WEBVTT

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 Thanks.

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 Such amazing stories about faith heroes all throughout the Bible.

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 It wonders me, what did they touch on which caused them to do such amazing things?

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 Today I'm going to be talking about working for the Lord.

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 Before I begin, I want us to go into two things.

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 The first is that God died for you.

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 It's something that's told to us again and again,

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 especially if we've grown up in church families or communities.

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 But I think because we are told it again and again,

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 it begins to lose its meaning.

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 I mean, just think, the God that was in heaven came to earth,

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 experienced all sorts of temptation,

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 and died so that you could know him.

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 For some...

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 Oh, he said that, sorry.

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 I want you to imagine this is the first time you have ever heard

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 that the God of the world wants a personal relationship with you.

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 And he knows everything about you.

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 It should invoke something in us that makes us want to run for him,

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 not so we can earn his love, he offers it freely,

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 but instead to learn to experience all of God as our will aligns with his.

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 I think the people mentioned in this passage we have just been reading knew this,

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 and it gave them a zeal,

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 a love so great that they would go down in history as true faith heroes.

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 The second thing I want to touch on before we begin

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 is when we were on our weekend away a couple weeks ago today,

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 I was sitting at lunch with a man called Wyatt

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 from the group called YWAM,

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 that youth with a mission,

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 a missions group that were visiting us.

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 Me and Wyatt talked over our lunch,

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 and one of the things we discussed was

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 that me, as a 15-year-old boy,

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 is just as cool as all of these faith heroes

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 and the different speakers we hear.

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 And it's something I feel like I know,

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 but it really hit me

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 of those people we just heard about,

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 Paul, David, Abraham,

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 or any of the other apostles.

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 They were all called to different things,

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 and we're just as cool to our calling as they were.

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 So those are the two things I want you to remember.

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 God loves you and died for you,

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 and we are called just as much as one another.

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 So what does it actually mean to work for the Lord?

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 Well, for one, I think it starts with knowing

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 that it is not in our timing.

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 David was appointed to become king before Goliath,

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 and when Goliath came around,

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 there was a promise that whoever killed Goliath

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 would become king.

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 But when David killed Goliath,

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 he didn't go to Saul and claim his throne.

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 Instead, he went back to his job.

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 I think David knew that he wasn't in charge

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 and that when he was meant to become king,

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 it would happen.

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 But there was a time before that

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 that he had to go through to reach his calling.

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 We all have these callings

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 that we are all called to,

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 but there was a time before that

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 that we must work for the Lord

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 before we can reach it.

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 This can sound terrifying

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 or like it's too much to do,

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 but it's okay,

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 because honestly, it is too much

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 for us alone.

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 The people in these passages,

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 they didn't have to do it alone.

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 They had a God in heaven

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 who now walks with us on earth

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 to help them.

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 It says in the Bible,

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 in this world,

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 you will have trouble.

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 And that is true.

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 As Christians,

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 we live our lives daily

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 and we have troubles that face us.

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 But then it says,

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 to take heart

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 for he has overcome the world.

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 Let's look at a story in the Bible

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 where we see this.

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 In the Old Testament,

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 a king made a statue

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 and he commanded everyone

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 to bow down

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 and they ordered

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 the whole nation

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 on their knees

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 to this false god.

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 And there were three men

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 out of everyone

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 in a whole country

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 standing to,

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 Meshach,

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 Shadrach,

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 and Abednego.

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 They end up with being

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 thrown into a furnace

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 for doing this.

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 And at this point,

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 if they were alone,

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 they would surely die.

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 But instead,

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 they were seen

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 walking around the fire

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 with a fourth man

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 described as looking

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 like a son of the gods.

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 They knew they didn't

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 have to do it alone.

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 They did it with

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 an all-powerful God

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 that protected them

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 when they needed it.

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 I doubt we are going

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 to face trials

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 like they did.

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 But day in and day out,

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 we have a responsibility

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 to reflect the love

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 we have been given

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 on this earth

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 by God.

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 Let's look at Adam.

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 That's Adam from

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 the Old Testament,

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 not me.

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 What did he do

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 in the garden

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 before him and Eve

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 made the mistake

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 of eating the apple?

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 The fruit.

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 It doesn't actually say apple.

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 In the perfect paradise,

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 there was a form of work.

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 He tended to the garden.

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 Adam showed us

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 the role in working

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 for the Lord

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 is to develop

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 and take care

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 of what which we have

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 been given by the Lord

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 and to do it with a joy

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 that's rooted in him.

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 And that sounds

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 so simply put like that.

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 So why can it be

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 such a struggle sometimes?

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 I think it's because

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 it's easy.

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 We've been given

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 free will

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 and that means

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 we can choose

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 to follow God

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 or to not.

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 And I think

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 so often

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 the easiest choice

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 in the moment

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 is to not

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 and we will

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 get it wrong.

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 But luckily,

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 even when we do

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 get it wrong,

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 we will

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 because none of us

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 can live that perfect life

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 that Jesus came down

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 to live for us,

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 God will still call you

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 a son and daughter

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 and he will still

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 call you

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 to this amazing life

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 that he's got

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 prepared for you.

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 if you're sitting

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 here wondering,

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 I want to work

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 for the Lord

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 but I don't know

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 where or how

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 to start,

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 I challenge you

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 to get stuck

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 into your Bible

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 and prayer life.

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 Over time,

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 you will begin

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 to fall in love

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 with God

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 and it will invoke

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 you to do so much

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 more from a fascination

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 of this amazing love

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 we've been given

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 and a determination

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 to earn it

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 because nothing

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 you do

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 will ever be enough

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 to earn it,

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 unfortunately.

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 But that's okay

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 because he gave it

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 to you.

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 When Jesus

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 gave his life

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 up on that cross,

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 he said,

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 it is finished.

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 Just sit on that.

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 Yes,

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 it is finished.

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 Our debt is paid

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 and that means

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 we can have

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 this relationship

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 with God.

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 The sweetest thing

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 that we can ever

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 be offered

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 and this work

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 I have talked about

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 will very quickly

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 become a part

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 of this relationship

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 because it is

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 so worth it.

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 So if you're

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 to remember

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 one thing

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 from today,

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 I'd say this.

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 God died for you.

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 You are called

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 and you don't have

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 to walk this earth alone.

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 God has given us

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 each other

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 to help us thrive

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 with him

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 and I want you

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 to consider it all.

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 The God who made

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 the stars,

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 the earth,

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 and other planets

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 billions of light years

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 away,

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 he looked at you

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 and he said,

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 I have a plan

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 for this one

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 who I'm very glad

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 with.

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 And he is calling you

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 to something

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 so much greater.

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 Thank you.

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 Heavenly Father,

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 we thank you

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 that you created

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 each and everyone

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 in your perfect plan,

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 your perfect purpose.

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 and we just pray

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 now, Lord Jesus,

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 that in whatever context

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 we're going into

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 this week,

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 whether that be

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 in school,

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 in college,

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 at work,

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 in our own homes,

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 Lord Jesus,

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 we just pray

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 that you would help us

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 to do everything

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 as if we are working

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 for the Lord.

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 As those great heroes

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 of faith did,

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 just like Adam

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 talked to us about.

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 Lord,

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 would we work

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 not for our own glory

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 but for yours.

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 And would you give us

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 opportunities

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 and eyes to

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 see those opportunities

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 for what they are,

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 to take you

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 into the places

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 that we're going

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 into this week.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.

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 Amen.