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Real life presents the Jack Hibbs podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim

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truth, equip the saints and impact our culture. Here you go. There's one God. One

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God and He's sovereign. He's the creator. He's the Savior. He's the Redeemer. He's

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God Almighty. He's the one who was who is who is to come. He's the eternal God. He's

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the Alpha and the Omega that begin in the end. The first and the last. There's no

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other.

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You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbs.com slash podcast.

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Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in

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Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five star ratings. To us, that's like saying

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amen or yes. Then that rating will encourage others to listen. Now open your hearts to what

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God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs. The Bible teaches there's God the Father,

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God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. One God who manifests himself in three persons. How do

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you understand that? I don't understand that. Somebody will say it's like an egg. There's the

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shell and the yolk and the white. No, he's not like an egg. It's like water, ice and vapor.

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No, he's not. We can do our best. The best I can figure out is this. Imagine one house. You've

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heard me say this before. A house with an address. That address is one, two, three heavenly lane.

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And at that one address inside live three distinct individual persons, yet they all have the same

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last name. Right? So we would say a pupa bear, mama bear, and baby bear, so to speak.

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But in my mind, that's as close as I can get. God is beyond our capacity to grasp. In fact,

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it's going to take all eternity. How fun is this going to be? To learn about his nature.

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But we learned these three things in our study last time together that he is himself righteous.

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He doesn't have to try to be. He is righteous and that he's merciful. Isn't it amazing? Listen,

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he's righteous. He's merciful. He's compassionate. And we're all talking. Listen, we're all talking

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about the sovereignty of God. We're not talking about a God that is cynical. We're not talking about a

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God that's capricious and whimsical. We're talking about God's sovereignty. But his nature is one

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whereby he is compassionate. He's merciful and he's righteous. We should all be very thankful

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that this is the nature of our God. What if there was a God who ruled the universe and he was

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maniacal? In fact, what if he was Lucifer himself? What a horrible thing that would be. We so much

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take it for granted that God is good. God's good, good sovereignty is also anchored to His justice.

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And verses 16 to 18, that God is just in His plans. All of God's plans, according to the Bible,

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we could also say the will of God is just. God is just. In the sovereignty of God, he's a just God.

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Now, we hear a lot. In fact, can I put it this way? None of us are just. Well, on the president of

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the American Justice Committee. I don't care. Justice is an attribute of God. Man is unjust.

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By following nature, we are unjust. Did you know that? He's just. He's the only one who is just.

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And it's interesting that God gave us the rule of law. That's not just an American thing. That's

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just not a founding father thing. The rule of law comes from a Judeo-Christian worldview,

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but ultimately the rule of law comes from the Ten Commandments. God's law. It just so happens that

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even if you've never heard the Ten Commandments, the Ten Commandments are written in your soul.

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The Bible says he's written upon your heart. Why? Because you and I must function by the rule of law. God's

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law. Now, is it possible for you to refute or to stand against a bad law? Are there bad laws?

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Anybody? Wow. That was loud. Yes. You must all be from California who just said that.

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Yes, there's bad laws. There are laws on the books that offend the Almighty God because he's just.

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He's just in all of his plans. He says in verse 16, so then it is not of him who wills. Notice

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it's lowercase H, humans. So then it's not of it's not to a human or forer of a human to will

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their own destiny. They don't will their own beginning. They don't will their own ending. I know

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that offend some people. You just came from a psycho-babel course 101 and they told you in that

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course that you are the captain of your ship. You're the creator of your destiny. You know,

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all of these self-help programs and people don't like to mix self-help programs in with the

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Bible. You want to know why the Bible has zero tolerance for self-help programs because self-help

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programs keep you and I from coming to the cross. They keep insinuating to us that we can reform

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ourselves when we cannot. We cannot will anything. We're not sovereign. Now God and His infinite

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creation and His powers has built within the creature us. Sovereignty to choose. Sovereignty to love.

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Did you know that? Sovereignty to act. Sovereignty to be. Sovereignty to do. He has built that into you,

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but that doesn't make you equal to him or greater than him. It's impossible. He who is sovereign

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has built into you the one who has been created in his image a bit of sovereignty.

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And this is very important because with this we see that it is not the will of man nor is it to him

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who runs no matter whatever you put forward in that reformation process of trying to be somebody

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without Christ. There is no hope. Look at the end of that verse is great, great comfort but of God

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who shows mercy. This is so fun. Why do I revel in the sovereignty of God because he shows mercy?

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It says it right here. Do you want, do you need mercy? I want mercy. I love mercy.

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The remarkable thing about mercy is that you don't value mercy unless you realize you need mercy.

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A lot of people today even right now I'll mention the word mercy and it's like oh yeah well whatever

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isn't that one of those old words mercy? Listen you can hold that view of yours for a little bit

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but when you're in trouble you're going to cry out for mercy. Mercy. God is merciful. The Bible says in

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Romans 5 verses 8 and 9 but God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners

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Christ died for us. Don't answer but when it says Christ died for us who was Paul talking about

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Christ died for us? Don't answer just think. Who is he? Who is he talking to? Christ died for us.

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Verse 9 much more than having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

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That's a promise in the Bible church. God's just plans. We're anchored to and then secondly we

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saw that God is just in His actions. What God does is always right. By the way I should drop this

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in at this point. When you see things going on in this world that are wicked and horrible and

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terrible and murderous and violent and ugly and you don't like it. First of all if you do like it

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you're in the book of Proverbs by the way it talks about you in the book of Proverbs. You're a

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bloodthirsty lawless murderer. Most people don't like that stuff. Most people look around this world

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and say it's very very off the rails. It's very messed up and if you're not careful you begin to

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blame God about this world. Don't do that. God could turn right around and blame you and blame me

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because this world is doing what is in the heart of man the Bible says without God. James says

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we're to war as in divisions and fights come from among you. Do they not come from your own

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desire to lust and to have power and to control that didn't come from God but yet God has given

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his great message of mercy and forgiveness in sending Christ to the cross. When I say sending I

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should say gifting for God so love the world that he gifted his only glorified son his actions and

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we touched on this. We'll move on from here though but verse 17 some of you wrote me notes and I

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really appreciate this. Some of you it's kind of cool. I got some notes on verse 17 where people

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said my legs were open and then I got notes from people saying of a certain denominational background

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you're crazy. My denomination teaches this and then the opposing denomination guy wrote me

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so these two guys don't get along they're both arguing for their human founders and I got

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in trouble from both ends. You know what that means don't you? That means I'm right on the sweet spot.

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If I'm being attacked by both ends of the opposite ends of this veteran sticking just with the Bible

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the light turned on some eyes when I read verse 17 for the scripture that is the Bible says

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to the Pharaoh for this very purpose I have raised you up that I may show my power in you and I said

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that that's all the scripture said and next it is nine is that God said I've raised you up Pharaoh to

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show my greatness through you and Pharaoh had a choice. In fact the Bible is going to confirm the fact

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that there's the decision that is presented before us that we have been given the ability to choose

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in the sovereignty of God. What sovereignty of God works if God brings people to heaven automatically

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and they're just whatever I'm elect I'm chosen I'm here. Well on the flip side you might say what

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don't God just bring everybody into heaven wouldn't that be great by the way that is his desire is

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that all men would be saved but all men don't want to be saved and so if he saved everybody in

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his sovereignty in his sovereignty he could just flex and say you're going you're going to come to

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paradise if you like it or not. We're going to sing up there you're going to see some amazing

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stuff and you're going to like it. Listen they don't want to be there they don't want to go. God's

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sovereignty is intact and unrivaled yet he will not violate someone who says I don't want to be

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there. Church when did God know that they didn't want to be there for all eternity past for knowledge.

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God knew important that you hang on to that. God is just in his response just in his response he says

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that in that my name may be declared in all the earth that was God's plan for Moses that was God's

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plan for Pharaoh that was God's plan for Miriam that was God's plan for Noah it's God's plan

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for everybody but does it work out that way does everybody give God glory in their life no they do

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not but will God be glorified always the Bible even tells us this is amazing the Bible tells us at

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the end of time at the judgment that the wrath of God in that wrath he will be glorified that he'll

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take the unrighteousness of man and glorify himself in it I don't know how that's going to play out

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but it's absolutely remarkable. God's response Hebrews chapter 3 verse 12 to this says beware brethren

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lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God.

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Now the author I believe is Paul the Apostle but that doesn't matter the book of Hebrews doesn't

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announce who wrote it but it's so Paul characteristic like this book of Hebrews that were studying

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on Wednesday night the letter is written to Jews who came out of Judaism that is the traditions of

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men and they found Christ as Messiah but the author is saying you better follow through now now

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that you know that Jesus as Messiah keep going keep pressing on keep going after him isn't it

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amazing the sovereignty of God says to you and I today keep coming to me keep coming that should

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bring you encouragement God wants you with them and the sovereign God doesn't say look I'm sovereign

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you stay over there he doesn't have a limousine think about it if we were bringing our only

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begotten son into the world you think it'd be born in the stable he'd be born at the Jews in

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them Hilton or Ritz Carlton now they got a Waldorf Astoria that's where Christ would have been

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born if we were writing the story now he came humbly and lowly to associate with us his

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response to us is that he loves us and we need to be careful to guard our hearts about it having

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an unbelieving heart he says beware brethren unbelieving really dovetails into what we're talking

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about because an unbelieving heart is something that starts out now here's the thing you and I do not

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technically know the conclusion of anyone else in this room exactly now look I say that and you

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say what do you mean by that well every true believer knows that there are true believer but we

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can't exactly know that about somebody else but then we can see you're talking to the both sides

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of your mouth I am it's like this the Bible says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our

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spirit that we are the sons of God the children of God so if that's true in your life and it's true

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in my life then we are brothers and sisters in Christ right and we are going to go through this

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journey called church together that means we're gonna we're a family it means we we work it out

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warts and all you know there's a lot of people sample churches like they sample uh you know

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restaurants or something or like Goldilocks well this little this bit's too hard this seats too

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we can't we remind me we can't come back her next week this chair is really hard

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or it's too big or it's too small it's too warm it's too cold but the parking's just perfect

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there's no perfect place there's not gonna be a perfect place in fact listen

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did something go wrong look with a group this size it's highly possible just this one service did

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something go wrong this morning did somebody not say hi to you did you run over a cat in the parking lot

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did something go wrong if something went wrong do you know what that's called that's called life

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it's how you deal with it and as Christians listen that person didn't say hi to me who

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and their thick called themselves Christians oh you've talked to them no I've never talked to them but

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I'm right that's how it is right isn't that how it is well you should go say hi to them who me

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well you're bothered by it go say hi to them well I can't do that oh so you don't have to do it

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but they do no you go say hi to them no one said hi to me today pastor you tell me that after

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service and now I'm gonna take you and I'm gonna listen you want to have friendship uh brought

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back to you in a response then you need to show yourself friendly God is sovereign and what does

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you do with the sovereignty he invites you and I into his heaven that's awesome sovereignty God's

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good good sovereignty yes Lord I'll accept that offer I'll accept that offer any day first John

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4 verse 14 first John 4 14 says and we have seen and testified this is beautiful this is John the

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author of the book of Revelation he's old now you know he's the only apostle that died of natural

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causes died a natural death all of the other ones died as martyrs John's the only one

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that died an old man and he's old and we have seen and testified that the Father has sent

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the Son as Savior of the world number one if you're Middle Eastern in this room right now you're saying

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wow why because any announcement of Son of God you know automatically because you know the

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Scripture's easier quicker than we do that's Jesus being declared God to be the Son of God is to be

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God don't think in the Western culture that to be the Son of God is less than God like the Father's

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six feet six foot five and the Son is six foot and the Holy Spirit is three foot nine no no no that's

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a Western way of thinking and it's wrong to proclaim that Jesus is the Son of God is to announce

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it accurately that he's God the Son and look what the Bible says here John is speaking and he says

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that he has sent the Son as Savior of the what I'm sorry would you say

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world how come he didn't say and he sent him as Savior of the elect or the Savior of the chosen

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or the Savior of the predestined or the Savior of the are you hearing me

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in the death of Jesus at the cross if you believe it or not is irrelevant well I mean

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it's relevant to you but his death in the cross

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makes opportunity for all of mankind he died for the world

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tragically the whole world is not going to have it in his sovereignty he's allowed you to

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exercise your choosing this jack hips podcast as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities

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