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Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today, as we look into God's word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us.

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

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Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already 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 are surrounded by His grace, and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

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Well, we're in the Book of Romans. Romans chapter 8. This is, I believe, our third service on Romans 8. We've done Romans 6, 7, and 8.

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If you're a guest or if you've missed some services, I encourage you to just go back, check out our YouTube videos, get these teachings. There's not that many of them.

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But get them under your belt. It's vital to your spiritual health. It's vital to your spiritual vitality because after all we're living under the new covenant.

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We're serving God under the new covenant. And if we don't understand the principles of the new covenant, we're going to get frustrated.

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The new covenant is different from the old. The old, the Apostle Paul calls in Corinthians the ministry of death.

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Doesn't sound like fun, does it? I didn't sign up to be a minister of death for the rest of my life. I'm a minister of life, and that life is presented in Jesus and in the new covenant.

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And all the blessings that afford us. So that's why we're going through this series. We're going to be starting Galatians next week.

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So we understand what exactly is happening here under this blessed new covenant that was ratified with Jesus' own blood. Are you ready?

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We finished with verse 15 of Romans 8 last week. Let's just begin there.

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For you do not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.

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So Paul here is just concluding this thought and reminding us within that verse what he established in Romans 6 and Romans 7, and what he establishes that our old sin nature was crucified with Jesus.

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And we died to sin. You receive that by faith. It's not something you feel, but you receive it by faith.

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You always receive it by faith first and the feelings come later. Amen. The Bible says we walk by faith and not by sight and not by feelings and not by what we hear or even touch, but first we receive it in our spirit and then we see it manifested in the natural world.

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And because now we died to sin, we died to the law he establishes in Romans 7. Because of that he says therefore there is no condemnation any more for you.

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Every bad thing, every wrong thing, every sin you've ever committed, you're ever going to commit was thoroughly punished and God's wrath was exhausted in the person of Jesus.

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Therefore, hands hitherto there is none absolutely zero left for you. That's good news, isn't it? There is zero of God's wrath left for you because it's been exhausted on Jesus while he was on the cross.

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That's why the gospel is called good news. The greatest love story ever told.

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And because of this, because you have been justified, which means you've been pronounced not guilty. The great judge Almighty has declared in the courtroom of heaven because he sees the blood of Jesus applied to you.

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Those of you who have received Jesus and who trust him for his righteousness, the verdict is not guilty. That means you're justified and you're not condemned. And because of that you now have, according to the scriptures, access with confidence.

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Yeah, you don't have to crawl up to God's throne like I'm some old worm. You can usually tell how people stand in their understanding of grace and I'm on the impartation of righteousness about how they begin their prayers.

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There's some places you'll go and people will begin. They begin with a whale. Oh God. I pray now like they're very apologetic. Like it's me again. I know you're tired of me because I'm tired of me and I've done bad.

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So I want to demonstrate to you that I'm not like I'm just sashing up into the presence of God's aside. And they're moaning and whaling like somebody strangling a cat.

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What's happening here? What's happening is that they don't understand what's happened to them during the new birth. And so there is a timidity there.

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They don't know they have access with confidence. They don't know that they can come boldly. That's what the scripture says, come boldly to the throne of grace. A forgiven person, a person who knows they're justified, they come boldly.

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I can tell what kind of a parenting job I'm doing by how my kids approach me. How many of you know it wouldn't be healthy whenever my kids want my attention. They're like, you got to walk on eggshells around dad.

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You don't know how you're going to find them. It's up one day down the next. No. If I'm in the middle of a Zoom call, I want them to, you can run right up, jump on my lap. You're welcome in dad's presence. Amen.

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I'll put them out of the room immediately after, but they know that they have access with confidence.

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So what's he saying here? What's he teaching us? He's saying because you know you have, you've been adopted and you don't have the spirit of bondage again to fear the spirit of bondage was under the old covenant because you were never really forgiven of your sins.

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You didn't have the new birth, you weren't made new and that caused the fear. But you have the spirit of adoption by whom you cry out, Abba, father.

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It comes from a place of confidence, not in yourself, but in what Jesus did for you on the cross and had his resurrection. Amen.

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And that's why the scripture says you don't have a spirit of timidity. It says many of you know that versus God has not given you a spirit of fear, right? But of power and of love and of a sound mind. Yes, it's a spirit of fear. It can also be translated as a spirit of timidity.

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Which I say this with love and respect and gentleness, but I just want to say it that shyness, it's not of God. When someone is shy, we like to make it cute. Oh no, I'm just shy, but they're just shy. No, I was one shy, believe it or not.

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There's nothing godly about you can be quiet. That's fine. A quiet person. You can be an introvert where you're more energized being alone than with other people. That's fine. But I'm telling you from personal experience.

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If you're quote unquote shy, there is a spirit. It's a spirit of timidity. And it's there to torment you to keep you bound and locked up and something God hurt, something got traumatized on the inside. And God wants to heal it.

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The Bible says, listen, the righteous are as bold as the light. Well, that means you first have to go to the cross and receive righteousness. Not do stuff, but you look at Jesus. You know that he has given you his righteousness. That means you are just as righteous as Jesus.

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Get comfortable saying that. Some Christians hear that and they physically manifest as though they're hearing heresy. No, if he's given you something on an equal level, you now are clothed with the very righteousness of Christ.

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That means God the Father sees you the same way he sees Jesus receives you the same way he receives Jesus. So now you have a boldness and that's why the righteous are as bold as the line. The condemned, the ones who aren't in the word, the ones who are struggling with guilt and shame because they aren't going to Jesus, they're not bold.

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And they're the ones who begin their prayers with wailing and weeping and kind of like this scratching clawing their way up before the throne. You don't have to claw your way and you don't have to work to get into the throne area.

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There's all these teachings, you know, back in the 90s, they had these wild teachings. First you've got to enter his courts with praise. So you need 45 minutes of hand clapping and then all these steps and then there's the outer tabernacle and then the inner courts and then the holy place and like after two hours, you now get to enter and like people got to work, you know, people got places to go.

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The moment you say father in the name of Jesus, you're before him with no guilt, no shame and no condemnation. Amen. Accepted and accepted in the beloved. Hallelujah.

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Verse 16. The spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Now just want you to know, I've said this before, but pay attention in the Scriptures when there's a lower case S and a capitalized S.

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Divinity is capitalized and so when you see a capital S, it's talking about God and his Holy Spirit. When you see a lower case S, it's talking about your human spirit and there is some confusion here because whenever people hear the term spirit, they immediately assume it's talking about God, but you need to know that you are a spirit. You don't have a spirit. You are a spirit. That's the real you. You are a spirit that has a soul that lives inside a body.

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But the real you is a spiritual being. And in that real you, when you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit comes. So now capital S makes his home in lower case S. And what does he do? He does a lot. He regenerates your spirit, makes it new.

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He speaks to you. That's why if you're looking for God to speak to you with these flappy things around your head, you're not going to hear him. He speaks in here. Yes, sometimes he can come with an audible voice. I'm telling you 9 out of 10 times. It's the still small voice. It's the inward witness of the Holy Spirit inside your spirit.

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And he's the one who will confirm your salvation to you. He bears witness that you're a child of God. Now I want to just talk about this for a little bit because I understand that there's there's some people who think they're saved, but they're swimming in false doctrine and they're not really saved.

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And there's also some people who really are saved, but they've been under spiritual attack. Their emotions are all over the place. And now they're believing that they're not saved. And there is this always within a church. There are some people who struggle with this. And so whenever you give an altar call, their hands always goes up.

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And I'm not a big fan of that. Why am I not a big fan of that? Because I know that's a type of torment. And I don't want the people to be tormented. You don't have to based on your feelings, get born again again, and again, and again, and keep raising your hand until that's torture, right?

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Why would somebody get into that state? Well, when you're confused, when you're feeling emotional, you can't trust your feelings, the only thing you can cling to is the word of God. And if you don't have enough of the word of God in you,

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if you haven't read and then internalized, memorized scriptures that deal with your salvation, you're going to fear that you're not saved.

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If you have an internalized scriptures and how you're going to live forever, you're going to fear death. A Christian should not fear death.

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I would start with that scripture where Jesus said, he who believes in me will never die. And get that in your spirit.

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In fact, anything that's plaguing you, you overcome with the word of God.

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That's how Jesus defeated the enemy. It is written. It is written. It is written.

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Amen. Listen, I've had folk, deathly ill come up for prayer, and I'll ask them what healing verse are you standing on?

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Just look at me and blink. Sometimes they say, you know the one about how he was whipped and because of that we're healed.

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Yeah, I know, but you got to know. I don't live inside your spirit. You got to know. And if you got a real problem, there shouldn't be something you paraphrase, kind of sort of maybe.

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This is something you should have in your spirit. 5, 10, 15, powerful verses. There's the truth. There is a creative ability in the word of God.

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You doubt that? Just read Genesis 1. He spoke and it was. He created through speaking death and life are in the power of the tongue.

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And they love it. They love that fact. The death and life are in the power of the tongue.

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We'll eat the fruits thereof. The word of God is alive. Quick, sharper than any two-edged sword.

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So I want to have the word of God in me. Listen, if you're struggling financially, you've got to have 10 verses on God's abundance and His prosperity in your spirits.

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Eat those verses every night. The word has to be made flesh. This is why God came to Joshua.

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And said, all right, Joshua, you're young. You're inexperienced. Moses laid his hands on you, but I understand you're now going to take all of Israel.

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Cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. You can just picture Joshua. His knees having fellowship one with another, you know?

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And God said, all right, you're going to meditate on the word of God day and night.

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And when you meditate, which in the Hebrew is to mutter, don't think of somebody sitting in the lotus position with their fingers like this crying,

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meditate means to mutter, repeat over and over again.

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And when you meditate on the word of God, then you will make your way prosperous. And then you will have good success.

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That's the promise associated with the word of God. Oh, hallelujah. I know. I know it's good because it's in the word.

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But it always, when I say it, it's a funny feeling in the spirit. For some people are like, yeah, and for others, there's this, well, I don't know what I have to do.

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This is a sad reality that some people will cross their arms and nod their head. And for years, we'll listen and go, yeah, that's probably true. That's a good point.

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And never ever apply these things. And this is something that'll change your life in a matter of, I'm telling you days, days.

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This isn't even a part of my message. I'm going off now. But somebody needs to hear this. Things will change when you start agreeing with the word of God.

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Hallelujah. And saying it out loud with your mouth. You got saved because you opened up your mouth. You didn't just look up and go, if you confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead.

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Note that faith is 50% in your heart and 50% in your mouth. You confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. You will be saved.

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Hallelujah.

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Verse 17. And if children then heirs. You know what it means when you're in air? It means there's an inheritance.

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What's the inheritance? Everything. All of heaven and what heaven has to offer. And if you're an heir, you have an inheritance.

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Heirs of God and joined Heirs with Christ. You know what the problem with the rich young ruler was? Is that he came to Jesus and he said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He got it all wrong.

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You don't have to do anything. You have to be. When you be in the family, you be in air. Amen.

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Everybody wants to do, do, do. People love, thrive on to do list. What must I do? You must be born again and then you're in the family of God and then you just be.

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This is important because everybody wants to prove themselves to God. This was by the way the temptation of Satan to Jesus in the wilderness.

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He said, if you're the son of God, then do something. If you're really the son of God, then command these stones to be made bread.

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If you're the son of God, then throw yourself off this high place and the angels will come and rescue you. Do something to prove that you're the son of God.

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And Jesus is just like, I don't have to do, I be. Amen. I just am. I don't have to do anything for it.

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Have that posture. It's a posture of great rest. Throw no effort of your own. He did all the work. You give your life to him. You join the family of God. You're adopted as a son with the same rights and privileges as a natural born air.

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And if indeed we suffer with him.

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I want to say this, according to the Scriptures, we're called to suffer. We're called to suffer the sufferings of Christ. And only the sufferings of Christ.

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There is this, this is just people. And this is how we are as humans. There's always a pocket of people in every church.

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Is it already if I use these examples? Sometimes people get nervous because they think I'm talking about, like I look in that direction, I was talking about me.

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No, I just, there is no method to who I'm looking at or pointing at or...

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There's a pocket of people, they love suffering. They're suffering junkies. They take great pride in their suffering. They advertise their suffering.

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Oh, just going through it, you know. They say things like, I'm a modern day job. Their favorite book in the Bible is Job. They love Job.

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The whole identity is wrapped around Job. It doesn't matter that it's the oldest book in the Bible, the most misunderstood book in the Bible.

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That early on in Job chapter 3 when all that stuff happens to me says, the thing that I was afraid of has happened to me. And that which I feared has occurred unto me.

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Meaning he opened the door to all of that stuff through fear. You're not ready for this.

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All his kids being wiped out, you already imagine that in a spirit of fear. All his properties being burnt, you already imagine that.

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You already saw it all when it all happened. See, I knew it.

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He was sacrificing every day. Let's maybe one of his kids did something wrong and upset God.

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He should have sacrificed once and stood in faith that it was enough. But you know, you can pray in nervousness.

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There's people every time they're in the car. Lord Jesus, help me. Traveling mercies. Make sure nothing bad happens.

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And all they're doing is opening the door of fear wide for that exact same thing to happen. Stop that.

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When you're in faith, you can walk in, close the door of your car and say, oh Lord, thank you another smooth ride, hallelujah.

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Amen.

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Back to suffering.

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The sufferings of Jesus is what we are called to. Jesus said, the servant is not above his master.

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They persecuted me. They will also persecute you.

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The sufferings of Jesus will all fall under the category of persecution, being misunderstood, people being envious of you.

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Those are the sufferings of Christ. Trust me, that's all the sufferings you need.

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Do you know what's not underneath the umbrella of sufferings of Christ?

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Carrex, freak accidents, getting fired from your job, being broke, sickness, disease, and all these other things that sometimes we get in our lives just as the natural consequences to our own behavior.

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But then we want to spiritualize it and make it seem like we're modern day job.

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Because it sounds so lofty, you know? God's eyes were scanning the whole earth, so was Satan.

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And out of 8 billion people, Satan's eyes fell upon me.

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And then God said, hey, have you considered my servant Anika?

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This is important because you need to know what sufferings to deal with and accept.

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If it's the sufferings of Christ, it means you're being persecuted.

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You're being persecuted not for your jerkeness, but because of your faith in Jesus.

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I gotta say that. There's some Christians with personality disorders.

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They upset everybody at work, they get fired, and they say it's because I was Christian.

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No. It's because I'm so anointed. No, it's because you're so anointed.

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Not because you're so anointed. Don't blame God now.

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When it's the real sufferings of Christ, the Bible says rejoice in that day for the spirit of God and of glory does rest upon you.

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But all the other sufferings, then you need to know I'm gonna resist that.

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If the devil is pinching you in some other area of life, he's got you cornered, then you don't have to accept that.

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Suffering is of Christ, embrace, rejoice.

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Anything else? You gotta push back on with the Word of God and in your faith.

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Is this making sense? Amen.

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If indeed we suffer with him that we may also be glorified together.

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Oh, hallelujah, verse 18.

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time, whatever it is, that we're going through,

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both the sufferings of Christ or any kind of suffering, it's not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

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And note the subtext. He doesn't say the glory that you'll be created in us.

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It's already there. It's just on that day at the full consummation of our salvation, that deposit of the Holy Spirit we all carry, it will be revealed in us.

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Settle, but powerful.

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When you're going through it, it's a powerful thing to remember, whatever's happening around me.

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It's not even worthy to be compared. It's compared to the glory that'll be revealed in me.

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Next verse, please.

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For the earnest expectation of the creation, all of nature, all of creation, eagerly waits for us, for the revealing of the sons of God.

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All of creation is on edge, all of nature is on edge, waiting until that day.

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Yes, we're saved now, but on that day, we'll receive the fullness of that suffering.

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We'll get a glorified body.

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Why is nature so eager for the full revelation of the children of God?

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Because nature itself is still under a curse.

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And when that glory is revealed in us on that day, you know, all of earth will be redeemed to its original glory.

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And a lot of times we don't consider that.

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If you've ever been to Colorado, you look at the beautiful vistas, the mountains, you go, wow.

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And it is, it's beautiful for us, wow. You go to Hawaii, the waterfalls, palm trees, mountains, cliffs, wow.

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Yes, it's beautiful, but you know everything we see right now, it's still under a curse.

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What's it like when the curse is lifted?

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Who knows? Mind blowing.

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Maybe the waterfall goes in reverse.

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Maybe the flowers talk to each other and talk back at you.

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The flower and just the glory of God radiating out of it.

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Maybe the flowers start singing. You can see the colors as they sing.

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But that was the original creation.

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And that was beautiful as it is to us. It's not when you're a curse, but on that day, when we're truly revealed.

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And you know, you'll get a glorified body. That's exciting.

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Amen.

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You have to have a glorified body because when that glory is revealed in you, if you didn't have a glorified body, your current body would explode.

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So you need to be a holy ghost superman and superwoman, physically.

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Amen.

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And I hope you're getting by the way now that heaven is not just a spiritual place.

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Like heaven is, because it's often portrayed.

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Like an angel with wings and you become an angel and you're bouncing from cloud to cloud in a mist.

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And that heaven is real.

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It's more real than this earth is real, because heaven made earth.

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Amen.

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Next verse, please.

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For the creation nature was subjected to futility.

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Not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope.

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Hey, let's go to that verse in Isaiah, just to show you what it will be like in that day.

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Isaiah prophesies of what will happen when Jesus comes back and brings His rain to earth.

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And all things are renewed.

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And that's what we're doing as a church, by the way.

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We're joining Jesus as he renews and restores all things.

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That's the journey we're on.

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And we're all on together.

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We're expanding the kingdom of God.

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Listen to this.

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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb.

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The leopard shall lie down with the young goat.

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There'll be no killing.

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There'll be no murder.

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Vegetarians love this passage.

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The calf and the young lion and the fatling together.

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And a little child shall lead them.

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The leopards and the wolves and the...

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This is what it was like in the Garden of Eden.

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They could be a herd of lions.

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And Adam could say, here, here, here, here.

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And they just come right over to him.

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Verse 7.

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The cow and the bear shall graze.

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Their young ones shall lie down together.

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And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

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The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole.

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And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.

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They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.

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For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

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as the waters cover the sea.

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Hallelujah.

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I read that in something leaps.

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What's that?

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What's leaping?

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It's that cry and that groan.

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Our future is there.

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Right here, we're just passerby.

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We're strangers and pilgrims of the Bible says aliens.

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Wandering through.

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Next verse, please, out of Romans.

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Hallelujah.

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I believe it's Romans 19.

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Yes.

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For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits.

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No, maybe 21.

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Yes, because the creation itself also will be delivered

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from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty

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of the children of God.

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For we know that the whole creation groans and labors

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with birth pains together until now.

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There is a groaning in creation for what?

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To be aligned with God's ultimate will for it.

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Not only that, verse 23.

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But we also have the first fruits of the Spirit.

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That's us.

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We have a deposit of glory.

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So even we ourselves groan within ourselves.

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That's why you never quite feel at home in this world.

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You have a deposit of glory.

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That's why you cry out, still come, Lord Jesus.

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Hey, listen, right now, I am...

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People think if you're blessed, if you have some...

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Your problems, earthly problems, are taken care of.

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You just want to live.

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Yes.

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You want to live.

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And I can be right now in this particular season.

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I've got no problems.

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Life is God.

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Life is great.

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You know what?

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I still don't feel at home here.

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I love you, especially love my wife, my kids.

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I want to film the call on my life.

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But still, there's always a cry.

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Lord, if you wrap this whole thing up tonight...

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I'm good to go.

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This is not my home.

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We ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption.

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Even though we are adopted right now, right?

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We're children of God right now.

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But there will be a full consummation of that.

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The redemption of our body.

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For we were saved in this hope.

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But hope that is seen is not hope.

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For why does one still hope for what he sees?

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But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

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Likewise, the Holy Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.

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Hey, that's good news, isn't it?

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The Holy Spirit helps in our weaknesses.

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Say that with me, the Holy Spirit helps in my weaknesses.

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What weaknesses?

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What weaknesses is the Apostle Paul talking about here?

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I'm so glad he answers the question in the very next sentence.

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For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought.

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There is, especially when you're going through it, you know it to be true.

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If you're under the gun, if you're suffering, you're feeling the pressures of life.

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You get emotional, right?

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You get a little confused.

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Some doubt and unbelief start coming in.

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You wonder what the will of God is and you go to prayer.

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Have you ever gone to prayer while you're going through it?

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And everything is not crystal clear.

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And you feel like there's a swarm of flies buzzing around your head.

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And that can happen when you're really going through it or it can happen on another Tuesday morning.

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And you don't know how to pray as you ought.

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You're at step A.

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I must only be preaching to myself.

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I don't know about you.

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I'm convinced I have a destiny.

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How about you?

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Call my destiny where I'm gonna end up step B.

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But I'm at step A.

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How do you get from A to B?

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There's a lot of intermediary steps between A and B.

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And I don't know how to pray about all those things.

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That's the weakness that I have.

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And the Bible says the Holy Spirit has come in to help with that specific weakness.

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For we don't know what we should pray for as we ought.

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But the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

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He's drawing a thought from the previous two verses also.

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There's a groan inside a creation, a groan to be aligned with God's perfect will for them.

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Within us there is a groan to be aligned.

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I want to be in the perfect center of God's perfect will for me.

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But I don't even know how to pray as I ought.

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So the Holy Spirit will come and help me.

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It's like a cheat code.

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God will come inside of you and pray through you to Himself.

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Not a weird emotional wacky prayer that I'm going to pray.

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I still pray in English a lot.

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But this, I've read a lot of study texts on this.

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And I'm convinced this is speaking about praying in other tongues, supernaturally.

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Any study I've read about why this isn't about tongues, that cessation is straight.

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It's always this isn't about tongues.

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And then why? Well, because it isn't about tongues.

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Well, what is it about? And then they can't tell you what it is about.

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But I'll tell you what it's not about.

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Well, I'll tell you what it is about.

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It's about speaking and praying in tongues.

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Those are the groanings which cannot be uttered or spoken out in intelligible speech.

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So when I don't know what to pray as I ought,

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I barely come,

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Revonda,

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And I'm praying according to the perfect will of God by passing my messy brain.

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So how do you know that? I'm so glad you asked.

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Look at the next verse.

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Now he who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is

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because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

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So when the Holy Spirit is praying through me,

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in my heavenly language,

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I'm not praying my fears, my doubts, my confusion, my,

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yes Lord, you know Lord, oh God, oh God, oh God.

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It's a joke about how we repeat, oh God, when we're nervous and prayer.

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Father God, I just, I just, I feel like heaven is like just what?

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I just want to, I just, when you speak in tongues,

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you don't have to worry about any of that.

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You're praying according to God's perfect will.

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Cryptually speaking, Paul and Corinthians thought us when you speak in tongues,

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there's several things you can take to the bank.

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One, you do give thanks well.

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Two, you edify and strengthen yourself.

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Three, you're praying the perfect will of God, the Father.

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This is why speaking and praying in tongues is so powerful.

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Consequently, this is why the enemy fights it so much.

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And if you're new here and you're all of a sudden realizing,

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oh, this is one of those kind of churches.

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And you're looking at the brightly lit exit signs,

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one in a hustle on out.

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May I encourage you to take two books on your way out.

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We call them the red pill and the blue pill.

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One is red, one is blue.

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Morpheus made Neo decide with just one, you get both.

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Take both pills, read the red book, read the blue book,

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read them covered in many books.

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And then you decide for yourself.

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But I just decided when I was 16 years old,

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I'm greedy for the things of God.

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I want it all.

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I want everything he has to offer me.

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Hallelujah.

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And by the way, some of you, you're sitting on the Holy Spirit.

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You haven't prayed in tongues since the day you got baptized

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in the Holy Spirit.

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Because of nervousness, because of your all sorts of reasons.

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You never moved away from Ricky Tiki Tiki.

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Don't be the Christian that prays Ricky Tiki Tiki for 20 years.

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The reason you never move from Ricky Tiki Tiki is because you don't actually pray in tongues.

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You try for 30 seconds and you're going, yeah, you've got to let yourself go.

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When I got baptized in the Holy Spirit that told me I spoke four distinct languages,

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four distinct dialects, like distinct.

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But you know why I was going at it for three hours?

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I didn't even know it was three hours.

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I was thinking about Jesus 16 years old.

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I was crying out to him.

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Those people praying around me.

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They told me that.

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You got to give yourself over to the things of the Holy Spirit.

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Stop playing safe.

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Stop being nervous.

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Get out of your Western headset.

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You know, Christianity is not a Western frontal lobe in logical faith.

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This is an Eastern spiritual faith.

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You're called to the supernatural.

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Amen.

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You get to experience the supernatural walk with the Lord.

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And this is where the rubber meets the road.

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See, everybody's fine if I'm presenting an intellectual dissertation on grace.

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I start actually demonstrating.

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They watch too many like Pentecostal snake handling documentaries on YouTube.

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There.

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Mauricio, bring out the jars of arsenic.

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I want to demonstrate real faith right now.

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You know what's that?

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You only got strip 9?

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That'll do.

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Verse 28.

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Hallelujah.

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Oh, man.

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Some of you, you're so close.

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And I just, I just want to lovingly in Jesus name.

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You over a little bit.

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Because this is fun.

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This is an adventure like you've never known.

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And there are benefits.

400
00:39:46.000 --> 00:39:50.000
There's nothing worse than, hey, let me give you this.

401
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:53.000
There's nothing worse than having benefits and not knowing them.

402
00:39:53.000 --> 00:39:56.000
My kid broke his iPad the other day.

403
00:39:56.000 --> 00:40:00.000
And I mean, when I say broke, I mean, I've never seen one so broke.

404
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:03.000
Like, I don't like it when they have the hairline thing.

405
00:40:03.000 --> 00:40:08.000
But this was like, remember those early 2000s, you saw the crackle vases everywhere in target.

406
00:40:08.000 --> 00:40:10.000
It was like a crackle vase.

407
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:12.000
And I'm already doing the math.

408
00:40:12.000 --> 00:40:14.000
I'm like, all right.

409
00:40:14.000 --> 00:40:16.000
I got to get you a new iPad.

410
00:40:16.000 --> 00:40:18.000
And I had that in my head for two days.

411
00:40:18.000 --> 00:40:19.000
All right.

412
00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:20.000
And I'm still the same.

413
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:21.000
Do I get them a brand you want?

414
00:40:21.000 --> 00:40:24.000
And by the way, it had, it had, it looked like a loaf of bread around it.

415
00:40:24.000 --> 00:40:26.000
It had the bumper guards and all that.

416
00:40:26.000 --> 00:40:28.000
It wasn't like it was not in one of those.

417
00:40:28.000 --> 00:40:34.000
It was one of those thick, rubbery, G-shock, like a loaf of bread all around.

418
00:40:34.000 --> 00:40:35.000
So what do I get?

419
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:37.000
And then I go in.

420
00:40:37.000 --> 00:40:41.000
I go in his iPad to retrieve his Apple ID.

421
00:40:41.000 --> 00:40:44.000
And as I'm going there, I realize.

422
00:40:44.000 --> 00:40:49.000
And he said, AppleCare expires sometime in 2024.

423
00:40:49.000 --> 00:40:57.000
And I looked at the kind of AppleCare it says, accidental breaks.

424
00:40:57.000 --> 00:41:03.000
And I could have bought a new iPad and missed out on the benefits because I didn't know.

425
00:41:03.000 --> 00:41:08.000
There's nothing worse than not knowing the benefits.

426
00:41:08.000 --> 00:41:11.000
And some people live Christianity that way.

427
00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:12.000
They don't know.

428
00:41:12.000 --> 00:41:13.000
They never read the bend.

429
00:41:13.000 --> 00:41:14.000
That's what the Bible says.

430
00:41:14.000 --> 00:41:18.000
Bless the Lord on my soul and don't forget his benefits.

431
00:41:18.000 --> 00:41:20.000
You got a Benny package.

432
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:22.000
You never did the work.

433
00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:26.000
You never did the work to go through it and realize what all has been given to you.

434
00:41:26.000 --> 00:41:32.000
Amen.

435
00:41:32.000 --> 00:41:36.000
It really feels like I'm working hard to see people get blessed this morning.

436
00:41:36.000 --> 00:41:39.000
Isn't it so funny?

437
00:41:39.000 --> 00:41:41.000
What's his motive to see you blessed?

438
00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:42.000
What's his angle?

439
00:41:42.000 --> 00:41:44.000
I want to see you live the abundant life.

440
00:41:44.000 --> 00:41:48.000
Well, I'm going to really make it hard for you because I like being miserable.

441
00:41:48.000 --> 00:41:54.000
You're going to have to really convince me.

442
00:41:54.000 --> 00:41:57.000
That face, life has taught me the opposite.

443
00:41:57.000 --> 00:41:59.000
Life will teach you the opposite.

444
00:41:59.000 --> 00:42:04.000
That's why we come to him to be our teacher. Amen.

445
00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:12.000
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,

446
00:42:12.000 --> 00:42:15.000
to those who are the called according to his purpose.

447
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:17.000
That's you.

448
00:42:17.000 --> 00:42:19.000
What is this verse saying?

449
00:42:19.000 --> 00:42:23.000
It's saying that God is a master recycler.

450
00:42:23.000 --> 00:42:27.000
It will take our garbage and the bad things that have happened to us

451
00:42:27.000 --> 00:42:32.000
and out will come a bar of pure gold.

452
00:42:32.000 --> 00:42:37.000
All things work together for the good.

453
00:42:37.000 --> 00:42:40.000
He will make it better.

454
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:48.000
An important thing to understand is that just because he makes all things work together for the good

455
00:42:48.000 --> 00:42:52.000
doesn't mean that he brings about all things.

456
00:42:52.000 --> 00:42:57.000
So when bad things happen, you don't have to think, oh God is doing this to me

457
00:42:57.000 --> 00:43:00.000
because he's going to eventually make it all good.

458
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:05.000
That sounds like you're in a relationship with an abusive parent.

459
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:12.000
I'm going to kick you down so that I can teach you that you can stand up again with my help.

460
00:43:12.000 --> 00:43:17.000
A lot of the things that people describe to the nature and character of the father

461
00:43:17.000 --> 00:43:23.000
if he was an earthly father, he'd be arrested and locked up for life for child abuse.

462
00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:30.000
My wife's out of town.

463
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:32.000
I'm going to go to my mom's after this and get her.

464
00:43:32.000 --> 00:43:35.000
I need a nutrient rich lunch.

465
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:36.000
High protein.

466
00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:38.000
I am working hard here.

467
00:43:38.000 --> 00:43:40.000
You have no idea.

468
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:42.000
I'm, Christians got to pray for me.

469
00:43:42.000 --> 00:43:46.000
I'm saying these things and there's something happening all throughout.

470
00:43:46.000 --> 00:43:50.000
I can feel your brains just firing away.

471
00:43:51.000 --> 00:43:54.000
Please never be proud to say, because here's how it starts.

472
00:43:54.000 --> 00:43:59.000
You start going, no, I wasn't thinking wrong the last 20 years it can't be.

473
00:43:59.000 --> 00:44:03.000
He's wrong.

474
00:44:03.000 --> 00:44:07.000
People like to take this and because it makes us feel good, right?

475
00:44:07.000 --> 00:44:09.000
It makes us feel more spiritual.

476
00:44:09.000 --> 00:44:13.000
All that bad stuff, it couldn't have possibly been me and decisions I made.

477
00:44:13.000 --> 00:44:16.000
God was doing that to me so we can make all things work together for the good.

478
00:44:16.000 --> 00:44:19.000
You see how that works?

479
00:44:19.000 --> 00:44:20.000
Some things happen.

480
00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:21.000
Hey, guess what?

481
00:44:21.000 --> 00:44:23.000
Sometimes it's not Satan.

482
00:44:23.000 --> 00:44:25.000
Sometimes it's not God.

483
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:30.000
Sometimes it is just because we live in this world.

484
00:44:30.000 --> 00:44:33.000
And there's stuff that happens just because it happens.

485
00:44:33.000 --> 00:44:36.000
Not everything has its origin from light or darkness.

486
00:44:36.000 --> 00:44:39.000
And then some things do happen because it's the enemy.

487
00:44:39.000 --> 00:44:45.000
He's the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy.

488
00:44:45.000 --> 00:44:49.000
But God won't do that to you. He came to give you life and life more abundantly.

489
00:44:49.000 --> 00:44:51.000
There's the sufferings of Christ.

490
00:44:51.000 --> 00:44:53.000
And yes, I like we as to this.

491
00:44:53.000 --> 00:44:56.000
There are times where God will allow things.

492
00:44:56.000 --> 00:44:58.000
But it doesn't mean he's the originator of them.

493
00:44:58.000 --> 00:45:01.000
It doesn't mean he's the instigator of them.

494
00:45:01.000 --> 00:45:05.000
Sometimes he allows things more often than that.

495
00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:10.000
We allow things because we moved away from his protective covering.

496
00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:14.000
But let's not then blame God, amen.

497
00:45:14.000 --> 00:45:17.000
Hallelujah. Verse 29.

498
00:45:17.000 --> 00:45:20.000
For whom?

499
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:26.000
For whom he for new, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son.

500
00:45:26.000 --> 00:45:31.000
That he might be the first born among many brethren.

501
00:45:31.000 --> 00:45:35.000
Moreover, whom he predestined, these he also called.

502
00:45:35.000 --> 00:45:38.000
Whom he called, these he also justified.

503
00:45:38.000 --> 00:45:41.000
And whom he justified, these he also glorified.

504
00:45:41.000 --> 00:45:44.000
What's the Bible saying here? It's basically saying,

505
00:45:44.000 --> 00:45:51.000
he who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it.

506
00:45:51.000 --> 00:45:55.000
What then shall we say?

507
00:45:55.000 --> 00:46:02.000
To these things, if God is for us who can be against us.

508
00:46:02.000 --> 00:46:05.000
Get that in your spirit.

509
00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:08.000
If God is in your corner and he is,

510
00:46:08.000 --> 00:46:11.000
and if he's on your side and he is,

511
00:46:11.000 --> 00:46:15.000
what does it matter how big your current Goliath is?

512
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:18.000
It doesn't matter.

513
00:46:18.000 --> 00:46:21.000
It doesn't matter what the evil report says.

514
00:46:21.000 --> 00:46:23.000
It does not matter.

515
00:46:23.000 --> 00:46:27.000
Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

516
00:46:27.000 --> 00:46:35.000
And if God before you, it does not matter what the enemy is doing or how big he is.

517
00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:37.000
Amen.

518
00:46:37.000 --> 00:46:39.000
Hallelujah.

519
00:46:39.000 --> 00:46:41.000
Verse 32.

520
00:46:41.000 --> 00:46:44.000
He loves you so much.

521
00:46:44.000 --> 00:46:47.000
This is what the Apostle Paul is driving home here.

522
00:46:47.000 --> 00:46:52.000
That he didn't even spare his best, his own son,

523
00:46:52.000 --> 00:46:54.000
but delivered him up for us all.

524
00:46:54.000 --> 00:46:59.000
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

525
00:46:59.000 --> 00:47:04.000
How better to express the generosity of God, the love of God,

526
00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:07.000
than by saying, if he didn't spare Jesus,

527
00:47:07.000 --> 00:47:11.000
then why do you think he's going to cheap out on you now?

528
00:47:11.000 --> 00:47:15.000
Do you think he's going to withhold from you now?

529
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.000
He gave you his best already.

530
00:47:19.000 --> 00:47:22.000
He's not going to do you dirty now after giving you his best.

531
00:47:22.000 --> 00:47:28.000
He's going to continue in a way that is true with his nature and character.

532
00:47:28.000 --> 00:47:29.000
Hallelujah.

533
00:47:29.000 --> 00:47:31.000
Verse 33.

534
00:47:31.000 --> 00:47:34.000
Who shall bring a charge against God's elect?

535
00:47:34.000 --> 00:47:37.000
It is God who justifies.

536
00:47:37.000 --> 00:47:41.000
Who is He who condemns Satan?

537
00:47:41.000 --> 00:47:45.000
It is Christ who died and furthermore is also risen,

538
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:50.000
who is even at the right hand of God who also makes intercession for us.

539
00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:54.000
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

540
00:47:54.000 --> 00:48:04.000
Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?

541
00:48:04.000 --> 00:48:08.000
As it is written for your sake, we are killed all day long.

542
00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:11.000
We are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

543
00:48:11.000 --> 00:48:20.000
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

544
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:23.000
Say this with me, I'm more than a conqueror.

545
00:48:23.000 --> 00:48:31.000
That's the Greek Hooper Niqueo, hyper, above, more than Hooper Niqueo.

546
00:48:31.000 --> 00:48:38.000
Starting the Greek, I learned that Nike, Hooper Niqueo, Nike means victory.

547
00:48:38.000 --> 00:48:40.000
Or can't come like I've been wearing that.

548
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:41.000
I didn't know.

549
00:48:41.000 --> 00:48:42.000
Who knew that?

550
00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:44.000
Why did I just feel like Trump?

551
00:48:44.000 --> 00:48:45.000
I didn't know who knew that.

552
00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:46.000
Did you know?

553
00:48:46.000 --> 00:48:48.000
I didn't know.

554
00:48:48.000 --> 00:48:49.000
Really?

555
00:48:49.000 --> 00:48:52.000
I just found out you're telling me now for the first time.

556
00:48:52.000 --> 00:49:02.000
Where are you going?

557
00:49:02.000 --> 00:49:03.000
Hallelujah.

558
00:49:03.000 --> 00:49:07.000
God bless this mess, amen.

559
00:49:07.000 --> 00:49:13.000
Hooper Niqueo, you're more than a victor, more than a conqueror.

560
00:49:13.000 --> 00:49:20.000
Now, when I grew up in the Lord, especially in the 90s, there was an image that went along with this verse.

561
00:49:20.000 --> 00:49:25.000
And the image was one of a warrior because we all related to this.

562
00:49:25.000 --> 00:49:30.000
It was a warrior and he had a whole suit of armor and he was scaling up a mountain.

563
00:49:30.000 --> 00:49:33.000
He was all bloodied and tattered with dings in his armor.

564
00:49:33.000 --> 00:49:34.000
It was us.

565
00:49:34.000 --> 00:49:40.000
It was a representative Christian and he makes it to the mountop more than a conqueror.

566
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:42.000
And we go, yeah, that's me.

567
00:49:42.000 --> 00:49:45.000
That's not what the scripture is saying.

568
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:46.000
Here's what the scripture is saying.

569
00:49:46.000 --> 00:49:49.000
I'll give you the illustration of a boxing match.

570
00:49:49.000 --> 00:49:53.000
Heavyweight world championship.

571
00:49:53.000 --> 00:49:57.000
$65 million purse.

572
00:49:57.000 --> 00:50:02.000
And two prize fighters are going at it, one round, two round, three round.

573
00:50:02.000 --> 00:50:04.000
They're beating each other to a pulp.

574
00:50:04.000 --> 00:50:07.000
Four, five, six, seven, eight.

575
00:50:07.000 --> 00:50:08.000
Not tech.

576
00:50:08.000 --> 00:50:13.000
Our hero, our protagonist, he's getting beat but in the 12th round gets the fresh win.

577
00:50:13.000 --> 00:50:17.000
13, 14, 15 rounds in the 15th round.

578
00:50:17.000 --> 00:50:22.000
Our hero, our man, our boxer knocks the opponent down and gets tinging,

579
00:50:22.000 --> 00:50:26.000
victory and a $65 million purse.

580
00:50:26.000 --> 00:50:31.000
How many of you know that man is a conqueror?

581
00:50:31.000 --> 00:50:37.000
He then leaves Madison Square Garden, goes home, walks in through the front door.

582
00:50:37.000 --> 00:50:42.000
There's his wife waiting for him and he hands her the purse.

583
00:50:42.000 --> 00:50:44.000
$65 million.

584
00:50:44.000 --> 00:50:47.000
How many of you know she's more than a conqueror?

585
00:50:47.000 --> 00:50:49.000
Amen.

586
00:50:49.000 --> 00:50:54.000
We're more than conquerors.

587
00:50:54.000 --> 00:50:58.000
We're not the ones who are bloodied and tattered and did any work.

588
00:50:58.000 --> 00:51:01.000
Jesus did all the work.

589
00:51:01.000 --> 00:51:06.000
He was bloodied, he was tattered, he purchased salvation with his own blood

590
00:51:06.000 --> 00:51:11.000
and passed that victory to us free of charge received by faith

591
00:51:11.000 --> 00:51:13.000
and we're more than conquerors.

592
00:51:13.000 --> 00:51:15.000
Amen.

593
00:51:15.000 --> 00:51:18.000
Hallelujah.

594
00:51:18.000 --> 00:51:22.000
For I am persuaded, worship team, come on up.

595
00:51:22.000 --> 00:51:40.000
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor government nor siops nor media manipulation.

596
00:51:40.000 --> 00:51:50.000
No policy, nonsense, no recession shall be able to separate us from the love of God.

597
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:52.000
Hallelujah.

598
00:51:52.000 --> 00:51:56.000
Which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

599
00:51:56.000 --> 00:52:01.000
Thank you, Jesus.

600
00:52:01.000 --> 00:52:05.000
Father, we thank you for the truth of Romans 8.

601
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.000
We thank you that we are safe and secure in the palm of your hand.

602
00:52:09.000 --> 00:52:18.000
And I pray in Jesus' name that your Holy Spirit move now and bring the truth of the gospel and of Romans 8 into everybody's heart.

603
00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:26.000
And during this next song may they sense your presence and receive a word from you about the week to come and the weeks to come.

604
00:52:26.000 --> 00:52:30.000
Lord, I just sense your presence in a fresh way in our church.

605
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:34.000
I see like you're doing a new thing.

606
00:52:34.000 --> 00:52:36.000
Behold, it will spring forth.

607
00:52:36.000 --> 00:52:39.000
We're trusting you for that.

608
00:52:39.000 --> 00:52:46.000
And may this knee-k, this victory be manifest in every single person's life.

609
00:52:46.000 --> 00:52:50.000
In Jesus' name. Amen.

610
00:52:50.000 --> 00:52:53.000
This is the City Light Church podcast.

611
00:52:53.000 --> 00:53:00.000
If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik in City Light Church,

612
00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:06.000
visit us at citylightnyc.com. That's citylightnyc.com.

613
00:53:06.000 --> 00:53:11.000
Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you.

614
00:53:11.000 --> 00:53:14.000
We pray that you have been encouraged today.

615
00:53:14.000 --> 00:53:20.000
That you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace.

616
00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:27.000
Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.