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What Is The Work Of God?
Jesus answered that question in verse 29 of the 6th chapter of the book of John in the following words “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent”
How are we to understand them? In the book of Hebrews we are told in verse 6 of Hebrews 11:
Without faith, it’s impossible to please God because He who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek after him.
The seeking after God is the business of the truly converted man. Since without faith it’s impossible to please God then the logical answer to “ doing the work of God “ is Faith. But how do we acquire faith ? Scripture says in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God . So faith is a gift of God and faith comes from God so doing the work of God is impossible without the initial call or prompting or drawing work of the Holy Spirit. I'll be covering this topic in its entirety in the video above and I strongly exhort you to watch it.
Scripture References:
John 6:27-37
Romans 10:17
Hebrews 11:6
Romans 1:17
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hey guys and this is
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and today we are going to look at a
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portion of scripture in john chapter 6
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and the title of my message is the work
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of god and what must we do
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to do the work of god now this is an
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important question that i would really
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encourage you to consider
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because if you look at a chapter there's
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a lot of things that um
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that take place in there and that the
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holy spirit is trying to teach us
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as far as what it means to to be in the
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body of christ
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and to do the work of god because a lot
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of people want to say
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i want to work for god i want to do the
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work of god and they don't truly
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understand what it means to do the work
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of god
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and they are not the only ones because
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even in the chapter
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the multitude uh who jesus just fed with
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bread and water and
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and fish they came to jesus with the
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same kind of question
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he told them don't work for food that
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perishes
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and they asked him uh what must we do to
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do the work of god
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and he said this is the work of god
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believe in the one
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he has sent referring to himself so
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we are going to look at a chapter today
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and we we are going to look at what it
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means to do the work of god because i
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believe this is probably the most
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important question that you need to ask
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yourself
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okay so i'm gonna get into i'm gonna get
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into it
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so the first question is this
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what is the work of god so first we need
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to understand what it means
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what is the work of god that's the first
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first question
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and jesus answered that question in
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verse 29 of the sixth chapter of the
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book of john
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he said this is the work of god
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that you believe in him whom he has sent
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so i bet you when the people heard his
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answer they probably said that's
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it and we all say the same thing that's
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it
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that's all we got to do to do the work
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of god believe
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in the one him in the one whom he has
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sent that's the work of god that's all
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and i want to challenge you because this
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is probably the hardest
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simplest question for us to answer
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because we don't truly understand what
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it means to do the work of god
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okay and so my question is how are we to
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understand that
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now first let's go to hebrews chapter 11
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verse 6.
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scripture says without faith it's
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impossible to
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please god for he who comes to him must
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believe that he exists
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and that he rewards those who earnestly
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seek after him
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so basically the seeking after god is
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the business
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of the truly converted man since
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without faith it's impossible to please
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god then the logical answer to doing the
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work of god is
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faith faith that's what it is right
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but the question is this how do we
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acquire
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faith how do we acquire faith
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and the scripture says in romans 10 17
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faith
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comes by hearing and hearing by the word
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of god
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so faith is a gift of god and faith
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comes from god
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so doing the work of god is impossible
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without
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the initial call or prompting of the
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holy spirit
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let me say that again doing the work of
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god is impossible
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without the initial call or prompting or
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drawing work of the holy spirit
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so now we're going to read verse 30 37
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of john chapter 6 to see what jesus was
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explaining today to the multitude in the
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hearing of his disciples
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to really understand this whole concept
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of the work of god
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so let's go to the next slide now
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i'm going to read john 6 30-37
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just look at my screen and follow along
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with me
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so they said to him then what sign do
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you do
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that we may see and believe you what
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work do you perform
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our fathers ate the manna in the
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wilderness as it is written
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he gave them bread from heaven to eat
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and jesus then said to them
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truly truly i say to you it was not
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moses who gave you the bread from heaven
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but my father gives you the true bread
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from heaven
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for the bread of god is he who comes
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down
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from heaven and gives life to the world
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they say to him
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sir give us this bread always
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and jesus said to them i am the bread of
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life whoever comes to me
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shall not hunger and whoever believes in
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me shall never thirst
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but i say to you that you have seen me
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and yet you do not believe
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all that the father gives me will come
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to me and whoever comes to me
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i will never cast out
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then what sign do you do that you may
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see and believe you
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what work do you perform so they are
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asking jesus this question
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but if you go back in verse 14
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the same people they they make this uh
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this uh declaration this they make this
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this this uh this comment
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when the people saw the sign that he had
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done i mean jesus when he
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used the two fish and and the five
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loaves of bread and he multiplied them
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and 35 000 when they saw the sign this
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is what they said
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this is indeed the prophet who is to
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come into the world
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so the same people are saying this is
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the prophet was to come into the world
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and they understand scripture
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they know scripture yet they are again
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asking jesus what sign do you do that we
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must see and believe you
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what work do you perform so
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this is like i said the ultimate
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oxymoron right this is crazy
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and he proves exactly what jesus said in
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verse
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26 jesus said to them truly truly
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i say to you you are seeking me
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not because you saw signs but because
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you ate your field of the loaves
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so the people were flocking to jesus not
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because they
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wanted jesus but because they were after
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the benefits that jesus could give them
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and a lot of us fall into that category
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we all do that
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we all want jesus for what he can give
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us
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we don't want him for who he is we want
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him for what he can provide for us
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right that's what a lot of people do
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they want jesus because he can provide
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peace security they want their marriage
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to be fixed
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they want their lives to be okay so they
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want they are
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after the benefits of jesus they are not
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after
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jesus himself you see that we want the
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gifts
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we don't want the giver now the question
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is
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what do we do to do the work of god so i
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just gave you these things here to
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kind of give you a quick background so
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let's let's move on to the next uh thing
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there
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so in the verses above like i said jesus
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proves
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how it is those called by god who can do
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the work of god
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which is believing in jesus that's where
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the work of god
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began believing in jesus these people
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couldn't even believe in jesus
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you see that because they asked him what
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do we do to do the work of god and he
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said
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this is the work of god believe in the
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one whom he has sent
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they can't even do that
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you see that this do you see what jesus
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is exposing there
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you can't even believe in me you saw the
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signs
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you said he is the one to come they made
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the
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declaration in verse 14 that this is the
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prophet yet they don't believe
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they have the word on their mouths and
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their lips but they don't believe in
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their heart
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because they asked him again what sign
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do you perform so that we can believe
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you
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you see that so even the believing in
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jesus
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is impossible without faith
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so doing the work of god begins with god
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and continues
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with god as it is written the righteous
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shall live by faith romans also said
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that in the gospel the righteousness of
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god is revealed
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from faith and for faith that's romans 1
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17.
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so the righteousness of god begins from
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faith
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and continues with faith so
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we can't work for god apart from god
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working in us and through us to
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accomplish his own purpose
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for it is god who works in us move to
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will
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and act according to his good purposes
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that's in philippians 2 13
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it is god who initiates the call so
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paul the apostles he said somewhere that
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he worked
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harder than all the other apostles yet
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not him but the grace of god with him
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now
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paul before his conversion thought he
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was working for god
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actually he was very zealous in his
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devotion but
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everything changed on the road to
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damascus he was given by the father to
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the lord
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jesus when the holy spirit changed the
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disposition of his heart
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and this is the work of god believing in
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the one
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jesus whom he has sent and it is it's
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impossible to do the work of god
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apart from god so i'm gonna show you uh
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paul's defense before agrippa
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and and i call that the work of god so
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paul has been accused by the jews of
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polluting the temple
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so he goes before a gripper and now he
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wants to
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makes his case before i grip her so i'm
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going to pick up from there and i'm
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going to read
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acts 26 so i'm going to read acts 26 so
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we're going to quit this for a little
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bit
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and we're going to go read acts 26 and
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we're going to come back to the slide in
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a little bit
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so i'm going to have to read a bunch of
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these verses here
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so agrippa said to paul you have
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permission to speak for yourself
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then paul stretched out his hand and
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made his defense
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i consider myself fortunate that it is
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before you king agrippa
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i'm going to make my defense today
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against all the accusations of the jews
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especially because you are familiar with
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all the customs and controversies of the
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jews
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therefore i beg you to listen to me
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patiently
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and he begins his discourse my manner of
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life
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from my youth spent from the beginning
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among my own nation
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and in jerusalem is known by all the
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jews
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they have known for a long time if they
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are willing to testify that according to
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the strictest party of our religion
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i've lived as a pharisee and now
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i stand here on trial because of my hope
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in the promise made by god to our
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fathers
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to which our twelve tribes hope to
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attain
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as they earnestly worship night and day
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and for this hope i'm accused by the
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jews
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o king why is he thought incredible by
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any of you
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that god raises the dead
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i myself was convinced that i ought to
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do many things
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in opposing the name of jesus of
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nazareth and i did so in jerusalem
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are not only locked up many of the
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saints in prison after receiving
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authority from the chief priests
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but when they were put to death i cast
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my vote against them
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and i punish them often in all the
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synagogues and try to make them
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blaspheme
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and in raging fury against them i
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persecuted them even to foreign cities
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in this connection our journey to
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damascus with the authority and
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commission of the chief priest
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a medio king i saw on the on the way a
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light from heaven
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brighter than the sun that shone around
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me and those who journeyed with me
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and when we had all fallen to the ground
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i heard a voice saying to me in the
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hebrew language
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saul saul why are you persecuting me
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it is hard for you to kick against the
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goods and i said
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who are you lord and the lord said i am
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jesus whom you are persecuting
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but rise and stand up on your feet for i
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have appeared to you for this purpose
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to appoint you as a servant and witness
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to the things in which you have seen me
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and to those in which i will appear to
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you delivering you
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from your people and from the gentiles
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to whom i'm sending you to open their
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eyes
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so that they may turn from darkness to
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light and from the power of satan to god
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that they may receive forgiveness of
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sins and a place among those who are
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sanctified by faith
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in me therefore o king agrippa
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i was not disobedient to the heavenly
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vision
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so i'm gonna stop here and then go back
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to the slide i just wanted to make
12:32
that clear here so let's go back to the
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slide
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so now let's draw some key points from
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his discourse
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and especially verse 16 and 18 listen to
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this
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jesus says to jesus and jesus said to
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paul but rise
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and stand up on your feet for i've
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appeared to you for this purpose to
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appoint you as a servant and witness to
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the things
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in which you have seen me and to those
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in which i will appear to you
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delivering you from your people and from
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the gentiles to whom i'm sending you
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to open their eyes so that they may turn
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from darkness to light and from the
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power of satan
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to god that they may receive forgiveness
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of sins and a place among those who are
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sanctified
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by faith in me see the lord spoke his
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word and paul believed
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and executed the command on keep in
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keeping with romans 10 17
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faith comes by hearing and hearing by
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the word of god
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so paul could not take credit for the
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changes that took place in his life
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he was called and appointed by god to be
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a minister to the gentiles
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and i want you to nothing notice uh
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something important in verse 19.
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paul says therefore o king agrippa i was
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not
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disobedient to the heavenly vision
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you bet that right paul could not be
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disobedient to the heavenly vision
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because
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god creates what he commands
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in his children i'm going to repeat that
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again
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paul could not be disobedient to the
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heavenly calling
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because god creates what he commands in
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his children
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so the effectiveness the effectiveness
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of paul's ministry to the gentiles
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finds its root in the power of god and
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not paul
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so this is the work of god this is the
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work of god
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this is the work of god believing in him
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to work in us to do his bidding see paul
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was going honeymites against the friends
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of god
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he was actually persecuting christians
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and god
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calls him and the call is effective
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because god is the one that does the
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initiating like he initiates a call and
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he appoints you
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so he creates what he is he commands so
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even believing in jesus
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isn't something that you can do on your
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own it has to be
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god that produces the faith in you
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through his spirit
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to believe because he changes the
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disposition of your heart
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paul was a killer he was actually
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thinking that he was serving god
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yet he was totally wrong and god had to
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change him
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so that paul could believe in jesus this
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is the work of god believing in jesus
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you see that so paul couldn't take
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credit for it
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and he couldn't be disobedient because
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god is the one that begins the work
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and completes the entire work from
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beginning to end
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and jesus also said somewhere i have
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food to eat
15:29
that you know nothing about my food is
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to do the will of him who sent me
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see the working for food that endures
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like endures to eternal life is doing
15:39
the will of god by living by faith
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by every word i proceed from the mouth
15:43
of god so basically
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you can't work for god unless
15:49
god is working in you and through you to
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do god's own work
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god is pleased with himself working in
15:57
us so that we take no credit it's a work
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of god
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through his holy spirit that comes and
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abides in us and through the abiding of
16:04
the spirit
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we are able to produce work that are
16:08
pleasing to god
16:10
because jesus also said somewhere is the
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spirit that gives life
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the flesh is is of no avail so the flesh
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cannot please god he doesn't have the
16:19
power to please god because
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it hates god and everything that has to
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do with god
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the adamic nature is is in opposition
16:28
to the work of god so believing in god
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is a work of god
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we are saved by grace through faith
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now scripture says in ephesians 2 verse
16:46
8-9
16:47
for by grace you have been saved through
16:50
faith
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and this is not your own doing it is the
16:52
gift of god
16:54
not as a result of works so that no one
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may boast
16:57
so doing the work of god is a gift of
16:59
god we can't manufacture it
17:02
we can't produce it on our own it is
17:04
from god and god freely chooses
17:06
whom he wants and desires no one can
17:09
come to god unless god himself
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prompts him on her or her through the
17:14
third person of the holy spirit
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or the trinity the holy spirit i'm sorry
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let me read that again no one can come
17:21
to god unless god
17:23
himself prompts him or her through the
17:25
third person of the trinity
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that is the holy spirit and god is only
17:30
pleased
17:30
with himself in us because by our adamic
17:33
nature we are
17:34
objects of wrath it's only when the holy
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spirit enters us that we are able to be
17:39
pleasing vessels to the lord
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and when god begins that good work in
17:43
you he complicit
17:45
he completes the work because he is the
17:47
author of
17:48
every good work so you see how that
17:51
works
17:52
when jesus was telling the people this
17:54
is the work of god
17:55
believe in the one whom he has sent
17:59
he was basically telling them you can't
18:01
even do that
18:02
something as simple as believing in me
18:04
is impossible without
18:06
the prompting of my father who draws you
18:09
to me
18:10
through my holy spirit so the three
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persons of the trinity are involved
18:14
in your salvation and my salvation
18:16
because apart from god
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we are dead absolutely dead
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and my phone is ringing so hold on one
18:24
second
18:26
so like i was saying believing in jesus
18:30
begins with jesus and
18:34
continues with jesus through his spirit
18:36
the father does the calling
18:38
he chooses whom he wants and the holy
18:41
spirit changes our hearts
18:43
and we see the beauty of christ so it is
18:46
something that begins with god
18:48
and continues with god the righteous
18:50
shall live
18:51
by faith because without faith it's
18:54
impossible to please god because faith
18:56
comes from god himself
18:58
so you see that so i would strongly
19:00
encourage you to
19:01
ask the holy spirit himself to guide you
19:03
into all the truth because god promises
19:05
in john 16 13
19:06
he says the spirit will guide you into
19:09
all the truth
19:10
so ask god to open your eyes to see the
19:13
beauty
19:14
of christ through the scriptures
19:17
you know we are living in very terrible
19:19
times and and i'll encourage you to
19:21
really
19:22
watch your doctrines closely and
19:25
carefully because
19:26
many have been preaching the gospel
19:28
inaccurately
19:29
and we have to be very careful to know
19:33
that what we are listening to and what
19:35
we are absorbing from people
19:36
is actually truth it's not just a
19:38
fabrication of their own minds
19:41
because this is important we are talking
19:42
about eternal life i've heard some
19:44
things
19:45
from some preachers that are make you
19:46
scratch your head you know and we have
19:48
to be diligent as people of god to get
19:50
into scripture to understand
19:52
what it means and to allow the spirit
19:54
himself to guide us
19:55
and when something doesn't sound right
19:57
question it because we are told
19:59
do not believe every spirit test it so
20:01
you have to test it
20:02
i don't care who the person is you know
20:04
because the final authority is the word
20:06
of god
20:08
and we also have to accurately interpret
20:10
it
20:11
and so i would encourage you to do that
20:14
okay so have a wonderful day and i'll
20:15
see you next time
20:24
you