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Leaving Egypt

December 27, 2020

27:29

Pastor Allen Jackson's mission is to help people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.,#=#,Allen Jackson,Bible History;Culture;Slavery;Faith;Deliverance;Overcoming;Trust God;Walk with God;Church;Fear;Doubt;Focus,Matthew 6:28-30;Matthew 8:25-26;Matthew 14:29-31,Religion;Series,HD-IAJ205301,1246606

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Leaving Egypt

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Allen Jackson: People have saidto us we should keep our faith
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in the privacy of our home orbehind the confines of the walls
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of our church.
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No way, we can't afford that, wecan't afford to deny God in the
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public square or where we dobusiness.
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If it has an impact on ourincome opportunities, we'll
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trust God to make up thedifference.
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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♪♪♪
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Allen Jackson: You know, leavingEgypt was not easy for the
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Hebrew slaves, in Egypt theywere God's covenant people.
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They were God's covenant people,he said, "Those are my chosen
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people," but they were livingfar below their
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design potential.
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It's easy to find a familiarpattern and a routine.
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They'd been in Egypt so longthey were unaware of life beyond
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Egypt: they knew the Egyptianholidays, they knew the Egyptian
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menu, they knew theopportunities that were there
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and that was really as far astheir vision went.
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They were more aware of thehabits of Egypt than the ways of
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the Lord; the food, the sightsand the sounds of Egypt were
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familiar, and in some fashion,were comforting to those people
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because even after God'sdeliverance, on multiple
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occasions they said, "We likedit better where we were;"
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hundreds of years of slavery.
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You see, there's no exit withoutfaith, there's no deliverance
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without faith.
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We have to have faith toovercome, overcome weariness,
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division, fear of the unknown;the Hebrew slaves faced all of
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those and more.
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It takes faith to embrace a newway of life, a way they'd never
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lived before, we need faith todo that, we need faith to
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believe the church can have adifferent outcome, a different
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impact, to make a difference inour culture.
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It takes faith to find a new wayof life, it takes faith to
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confront every adversary.
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The Red Sea and the parting ofthe Red Sea wasn't the last
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victory, there were multiplechallenges they were to face,
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and finally, you know the story,that generation got to the
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borders of the Promised Land andthey were out, they were done.
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They were without courage, theywere without faith, they were
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without confidence, and theydied in the wilderness with
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God's anger; we don't want to dothat.
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I know some of you are tired, Iget tired of it too, but we've
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got to maintain our faith, wehave to encourage one another.
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In Matthew 6, in verse 28, hesaid, "Why do you worry
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about clothes?"
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Some things haven't changed twomillennia later.
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"See how the lilies of the fieldgrow, they don't labor or spin.
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Yet I tell you that not evenSolomon in all his splendor was
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dressed like one of these.
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If that's how God clothes thegrass of the field, which is
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here today and tomorrow isthrown into the fire, won't he
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much more clothe you, O you oflittle faith?"
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Jesus is helping his closestfriends and followers, he wants
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them to have something more thana little faith so he calls
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them out.
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He said you're worrying aboutunimportant things, secondary
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things, things that have value,things that are necessary, but
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God knows that you have thoseneeds, he's not unaware of those
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needs, why will you not trustGod?
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You see, there needs to be adistinctiveness in our lives and
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it's not distinctive justbecause of where we would sit on
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a Saturday night, but because ofthe decision-making process of
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our lives, where our trust isanchored.
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So one of the things that willdiminish our faith is worry.
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In fact, six times in thatchapter, Matthew 6, Jesus said,
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"Do not worry."
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Do not do it, it's not helpful.
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If worry was helpful, we wouldorder organized worry groups.
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We'd have 24/7--we'd have aworry parlor, or you can text in
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what you're worried about, oremail it or drop box.
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We'd just get together andworry, wring our hands, pace.
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It doesn't change anything, theOld English word for worry means
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to choke, it will literallychoke off your hope and your
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life, and if you're preoccupiedwith worry, tell the Lord
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tonight you're sorry.
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And two chapters later, Matthew8, that Jesus is in a boat with
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the disciples, you know thestory, they're on the lake in
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Galilee and a storm emerges; notuncommon, a sudden storm.
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"The disciples woke him andsaid, 'Lord, save us, we're
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going to drown.'
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And he replied, 'You of littlefaith, why are you so afraid?'
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And he got up and rebuked thewinds and the waves and it was
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completely calm."
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Fear will diminish your faith,fear will.
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There are frightening things inthe world but we don't wanna
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give fear an unnecessary place,there's some fear that's
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healthy, fear that gives you arespect, it's
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for self-protection.
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A fear of heights so you don'tstand too close to the edge, or
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some of those, but there'sunnatural fears, abnormal fears
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that paralyze you and keep youfrom moving forward.
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They've seen Jesus do miracles,they understood the authority
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with which he lived, they weremore focused on the storm and
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its implications than the onewho was with them.
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Jesus's assumption is they knewbetter, they said your fear is
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choking your faith, and tonight,don't do that.
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If you're frightened,acknowledge it and say, "God, I
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need your help.
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In Jesus's name, fear, you haveto go.
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Lord, teach me to trust you."
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Get your Bible out and begin toread through the Gospels, follow
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Jesus, he's not frightened of astorm or a demon or death
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itself, he's not frightened by aRoman governor, he's not
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frightened by the little faithof his friends, and you don't
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have to lead a life that'sdefined by fear.
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But Matthew doesn't stop there,in Matthew 14, it says, "Peter
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got down out of the boat," Jesusis walking across the lake,
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and Peter, "walked on the waterand came towards Jesus,
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but when he saw the wind,he was afraid and began to sink,
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and he said, 'Lord, save me.'
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And immediately Jesus reachedout his hand and he caught him,
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and said, 'You of little faith,why did you doubt?'"
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Doubt will diminish your faith.
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What are you looking at?
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What are you thinking about?
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What are you focused on?
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What are you trusting in?
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You see, if your focus or yourtrust or your attention is
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centered on something that'stemporary or temporal that can
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be shaken, you'll be filled withdoubt.
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It's harder work this year tokeep our attention focused on
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the Lord, it takes more effort,it takes more discipline to
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manage your thoughts and youremotions because the things that
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are being pushed at us, thestories that we're being fed,
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the conditions in which we'reliving diminish that, people
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mock us because we believe inGod.
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Then there's one last littlewindow Matthew gives us, it's in
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Matthew 16, he says, "They wentacross the lake and the
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disciples forgot to take bread.
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And Jesus said to them, 'Becareful, be on your guard
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against the yeast of thePharisees and the Sadducees.'"
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And then the disciples have aninternal argument, "It's because
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we didn't bring any bread," andJesus can't help it, he said,
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"You of little faith, why areyou talking amongst yourselves
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about having no bread?
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Do you still not understand?
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Don't you remember the 5loaves for the 5.000, how many
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basketfuls you gathered?
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Or the 7 loaves for the4.000, how many basketfuls
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you gathered?
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How is that you don't understandthat I was not talking to you
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about bread?
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Be on your guard against theyeast of the Pharisees and
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the Sadducees."
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One of the things that willdiminish your faith is you
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don't understand.
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And this wasn't a complexproblem that was presented, this
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wasn't a logical trick, itwasn't some presentation of the
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supernatural, they just weren'tthinking.
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They weren't really focused,they were responding in a
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carnal, self-absorbed way, theyhad that habit and so do we,
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it's why it's recorded for us inthe Scripture.
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One day they'll argue aboutamongst themselves who was
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the greatest.
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On this day, when Jesus said,"Beware of the yeast of the
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Pharisees," one of them had tolook at the other and go, "You
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didn't bring the bread."
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And rather than any of them stopand say, "Wait a minute, we've
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got some food experience here,"they didn't understand and it
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diminished their faith.
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I tell you that because we'reliving in a season where it's
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difficult to understand theinformation that's given to us,
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often doesn't represent thefacts, and there is confusing
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streams of information, and weneed God's wisdom.
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We have to think, I've beenencouraging you to watch and to
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think and decide and then toact, to pay attention to your
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world, it will help your faith.
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You need your Bible, you need abiblical perspective.
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I want to take the minutes Ihave left and I want to go to
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Matthew chapter 10, and unpack apassage with you that's directed
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at following Jesus, because wewant to follow Jesus out
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of bondage.
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I believe Jesus walked with theHebrew slaves when they came out
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of Egypt, I believe he broughtthem through the Red Sea and he
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was present when the water atMara was too bitter to drink and
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God supernaturally directedMoses how to resolve that
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situation; and we're gonna haveto follow Jesus in ways we've
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never followed him before.
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Matthew chapter 10, in verse 24,Jesus is speaking and he said,
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"A student is not above histeacher, nor a servant above
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his master.
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It's enough for the student tobe like his teacher, and the
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servant like his master.
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If the head of the house hasbeen called Beelzebub, how much
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more will the members of hishousehold."
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Beelzebub is one of the titlesthat was given to Satan.
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They accused Jesus of beingsatanic, they said he delivered
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people from demonic influencesbecause he was under
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Satan's influence.
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And it's a very practicalintroduction to this passage,
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Jesus said a student isn'texpected to supersede his
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teacher, it's sufficient if thestudent is just like
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his teacher.
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And he's giving us a bit of anassignment, a bit of an
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awareness of our future.
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If Jesus was accused andattacked, if he was berated and
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demeaned and rejected, hisfollowers are going to
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experience similar treatment.
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Amen is the word you'researching for, Jesus is our
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teacher, he didn't live a lifefree of challenge or conflict
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or obstacles.
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In fact, most of the places hewent there was direct
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opposition, there were peoplewho tried to entrap him or
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ensnare him, in the places youwould have expected him to have
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been embraced and celebratedthere was often anger and hatred
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directed towards him.
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In Nazareth, in the villagewhere he grew up, they were
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offended, they said, "We knowhim, we know his brothers and
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sisters, that's Joe's kid, whodoes he think he is?"
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And Jesus is telling us that weshould anticipate a similar
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response in the world becausethe same spirit that resisted
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him is present to resist hispurposes in the earth today.
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Allen Jackson: Hey, it's PastorAllen.
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America is in need of anawakening, a renewal, a revival,
00:12:07.318 --> 00:12:10.755
whichever word you prefer.
00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:12.524
We're not asking God to dosomething that he's never done
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for us before, we have aheritage as a Christian nation,
00:12:15.126 --> 00:12:18.296
multiple times God has pouredout his Spirit upon our nation.
00:12:18.329 --> 00:12:21.599
The First Great Awakening, TheSecond Great Awakening, the
00:12:21.633 --> 00:12:24.169
Western Revival, we've watchedit with our own eyes, many of us
00:12:24.202 --> 00:12:27.705
remember Billy Graham ontelevision as a fixture in our
00:12:27.739 --> 00:12:30.441
homes in the evenings.
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Well, we desperately need theSpirit of God to move in our
00:12:32.677 --> 00:12:35.680
land again.
00:12:35.713 --> 00:12:37.015
We're not powerless, together wehave taken the name of Jesus to
00:12:37.048 --> 00:12:40.618
multiplied thousands of peoplethis year, and God is opening
00:12:40.652 --> 00:12:44.055
even greater doors for us in thenew year.
00:12:44.088 --> 00:12:46.825
A friend of the ministry hasmade a million dollar matching
00:12:46.858 --> 00:12:49.194
grant available to us betweennow and the end of the year,
00:12:49.227 --> 00:12:52.030
every dollar that you're able toinvest will be doubled.
00:12:52.063 --> 00:12:55.733
Join with me in seeing Jesus'sname lifted up in our nation,
00:12:55.767 --> 00:12:59.537
and God bless America again.
00:12:59.571 --> 00:13:02.407
male announcer: As a token ofour appreciation when you give,
00:13:02.440 --> 00:13:04.609
we'll send you Pastor Allen'sbook, "Intentional Faith."
00:13:04.642 --> 00:13:07.612
In the book, Pastor Alleninvites you into a journey of
00:13:07.645 --> 00:13:09.948
faith that will help you connectwith God and stand with a
00:13:09.981 --> 00:13:12.884
newfound strength no matter whatlife may bring.
00:13:12.917 --> 00:13:15.787
Remember, you can make doublethe impact because your donation
00:13:15.820 --> 00:13:18.623
today will be matcheddollar-for-dollar thanks to the
00:13:18.656 --> 00:13:21.025
matching grant of a generousfriend of the ministry.
00:13:21.059 --> 00:13:23.161
So donate today by calling...or by going
00:13:23.194 --> 00:13:28.433
online to AllenJackson.com.
00:13:28.466 --> 00:13:30.835
Allen Jackson: Now, Jesus wasalso very richly rewarded,
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in Philippians 2, itsays, because of the
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choices Jesus made, "God gaveyou the name that's above every
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name, at the name of Jesus everyknee will bow."
00:13:41.346 --> 00:13:44.649
And Jesus went out of his way toexplain to us that we will be
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richly rewarded if we choose tofollow him as well.
00:13:47.685 --> 00:13:52.757
Same chapter, verse 26, the nextverse, Jesus said, "So do not be
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afraid of them, there is nothingconcealed that will not be
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disclosed, or hidden that willnot be made known.
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What I tell you in the dark,speak in the daylight, what is
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whispered in your ear,proclaimed from the roofs.
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Do not be afraid of those whokill the body but cannot kill
00:14:10.074 --> 00:14:12.877
the soul.
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Rather, be afraid of the one whocan destroy both soul and body
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in hell.
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Are not two sparrows sold for apenny?
00:14:19.484 --> 00:14:21.486
Yet not one of them will fall tothe ground apart from the will
00:14:21.519 --> 00:14:24.255
of your Father.
00:14:24.289 --> 00:14:25.690
Even the very hairs of your headare all numbered, so don't be
00:14:25.723 --> 00:14:28.793
afraid, you're worth more thanmany sparrows."
00:14:28.826 --> 00:14:31.796
Three times in those shortverses Jesus said, "Don't
00:14:31.829 --> 00:14:34.565
be afraid."
00:14:34.599 --> 00:14:36.200
The reason he had to repeat itis he's describing frightening
00:14:36.234 --> 00:14:38.770
circumstances, he said, "Don'tbe afraid of people that could
00:14:38.803 --> 00:14:42.440
only kill your body."
00:14:42.473 --> 00:14:46.644
I know Jesus said it but that'sodd, 'cause most of us are
00:14:46.678 --> 00:14:50.248
frightened by things that wethink can end our lives, but he
00:14:50.281 --> 00:14:53.151
said there's a greater threat toyou than the ending of
00:14:53.184 --> 00:14:55.320
your life.
00:14:55.353 --> 00:14:58.089
Don't be afraid of deception, hesaid, "What's concealed will be
00:14:58.122 --> 00:15:01.592
made known," that's importantnews to have tucked in
00:15:01.626 --> 00:15:05.830
your heart.
00:15:05.863 --> 00:15:07.198
When you see deception you don'thave to respond with fear, you
00:15:07.231 --> 00:15:11.035
don't have to be filled withanxiety because Jesus said those
00:15:11.069 --> 00:15:16.274
things that they think they haveconducted in the dark will be
00:15:16.307 --> 00:15:18.643
shouted from the housetops,don't be afraid; we have a
00:15:18.676 --> 00:15:23.281
higher allegiance.
00:15:23.314 --> 00:15:25.583
Don't be afraid of physicalthreats and challenges, he said.
00:15:25.616 --> 00:15:29.554
He's introducing us to somekingdom principles that are
00:15:29.587 --> 00:15:31.723
worth having tucked in yourheart, one is the eternal versus
00:15:31.756 --> 00:15:35.159
the temporary, there's twodifferent realms.
00:15:35.193 --> 00:15:38.363
We walk through time, it's abrief part of our existence.
00:15:38.396 --> 00:15:42.834
Your life is not determinedsimply by your journey through
00:15:42.867 --> 00:15:46.237
time, your spirit is eternal.
00:15:46.270 --> 00:15:47.805
When your body stops, yourspirit will step into eternity,
00:15:47.839 --> 00:15:51.175
until Jesus returns, and you geta new resurrection body.
00:15:51.209 --> 00:15:56.647
So there's a part of our livesthat is temporary and Jesus's
00:15:56.681 --> 00:15:59.183
coaching and council is not tomake the most important
00:15:59.217 --> 00:16:02.620
decisions of your life based onwhat's temporary.
00:16:02.653 --> 00:16:06.491
And throughout the story ofScripture, throughout the pages
00:16:06.524 --> 00:16:08.860
of Scripture, God will neversacrifice the eternal for
00:16:08.893 --> 00:16:12.096
the temporary.
00:16:12.130 --> 00:16:14.265
It says, "Jesus endured thecross, scorning its shame
00:16:14.298 --> 00:16:17.301
because he was looking ahead tosomething else," brutal
00:16:17.335 --> 00:16:21.172
treatment, inhuman treatment.
00:16:21.205 --> 00:16:23.875
He said, "I can look past that."
00:16:23.908 --> 00:16:27.478
Jesus said, "Don't worry aboutthose who threaten your body,"
00:16:27.512 --> 00:16:30.114
be concerned with those whothreaten your destiny.
00:16:30.148 --> 00:16:35.920
We get frightened and concernedabout things that we're holding
00:16:35.953 --> 00:16:38.456
onto that are determiners intime, we want to begin to change
00:16:38.489 --> 00:16:42.193
our focus to an eternalperspective.
00:16:42.226 --> 00:16:47.098
We're in training, God loves usenough to send us to school;
00:16:47.131 --> 00:16:51.769
between here and the return ofthe King there are some
00:16:51.803 --> 00:16:54.505
challenges coming to the earthand I believe we're being
00:16:54.539 --> 00:16:58.676
prepared, being trained, gainingnew strength, learning to trust
00:16:58.709 --> 00:17:02.980
God in new ways; it's God's lovethat he's demonstrating
00:17:03.014 --> 00:17:06.184
towards us.
00:17:06.217 --> 00:17:09.420
And then Jesus reminds us thatGod watches over and is involved
00:17:09.454 --> 00:17:13.024
with the smallest of matters.
00:17:13.057 --> 00:17:15.760
He said, "Two sparrows are soldfor a penny," not a big
00:17:15.793 --> 00:17:19.597
investment, and he said if asparrow falls to the ground God
00:17:19.630 --> 00:17:24.235
takes note.
00:17:24.268 --> 00:17:26.938
In my little hillbilly brain, mynote to myself is God attends
00:17:26.971 --> 00:17:31.809
the funerals for the sparrows,it makes me smile.
00:17:31.843 --> 00:17:38.216
And then in case we missed it,Jesus said he knows how many
00:17:38.249 --> 00:17:40.184
hairs are on your head, for someof us, a greater assignment than
00:17:40.218 --> 00:17:44.188
for others, but God is involvedwith the smallest of matters.
00:17:44.222 --> 00:17:52.130
I studied science once upon atime, and the smallest particles
00:17:52.163 --> 00:17:56.434
of our world are put togetherwith the same precision that the
00:17:56.467 --> 00:18:00.671
earth orbits the sun.
00:18:00.705 --> 00:18:04.175
God's not just involved with themacro, he's involved with the
00:18:04.208 --> 00:18:07.578
micro too.
00:18:07.612 --> 00:18:08.913
I know we have debates with himabout his sense of timing or why
00:18:08.946 --> 00:18:11.582
he allows suffering or why thedifficulties come to our lives,
00:18:11.616 --> 00:18:16.154
that's a different set ofquestions, but God is not lost
00:18:16.187 --> 00:18:20.158
in the details, he understands.
00:18:20.191 --> 00:18:24.829
And then Jesus goes on to say,it's verse 32, "Whoever
00:18:24.862 --> 00:18:27.899
acknowledges me before men, Iwill acknowledge him before my
00:18:27.932 --> 00:18:30.668
Father in heaven.
00:18:30.701 --> 00:18:32.236
But whoever disowns me beforemen, I will disown him before my
00:18:32.270 --> 00:18:35.106
Father in heaven."
00:18:35.139 --> 00:18:36.574
There's another principle here,it's the principle
00:18:36.607 --> 00:18:38.209
of reciprocity.
00:18:38.242 --> 00:18:40.311
Jesus said the way you behavewill determine the behavior
00:18:40.344 --> 00:18:42.780
that's directed towards you, "Ifyou acknowledge me, I will
00:18:42.813 --> 00:18:46.250
acknowledge you," "If you disownme before others, you'll be
00:18:46.284 --> 00:18:49.921
disowned before the Father."
00:18:49.954 --> 00:18:52.924
If you forgive others, you'll beforgiven, if you give generously
00:18:52.957 --> 00:18:56.661
to others, you'll be given-towith abundance.
00:18:56.694 --> 00:19:00.231
It's a biblical principle, youwant to be conscious of giving
00:19:00.264 --> 00:19:03.234
attention to practicing it.
00:19:03.267 --> 00:19:09.440
Open your heart to people, ifyou want God to be attentive to
00:19:09.473 --> 00:19:13.945
your prayers you want the peoplethat know you to know that
00:19:13.978 --> 00:19:16.514
you're attentive to God, it's alearned behavior.
00:19:16.547 --> 00:19:21.719
We've had private Christianityfor too long, people have said
00:19:21.752 --> 00:19:26.090
to us we should keep our faithin the privacy of our home or
00:19:26.123 --> 00:19:29.093
behind the confines of the wallsof our church.
00:19:29.126 --> 00:19:31.495
No way, we can't afford that, wecan't afford to deny God in the
00:19:31.529 --> 00:19:37.735
public square or where we dobusiness; if it has an impact on
00:19:37.768 --> 00:19:41.639
our income opportunities we'lltrust God to make up
00:19:41.672 --> 00:19:44.208
the difference.
00:19:44.242 --> 00:19:48.112
Jesus is helping us, he'sshowing us the pathway towards
00:19:48.145 --> 00:19:52.049
freedom, how to exit bondage.
00:19:52.083 --> 00:19:54.619
We don't have to be afraid ofwhether it's deception or
00:19:54.652 --> 00:19:57.154
physical threats, that if wewill acknowledge God, God will
00:19:57.188 --> 00:20:01.325
respond to us.
00:20:01.359 --> 00:20:03.694
And then he really gets into thedeep weeds with the last verses
00:20:03.728 --> 00:20:06.397
here, it's focused in theoffense of Jesus; you
00:20:06.430 --> 00:20:10.067
understand, Jesus is offensive.
00:20:10.101 --> 00:20:15.072
I've been in multiple settings,academic settings, political
00:20:15.106 --> 00:20:17.908
settings, different places inthe world, all sorts of
00:20:17.942 --> 00:20:22.680
different settings, and peoplesay, "You know, if you'll just
00:20:22.713 --> 00:20:25.149
diminish this Jesus-thing, wecan create unity."
00:20:25.182 --> 00:20:28.519
What a lie, you'll hear it gaintraction, it's in our future.
00:20:28.552 --> 00:20:37.128
That we can find unity betweenIslam and Judaism and
00:20:37.161 --> 00:20:40.965
Christianity if you'll just tonedown this Jesus thing.
00:20:40.998 --> 00:20:46.871
You'll hear it in our publicsquare now, "We can all get
00:20:46.904 --> 00:20:50.374
along, we can all stand togetherif you'll just let go of this
00:20:50.408 --> 00:20:54.078
Jesus thing."
00:20:54.111 --> 00:20:58.316
Well Jesus understood it, hetold us about it.
00:20:58.349 --> 00:21:01.352
Beginning in verse 34, he said,"Do not suppose that I've come
00:21:01.385 --> 00:21:04.055
to bring peace to the earth."
00:21:04.088 --> 00:21:08.025
I'm amazed, I hear Christianssay, "Jesus was all about love."
00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:12.863
Well he is, he gave uscommandment about love, I don't
00:21:12.897 --> 00:21:15.032
want to diminish that but Jesussaid some other things as well.
00:21:15.066 --> 00:21:19.570
"Do not suppose I've come tobring peace to the earth, I
00:21:19.603 --> 00:21:22.239
didn't come to bring peace, buta sword.
00:21:22.273 --> 00:21:25.676
I've come to turn a man againsthis father, and a daughter
00:21:25.710 --> 00:21:28.079
against her mother, and adaughter-in-law against her
00:21:28.112 --> 00:21:30.014
mother-in-law-- a man's enemieswill be the members of his
00:21:30.047 --> 00:21:32.983
own household.
00:21:33.017 --> 00:21:34.618
But anyone who loves his fatheror mother more than me isn't
00:21:34.652 --> 00:21:37.054
worthy of me; and anyone wholoves his son or daughter more
00:21:37.088 --> 00:21:40.858
than me is not worthy of me; andanyone who doesn't take his
00:21:40.891 --> 00:21:44.395
cross and follow me is notworthy of me.
00:21:44.428 --> 00:21:47.932
Whoever finds his life will loseit, and whoever loses his life
00:21:47.965 --> 00:21:50.801
for my sake will find it.
00:21:50.835 --> 00:21:53.237
And he receives you receives me,and he who receives me receives
00:21:53.270 --> 00:21:57.875
the one who sent me."
00:21:57.908 --> 00:22:00.845
The offense of Jesus, we have tochoose him first, he's Lord of
00:22:00.878 --> 00:22:07.952
all, not all will go with us, wesay it through tears.
00:22:07.985 --> 00:22:14.392
There's no arrogance in it,there's no joy in it, there's a
00:22:14.425 --> 00:22:17.628
brokenness in it; Jesus said, "Ididn't come to bring peace."
00:22:17.661 --> 00:22:23.200
May I submit we need newpriorities?
00:22:23.234 --> 00:22:27.972
We've gotta reorient our livesaround the preeminence of loving
00:22:28.005 --> 00:22:31.008
God, we have to love him first.
00:22:31.041 --> 00:22:38.115
I know before, we seemed to beable to manage our lives and get
00:22:38.149 --> 00:22:42.186
the things we wanted and treatGod as if he were an occasional
00:22:42.219 --> 00:22:47.224
accompaniment, but I don'tbelieve that will suffice in
00:22:47.258 --> 00:22:50.928
our future.
00:22:50.961 --> 00:22:53.097
Jesus said we have to take upour cross.
00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:57.001
The cross is a tool of capitalpunishment, he's not talking
00:22:57.034 --> 00:22:59.603
about jewelry, something foraround your neck or in your ear;
00:22:59.637 --> 00:23:06.143
you gotta be willing to lay downyour life.
00:23:06.177 --> 00:23:09.880
We've gotta stop stamping ourfeet like petulant children
00:23:09.914 --> 00:23:12.550
demanding that God do our will,we've gotta take up our cross
00:23:12.583 --> 00:23:17.288
and say, "Lord, I'll follow you,which way does the path
00:23:17.321 --> 00:23:19.690
go today?
00:23:19.723 --> 00:23:22.226
Which way would you have mefollow today?"
00:23:22.259 --> 00:23:26.630
We have to lose our lives forthe sake of Jesus.
00:23:26.664 --> 00:23:30.835
Jesus laid down his life andhe's asking us to do the same,
00:23:30.868 --> 00:23:36.240
not to be martyrs but to laydown the demands of our flesh,
00:23:36.273 --> 00:23:41.979
of our selfish nature.
00:23:42.012 --> 00:23:45.683
Again, we have perverted thegospel and have manipulated it
00:23:45.716 --> 00:23:48.819
to imagine that it's about somemeans of self-promotion.
00:23:48.853 --> 00:23:54.825
And God, in his great love forus, has given us a year where
00:23:54.859 --> 00:23:58.062
he's showing us a realignment, anew invitation.
00:23:58.095 --> 00:24:03.334
I want to close with those wordsthat I've shared with you often
00:24:03.367 --> 00:24:06.737
through these months, repent andrenounce and release.
00:24:06.770 --> 00:24:12.576
Repent is about a change, achange of direction and a change
00:24:12.610 --> 00:24:15.179
of thought.
00:24:15.212 --> 00:24:17.848
Renouncing is separatingyourself from your past,
00:24:17.882 --> 00:24:22.086
distancing yourself from it bothspiritually and in every
00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:25.289
other way.
00:24:25.322 --> 00:24:26.924
And then releasing, turningloose of those things, emotions
00:24:26.957 --> 00:24:29.527
and angers and resentment andbitterness and hatred, you can't
00:24:29.560 --> 00:24:34.398
afford to carry them.
00:24:34.431 --> 00:24:37.101
I'm not saying that the offensewasn't real, I'm not saying that
00:24:37.134 --> 00:24:40.538
your response wasn't justified,but I'm saying you'll have to
00:24:40.571 --> 00:24:43.607
offer it to the Lord because ofthat principle of reciprocity;
00:24:43.641 --> 00:24:46.744
if we don't forgive, we can't beforgiven.
00:24:46.777 --> 00:24:50.814
We can't afford to be consumedwith anger and wrath and
00:24:50.848 --> 00:24:53.918
vengeance, we need God'sblessing.
00:24:53.951 --> 00:24:57.154
Allen Jackson: Hey, it's PastorAllen.
00:25:01.959 --> 00:25:03.294
We've faced things together thisyear we've never seen before,
00:25:03.327 --> 00:25:06.030
we've been quarantined in ourhomes, our churches have
00:25:06.063 --> 00:25:08.232
been closed.
00:25:08.265 --> 00:25:09.600
You know, it's been a year ofmore fear and more confusion,
00:25:09.633 --> 00:25:11.702
things I never imagined possiblehave filled our calendar year
00:25:11.735 --> 00:25:15.439
and we're not finished yet.
00:25:15.472 --> 00:25:17.041
But in the midst of that, wehave the greatest opportunities
00:25:17.074 --> 00:25:19.443
for the gospel we've ever seen.
00:25:19.476 --> 00:25:21.278
We've changed our whole processhere, to invite you with us on a
00:25:21.312 --> 00:25:24.448
weekly basis into what we'redoing real-time; you've gone
00:25:24.481 --> 00:25:27.818
outside with us when we hadchurch outside and we couldn't
00:25:27.851 --> 00:25:30.154
be in the building.
00:25:30.187 --> 00:25:31.522
We've seen the Spirit of Godmove in unique ways.
00:25:31.555 --> 00:25:34.391
Well, the best is still in frontof us, God has begun something
00:25:34.425 --> 00:25:37.695
and we're gonna see him bring itto a completion.
00:25:37.728 --> 00:25:39.897
I want to thank you for yourpartnership, for your
00:25:39.930 --> 00:25:41.732
generosity, for your friendship,but 2021 represents a
00:25:41.765 --> 00:25:45.169
unique opportunity.
00:25:45.202 --> 00:25:46.737
A friend of the ministry hasmade a million dollar matching
00:25:46.770 --> 00:25:49.006
grant available to us, everydollar you're able to invest
00:25:49.039 --> 00:25:52.309
between now and the end of theyear will literally be doubled.
00:25:52.343 --> 00:25:55.145
Thank you for your generosity:together we're gonna see the
00:25:55.179 --> 00:25:58.215
doors open for the gospel ofJesus beyond anything we've
00:25:58.248 --> 00:26:00.884
ever seen.
00:26:00.918 --> 00:26:02.219
Thank you.
00:26:02.252 --> 00:26:03.554
male announcer: As a token ofour appreciation when you give,
00:26:03.587 --> 00:26:05.222
we'll send you Pastor Allen'sbook, "Intentional Faith."
00:26:05.255 --> 00:26:08.192
In the book, Pastor Alleninvites you into a journey of
00:26:08.225 --> 00:26:10.561
faith that will help you connectwith God and stand with a
00:26:10.594 --> 00:26:13.464
newfound strength no matter whatlife may bring.
00:26:13.497 --> 00:26:16.400
Remember, you can make doublethe impact because your donation
00:26:16.433 --> 00:26:19.236
today will be matcheddollar-for-dollar thanks to the
00:26:19.269 --> 00:26:21.639
matching grant of a generousfriend of the ministry.
00:26:21.672 --> 00:26:23.807
So donate today by calling...or by going
00:26:23.841 --> 00:26:29.046
online to AllenJackson.com.
00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:31.582
male announcer: Join us everyweek for another exciting
00:26:33.150 --> 00:26:35.185
message from Pastor AllenJackson, and until then, visit
00:26:35.219 --> 00:26:38.589
us online and discoverremarkable information and
00:26:38.622 --> 00:26:41.759
resources to help take yourChristian life to the
00:26:41.792 --> 00:26:44.628
next level.
00:26:44.662 --> 00:26:45.963
And when you visit online,consider joining our effort to
00:26:45.996 --> 00:26:48.599
continue sending this powerfuland challenging message around
00:26:48.632 --> 00:26:51.902
the globe.
00:26:51.935 --> 00:26:53.270
We want to share this programworldwide but we can only do it
00:26:53.303 --> 00:26:56.473
with your help, so considerpartnering with us today.
00:26:56.507 --> 00:27:00.210
And if you're visiting theNashville area, we'd love to see
00:27:00.244 --> 00:27:02.980
you at World Outreach Church inMurfreesboro; we're easy to
00:27:03.013 --> 00:27:06.216
find, so look us up when you'retraveling through.
00:27:06.250 --> 00:27:08.552
And don't forget to connect withPastor Jackson every day through
00:27:08.585 --> 00:27:11.522
social media.
00:27:11.555 --> 00:27:13.357
Thanks so much for joining usand being a part of
00:27:13.390 --> 00:27:15.592
this Ministry.
00:27:15.626 --> 00:27:16.927
We'll see you again next time,for another encounter with
00:27:16.960 --> 00:27:18.962
Pastor Allen Jackson.
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Leaving Egypt

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Leaving Egypt

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