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The Truth Of The Matter is Episode 193:Whose Will Are You Doing? Father’s Day Special
8 Plays26 minutes ago
Updates on what is to come on the podcast. New Message in the works, New Segment in the works. The sharing of a message that was shared on Super 95 radio as Johnathan Filled in for his father during his time slot. Whose will are you doing ? your heavenly spiritual father or the devil? Tune in to be brought up to speed on several things.
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Transcript
Introduction and Listener Appreciation
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you
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This is the Truth of the Matters Podcast. I'm your host, Jonathan, and this is episode 193. First and foremost, let's begin by recognizing and appreciating all of our new and consistent listeners.
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We would like to thank you all in advance for continuing to press play at your own convenience.
Balancing Work and Podcasting
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And I pray that regardless of the episode that you find yourself pressing play on, I want you to know that this podcast can and it will be a blessing to you.
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The truth for the matter is, podcast audience, I want to say...
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I've missed you. I've obviously been handling and dealing with a lot of different things and I haven't had the time to continue to produce episodes weekly.
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I'm working on that. I am going to make it much more of a priority. Unfortunately, work along with being a blessing and assisting other people in their projects.
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have taken president over my commitment here. And so I want to apologize for that. And I plan to be better. With that being said, I think is appropriate and timely to share with you a couple of updates.
Upcoming Segments and Gospel Music
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In the works right now, currently, I'm working on a message called biblical practicality. And I'm working on a new segment. A new segment is in the works and it's called Tunes Through a Biblical Lens.
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Again, it's called Tunes Through a Biblical Lens. And one of the inspirations behind creating that segment is that I enjoy gospel music. And I think there are plenty of gospel songs that are inspired through the Bible.
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And so I want to take the time unpack some of these songs and show you the biblical lens that they potentially were written from.
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Now, am I going to get every song right? Will there be some disagreements? I'm sure of it. However, an individual who is a student who loves the word of God, I believe without question there are plenty of gospel songs that have a biblical lens.
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And so I want to take the time to highlight that and show you because I think one thing that we have to be mindful of is that worshiping the Lord is reading his word, but also singing to the Lord, being joyful in the Lord.
Music and Worship
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And that happens through the art of music, creativity. And so there are some things that can be expressed and how you articulate yourself, and there are other ways of expressing gratitude and appreciation to God,
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through the act of singing and worshiping him. Worship is not just music, it's in the things that we do. However, music is one of those things that I think we all should embrace and do.
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And so there are plenty of songs out there that artists deserve credit for. And it's a reflection off of the relationship that they have with the Lord, whether it was through reading scripture or whether it was through trials and tribulations and God getting them through what it is that they got through.
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And so that is a segment that I am currently working on. I'm just trying to find the right melody in the beginning.
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And so that is in the works. Yes, I want to address we are still in the Gospel of Matthew series. This particular gospel takes a lot to unpack.
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We are still there.
Revisiting the Gospel of Matthew
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Okay. And so I encourage you to go back and listen. There's quite a bit of episodes in this library that I've put together.
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And so I encourage you to check out other messages that I've shared in my time spending with God. want you to learn and look at and consider and talk about And one more thing.
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Well, two more things, actually.
Bible Study Invitation
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Every Saturday in the New York area, I teach a Bible study with seniors. It's open to anyone who is interested that is in the tri-state area of New York.
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It is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The address is 864 Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Again, 864 Gates Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.
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Also in the podcast description, you will have an email there. You have TikTok. You have Instagram. You even have...
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My Facebook group called I'm a Believer. Again, it's called I'm a Believer. You can also reach me there. And I would love to get touch with you as soon as possible.
Promotion of 'The Hour of Resilience'
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For those who are looking for extra content, there is also live content. My father, who is a pastor, does a radio show every Sunday from 11 to 12 called the Hour of Resilience.
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I run the boards there. I'm also a producer there. The radio station is called Super 95 Radio. You can download the app. You can also view it online.
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Again, the radio station is called Super 95 Radio. My dad does a segment on there called The Hour of Resilience with Pastor Kenneth Drayton. I run the boards there.
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Right. And so if you're interested in live content, there is some live content that you could benefit from. With that being said, the message that I plan to share with you today is actually a message that I shared on the segment on Sunday on Father's Day.
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I filled in for my father and this particular message came about the morning of. And so I thought it would be a blessing to share it here on the podcast as I work on the latest episode, biblical practicality.
Spiritual and Reflective Message
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And on that note, before any message I share with you, we pray first and foremost. Heavenly Father, Lord, in Jesus name.
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I want to thank you for each and every listener who takes the time out to listen to the Truth For The Matters podcast. I want to thank you for the platform, for the opportunity to be a blessing to those who press play.
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All glory honor go to you, Lord. You put people in positions of power and you remove them. And so, Lord, I am fully submitted to you so that you can utilize me to share what it is that's on my heart based upon the relationship that I have with you and how all things that you share with me, I think.
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Could be a blessing to all those who have taken the time and made a decision to press play. And so I don't take it for granted at all.
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Use me as an instrument for your righteousness to declare your truth, because we know that you are the only way the truth in the life and no one can come to the Father except do you. And so we believe that today, we know it.
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And it's not just a confession for us. It's a daily confession. practice in which we look to you for our daily bread. We look to you for guidance and direction.
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And so we are completely and totally submitted and subjected to your ways and who you are. Bless our eyes to see, our ears to hear, our hearts to receive, and our minds to understand.
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Lord, we ask for forgiveness for any sins that we've committed personally, any sins we committed against our friends and family, the ones we are unaware of.
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We ask for covering. We ask for mercy. We ask for grace. And as we dive into your word today, we ask that whatever is discussed today, let it be a light within our souls to make a change.
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For us to be reminded of who you are, what you've done, and most importantly, what is expected of us as your children.
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And Lord, I say this and all by the sign of my voice who believe what it is that I say.
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We say these things in Jesus name we pray and we are in agreement when we say in Jesus name we pray. Amen and amen. So.
Aligning with God's Will
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this particular message that I want to share with you is titled, whose will are you doing?
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Whose will are you doing? And of the reasons why it's titled that is because
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am fully aware
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that all fathers across this world deserve credit for the sacrifices that they make. The desire that you have placed on their heart to be a provider.
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And also the foundation and stable of homes.
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And so all fathers deserve to be loved and appreciated for what they are doing. We know based upon scripture, the head of man is God.
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The head of the head of man is you, Lord. And a head of a woman is the man. And so on that note, I want us to dive in a bit.
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into this passage. Now this passage, I utilized it to reveal some information. As I discussed 1 John chapter 4 and 1 John chapter 5.
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In the Bible study that I do. And it was this passage that I read. Saturday night into Sunday morning. That sparked a couple of things that I want to talk about today.
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And on that note. Here is the passage is the Gospel of John, chapter eight, verses 34 to 47. Again, Gospel John, chapter eight, verses 34 to 47. And it reads.
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Jesus replied, Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now, a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.
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If the son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are Abraham's descendants, yet you're looking for a way to kill me because you have no room for my word.
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I am telling you what I have seen in the father's presence and you are doing what you have heard from your father.
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Abraham is our father. They answered. If you were Abraham's children, said Jesus, then you will do what Abraham did. As it is, you are looking for a way to kill me.
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A man
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who
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has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. You are doing the workings of your own father.
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We are not illegitimate children, they protested. The only father we have is God himself. Jesus said to them, if God were your father, you will love me for I have come from God.
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I have not come on my own. God sent me. Why is it
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Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning.
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Now hold him to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and a father of lies. Verse 45 Yet, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
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Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God.
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So on this Father's Day, my goal was to leave the listener with something to think about.
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I just read to you a passage that I want to use as a foundation to build upon so you can understand my overall intentions when I share this with you.
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Now, please understand that there are a lot of things that can be unpacked here, but I just want to draw a little water from this passage, just a little, not much.
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And the little water want to draw from this passage right Because I believe the word of God in general is overflowing with messages.
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But the little water that I want to draw from this passage, I want to utilize what's transpiring to get us to reflect upon analyzing who we are and whose will we are doing.
Reflection on Spiritual Practices
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I want us to analyze who we are and whose will we are doing. I want us to reflect. I always talk about the importance of reflection.
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But I want us to evaluate ourselves. Right. Something that Paul talks about. I want us to do that. And this is how we can do that.
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Let's begin with taking a look at verse 37. It says, I know that you are Abraham's descendants, yet you're looking for a way to kill me because you have no room for my word.
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You know, the first question I asked myself, and I want to encourage you to ask yourselves as the reader of the text is, why were the religious leaders trying to kill Jesus?
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And so I concluded that the primary reason was because they view them as a threat to their authority. But most importantly, Jesus questioned their understanding of their own religious practices.
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What's so amazing is that.
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And the gospel of Luke and the gospel of Matthew specifically. chapter the four after Jesus goes through the wilderness and he's tested.
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He also talks about reading the scroll of Daniel and really ultimately saying that what he read would be fulfilled in their hearing.
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And so
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Their approach, their attitude. The frame of mind that they had about Jesus. Said a lot.
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Because what Jesus did is that he called out the Pharisees and Sadducees because they were hypocrites. They were hypocrites. And so you have to understand.
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And I'm sure a lot of you do understand this, that. Religiousosity has a way of controlling people, manipulating people. And it is important to know who God is, know who Christ is, because in doing that, you will have a clear understanding of how some religious systems are designed to brainwash you and lead you away from Christ.
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In fact, they become so...
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Heartbreakingly confusing.
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When it comes to. The traditional practices. That people tend to hold more on to than what the word of God says.
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And you see, traditions have value and significance, especially when a group of people believe and submit to it. But I think it's important to understand that some religious practices are not biblical.
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And so if you start to hold the religious practices in much more high regard than what the scripture says, you'll find yourself obeying to man-made laws.
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and not into the most important thing, the word of God, which is supposed to be our foundation, our direction and guidance, and what we hang our moral compass on.
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There's a beautiful passage in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 23, verses two through four, and Jesus said to the crowds and his disciples, The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law Moses.
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So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach. They crush people down with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden.
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And so this is what I'm talking about. Religious rules are designed to help us assist. But if taken too serious.
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If implemented and forced on people. Who want to feel as though they are free, right? Because whoever the sun sets free is truly freed indeed.
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i think it gets overwhelming to the point that the standard that is being created is so high.
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or so crushingly hard to fulfill that I can turn you off.
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And so there's nothing wrong with rules and regulations because rules and regulations prevents chaos. But what I do think is important to understand is that rules and regulations can't be viewed in a prison in which there aren't any reasonable justifications behind the temperament that we ought to have and how we read and interpret something.
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And so. We have to be very careful With humans and their ability to either fulfill what's being said or their aggressiveness to judge others based upon what they think someone is or isn't doing.
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And so why is this important? Because Jesus said in the gospel, Luke chapter 11, verse 28, blessed and highly favored by God are those who hear the word of God and continually observe it.
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And so what is Jesus who's focused on? the word of God. And what is the answer for us to continue to observe it, which means our ability to remain consistent, not in tradition, but in the word of God can guide us and point us in direction of being more holy.
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And what does God wants us to do do to be holy as he is holy. And that takes time. That is a process. And so don't be alarmed.
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As a study and reader of God's word, I think we all should be fully aware that without God's assistance, it is hard to fulfill what his requirements and acts
Obeying God's Word and Receiving Grace
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are. In fact, we are not expected to fulfill to a T. This is why the assistance of the Holy Spirit guides us into prioritizing God's word and implement it in in our lives so that we can become better versions of ourselves, not through ourselves, but through Christ.
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To build upon that, you know, there's a beautiful passage in the book of James, chapter one. And I want to read to you verses 22 to 25. It says, do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.
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Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in the mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
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Whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gets freedom in continuing it, not forgetting what they have heard but doing, they will be blessed in what they do. One of the things that I love about this particular passage is that the perfect law that is being discussed is not the laws themselves.
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It's Jesus Christ who fulfilled the perfect law. And so our efforts to be just like Jesus is where our focus needs to be. We understand that all 613 laws are good, but what is the common thread?
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Human beings are not good, right? This is what Jesus said. Why do you call me good, right? They said, what must we do to inherit the kingdom of the heaven? Good teacher.
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What was Jesus' response? Why do you call me good? The only one that's good is our Father in heaven. And so Jesus said this from the standpoint of being a man.
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And so as merely as a man, he wants us to see that his priority was to place focus and emphasis back on his father. And so this particular passage is pointing out the importance.
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Of looking towards Christ.
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Because Christ is truly the answer that we all need. He is the assistance that we all need. He is our Savior. We go to Proverbs chapter 3 verse 34. The Lord opposes the prophet shows grace to the humble.
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And so every passage that I've read so far, whether it was Luke 11, 28, whether it was James chapter one, verse 22 to 25, whether it was the passage that I've read to you in Matthew chapter 23, verses two through four, it's shown you progressively.
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Right. That in Matthew, chapter 23, from two to four, Jesus is saying to be cautious. About those who preach things that they can't fulfill and how they practice them.
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And so what does Jesus say? He says in Luke 11, 28.
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To be blessed and how we bless. We're favored by God if we continue to observe what it is that he shared with the right temperament.
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And what is James chapter one, verse 22 to 25 says it talks about the importance of listening to the word, but not just listening to it, but doing it.
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And so that perfect law that is our example is Jesus Christ. And so we model our consistency in life after him.
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And so this is what tends to happen. I gave you the passage in Proverbs 334 is because if in fact we operated like the Pharisees, we become proud.
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And if we become proud, then we won't receive grace because we're not humbled.
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So what is the takeaway? When it comes to
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our spiritual father, we need to make room for his word. And that word needs to be something that is our anchor.
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Not only is it our anchor,
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but it reminds us of who we once were and who we are trying to be.
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His word on a daily basis holds us accountable.
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This is why Paul, I believe, was spot on when he said, do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. By this renewing of your mind, you will be able to test and approve God's will is. His good, pleasing, and perfect will. That's in Romans chapter 12, verse 2.
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Why is this so important? Because what has the ability to influence us, to inspire us, away from God, it's the sources that be that can be corrupt and destructive.
Warning Against Worldly Influences
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And that's ourselves. Our arrogance, our pride, our self-elevation.
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And in the case of the scriptures, the Pharisees and Sadducees, they didn't practice what they taught.
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And so that's a red flag. Their example wasn't the example that was needed, but the example that we have is Christ. And that's the example that we all.
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Should believe it and have and look towards. You know, in the book of Matthew, chapter the six, you have the Lord's Prayer. And in verse 11, I remember it says, give us this day our daily bread. Ultimately, the request is a petition for God's provision every day.
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ah some It's actually a submission to depend on God for daily guidance, which ultimately will provide nourishment to our souls. And so the question you have to ask yourself is, are you relying on your heavenly father are you looking elsewhere?
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Are you looking to yourself as if you can save yourself when you're broken, wounded and needing assistance? Do you believe there's willpower and the power comes from within?
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And so that is who you place in your faith in. There is a lot of things we have to pay close attention to because in the world we are today, there are a lot of different influences, new age and different philosophies and schools of thought that are not rooted in truth, but have forms of truth that we have to be aware of that can drag us away from who God is and what he wants from us.
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And so keep that in mind. Be mindful of that. Because it is active and it is moving and unfortunately people are being deceived every day.
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Not everyone, but some. Some people are being led astray. And we notice that in scripture people will do that. Itch and ears will have people turning away from God.
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Signs and wonders will be the stable of manipulation. And so how do we become prepared and aware? We read the word of God and we let the word of God shape and fashion our character.
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We let the word of God continue to stand and be the ultimate truth. Now let's look at a pair of verses from the foundational passage that I said that we will be reading from, and that's the Gospel of John chapter 8.
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Let's look at verse 41 and verse 44. Verse 41 says, You are doing the working of your own father.
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Verse 44 says, you belong to your father, the devil. You want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning. Now hold it on to the truth for there is no truth in him.
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When he lies, he speaks his native language for he is a liar and the father of lies. It's a lot there. You know, the question you want to ask yourself is.
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What is considered the workings of the devil? Right.
Manipulation by Desires
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I believe there is a working of the spirit in you. I also believe there is a working of the devil as well.
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Just like just like the spirit is at work. And people, I believe the devil is at work in people. In fact, we call it the flesh. The flesh is at work in people.
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So the spirit of God could be at work in people. And the devil can play on and manipulate you and to guide you and to lead you into desiring your flesh to guide you and point you into the directions that can lead you to destruction.
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One of those desires is sex. One of those desires is sex outside of marriage. One of those desires is fetishes.
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Those things can lead you to do some things that can be destructive to yourself. You have to be mindful those things.
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There's a wonderful passage in the book of Proverbs, chapter 6, 16 through 19. And it says there are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him. Hoardy eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
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Now, what did Jesus accuse the religious leaders of doing?
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They were workers of their father.
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Who he says in verse 44. Is the devil. Jesus says that. So think about this.
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As you go about living your life each and every day.
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The choices we make. Can reflect our motives. And intentions.
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To reap upon.
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Revenge. To be a blessing.
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And so. The truth of the matter is. Whose will you do on behalf of. Your motives and actions and intentions. Is it the workings of your heavenly father. Or another father which some will openly declare.
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Is the Satan which is the devil. Now I think this is a good question to ask. Because again intentions. Motives. can ultimately impact the reasoning that you have in those decisions.
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You know, Jesus said in John chapter 10 verse 10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Now those are the characteristics of who? The devil or the Satan.
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Now when you look at what happened to Jesus during his trial, if I'm not mistaken, wasn't he lied on? I would say so. Right. If you go to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, 59 to 60 says the chief priests in the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
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But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.
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Mark chapter 14 verse 69 says, For many bore false witnesses against him, but their testimony did not agree. Which means that based on your their own law, they couldn't convict him.
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What was this law say? Every matter should be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. So for a matter to be considered valid or true, it requires the affirmation of at least two or three witnesses.
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Now, of course, I believe this is to ensure fairness. And of course, you want the prevention of false accusations.
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I encourage you to read Matthew, chapter 18, verse 16. Second Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 1. And Deuteronomy, chapter 19, verse 15. Again, it's Matthew, chapter 18, verse 16.
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2 Corinthians 13, verse 1. And Deuteronomy 19, verse 15. So again, thus far, what the religious leaders did that God hates is very much in line with the workings of the devil.
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And these are the characteristics of the devil. He's a liar. And guess what? They're liars because theyly it on and they innocent man. This is why
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Jesus is known as the sacrificial lamb. Not having a spot on them. In fact, in that same chop chapter, chapter eight or nine of the Gospel of John, Jesus says, could you find me guilty of sin?
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And so they couldn't.
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And so they were part of the shedding of the innocent blood. They had hearts that devised wicked schemes and got Judas to play a part in it. They put together false witnesses who poured out lies on Jesus, who again was the innocent.
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He was perfect, and so they could not find an evidence on him sinning. In fact, Isaiah sums it up so well in the book of Isaiah chapter 53 verse 7. He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word.
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He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep and silent before the shears, he did not open his mouth. And so what is the takeaway here?
00:38:38
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I believe our spiritual father, our heavenly father, will want us to repent of every wrong that we have ever done.
Repentance and Recognition of Sin
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will go as far as to say, Lord, forgive me.
00:38:50
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Forgive me for the sins that I am aware of. but Forgive me for the sins that I am not aware of.
00:38:58
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And as for the devil.
00:39:01
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Key key on this. He wants to convince you.
00:39:07
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That you are not a sinner.
00:39:13
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That there is no such thing as sin. That you are a good person.
00:39:19
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And if you are convinced of that, then you reject the idea of needing a savior. You reject the notion of needing to be saved. In fact, you start to believe that you are your own God.
00:39:36
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This is how the devil has blinded many. Disguising himself as an angel of light. Leading people astray. Convincing them that they are fine just the way that they are.
00:39:52
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But guess what? The truth of the matter is, we all sin daily. And so we should humble ourselves and come to the throne of grace. And I'll end it with this.
00:40:05
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You know, John said...
00:40:08
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Something powerful. Worth mentioning here. And he said it in 1 John 1, verse 6-9. He says, if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie to not live out the truth.
00:40:25
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But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim be without sin, we deceive ourselves.
00:40:40
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We deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
00:40:57
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Lastly, let's talk about verse 47 in John 8. It says, whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear that you do not belong to God.
Listening to God's Word
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So we have to ask ourselves, what does our spiritual father say?
00:41:28
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What does our Heavenly Father say?
00:41:33
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A lot of what he said is in his word. And when we talk about having a relationship with him.
00:41:42
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It's about having a relationship with his word. Which will help you tremendously. From having to guess what God would say.
00:41:53
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The more you read your word, you will know what God will say. Because there are scenarios that helps us capture the character of God. Helps us understand the compassion of God.
00:42:07
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Helps us know in some capacity the expectations from God.
00:42:17
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And so these are the very things that some may run from. Because when you try to operate in spirituality,
00:42:28
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some operate under the notion that there aren't standards that God has, that he wants us to to uphold. And in those standards, there are obligations. You know, the Bible is full of patterns, principles, and precepts.
00:42:42
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And some of those presets may not align with some of the practices in the way that we're living. And so what do some people do? They stray away from it. They shy away from it because the word of God is attached to the idea of accountability.
00:43:02
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And that accountability might go against the lifestyle that some of us are living. Unfortunately, this is true.
00:43:12
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And we have to be mindful that the word of God is designed to protect you. To make you mindful of things.
God's Unchanging Nature
00:43:23
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So we can no longer question what is it that God says, because God is very clear and we know one thing about God. He is not the author of confusion.
00:43:34
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He's the same yesterday, today and forever. And so if he said something is not alignment with him, then it's true.
00:43:45
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I believe the word of God is inspired.
00:43:50
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And so we have to be cautious with the idea of dismissing what he has said.
00:44:01
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We go to the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 17, verse 5. I know we're in a Gospel of Matthew series, but it's apropos here. It says, while Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud...
00:44:17
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was over them and a voice from the cloud said, this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.
00:44:28
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So what is God telling them? What is God telling the reader? This is my beloved son. Who is the beloved son? Jesus Christ. What does he say we must do?
00:44:40
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Listen to him. So when he tells us certain and things, we ought to listen. When he said in the Gospel of John chapter 14 verse 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
00:44:53
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That's a powerful declaration in which he said about himself. That he is the way, the truth, and the life. If we go to the book of Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 4, and it says, Here is my servant, who I uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights.
00:45:12
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I will put my spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. What was he talking about? Jesus Christ.
00:45:22
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If we go to the Gospel of John chapter 6, verse 29, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent. Who is to him?
00:45:34
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Jesus Christ. We go to 1 John chapter 5, and we look at verse 9 through 12. It says, We accept human testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about who?
00:45:49
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His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony. Whoever does not believe in God has made him out to be a liar because they have not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son.
00:46:02
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And this is a testimony. God has given us eternal life and this life is in his son. Whoever has a son has life. Whoever does not have the son of God does not have life.
00:46:14
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Very clear, very direct. Who is God pointing us to listen to his son?
Belief in Jesus for Eternal Life
00:46:22
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Let's take it a step further. If we go to 1 John 2 and we read verses twenty two to twenty five what it say?
00:46:31
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Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father.
00:46:44
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Whoever denies the Son has the Father also. What is being said there? Very clear.
00:46:55
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If you deny the father, you don't have the son. If you deny the son, don't have the father. But if you acknowledge the son, you have the father also.
00:47:12
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Let's keep going, shall we? Hebrews chapter one. Long ago at many times in many ways, God spoken to our fathers by the prophets.
00:47:24
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But in these last days, he's spoken to us by who? His son, who he appointed the heir of all things to whom also he created the world.
00:47:35
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He's the irradiance. So far, what are we learning?
00:47:41
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representation of his nature any oppos and he opposed the universe by the word of his power after making purifications for sin he sat down at the right hand of the majestic on high having given my superiority to angels as a name he has inherited is more excellent thenas
00:48:04
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so far what are we learning
00:48:09
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We're learning. That we need to believe in his son, Jesus Christ. That's what we're learning. What did he say? He says we should believe in the son, Jesus Christ.
00:48:34
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Let's continue.
00:48:37
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We go to 1 John 4, verse 2-3. It This is how you recognize the Spirit of God. Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh from God.
00:48:49
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But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the Spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming, even now, is already in the world.
00:48:59
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Again, acknowledge that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.
00:49:12
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And of course, one of the most important verses that you'll ever read.
00:49:19
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John 1 1 and if you read verse 14 and 18, it tells you all that you need to know. In the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God.
00:49:31
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We go to verse 14. The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen its glory, the glory of the one and only son who came from the father for grace and truth.
00:49:43
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So what did God talk about? Who came? Jesus Christ.
00:49:52
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This is what God says. We go to verse 18. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only son who is himself God and is in close relationship with who the father and has made him known.
00:50:07
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So what is the final takeaway here?
00:50:12
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Well, we got to believe in the name of his son, Jesus Christ. Believe in the greatest testimony that there ever was and there ever will be, because if you do, You have access and you receive eternal life.
00:50:25
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One of the most amazing things I've ever discovered when I picked up the word of God and started reading it is I saw the Trinity throughout the scriptures, but I saw it in three ways.
00:50:37
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I saw God the Father testifying of His Son. I saw God the Son testifying of His Father. And I saw God the Holy Spirit testifying of both of them.
00:50:48
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They complimented each other. They talked about one another. They embraced one another. In my opinion, first community that testified of each other. First community that i ever existed. in This is why I believe God is completely satisfied within Himself.
00:51:06
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And I think he wants us to be satisfied as well, which is why we have the body of believers through who? Jesus Christ. I believe ultimately you don't grow in isolation, even though you can grow individually.
00:51:21
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I believe you can reach your full potential by growing in a community of believers. And so God the Father wants us to honor him.
Invitation to Accept Jesus
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And by honoring him is by believing in his son, Jesus Christ. And so.
00:51:41
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If you have not made Jesus Christ your Lord and personal savior, I want to pray for you. I want to pray it for you because I believe this would be the greatest decision you will ever make in life.
00:51:54
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I want to pray for you because it's about time that you come to realize that people in this world are instruments that God uses to draw you near to him.
00:52:09
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And by the drawing of you to him, you can you can begin to see how you have a father, a spiritual father that loves you and wants what's best for you.
00:52:22
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And he can find you and utilize people all around you
00:52:28
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to draw you closer to him. And so let me pray for you. And you can repeat after me. Father God, thank you so much for noticing me.
00:52:43
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Father God, thank you so much for knocking at my heart. Father God, I know that maybe at times I did not pay attention.
00:52:56
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But Father God, am here, front and center, ready to commit to you. I understand
00:53:07
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who you are and what you want from me. I understand that eternal life is in your son, Jesus Christ. I may not know where to start, but what I do know is, is that by every step I take, you will draw near to me.
00:53:25
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By every step I take, you will meet me. And on this note, I ask that you forgive me of all my sins. That you forgive me of the sins that I am aware of.
00:53:38
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That you forgive me of the sins that I am not aware of. And that you continue to show me mercy and grace. My desire is to draw near to you.
00:53:51
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I may not start off strong, but my hope is that this work that you began in me, you will bring it to completion. And so Lord, I say these things humbly and honestly, in Jesus name, I pray.
00:54:09
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Amen and amen. And if you prayed that prayer or some version of it, I believe you have opened the door to where in which God can start to work, to motivate you, to inspire you, to encourage you to read his word, to build relationships with those who read their word, whether it's an online community, was a small Bible study.
00:54:41
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However of a way you are reading the word of God and learning, I encourage that. I support that. And I'm glad that the Lord Jesus Christ is part of your life.
00:54:55
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Thank you so much for listening. Again, I do apologize for my absence, not being as active as I was when I started this podcast, but best in belief, God is revealing a lot of things to me to be a blessing to others.
Conclusion and Engagement Encouragement
00:55:16
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And so this is just one avenue in which I get to have these discussions with you. I'm no pastor. I'm no teacher.
00:55:27
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Well, maybe some say that I'm a teacher, but I am a person that's curious that loves the word of God. am somebody that has a desire to discuss these things.
00:55:41
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And so I mean it wholeheartedly when I talk about I desire to discuss the word of God with anyone who's interested. And so, again, if you're interested, my contact information is in the description of the mission of what this podcast is.