beam of seat or the judgment seat of Christ that's where believers will be judged not on whether

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you're going to get into heaven or not you're already heaven bound all of your sins are forgiven you

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but you'll be judged on your on your heavenly reward

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so how will you be judged on your heavenly reward several factors in the scriptures come up

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one you'll be judged on what you have done with the gifts he has given you and that's good news

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you're not responsible if you're not called to be a global evangelist you're not responsible for

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the salvation of hundreds of thousands of souls amen and i'm not responsible for the calling on

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another pastor's life and he's not responsible for mine you're only responsible to fulfill

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that which he has put inside of you and the second thing that comes up in Corinthians

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Paul says at the judgment seat of Christ the purifying fire of God will hit our works

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and it could turn if it wasn't with the right motive it'll turn into wood hand stubble

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but if our motive was right it'll be precious stones

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and that should just cause us to raise our eyebrow to make sure that whatever we do something

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it's with the right heart and with the right motive because you can do all of the right things

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for all of the right reasons have you ever been a part of a Christian organization

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where there were tears and distinct hierarchies and you had to work to climb the ranks

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and then very quickly you forget why am I doing this am I getting caught up with the Lord of

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the work or the work of the Lord and why am I doing this to get promoted in the eyes of man

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to get another pin from man to be acknowledged by man if social media has shown us anything

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is that without Christ we're all ravenous animals in desperate need of validation and affirmation

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I'm feeling down you know what I really need a like from a stranger to let me know that I'm okay

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that I exist that I matter I can lonely sometimes I feel like if I died no one would even miss me

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but Betty over there gave me a like I don't even really nobody her profile picture has a line in

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the background and she's blown a show far but Betty liked my post and I'm glad to know that I'm

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making a difference I'm sorry do you know Betty you look upset nobody's were harmed in the

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preaching of this sermon it's a matter of motive and so when we do the good things that we want to

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do for the Lord empowered by his holy spirit under grace it shouldn't be for for people's

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affirmation amen it should be just for him for an audience of one amen it's easier said than done

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but as we die more to self and as we realize that most people just don't care anyway it'll cause

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you to live for that audience of one amen Galatians six five see he said bear one another's burdens

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that's the overflowing backpack and then he says but each one shall bear his own load his own

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backpack that's given to us and then he goes into an offering teaching in verse six

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let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches so here Paul is laying

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out how ministry should be funded and he's saying if you're a teacher of the word you should be

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financially compensated from your ministry we know that he Paul was a tent maker but he didn't

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stay a tent maker and he gives his reasons for temporarily being a tent maker and part of his reasons

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were that he just didn't want to give him any excuse not to hear him he didn't want anybody to

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say oh he's just preaching and he's in ministry for financial gain so he may tense on the side

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but the way God has always established it was that a minister be compensated for their ministry

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and not to muzzle the ox that treads out the corn just the image of that is cruel right an ox

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that you use to stomp and tread out the corn but you place the muzzle on it so when it's hungry

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you can't even grab a few bites of what you're using it for as it treads on the corn

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let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches can I get an amen here

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amen let verse seven and then this verse note that this verse is in the context still of this

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offering terminate that the apostle Paul is giving you typically it's taking out

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independently and it's displayed in a way where there's almost this ominous laughter in the background

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oh do not be deceived God is not mocked for whatever a man says that will he also reap it's in the

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context of the offering and Paul what he's saying I'll just rephrase this another way Paul is saying

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it is an utter mockery to God to believe that you can so financial seed and not reap a harvest

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back he's encouraging them in his giving he says God is not mocked and he uses these agricultural

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and agrargarian terms throughout the New Testament sewing and reaping so it's impossible to

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sew apple seeds and not get an apple orchard it's impossible to sew pumpkin seeds and not get

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pumpkins he's saying it's impossible to sew financial gifts and not reap a financial reward and

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it is a mockery to think so to think that it's impossible but whatever a man says that is what he's

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going to reap amen next verse wait just go back one verse did we finish that okay verse verse

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eight for he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption but he who sows to the spirit

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note that Paul says giving unto the Lord is sowing to the spirit will of the spirit

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reap everlasting life and then attached to this offering little three verse sermon at to encourage

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them in their giving he says and let us not grow weary while doing good for induced season we

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shall reap if we do not lose heart wise Paul telling I'm not to grow weary in doing good and saying

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if you just don't lose heart you're going to reap your reward I know why I've lived why

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because the harvest doesn't really come until you push past the point of almost losing heart

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it doesn't come until you actually feel like I'm in a fork in the road

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hey does this is does this really work because I'm not really seeing it work in my life and then

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if you still keep the faith that's when the harvest comes amen that's why it's put in there

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some of you don't know my testimony many of you've heard the testimony way too many times

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but we launched city light church I planted it nearly 22 years ago I was 26 years old in the east

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village on seven street with no sponsorship from any other church a denomination I came from a

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large church but it just wasn't a time where churches financially supported church plans I got

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to be blessed and be filled it was awesome but not be blessed and be filled didn't pay the rent

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and so I ended up living in the church in the basement 20 feet wide by 80 feet long

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no windows and there was that one afternoon where I caught 17 mice in one afternoon

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I've seen one or two mice so I laid out some glue traps randomly went to get a cup of coffee came

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back like 45 minutes later walk through the door open the door and I was like I hear birds chirping

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a bird god in here and then it hit me it must be a mouse no it was 17 mice

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and people stayed away from my ministry by the thousands they stayed away

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and so now and this lasted for four and a half years you said why did you go even to live in

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that basement to live in the church literally the church bathroom had a shower and people said what's

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that shower I shower in there and behind the altar was a kitchen that had no heat so inside this

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entry you could be 75 degrees and then you you went in the middle of the night and it would be like

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45 degrees in the kitchen and so there were times when I'd be praying there and I felt like

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the children of Israel when they came out with Moses and they were all frustrated because they

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didn't see the fulfillment of the promise and they cried I love have you let us out here that we

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should die and I actually remember several times praying and doubting the whole message of sewing

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and reaping of giving I actually thought hey I went to college man I could have got my dad is in

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finance I could have followed him instead I answered the call to ministry and now I'm here in my late

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20s living in a windowless basement this is this is not how I planned it to be and I gave away all

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this money wherever the Lord said give I gave and now here I'm in my late 20s all I have is credit

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card that I'm just broke and when is the harvest coming I remember several times it was like in

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the spirit standing at a fork in the road now look if I had taken man's word for it then I'm a fool

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but I didn't take man's word for it I wasn't emotionally moved by some 3 a.m. televangelist to give

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everything I had I saw it in the word I saw that Jesus never ever talked about giving without

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also talking about you receiving I saw that God's prescription for abundance and for

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prosperity was generosity but as everybody I got to that place where I wondered

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am I going to continue because I was losing heart and let us not grow weary while doing good

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for induced season that's a christianism due season that's an end no it is it's that answer

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what is my harvest coming induced season what does that mean that's like saying

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soon what does that mean you're soon or God soon because the day is a thousand years to God which

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it will come if you do not lose heart he's saying it specifically because he knows the temptation

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will be to lose heart Paul does that sometimes he'll let you know who's prone to that he'll say

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husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them because a husband may be more prone to be

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bitter against his wife don't be bitter hey man he says study your wife that's what that verse

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husbands dwell with your wives with understanding it means study them like a scholar their likes

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their dislikes what makes them tick and he could be better blessing to them right I'd like to

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think I got my PhD in emilyology I think that she might give me barely a bachelor's I don't know

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but I'm working on it I'm trying to get the credits I'm gonna study my wife that way as soon as

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she comes through I'm like oh I've seen that I this is chapter six verse 10 I've studied you I know

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just what you need amen and then I get a harvest from that don't I babe hallelujah

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yeah

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therefore verse 10 therefore as we have opportunity remember he's talking about the offering

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whenever you see it therefore ask yourself what it's there for therefore as we have opportunity

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let us do good to all but especially to those who are of the household of faith just note that as

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Christians this is going to sound kind of harsh but hey as Christians our primary responsibility

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is to other believers other Christians help where you want but just know the Bible says primarily to

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the household of faith because the whole design of charitable giving was supposed to be through the

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those who are outside of the faith look at us and our love for one another and how we take care of

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each other and then how no one is lacking in our community and they go wow what an amazing

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generous loving group of people and their God is so loving I want in amen we as a church get hit

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up for money all the time I think some people think we're bank and no we're not giving God's money

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to restore benches in central park we're not giving God's money for graffiti removal on such

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and such street our primary concern is to help those who are of the household of faith in fact

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our end of the year offering is up where we disclose all of the church finances there was a card

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on your seat and you can see who the finances are going to it's other people within our church

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other ministries mainly other ministries but to those who are actual members of city light and

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whenever they need we go to help them amen you don't know yeah let's get back to Galatians

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that's pretty stained glass therefore as we have opportunity let us do good to all especially

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to those who are of the household of faith verse 11 and this is why some people believe the

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Paul had an eye disease because he wrote the letter in 72 point fonts as opposed to regular 10

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or 12 point fonts see with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand

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he didn't have an eye disease doctors can barely with great difficulty diagnose somebody standing

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right in front of them how are you going to diagnose somebody who lived two thousand years ago

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and say they had an eye disease in fact he didn't write all of Galatians it was a steward who wrote it

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but that particular portion he John Hancocked with large letters and just said I'm putting an

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emphasis on this see what what large letters I've written to you with my own hand as many as

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desire to make a good showing in the flesh these would compel you to be circumcised let me

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rephrase that as many as desire to make a good show a show a religious show in the flesh

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these would compel you to add to the already finished work of Christ as many as want to make a

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show in the flesh they're going to tell you do xyz and you'll help earn your salvation and you'll

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be more proved unto God what arrests you have when you know there is nothing you can do to cause

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him to love you more there is nothing that you can do to cause him to forgive you more you're

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thoroughly and completely loved you're thoroughly and completely forgiven

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these would compel you to add circumcision there is a symbol for adding to the finished work of

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the cross only that they may not suffer persecution for the cross of Christ because you suffer

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persecution when you preach Jesus plus nothing equals everything that's what got Paul persecuted

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why because such a message robs people of their pride robs people of their religiosity

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he said if I if I didn't want to be so persecuted I just preach legalism people love that

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you tell people grace and it's all for free and they want to kill you for it

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verse 13 for not even those who are circumcised keep the law those who are getting circumcised

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they're still not keeping the entirety of the law and if they break it in one point they're guilty

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of breaking it completely but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh

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but God forbid that I should boast and if you want to memorize like a verse for the week this is a

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great one to memorize you know memorizing the word brings great power the word becomes flesh

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the word is like fuel for your spirit God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our

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Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world worship team come

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on up foreign Christ Jesus neither circumcision being a Jew nor uncircumcision being a Gentile

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avails anything he's saying it doesn't matter if you're physically Jewish or physically not Jewish

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but what does matter is being a new creation

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that's how God sees people whether they're a new creation or not a new creation and he's provided

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the way to becoming a new creation by saying yes and giving your life to Jesus and trusting in his

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substitutionary death on the cross that phrase new creation in the Greek is a new species of being

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than ever existed before do you know how different you are the Bible says the Old Testament prophets

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they prophesied about the new covenant they prophesied about the new birth they prophesied about

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the new creation that you get to enjoy today they looked and peered and saw it but never experienced

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it themselves but you get to experience it because you're living on this side of the cross

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Jesus said among men born from women there's none greater than John the Baptist that's pretty amazing

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even greater than Moses because John the Baptist he hurled it the way he declared the way for Jesus

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there's no one's greater than John the Baptist and then he said this but those in the kingdom of

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God the least in the new covenant kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist what's it like

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can I interview you what's it like to know you're greater than John the Baptist

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and why are you and why are you and why are you in Jesus' own words greater than John the Baptist

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because John the Baptist as great as he was never had the new creation he was never born again

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he looked into it prophetically he saw it but he passed away before Jesus's death burial and

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resurrection still went to heaven because back then your salvation was based on you looking to the

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Messiah you kind of got saved on credit you look forward it to the Messiah you believe Messiah was

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coming and he would take away the sin of the world but you didn't have they they had the promise

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we have the fulfillment they had the shadow we have the substance how beautiful that is

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that we get to live on this side of the cross and it doesn't matter whether you're Jewish or not

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Jewish because they were saying you you're you're extra special if you're Jewish and he's saying it

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doesn't matter it's all about whether you're in Christ or not verse 16 and as many as walk according

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to this rule peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God there's a lot of talk about

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Israel today a lot of talk about Palestine I'm not going to wax the political I've shared my views

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and they come from Joshua chapter five where he says I'm not on your side I'm not on your side

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God says I'm on my side but I want you to answer this question for yourself who is the

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Apostle Paul talking about here when he says peace and mercy be upon them and upon the Israel

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of God who's the Israel of God the nation of God God's chosen people the called out ones the

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precious ones I mean the clue is he's writing to the Galatians and he just said it doesn't matter

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if you're naturally Jewish or naturally non-Jewish but what matters is a new creation

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this spiritual Israel that's the nation of God that's God's chosen people

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it's not whether you were physically born into it it's where you spiritually born again

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into it and when Paul says mercy be upon them and upon the Israel of God he's talking to anyone

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who is in Christ anyone who's had their sins forgiven and I remember today this sounds strange

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but when he was preaching this to a first century audience the majority of Christians were Jewish

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only today does this does being Jewish mean I don't believe in Jesus like that's part of the faith

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I believe in this and part of my faith is I can't believe in Jesus it wasn't seen that way then

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it was bastardized and morphed into that throughout the centuries but the majority of Christians

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I mean you see that right in fact they they were shocked oh you're not Jewish and you believe in

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Jesus and you're heaven bound wow you were the minority and he says blessings be to the Israel of our

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God you're the nation of God the people of God God's chosen people not because you're so awesome

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or I'm so awesome but because his cause is to be born again by his precious blood from now on

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let no one trouble me because there were people criticizing him and if you're ever going to say

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anything that's the truth if ever going to stand up for God's righteousness there'll be people

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who criticize Jesus for now on let no one trouble me for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus

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listen to his defense he's saying because Paul in the scriptures it shows that he was whipped

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39 times on five separate occasions and plus he was stoned he was stoned so bad that they

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thought he was dead some say he did die and God raised him up he says I bear in my body the

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persecution for the truth that I preach and there's some keyboard warrior somewhere to the side

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telling me how bad I am just tell him to keep quiet because I bear in my own body what it's like to

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truly live for Jesus and to be under persecution and then ends with brethren the grace of our Lord

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Jesus Christ be with your spirit he finishes this great letter on grace by inviting the grace of

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the Lord Jesus to be with your spirit and that's my prayer for you but the grace of Jesus be with

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you and that you're growing grace and at this mystery that is grace and it is a mystery Paul called

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it a mystery it's a mystery because it goes against our natural understanding of the order of the

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universe the natural order of the universe is what Paul called the ABCs of the universe do good

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get good do bad get bad even total unbelievers call that karma but grace is even while you were

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yet a sinner Christ died for you even while we were still bad not deserving of anything good

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he gave us everything so I want you to just listen to the song and sing it sing the lyrics

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and receive God's grace and let him whisper to you about you you know he doesn't want to keep

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you in the dark he wants to tell you what's around the corner what's behind the bend just say

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this out loud Lord Jesus I am your sheep and I hear your voice speak Lord for your servant is listening

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we would love to connect with you we pray that you have been encouraged today that you have

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been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace thank you for listening

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make sure that you subscribe to city light church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts

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