Hello friends and welcome
back to our continuing study in
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Hebrews chapter 12.
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We are picking
up here in verse 15.
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What Paul does here Ty,
is he is repeating one of the
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same points that he
brought out in the very
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beginning of the book.
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Looking to Jesus, but in
the verse 15 after describing
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that trials and tests will
come to us and that God doesn't
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bring them necessarily
and overrules them for good,
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because He loves us.
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He says we need to look
diligently lest any man fail
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of the grace of God, and
lest any root of bitterness
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springing up, trouble us, and
any be defiled, in other words
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It is easy for us to lose
sight of the fact that a loving
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God is not the author of evil.
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He did not intend for us to
experience pain and suffering
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and misery and death.
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And to think that God is
omnipotent and think that He
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is the One that is in charge
of all this chaos and evil
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and darkness in this world.
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We need to recognize that
God is not the one that brings
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pain and suffering.
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Jesus said it this way that
I have come that you may have
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Life and life more abundantly.
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The devil came to
kill, steal, and destroy.
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But God has
come to give us life.
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We're going to be inclined,
in our human trials and
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temptations, and the
things that we go through James,
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to hold other people accountable
for the bad things that
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happened to us.
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We are going to be
inclined to be angry,
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we're going to be inclined to be
resentful, and so Paul tells us
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he says, Listen, I want
you, verse 14, to pursue
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peace with all people I want you
to be at peace with all people
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And then again in verse 15, he
says, I don't want you to allow
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a fruit of bitterness
to spring up in your life.
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We are inclined to hold
other people accountable for the
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things that happens to us.
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Paul is saying, in a sense,
let everybody off the hook.
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God has related to you in
such a way as to extend mercy
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and compassion and forgiveness.
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We need to live by the
same rule of forgiveness.
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We need to treat other
people, even when they fail us,
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the way that God has
treated us through Jesus Christ,
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by extending mercy and pardon.
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That's why I like Romans 8:28,
because it says we know that
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all things work together for
the good to them that love God,
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to the call to those who are
called to them that love God.
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And I really liked that because
it says not that we will be
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immune from evil or the effects
of sin, but that we will, that
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God will work that for
good, that He will bring good
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out of that in our lives.
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And the way that we can be
sure not to allow this root of
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bitterness, anger and resentment
to well up in our lives,
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and then defile and pollute
our relationships and our
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relationship with God.
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It is to look diligently,
to look carefully to Jesus.
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As we focus our attention
on the Savior, we will be far
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less inclined to find
fault in others and to allow
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bitterness to arise in
our lives against them.
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Amen! Amen.
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So where are we
going to from here?
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I think it's verse 18.
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Verse 18, is
making a shift here.
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There is a new emphasis
in this chapter now, because
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Paul is telling us that
we have a specific invitation
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and admonition to
come somewhere and it is
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not somewhere
else that he specifies.
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Verse 18, he says for you
have not come to the mountain,
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that may be touched, that burned
with fire to blackness, and
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darkness and a tempest.
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You have not come, in
other words, to Mount Sinai.
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Mount Sinai is what is being
talked here where the people
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heard the trumpet.
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They saw the mountains shake.
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They were
surrounded with darkness.
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There was
lightning, the people trembled.
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The Apostle Paul informs us
that they became afraid, and
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they begged Moses, not to
allow any more words from God
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to be spoken to them.
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And in that fear, and
in that trembling they were
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inclined to turn from
God, but now Paul is saying no
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that's not the
experience God is calling us to.
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He is not calling us to an
experience of trembling and
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pulling back from God, but
he is actually calling us to
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draw close to the Lord.
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In verse 22.
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But you have come to Mount
Zion, to the city of the living
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God, to the heavenly
Jerusalem, to an innumerable
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company of angels, to the
general assembly of the Church
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of the firstborn, who are
registered in heaven to God.
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The Judge of all, to the
spirits of just men made perfect
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and to who Jesus, the
Mediator of the better covenant,
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and to the blood of
sprinkling that speaks better
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things than that of Abel.
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This is so powerful, because
what basically Paul is saying
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in the context of everything
we have reading is this, God's
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people, in the Old Testament
times, were scared to death
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to approach God, to
approach His presence,
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to be in His presence.
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But now that we have seen Jesus,
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the forerunner,
who has gone before.
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Now that we have understood
the essence of salvation,
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the gospel that
covenant, the better things.
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We can come.
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Jesus has gone before
there is a general assembly
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in the church there.
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There are those whose
names are written there.
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There are, there
is a Mediator there.
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There is a heavenly host there.
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There is no reason for
us to be afraid to go there.
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God is approachable.
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We can approach Him.
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We can be and His
presence we don't need to fear.
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So, he says in verse
25, See that you do not
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refuse Him who speaks.
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Which is again one of the
themes in a different way.
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Paul brings up over
and over again, in the book
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of the Hebrews, don't
refuse don't draw back.
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Its just a continual
encouragement, a prodding,
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come on, we're moving on, we're
coming closer and closer to God.
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Draw near to Him, He's
friendly, He's full of Grace.
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Mercy to forgive, grace
to help in time of need.
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Have confidence move forward.
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Don't turn away.
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It goes on and
says, don't refuse Him.
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Don't turn away from
Him, that speaks from heaven.
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In other words,
don't reject Him.
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He is seeking to court us.
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He is seeking to draw us to Him.
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Don't refuse these overtures
because we recognize that
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if we are left to ourselves
and we are left to face
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the record of our lives, if
we're left to bear our guilt,
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of our sin, we're
going to be overwhelmed.
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God wants to take
care of that so that we can
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have complete record
taking care of and we can
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stand boldly before His throne.
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Another great thing, that
is brought to our attention
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here is that we have a
destiny that is brought
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to view here.
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That involves fellowship
James, if we can imagine this.
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It involves fellowship
with the Angels, and innumerable
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company of Angels.
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So far the book of Hebrews has
informed us that occasionally
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we entertain angels unaware.
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I mean, we have encounters
with angels, because they
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are sent forth to
minister to those who shall be
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heirs of salvation.
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Paul says but we're not
in an experience right now,
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where we actually
have face to face personal
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fellowship with angels.
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But this is something
really to look forward to.
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Can you imagine that in eternity
future that we are going to
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actually enter into
friendships, and conversations
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with angelic beings
who will be a part of our
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experience in the future.
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It's just amazing.
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And also we are going
to meet those angels that
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were probably
working in our lives.
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Helping us, guiding
us, protecting us, when we
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didn't even know about it.
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And they are going to
share with us the experiences
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they had with us.
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And how difficult it may
have been at times for them to
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do the task that God
He had assigned to them
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in watching over us,
or directing us in the
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way that He wanted us to go.
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Jesus actually indicates, I
just wanted to bring this up.
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It just came to mind.
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Jesus indicated in
Matthew chapter 18 James, that
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when a child is born
into the world that a
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child is actually
assigned a guardian angel.
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Because, he warned people
who hurt children, he said.
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Don't hurt little
children, it would be better for
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you to have a large rock
tied around your neck and
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be thrown into
the depths of the sea.
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Because they are
angels, these children's angels,
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do always behold the face
of their father in heaven.
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So we see here that
children are attended by angelic
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companions, who are
there to watch over them.
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To protect them.
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We grow up, and no
doubt these angels follow us
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through our lives.
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I can't wait to finally
meet my own guardian angel,
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who knows everything about me.
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He's been with me
through life, to meet my own
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guardian angel face to face.
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To learn his name. I
mean, they have names.
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The Bible says that
there is an angel whose name is
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Gabriel, we have no
reason to suppose that each
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of the angelic
host don't have names.
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They each one has
a personal history.
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Each of these angels
encountered the fall of Lucifer.
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And these holy angels
endured through that great
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rebellion and had
remained faithful to God.
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They'll have a
testimony to share with us.
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We'll have things
to share with them.
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It is just going to
be incredible fellowship.
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So we wherefore
Paul says in verse 28.
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We've received a
kingdom which cannot be moved.
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There is the immutable,
immovable, presence of God.
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Let us have grace whereby
we may serve God acceptably.
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Because there is no way
we can serve God acceptably
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if we don't have grace
with reference and Godly fear.
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Why, for our God
is, a consuming fire.
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Now, what does that mean?
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Our God is a consuming fire.
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Well first of all, it's
interesting that we have an
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invitation here, but
it is ominous invitation,
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because Paul is
saying from verse 18 onward
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He's saying come to the
Lord, come to Mount Zion,
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Our God is a consuming fire.
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I mean that doesn't
seem inviting first glance.
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Why would I want to come
into the presence of a God
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Who is described
as a consuming fire?
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But throughout Scripture,
we encounter this idea of fire.
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It is interesting
because for example in Daniel
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Chapter 7, verses 9 and 10.
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We are told that God
is surrounded by fire and
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a river of fire, a
stream of fire issues
00:10:08.08\00:10:10.93
forth from before Him.
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And then it says in His
presence, in the presence
00:10:12.34\00:10:15.73
of that fire, He is
surrounded with 10,000
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times 10,000 Angels.
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Somehow these Angels
are in God's presence,
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surrounded with this
fire, and they're not
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consumed in the fire.
00:10:27.77\00:10:29.49
They are praising God, they are
ministering in God's presence
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and not being destroyed
by this consuming fire.
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So what is going to be
destroyed by the consuming fire?
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You know, all
through the Bible, especially
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the New Testament,
we find that rebellion,
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that sin, that which is
out of harmony with Heaven,
00:10:44.42\00:10:47.08
and out of harmony with
love is the element that
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is going to be
destroyed in the consuming fire.
00:10:49.53\00:10:52.22
In other words, those
who stand in the consuming
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fire have separated
from sin, or have allowed
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Christ to separate
sin from their lives.
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We can stand in that
consuming fire, without that
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fire consuming us
when we allow Christ
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to be our righteousness.
00:11:06.45\00:11:07.92
And when we accept His
gift of salvation and allow
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sin to be
separated from our hearts.
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There are a number of
verses in the Bible that
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fill out and kind of develop
what's involved in this fire.
00:11:16.94\00:11:21.20
One of them, I think of is in
the Song of Solomon Chapter 8.
00:11:21.23\00:11:25.45
In which the Shulamite
woman, who is speaking back
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to Solomon, her beloved.
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She says, set me as
a seal upon your heart,
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a seal upon your
arm, for love is as strong
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as death and jealousy
is as cruel as the grave.
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And then it says, something
very interesting James.
00:11:42.37\00:11:46.13
It says, the flames of
love can not be quenched,
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and it is like the very
flames of Yahweh Himself.
00:11:49.95\00:11:53.67
God's love is
associated with fire.
00:11:53.71\00:11:56.38
Also in Scripture God's
glory is associated with fire.
00:11:56.41\00:12:00.85
And in the Old
Testament it talks about how
00:12:00.88\00:12:03.20
those who stand in
the consuming fire.
00:12:03.23\00:12:05.48
Those who have allowed God
to cleanse them from that sin.
00:12:05.52\00:12:08.71
You know, God is
going to cleanse the earth.
00:12:08.75\00:12:10.75
I mean the Bible is
very clear II Peter tells us.
00:12:10.79\00:12:13.29
Revelation tells us that God
is going to cleanse the earth.
00:12:13.33\00:12:16.16
He Himself is going to
be the One that consumes sin
00:12:16.19\00:12:18.75
and every vestige
of sin upon this earth.
00:12:18.79\00:12:20.65
His presence and
love consumes sin.
00:12:20.68\00:12:22.66
But those can stand
in the consuming fire of
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His presence are those
who have allowed themselves
00:12:25.50\00:12:28.07
to be divested of that sin
through the grace of Christ.
00:12:28.10\00:12:30.92
They become
partakers of the glory of God.
00:12:30.96\00:12:34.47
Of character of God.
00:12:34.51\00:12:35.97
So instead of this infinite
contrast of guilt and pain
00:12:36.01\00:12:39.56
and self incrimination, they
come into the presence of God
00:12:39.60\00:12:43.12
and find themselves
perfectly at home for eternity
00:12:43.16\00:12:46.11
in a consuming
fire of God's love.
00:12:46.14\00:12:48.38
That's why Paul
says in 13, verse 1,
00:12:48.42\00:12:50.59
let brotherly love continue
Friends we want you to let
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brotherly love
continue, to work in you,
00:12:53.91\00:12:55.98
to consume sin in you
now so that you can stand
00:12:56.01\00:12:58.66
in God's presence then.
00:12:58.69\00:13:00.10