WEBVTT

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 Psalm 136, verses 1 to 26. So this is kind of written as like a responsive psalm.

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 So I was wondering if you guys are open to it, you could read the second half of each verse.

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 It's basically, for his steadfast love endures forever. So you can just try it.

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 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

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 For his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 To him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 To him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 To him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 To him who made the great lights,

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 The sun to rule over the day.

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 The moon and stars to rule over the night.

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 To him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt.

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 And brought Israel out from among them.

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 With a strong hand and an outstretched arm.

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 For relative love endures forever.

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 To Him who divided the Red Sea in two,

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 For His steadfast love endures forever.

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 And made Israel pass through the midst of it,

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 For His steadfast love endures forever.

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 But overthrew Pharaoh and His host in the Red Sea,

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 For His steadfast love endures forever.

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 To Him who led His people through the wilderness,

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 For His steadfast love endures forever.

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 To Him who struck down great kings,

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 For His steadfast love endures forever.

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 And killed the mighty kings,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Sihon, king of the Amorites,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And Ag, king of Bashan,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And gave their land as a heritage,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 A heritage to Israel his servant,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 It is he who remembered us in our lowest state,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And rescued us from our foes,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 He who gives food to all flesh

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Give thanks to the God of heaven

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 It's a psalm of thanksgiving, as you can tell.

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 And every verse, the second half of the verse

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 is for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 So it's really recounting his steadfast love for us

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 throughout the whole thing and really praising God.

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 And so the main point of the psalm really is that

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 as we remember the steadfast love of the Lord,

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 we are filled with thanksgiving toward him.

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 And so it begins verses one to three.

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 Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Give thanks to the God of gods

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 Give thanks to the Lord of lords

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And then it ends by saying in verse 26,

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 give thanks to the God of heaven

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 So it begins with the proper name of God in verse one,

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 the Lord in all caps, give thanks to the Lord.

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 And then it tells us that he,

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 the Lord, the God of Israel,

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 is the God of gods, verse two,

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 and Lord of lords, verse three.

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 So those are not,

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 those verses are not acknowledging

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 that the so-called gods of nations

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 are actual gods or lords.

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 Rather, it's a superlative expression

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 saying that God is,

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 God does not have any equal,

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 anyone who is his equal.

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 He has no parallel.

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 He's the God of gods,

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 the Lord of lords,

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 worthy of all praise

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And then he gives us these great reasons

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 going through the passages.

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 First in verses four to nine,

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 he tells us about God's steadfast love

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 displayed in his creation.

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 And then verses 10 to 16,

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 his steadfast love displayed

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 in his redemption in Exodus.

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 And then in verses 17 to 22,

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 his steadfast love displayed

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 in the conquest

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 and the giving of the promised land.

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 And so it says in verses four to nine,

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 verse four is kind of the heading

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 to him who alone does great wonders.

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 It's wonders in creating.

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 And verses five to six confirm that.

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 To him who by understanding made the heavens,

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 to him who spread out the earth above the water.

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 So he made heaven and earth,

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 meaning he made all creation.

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 He's the one who did those wonders.

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 Similar in verses seven,

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 verse seven is the heading

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 to him who made the great lights.

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 And then verse eight and nine

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 kind of fall under that,

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 the two great lights,

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 the sun to rule over the day,

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 the moon and stars to rule over the night.

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 Day and night, sun and moon, stars,

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 God is the one.

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 The Lord is the one rather

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 that created all of these things.

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 And he has demonstrated steadfast love in that.

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 And he is to be praised,

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 which we feel with thanksgiving for it.

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 And then even though God deserves

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 this thanksgiving and praise

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 from all of creation for what he's done here,

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 more specifically,

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 what he's done to Israel,

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 for Israel,

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 his people is remembered in 10 to 22.

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 First, the Exodus in verses 10 to 16,

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 to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt.

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 Verse 11,

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 brought Israel out from among them.

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 12,

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 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.

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 13,

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 to him who divided the Red Sea in two.

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 Verse 14,

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 and made Israel pass through the midst of it.

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 15,

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 but overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea.

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 16,

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 to him who led his people through the wilderness.

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 So it's recounting the major events of the Exodus

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 from the Passover

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 and the striking of the firstborn of Egypt

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 to the splitting of the Red Sea

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 and their redemption from slavery.

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 And then 17 to 22,

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 follow that pattern

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 and instead talk about the conquest

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 of the promised land,

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 Canaan.

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 To him who struck down great kings,

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 killed mighty kings,

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 Sihon king of the Amorites

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 and Og king of Bashan.

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 And so those are the two kind of,

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 the first kings to be conquered

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 as Israel was entering the promised land.

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 And so they kind of become this literary trope

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 kind of for remembering who,

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 how God delivered the nations to him.

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 So they represent all the nations that God delivered.

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 And he gave their land as a heritage

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 and a heritage to Israel,

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 his servant.

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 And this gets summarized,

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 this creation and redemption,

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 verse 23 to 25.

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 It is he who remembered us in our lowest state

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 for his steadfast love endures forever

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 and rescued us from our foes

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 He who gives food to all flesh

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 for his steadfast love endures forever.

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 And ultimately,

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 this is fulfilled in what Christ has done

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 for us,

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 remembering us in our lowest state.

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 In the Magnificat,

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 Mary remembers that God's people

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 were in lowest state

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 and yet God remembered us,

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 his people.

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 We were laid low by sin,

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 by our own rebellion.

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 We were, instead of conquering,

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 conquered and exiled

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 because of our sins,

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 figuratively and literally for Israel.

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 And yet God remembered

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 because of his steadfast love,

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 his unchanging love,

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 his enduring love,

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 the covenant love

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 that endures through all of those things.

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 And because of that,

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 he rescued us from our foes

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 and he provided for us.

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 And we can see how Christ fulfills

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 all of these commands

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 in Romans 6, 17 to 18.

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 It says,

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 We were slaves to sin

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 as Israelites were slaves in Egypt,

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 yet the God who struck down

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 the firstborn of Egypt,

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 he brought Israel out through the Red Sea.

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 He brought us out from our slavery to sin.

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 And likewise,

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 similar to the conquest,

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 how he talks about God struck down the great kings,

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 Colossians 1, 13 to 14,

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 says,

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 He has delivered us

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 from the domain of darkness

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 and transferred us

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 to the kingdom

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 of his beloved son

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 in whom we have redemption,

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 the forgiveness of sins.

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 And then later on,

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 Colossians 2, 15,

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 it says,

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 He disarmed the rulers and authorities

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 and put them to open shame

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 by triumphing over them in him.

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 The nations,

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 the mighty nations

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 that were standing in the way

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 of inheriting the promise

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 that God had given to the Israelites,

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 God struck down

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 and to bring about his kingdom.

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 And likewise,

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 that's ultimately fulfilled in Christ

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 who strikes down,

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 who,

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 and it establishes his kingdoms

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 through his victory

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 in his death and resurrection.

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 And it's because of that

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 we who are laid low

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 are rescued.

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 And when we remember that,

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 we can't help but to be full of thanksgiving

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 for the steadfast love of God

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 demonstrated for us.

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 And that's why we are exhorted

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 in 1 Thessalonians 5, 18

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 to give thanks at all times

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 in all occasions.

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 In Christ,

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 that's what's appropriate for us.

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 So let's sing another song

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 in response to that

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 and then we can pray.