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hello this is t.com I hope you had a
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great weekend and I'm sure you're
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looking forward to uh Thanksgiving I
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don't know that how that's going to play
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out this year but I'm hoping that all of
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you guys are going to take some
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precaution and make sure uh to to to to
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be save first okay so we want to do that
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now today we are going to be looking at
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8-13 and the title of the study is a
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closer look at Moses first sign before
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pharoh so I'm going to jump into the
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introduction and then we are going to
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talk about what is uh at hand today now
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if you recall uh God sent Moses to
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pharaoh and king of Egypt and he said uh
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the following tell him to free the
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people of Israel now I'm I'm just
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paraphrasing what God Said and the
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charge is recorded for us in Exodus 6:
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10-13 and I'm going to read that so the
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Lord said to Moses go in tell Pharaoh
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king of Egypt to let the people of
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Israel go out of his land but Moses said
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to the Lord behold the people of Israel
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have not listened to me how then shall
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Pharaoh listen to me for I am of
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uncircumcised lips but the Lord spoke to
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Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge
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about the people of Israel and and about
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Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the
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people of Israel out of the land of
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Egypt that was a charge that God gave to
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Aaron and Moses and I actually did a
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study on that so I'll give you the link
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in the description if you want to read
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that now basically uh God already knew
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that Pharaoh was going to resist him and
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as a matter of fact the Lord himself
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said he was going to harden Pharaoh's
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heart in order that he might show the
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king of Egypt and the Egyptians that he
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is Lord so I want us today to focus on
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the first sign Moses did in front of
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pharaoh and I'm hoping that we'll be
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able to look at the miracle itself and
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its significance now a lot of time we
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are so thrilled and enamored by the
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supernatural power of God in the events
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recorded for us in sacred scripture and
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then we forget the other lessons uh that
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are being taught so today I want us to
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just look at the miracle and just really
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focus on it and then see what God is
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teaching us through it so let's do that
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now the first thing we need to
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understand is this why the serpent sign
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okay and first let's recall the
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scripture uh this is Exodus 7 verse
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8-13 then the Lord said to Moses and
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Aaron when Pharaoh says to you prove
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yourselves by working the miracle and I
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want to pause for a second you see this
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time God is the one telling Aaron and
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Moses when he says to you prove yourself
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by working a miracle then you shall say
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to Aaron take your staff and cast it
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down before Pharaoh that he may become a
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serpent you see Pharaoh is asking a
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question and God allows Aaron and Moses
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to perform a miracle they're not testing
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they're not proving themselves because
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they want to do it God is allowing them
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to do that I want I want us to really
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understand at the outset so Moses and
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Aaron went to pharaoh and did just as
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the Lord commanded basically they are
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just obeying the Lord's command because
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they've been called to do something and
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God creates what he command
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so let's understand that now Aaron cast
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down his staff before pharaoh and his
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servant and he became a serpent then
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Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the
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sorcerers and they The Magicians of
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Egypt also did the Same by their secret
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arts for each Man cast down his staff
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and they became servants but Aaron staff
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swallowed up their staffs still
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Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he
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would not listen to them as the Lord had
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said so now we need to understand why
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the serpent sign okay and before we do
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that let's see how Egyptians actually
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viewed serpents I want and looked it up
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and this is what they said a popus also
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called apep or R is an ancient Egyptian
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demon of chaos and he had a form of a
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serpent and he he was the foe of the son
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God Ray who represented all that and it
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represented all that was outside the
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ordered uh Cosmos so apus was a demon of
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chaos and he represented everything that
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that was outside the ordered Cosmos okay
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now although many serpents symbolized
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Divinity and royalty a poist uh
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threatened the underworld and he
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symbolized evil so let's understand that
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so the Egyptians they viewed serpent as
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uh a symbol of evil or sometimes
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Divinity so I just wanted to to set that
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up now now let's also see how
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serpents are viewed in scripture in the
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Bible when when when the Bible mentions
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serpent what does he attach it to we're
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going to look at that so in Genesis we
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see that the snake or serpent is The
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Great Deceiver who led Adam and Eve into
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sin in Genesis 3: 1-7 scripture says now
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the serpent was more crafty than any
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other beast of the field that the Lord
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God had made he said to the woman did
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God actually say you shall not eat of
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any tree in the garden and the woman
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said to the serpent we may eat of the
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fruit of the trees in the garden but God
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said You shall not eat of the fruit of
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the tree that is in the midst of the
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garden neither shall you touch it l you
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die but the serpent said to the woman
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you will not surely die for God knows
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that when you eat it of it your eyes
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will be open and you be like God knowing
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good and evil so when the woman saw that
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the tree was good for food and it was a
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delight to the eyes and the tree was to
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be desired to make one wise she took of
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its fruit and ate and she she also gave
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some to her husband who was with her and
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he ate then the eyes of both were opened
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and they knew that they were naked and
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they sued fig leaves together and made
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themselves L cloths so you can see that
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he's a Great Deceiver okay that's in
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Genesis 3 now let's go to numbers 21 and
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read the account of the fiery serpent
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this is numbers 21:4 to9
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now from Mount hor and they set up by
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the way up to the Red Sea to go around
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to the land of Edom to go around the
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land of Edom and the people became
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impatient on the way and they
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spoke against God and against Moses why
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have you brought us up out of Egypt to
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die in the wilderness for there is no
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food and no water and we Lo this
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worthless food then the Lord sent fiery
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Serv among the people and they bet the
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people so that many people of Israel
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died and the people came to Moses and
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said we have sinned for we have spoken
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against the Lord and against you pray to
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the Lord that he take away the serpent
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from us so Moses prayed for the people
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and the Lord said to Moses make a fiery
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Serpent and set it on the pole and
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everyone who bitten when he sees it
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shall live so Moses made a bronze
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Serpent and set it on the pole and if a
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serpent bit anyone he will look at a
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bronze Serpent and leave live so you can
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see what's going on here like in both
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accounts okay now we see from this
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account that the serpent was usually
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synonymous of evil and death snakes
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usually were responsible of death in
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Genesis 3 we see that it was a
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separation from God and eventually
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physical death and in numbers 21 it was
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physical death so we can conclude that
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evil chaos death fear and death
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spiritually so those are the three
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things and four things that we see about
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serpent so we can establish that at the
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outset and now let's go back to the
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account and we can see what we can learn
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from it now let's recall What God Says
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to Moses in Exodus 4: 2-4 the Lord said
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to to Moses what is in that what is that
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in your hand and he said a staff and he
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said throw it on the ground so he threw
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it on the ground and he became a serpent
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and Moses ran from it but the Lord said
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to Moses put out your hand and catch it
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by the tail so he put out his hand and
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caught it and he became a staff in his
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hand again now I'm going to speculate a
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little bit here okay it sounds to me
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more like taking something by the tail
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is basically dominating on controlling
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that thing okay and recall what God told
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Adam and Eve uh in the creation days in
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Genesis 1: 26-28 God said let us make
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men in our image after our likeness and
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let them have dominion over the fish of
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the sea and over the birds of the
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heavens and over the livestock and over
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all the Earth and over every creeping
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thing that creeps on the earth so God
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created man in his own image in the
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image of God he created him male and
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female he created them and God blessed
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them and God said to them be fruitful
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and multiply and fill the Earth and
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subdue it and have dominion over the
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fish of the sea and over the birds of
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the heaven and over every living thing
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that moves on the earth so you can see
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that right now let's go back to the
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account and we're not going to read it
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again because we read that again we
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already read that but let's understand
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what's going on here Moses staff of
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serpent swallowed the other Serpent and
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we need to establish at the outset that
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sometimes Satan and his demons are also
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given permission to mimic The Works of
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God they are right because The Magicians
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were able to do the same thing they
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so now but we see that God in this
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account established himself as Supreme
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over all other creatures because he is
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creator by swallowing the other serpents
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God was showing through the agency of
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Aaron and Moses his Supreme Supremacy
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and sovereignty I repeat that again by
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swallowing the other serpent God was
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showing through the agency of Aaron and
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Moses his Supreme Supremacy and and
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sovereignty and one of the pernicious
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errors we make often times is to assume
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that evil and good are on equal grounds
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as if God and the evil one are on equal
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like on equal standing and they're
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contending constantly to see who's going
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to win that's not how it is at all in in
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the Heavenly Realms God far outweighs
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the enemy infinitely because God is the
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creator the scripture clearly tells us
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that he that is in US is greater than he
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that in the world okay I'm going to show
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you some some scriptures to show you the
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sovereignty and the supremacy of God
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over all creation and creatures the
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enemy and his minions included because
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we need to really understand that God
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isn't fighting against Satan and they
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not like it's not like an equation where
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you have God here and Satan here now God
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outweighs the enemy like he an
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inequality God is far superior okay so
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let's look at First Kings 22:18 to 23
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22 30-32 we're going to come back to our
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our stuff in a second now I'm going to
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tell you exactly what this passage is
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all about and Ahab um and then
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Jehoshaphat they want to fight against
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um one of Israel's enemy and and um
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there's this false prophets that are
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prophesying that Ahab is going to win
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this battle and then um Jehoshaphat
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realizes that listen these prophets are
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full of lies I want an actual Prophet to
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come here and tell the truth and Ahab
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tells um Jehoshaphat there's one his
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name is MAA but I don't like him because
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he never says anything good about me he
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never prophesies good anything good
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about me but uh Jehosaphat convinces uh
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Ahab and then m is in the picture M
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comes in and then we're going to listen
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to what M says okay so uh we're going to
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pick up from verse 19 and Mah said
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therefore here the word of the Lord I
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Saw the Lord sitting on his throne and
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all the host of Heaven standing beside
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him on his right hand and on his left
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hand and the Lord said who will entice
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Ahab that he may go up and fall at Remo
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Gilead and one said one thing and
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another said another then his Spirit
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came forward and stood before the Lord
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saying I will entice him and the Lord
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said to him by what means and he said I
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go out and will be a lying spirit in the
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mouth of All His prophets and he say you
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are to entice him and you shall succeed
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go out and do so now therefore behold
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the Lord has put a lying spirit in the
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mouth of all these Prophet the Lord has
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declared disaster for you okay you see
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what's going on here the demon has to
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ask for permission he is not a free
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agent and God allows him now those
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Prophet Heard a Voice but it wasn't the
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voice of God they heard a voice of a
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demon let's let's set that out the said
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understand that so they were given
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permission but the demon has to ask for
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permission he's not just roaming around
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and doing whatever they want okay and
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now let's go to job 1:
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6-12 now there was a day when the sons
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of God came to present themselves before
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the Lord and Satan also came among them
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and the Lord said to Satan from where
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have you come from and Satan answered
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the Lord and said from going to and
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through on the earth and from walking up
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and down on it and the Lord say to Satan
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have you considered my servant job that
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there is none like him on the earth a
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blameless and upright man who fears God
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and turns Away From Evil then Satan
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answered the Lord and said does job fear
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God for no reason have you not put a
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hedge around him and his house and all
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that he has on every side you have
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blessed the work of his hand and his
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possessions and have increased in the
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land but stretch out your hand and touch
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all that he has and he will curse it you
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your face and the Lord said to Satan
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behold all that he has in is in your
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hand only against him do not stretch out
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your hand so Satan went out from the
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presence of the Lord you see Satan
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himself is not a free
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agent he has to ask for permission prior
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to attacking one of God's Saints he
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doesn't just go and do it God allows him
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but again what Satan means for evil God
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now Jesus tell um Peter Simon Simon
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Satan has asked to sift all of you as
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wheat but I have prayed for you Simon
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that your faith may not fail and when
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you have turned back strengthen your
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brothers so you can see from this three
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accounts that Satan is not a free agent
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he definitely has to ask for permission
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and we learn that we need to understand
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that because we sometimes think that
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Satan and God are on equal ground and I
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really want to drill that into you today
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that understand God is supreme over all
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things like he has sovereignty nothing
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happens apart from God allowing it to
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happen for his own purposes okay now
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let's set that now let's keep going so
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basically there is more to this instance
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than the supernatural power and
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sovereignty of God and to one understand
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the other implications of the story we
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need to go to 1 Corinthians 15:
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53-57 so let's do that now so the
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scripture says in 1 Corinthians 15:53 to
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55 for this perishable body must put on
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the imperishable and this Mortal body
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immortality when the perishable puts on
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the imperishable and Immortal puts on IM
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immortality then shall come to pass the
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same that is is written that is written
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death is swallowed up in Victory oh
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death where is your Victory oh death
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what is your Sting the sting of death is
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sin and the power of sin is the law but
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thanks be to God who gives us the
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victory through our Lord Jesus Christ
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Now by swallowing the other serpent the
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Lord was also showing that he had power
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over death it's almost almost if Moses
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resurrection see death represented by
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the magician serpents was swallowed up
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and death was Jesus last enemy according
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to 1 Corinthians 15: 25-27 let's see
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that scripture says for he must Reign
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meaning Jesus until he has put all his
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enemies under his feet The Last Enemy to
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be destroyed is death for God has put
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all things in subjection under his feet
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but when he says all things are in
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subjection it is plain that he's
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expected he is expect he is expected
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will put all things in subjection under
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him okay God basically was establishing
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through Moses his power and dominion
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over Mankind's fiercest enemy physical
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death and spiritual death which is
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separation from god let's also go to
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Hebrews 2:14 the scripture says since
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therefore the children share in Flesh
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and Blood he himself meaning Jesus
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likewise partook of the same things that
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through death he might destroy the one
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who has the power of death that is the
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see Jesus through his death destroyed
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the one who has power of death Satan's
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power is death basically but God has
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power over death by swallowing the
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serpents of Egypt God was demonstrating
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his ultimate power and dominion over our
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greatest enemy death physical and
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spiritual separation from God God was
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saying I have power over sin because
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I've destroyed it by
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nailing uh Jesus on the cross the Lord
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was saying look I'm killing what was
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killing you sin is killing you and I
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killed it remember what Jesus says for
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as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
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wilderness even so must the Son of God
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be lifted up that whoever looks to him
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shall not perish but have everlasting
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life see God nailed it on the cross he
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killed what was killing us so by Moses
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staff swallowing the other serpents God
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was saying I am killing what is killing
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you I'm killing death through the
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resurrection of Christ through the power
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of God demonstrated by Jesus on the
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cross we have victory over death and we
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grace through the instrument of Faith so
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that we may have life eternally with God
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so this is good news so I don't want us
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to just focus on the Miracle when you
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read this account but I want you to see
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the work of Christ through it because
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the word of God is really about exalting
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Christ that's all this is all about so
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every scripture is about Jesus Christ
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and his work and who how he's so worthy
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of all our adoration and praise so when
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you look at these passages this is what
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I want you to focus on he ask the Lord
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to open your eyes to see now this is a
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very um difficult task because we are
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not we are called to really remain um
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consistent with scripture and his truth
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so when you read the scriptures and you
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read this account you you ask the Lord
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to to let the Bible be its own inter
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preter by looking at other scriptures
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that have references to the same
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scripture that you're reading so you can
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be understand what is being what is
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being taught so don't just focus on the
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Miracles as great as they are but see
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what God is teaching beside and in and
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and um in the Miracles through the
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Miracles okay so God swallowed up the
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serpent by showing that he has power
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over chaos he has power over death he
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has power over sin and he's given us
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that freedom in Christ and one day we
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will be perfect as god is perfect
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because this is the promise that we have
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life okay now go back and read those
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passages again and have a wonderful day
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and I'll see you next time thank you