Episode Transcript
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If you're able to remain standing now, please do as we turn our attention
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to God's word. I'm going to
read before Ephesians five a few verses from
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Isaiah, so you can turn there
if you like. Isaiah a chapter sixty
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in our passage. Paul is likely
quoting from this section, Isaiah, sixty
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two through five. For behold,
darkness shall cover the Earth and thick darkness
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the People's but the Lord will arise
upon you and his glory will be seen
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upon you, and nations shall come
to your light and kings to the brightness
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of your rising. Lift up your
eyes all around and see they all gather
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together. They come to you.
Your sons shall come from afar and your
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daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant.
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Your heart shall thrill and exalt because
of the abundance of the sea shall
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be turned to you. The wealth
of the nation's shall come to you.
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And now from Paul's letter to the
Ephesians. In the New Testament, effusions
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five, verses three through fourteen.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness
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must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let
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there be no filthiness or foolish talk, nor crude joking, which are out
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of place, but instead let there
be thanksgiving, for you may be sure
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of this that everyone who is sexually
im moral or impure or is covetous,
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that is, an idolater, has
no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and
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God. Let no one deceive you
with empty words, for because of these
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things the wrath of God comes upon
the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do
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not be partners with them, for
at one time you were darkness, but
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now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light,
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for the fruit of light is found
in all that is good and right and
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true, and try to discern what
is pleasing to the Lord. Take no
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part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them, for it
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is shameful even to speak of the
things that they do in secret. But
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when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that
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becomes visible is light. Therefore,
it says a Waco sleeper, and arise
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from the dead, and Christ will
shine on you. May God bless his
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word. You may be seated when
our passage tonight a Paul tells us.
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He tells us that we are to
discern the will of the Lord. I
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remember a time, think it was
in junior high or something, going into
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a Christian bookstore, a trying to
answer this question. How do you discern
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the will of the Lord? I
remember going and they're all of these books,
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work books and handbooks, all kinds
of things about how one might go
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about discerning the will of the Lord. So many books on it. Because
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it's at least maybe one reason.
Is it? Because it's an important topic?
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It's something we're called to do.
Is something we are supposed to do
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to know what God wants of us
to live lives as he's called us to
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live. I'm not sure, though, that it warrants a large number of
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books in order to discern the will
of the Lord. To be sure,
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the will of the Lord is complicated
in some situations, sometimes it's difficult to
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know the right thing to do.
But let me just ask it to you
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this way. How do you discern
the will of anyone? We listen to
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what they say. You pay attention
to what they want, what they're telling
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you to do. How do we
discern the will of the Lord? Well,
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perhaps unsurprisingly, that command is embedded
in a chapter that is all about
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the will of the Lord. It's
about how we are supposed to live.
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How am I supposed to live?
What am I supposed to do in life?
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Well, sexual morality and all impurity
or covetousness, but it's not even
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be named among you. We could
start with that and we could go on
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from there throughout all these other commands
that are given here, throughout other parts
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of Ephesians and the rest of the
Bible. It is not a surprising thing,
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though, that people struggle, or
sometimes, I think, pretend to
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struggle, to know the will of
the Lord. Wolfgang Muscalus, one of
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the reformers, had a situation in
his own day that I think may sound
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familiar to you, and I'll quote
from him. A Christian asks how he
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can tell what is pleasing to the
Lord. The mouth of the Lord has
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spoken directly as well, through the
Po Apostles and prophets, and clearly stated
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what he wants us to believe and
do. Moreover, he has recorded the
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teaching about life and the will of
God in the books given by the Apostles
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and evangelists. These books have been
translated into almost every language. They are
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read over all the world and indeed
the wisdom of God shouts in the town
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squares. Yet today there is a
huge number of Christians who despise the mouth
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of the Lord and hang on every
word of their teachers. Partly they do
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not know the scriptures and partly they
do not want to know them, and
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we see this today. To write, Christians everywhere, totally ignorant of what
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God says right here in the Bible, and yet going to teach your after
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teach, your book after book after
book, saying, how can I know
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the will of the Lord divine for
me, of the things that I ought
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to do, the things that I
ought to say, how I ought to
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live my life. Now, to
be sure, God's word doesn't give us
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the exact action in every possible situation
in which we encounter in life. I
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can't even begin to imagine how many
books that would take to prescribe a directly
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the correct action in every situation for
every single person that has ever lived.
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Besides that, God doesn't call us
to simply memorize a bunch of facts,
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a bunch of commandments, though that's
part of it, but he calls us
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to discern and learn to live within
the patterns in the order that he has
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set. He calls us to pursue
wisdom, to pursue the discerning of his
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will. That's a part of the
Christian life, to learning and growing in
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him, and so we come to
our passage with that spirit, I hope,
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wanting to know the will of the
Lord. How is it that we
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are supposed to walk? And that's
what much of this passage deals with.
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It instructs us. Remember last week
we began in chapter five and verses one
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and two with these instructions. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved
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children, and Walk In love,
as Christ loved us and gave himself up
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for us, a fragrant offering and
a sacrifice to God. What are God's
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actions like? That tells us something
about his will. What are the ways
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in which he speaks? What are
the ways in which he talks and and
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what are the what are the things
that he does? Are they good?
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Are they true, or they holy? They are, and as those who
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are called to discern he is will, we would be right to observe his
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character, observe his actions, particularly
those that we see in Christ, Jesus
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the record of his life here on
earth. And so, when you think
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about this, be imitators of God, and then verse three. But sexual
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immorality and impurity and conciousness must not
even be a named among you. You
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ought to say, well, yeah, of course those things have nothing to
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do with God, they have nothing
to do with imitating God and walking in
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his way. And Paul repeats that
by adding this phrase, as is proper
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among saints. You know what saints
are? I hope holy ones, people
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who have been set apart by God. Saints here refers not to some people
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that have done some extraordinary things or
have lived a long time ago. Saints
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here refers to all of the Ephesians, to all of you, people who
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have been chosen by God, set
apart by him and his Holy Spirit for
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holy reasons and a holy life.
There is something that is fitting, proper,
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appropriate, a way of life,
a way of living as saints.
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If you go and you read the
Non Christian writers throughout contemporaneous with this time,
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or you go read writers today about
how one ought to live as an
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employee of such and such company,
as a member of such and such a
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kingdom, as someone who belongs to
this family or this house. We often
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speak in this way. What are
you doing? We don't do that here,
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we don't act in this way.
It's not fitting, it's not proper,
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and that's what Paul saying to to
say that, in other words,
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assume something about who you are,
and that means if you want to discern
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the will of God, if you
want to follow in his ways, you
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have to start by assuming something about
who you are. They won't make sense
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to think about your life as a
saint if you don't think about yourself as
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a saint, if you don't think
about yourself as a holy one. And
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that's where were you ought to begin, instead of letting course and lewd thoughts
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fill our minds and our hearts.
The Work of God, in Christ,
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that saves US unto himself, that
calls US holy, these are the reasons
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that we ought to consider and and
and live our lives out of. The
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first part of this passage begins with
instructions about how we ought to live,
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and then the last part continues to
emphasize the why of that. I want
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to give just a little bit of
attention to both. In verse three,
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we have an overview of our kinds
of are the kind of lives that we
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are supposed to live. As I
mentioned already a few times, sexual immorality,
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impurity and covetousness must not even be
named among you. These are all
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very broad terms that include a whole
host of different things. Under sexual morality
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you could include an adultery, prostitution, fortication and all kinds of other things.
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Impurity is even a broader term,
impurity not only in sexuality but also
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in all kinds of things and all
kinds of ways. Covetousness is also mentioned.
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We might think of these categories as
being somewhat parallel to those categories of
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thought. Word, indeed, the
way is in which we live. Our
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lives are called to reflect every part
of ourselves, the ways we act,
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the ways that we think, the
ways that we we speak. All of
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these are to be done is emit
people, imitating God, and not just
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imitating him and as a as a
mockery, or imitating him as a as
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a kind of bare exercise, but
imitating him as he says, as beloved
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children, children or, at least
in the most ideal of situations, good
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children imitate good parents. Right.
It doesn't, as you know, always
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work that way. Sometimes children imitate
us when we are not being very good
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job as parents, and sometimes we're
doing a great job, our children don't
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imitate us and we get frustrated.
But in the best of situations, when
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a parent is acting rightly inappropriately and
the child is to what happens, they
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look up to mom and dad.
They watch them, they pay attention to
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them, they observe the things that
they do, the patterns that they follow,
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the ways that they think and act. We are to do the same
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with God. The second thing that
he goes on to mention is that in
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the way that we speak, he
says, let there be no filthiness or
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foolish talk or crude joking, which
are out of place, but instead let
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there be thanksgiving. This language of
out of place a parallels the same language
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of fittingness or proper it doesn't make
sense. These things aren't appropriate for this
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kind of life. There are as
you read the commentators on this section,
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they all rightfully remind us that even
the details matter. And then a lot
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of times the the offhanded things,
the things that we think that are not
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that big of a deal a lead
us into bigger sins and bigger problems.
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A lot of times we like to
excuse, excuse, even small sins that
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we might think of as well.
It was just a joke, I was
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just playing around, you know,
we're just we're just joking. But these
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things, Paul says, are out
of place and instead there should be thanksgiving.
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Now, sometimes this gets interpreted to
say that there should be no joy
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or happiness in the Christian life.
And and we know that isn't true.
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Even in verse eighteen, if we
as we will get to next time,
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Paul says, and do not get
drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,
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but be filled with the spirit.
Here the commentators will remind us that,
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though we are not to get drunk
with wine, the scriptures also say
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that it gladdens the heart, it
makes us happy, it lightens the mood.
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It's a it's a nice thing and
the blessed thing when used appropriately.
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Throughout the scriptures you will find examples
of people enjoying, celebrating, rejoicing,
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praising, even in very extravagant ways. Sometimes, the Christian life is not
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one of all seriousness and Moroseness and
being a deathly afraid of stepping on any
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toes. But even as we say
that we ought not to say those things
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as an excuse for things that are
simply not proper, are simply not right.
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Sometimes, when we just to make
a quick parallel, sometimes when you
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perhaps have interviewed for a job or
a competition or something like that, perhaps
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you've sense that in the questions that
are being asked, they want to a
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sense not only that you are competent
in your work but that you will carry
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yourself in such a way that is
a good fit for the company or the
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Organization or whatever it is you're you're
trying to achieve. That they are they
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have a sense and and know that
you are going to be representing them in
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some way and that, though you
may know all kinds of good things,
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though you may be competent and have
all kinds of experience, I've seen situations
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where people have been turned away for
work because of the way they carry themselves,
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the way they act, the way
they talk. They the employer,
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potential employer, simply says, well, it's not a good fit right,
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it's not fitting. The way that
you are acting, the way that you
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are walking is is not a good
thing. Well, if that's true for
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just our regular human institutions of things, that we do in our everyday life.
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How much more true is that is
for us who are called saints,
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who are being built into a temple
fit for the Living God? filthiness,
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foolish taught, crude joking, these
are indeed out of place. As the
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passage continues, in verse five,
We then have a warning for those who
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are hardhearted against warnings, and plead
with you to give your to open your
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ears and listen. Verse Five says, for you may be sure of this,
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that everyone who is sexually immoral or
impure, or who is covetous,
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that is, an idolater, has
no inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and
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God. People like to pretend sometimes
that they can live their lives in any
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way they please, and they'll use
excuses, sometimes even theological excuses. Well,
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God is patient. God's grace covers
all things. I'll just go a
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head and live how I want to
live. But Paul reminds us this,
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Paul, who has spoken so strongly
of grace, so strongly of the reward
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and the sureness of the reward that
we have in Christ even and inheritance,
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he says, is beloved, sons
and daughters, that those who act in
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this way, who live this kind
of life, who remain hardhearted against the
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Lord, but they are not sons
and daughters. Certainly no one can lose
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their salvation. No one who belongs
to Jesus can be snatched out of his
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hand, even by their own deeds. But that doesn't mean there aren't self
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deceived people, people who claim to
belong to Christ, or think they belong
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to Christ, and yet don't.
Do not be deceived, Paul Warns Us.
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If you live your life in a
way that is full of sexual or
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morality, covetousness, idolatry, know
that you do not have an inheritance and
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the Kingdom of God and his anointed
one, Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
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Deception happens, Paul says in verse
six. Beyond Guard. Let no one
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deceive you with empty words. What
are empty words? Empty words are like
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the Huckster who promises you the world
but ultimately leaves you with nothing and steals
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your money or, worse, maybe
your soul. There are people who will
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promise you that you can live your
life in any way you want, that
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it doesn't matter, that God doesn't
care. These are not people that discern
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the will of the Lord. He
clearly does care and he tells us that
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those who practice these things, who
live this kind of life, will have
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no inheritance in the Kingdom of God. This is, of course, different
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from Christians who struggle with these things, who fight against temptation, who,
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day after day, week after week, find themselves having to turn in repentance
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to their Lord and their savior.
That's a whole different kind of thing.
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That's a life lived in faith.
That's a life lived. It's striving to
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imitate God, failing, but striving, and striving not in their own power
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and their own strength, but striving
in the grace that God has given them,
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recognizing not that they are earning their
holiness, but that God has made
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them holy. They strive as saints, in other words, not as people
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trying to become saints. They strive
as people who are trusting, strive as
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people who are growing and, as
he goes on to say, people who
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are also glowing. Let's look at
the next few verses. He continues and
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says, therefore, do not become
partners with them. You might think of
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that as and of intimate, close
associates. He's not saying. Let me
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just add, as a sign.
No, he's not saying here, never,
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never, associate with anyone who does
these things, he because then you
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would have to actually sort of leave
the world. This is exactly what he
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says in First Corinthians Five, of
verses nine and ten. So he's not
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saying that, but he's saying we
are not to become partners with them,
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intimate associates, unequally yoked with them. There's to be a separation. Why?
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And here are the reasons, as
we transition in verse eight, for
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at one time you were darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.
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You See, what God has done
is he has changed us. He
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doesn't say at one time you are
walking in darkness and now you are becoming
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light in the Lord. He doesn't
say at one time you are walking in
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darkness and one day, if you
do enough good, you might become light.
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He says one time you are at
darkness, but now you are light.
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How is that possible when you and
I both know we've still got sins
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in us, when you and I
both know that we have darkness, deeds,
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sins and things that we do,
even the sins that are named here.
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We Are not light because of our
sins, but in spite of them,
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because God has saved us while we
were yet sinners. And we are
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light because the light of the world
has put his spirit in us, who
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is putting to death those deeds of
the body, who is working in US
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and through us to mortify that fleshly
nature, to cause the old man of
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the old Adam to to die,
to be put to death so that we
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might live in the newness of life
in Christ. That's what he says.
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He says, don't walk in this
way, because you are not like that.
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You are light in the Lord.
So walk, he says, as
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children of the light, for the
fruit of light is found in all that
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is grewed and right and true,
and try to discern what is pleasing to
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the Lord. He goes on to
say. Take no part, then,
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in unfruitful works, don't participate in
him, don't part partner with people,
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but instead expose them. There's an
active quality of light that always happens.
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Every single time you turn all light, it exposes things. This is the
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purpose of light, right, is
to shine, to reveal, to open.
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But it's important that as we think
about how we function is light,
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how we live as light, that
we understand what he goes on to say,
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because the way in which we expose
the deeds of this darkness, expose
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the sins of the world, is
not by riding around on our high horses
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pointing at everyone, saying, look
at all of these bad things you're doing.
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What does he say? He says, for it is shameful even to
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speak of the things that they do
in secret. But with anything is exposed
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by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light.
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Therefore it says awake, oh sleeper, and arise from the dead,
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and Christ will shine on you.
You could take that as a little sermon.
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Awake, oh sleeper, and arise
from the dead and Christ will shine
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on you. That message is the
message of the Gospel. That's the message
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of the passage we read earlier in
Isaiah, were God promised that Israel,
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that he would put his spirit in
his people and that they would be this
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shining city, that the world would
see its light and would come to her.
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That's how we are light, because
Christ is in us, shininginess,
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making himself known, and that light
is the light of the Gospel, a
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Gospel that does indeed expose our sins, our depravity, our ways in which
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we walk and rebel against the Lord. But not just that. It's a
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gospel that shows us those saying of
those things, so that we might turn
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from them to Jesus, so that
we might not hide away trying to protect
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ourselves, but come into his light
and say, Lord, save me.
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Awake, O sleeper, arise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on
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you. That's the message that's shining
from us as we live our lives in
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this way. If we live our
lives in this way, if we live
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as children of the light, were
like lamp posts all throughout the world,
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these shining lights everywhere, the people
can see the Gospel, by the effects
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of the Gospel, the fruit of
the Gospel. Doesn't mean we don't preach,
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it doesn't mean we don't say the
Gospel, that we don't speak the
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Gospel, but it is made evident
in the way that we live. How
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because Christ is a work in you, because you are in light, because
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he is light, and that's what
he's doing and has done with you.
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So what do you do then,
when you don't feel very shiny? What
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do you do when you don't feel
like you're glowing very much? And I
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don't just mean being happy, I
mean living righteously. What do you do
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when you recognize that your sins in
the past hour, day, week,
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month, decades do not bring light, the light of God, to those
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around you, but do not show
the fruit of the Gospel, but instead
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are may be embarrassing, not just
because they're shameful, sinful things, but
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they're so unfitting for a Christian,
so unfitting as a child of light.
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What do you do? Well,
you do the thing, the only thing
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that you can do, and that's, as a child, to go to
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the Lord and say, forgive me, help me, make me who you
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want me to be. I'm lost
apart from you, I'm dying apart from
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you, I'm dark, I'm dirty
and polluted, I'm disgusting. The things
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that I should do and I should
not even be mentioned. So help me,
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put your spirit within me, make
me grow, make me glow,
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make me shine for you. That's
what you do. You trust in the
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promise and the grace of God.
You live by faith in the things that
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he has said, because ultimately it's
his work and he promises each and every
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child of his that, though we
struggle in this world, one day and
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the Lord Jesus returns, our bodies, are physical bodies, will be transformed
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in such a way that they will
shine with the glory of God, and
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it will be so clear to all
the world that we belong to him that
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there will be hardly well, there
will be no question that you belong to
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him, that you are his children. The glorification of our souls and of
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our bodies is coming. So do
not lose heart, do not lose hope,
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hang on, trust in him,
walk in his ways, walk by
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his light and in the power of
his light, with union and his light,
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and he will make you shine.
Let's pray
