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Well, good morning everybody. 
Please greet the person in front

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of you, next to you. 
Just say hello, smile and say 

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hello. 
And there are two things I want 

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to do this morning before we 
there are two things I want to 

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do this morning before we jump 
to to the word of the Lord this 

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morning. 
Yeah, Firstly, just to 

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acknowledge that I'll please 
stand. 

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He is he is a mentor of mine. 
He didn't tell me what's coming.

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He just came. 
And I've known him for many 

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years and anti apartheid 
activist is social justice 

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warrior, good friend of mine, 
but also a mentor of mine for 

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many years. 
He officiated our wedding in 

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2008. 
That's an amazing man. 

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Well, thank you. 
And as you know, this week, it 

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was the IT was the global, the 
global conference where our 

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friends from America and Europe 
and many parts of Africa 

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gathered in Somerset, W at New 
Gen. 

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And so at this point, I'm going 
to invite Zob and Lynn to come 

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just to share their experience 
and what stood out for them. 

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I'm also going to ask Pet to 
also come because on Friday they

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had a Next Gen. session for 
leaders as well. 

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So I'm going to ask Pat also to 
come to share as well. 

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Just with that, Mike. 
OK, let's do this one. 

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Let's take this one. 
Well, good morning. 

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Well, we've headed Lynn and, and
Eric and Zuki, we, we had a 

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wonderful time at the advance 
conference. 

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And so again, this, as Eric was 
saying, it's, it's, it's a 

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advance is really a movement of,
of bringing a number of churches

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worldwide together, churches 
that have the same DNA but with 

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1 accord. 
And that is to, to, to raise up 

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leaders to, to raise up new 
believers to disciple and, and 

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just keep expanding the churches
that we have. 

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And so it was awesome just to 
see how this was actually 

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happening with over different 
parts of the world. 

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And that advance itself has got 
so many resources. 

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And they did their greatest 
desire is just to build churches

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up, establish churches, build 
people up and and make us more 

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and more mature, more and more 
like Christ becoming better 

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leaders and then in in turn 
leading others and and and and 

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expanding the church that way. 
So it's seeing this large number

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of churches represented was 
awesome in itself. 

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And then the second thing, there
was a number of things, but I 

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can only share too because of 
the time, but the just seeing we

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had at the maximum, I think was 
about 850 delegates in this one 

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venue and just seeing everybody 
with the same accord of just to 

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want you to glorify God. 
That in fact, the whole 

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conference was glorifying God. 
It's good, you know, expanding 

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churches and numbers and things 
like it's got nothing to do with

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people. 
It's all about God and, and, and

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and how God has worked and so 
just seeing everyone just 

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raising their voices with 1 
accord all together was 

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absolutely inspiring. 
Thanks God. 

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I think also what struck me, you
know, we're still a very small 

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church and I think we don't tend
to look at the bigger picture. 

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And so to be in a place with, I 
think there was something like, 

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I know there were 27 countries 
represented throughout the 

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world. 
And I think there were so many 

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churches that came from Africa 
because it was more affordable 

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to come to Cape Town rather than
to go overseas. 

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And then you'd like Job said, 
you, everybody is there 

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glorifying God. 
And so you realize you're part 

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of this bigger picture. 
Each one of us has got our part 

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to play where sometimes we look 
at it and think, Oh gosh, we, we

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really small, we can't do 
anything. 

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But through the, the various 
testimonies that people gave, 

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the one that struck me most was 
Eritrea, where they are 

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incredibly persecuted. 
The guy who stood up said he had

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been arrested four times, twice 
was about to be executed. 

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But again, God saved him. 
And so we heard stories like 

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that and everybody just gave the
glory to God the whole time. 

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And I think that's what we must 
remember. 

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We are here to spread the word 
of God. 

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And I think the the whole 
conference, it was called to 

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further together. 
I keep thinking future together,

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further together. 
And and I think that's what we 

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must remember. 
It's together. 

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We've got help, We've got we're 
part of a big thing. 

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God would never place us on our 
own. 

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And the the one thing that I do 
remember, the one Speaker he 

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said, Jesus is king, not family,
not church and not mission. 

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And I thought I'd leave you with
that. 

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Is he your king? 
Because that's what he's got to 

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be. 
It's about our relationship, 

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one-on-one with with God, with 
Jesus. 

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Thank you. 
Yeah. 

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So we had our session on Friday 
afternoon, we had a 2 hour 

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session meeting as the youth 
leaders of here and then a few 

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we met one or two from outside 
of South Africa. 

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And I think one of the key 
things for me that really stood 

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out, and I think we shared the 
same thing, Manisha and Lindsay 

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as we're driving back, is that 
he spoke on strong leadership, 

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right? 
And he referenced that there's 

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three things around leadership 
that we need to focus on, which 

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is really your vision, 
repentance and your deeds. 

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Like vision was just this 
beautiful reminder to see God's 

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direction, you know, as leaders 
of young people, repentance then

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spoken to this beautiful 
reminder that before God wants 

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to use us, right, he wants to 
work in US first. 

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So that's why it's important for
us to continue to repent. 

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And then he and and then he made
a reference to say in our deeds,

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right, to remind us that our 
faith must be lived out through 

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our actions. 
And then he went a little bit 

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further because, you know, such 
a beautiful session that we had.

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And he went a bit further and he
reminded us that our Friday 

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nights is not just about us 
having this program. 

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Whoopsie. 
I'm sure everybody can hear me, 

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right? 
Yeah, that is not just about us 

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running this program, right? 
But it's really about us making 

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disciples, sitting with these 
young people and trying to lead 

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them into this place of 
discipleship. 

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And then he made a reference to 
Scripture and he said, and he 

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made reference to 2nd kings 
Kings Oopsie, chapter 4 right, 

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which speaks about the widow and
the oil. 

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And he said and he and, and he 
and made reference and reminded 

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us rather that scriptures speak 
that the only time that the oil 

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stopped flowing right, is when 
they were out of Charles. 

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And then and that made a 
reminder of that God wants to do

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more through US, right? 
And, and, and in order for him 

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to do that, we need to be 
conscious of creating that space

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where he can do that through us.
So, yeah, I think unless Lindsay

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and Monetia's got what to add, I
think that's what we left with 

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from the session. 
Thank you for. 

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Thank you so much. 
Joy to belong to a family of 

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churches. 
Church, I want you to know that 

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the gospel is advancing. 
The gospel is transforming 

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lives. 
Many churches are being planted 

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even in hostile environment. 
We are seeing gospel fruit in 

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Africa, but also we are seeing 
gospel fruits in parts of 

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Europe. 
And God is at work. 

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God is at work. 
So let us come to the word of 

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the Lord, Galatians, chapter 5. 
This is our final message on the

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on our series on the fruit of 
the Spirit. 

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Last week we had Greg Holloway 
speaking to us about 

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self-control. 
And this morning we will look at

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faithfulness, the fruit of the 
Spirit. 

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So let us read our text. 
I'm sure you're probably 

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familiar with this text by now. 
Colossians chapter 5. 

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We'll begin reading from verse 
22. 

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But the fruit of the Spirit is 
Lovejoy, peace, patience, 

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kindness, goodness, 
faithfulness, gentleness, 

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self-control. 
Against such things there is no 

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law, and those who belong to 
Jesus Christ have crucified the 

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flesh with his passions and 
desires. 

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If we live by the Spirit, let us
also keep in step with the 

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Spirit. 
Let us not become conceited, 

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provoking one another or envying
one another. 

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Our gracious Lord, we are so 
grateful about what you are 

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doing in many parts of the 
world. 

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Thank you O God, we are seeing 
many lives being transformed by 

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the power of the gospel, where 
we are seeing so many healthy 

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churches being planted, Christ 
exalting churches, Christ 

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honoring churches, Christ the 
centre churches being planted. 

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So grateful of God for just what
you're doing in Africa, what 

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you're doing in Congo, what 
you're doing in Zambia, what 

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you're doing in Cameroon. 
Lord, God, in so many parts of 

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this world, we are so, so 
grateful. 

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And Lord, even as we come to 
submit ourselves to your word 

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this morning, we ask that you 
would please speak to us and 

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address our hearts. 
We ask in Jesus name, Amen. 

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So this morning again, I'm 
addressing the subject of 

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faithfulness and I'm going to 
address the subjects under 3 

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headings, the faithfulness of 
God, faithfulness to God and 

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faithfulness in community. 
As you would have heard many of 

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the other preachers as they were
expounding and speaking on each 

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of these. 
And again, as a reminder, this 

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is not just a list. 
This is not fruits of the 

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Spirit, rather it is fruit of 
the Spirit. 

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And this is because we need all 
of these virtues and all of the 

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all of these fruits. 
And again, they come through the

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Holy Spirit as we are joined to 
Christ. 

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And the whole purpose is for us 
really to have a fruitful life. 

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But I also want you to remind 
you this morning that as we are 

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about to talk about this 
particular fruit, that this is 

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not a justification issue. 
Rather it is a sanctification 

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issue. 
Yes, you are saved. 

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Perhaps this morning Christ has 
redeemed you. 

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The Spirit has joined you to 
Christ. 

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Your salvation is secure and you
will never lose your salvation. 

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But this we're talking about 
here in relates to 

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sanctification. 
It relates to the work that the 

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Holy Spirit does in us in making
us to be more and more like 

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Jesus Christ. 
Our justification is declared, 

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but our sanctification is made. 
The Holy Spirit is at work in 

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each of us, making us more and 
more like Jesus each day. 

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Church, we haven't arrived 
because we live in a fallen 

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world, but also where there is 
presence of sin and therefore we

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haven't arrived. 
The Lord still needs to do a 

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work in US. 
And I'm sure that even as we 

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talk about faithfulness this 
morning, you're going to be 

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reminded of what it means to be 
faithful. 

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But also you may also start to 
think about areas perhaps where 

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you and I are not faithful and 
where we need the Spirit work to

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help us to be faithful. 
And that can only happen when we

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abide in Christ and as the Holy 
Spirit works in US. 

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Therefore, let us first start by
defining this word, 

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faithfulness. 
In fact, when you look at the 

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root word as it relates to 
faithfulness in Galatians 5, in 

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fact, it translates faith. 
Interesting enough, it 

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translates faith in the 
original. 

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But when they use the same word 
in relation to a personal 

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characteristics, it is the same,
a slightly different meaning. 

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And I think you're going to see 
it up up there. 

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Rather, it refers to a virtue, A
tendency to respond or behave in

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a reliable, trustworthy and 
dependable manner. 

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I love that definition. 
So in essence, trust that in 

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essence, faithfulness, therefore
is loyalty, trustworthiness and 

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dependability. 
And I guess if you look at those

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words this morning, you may be 
even wondering, am I loyal, am I

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trustworthy, am I dependable? 
But I want to suggest to this 

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morning that before you think 
like that, we think about the 

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faithfulness of God. 
Our own faithfulness flows from 

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the faithfulness of God. 
So point #1 the faithfulness of 

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God. 
Suppose perhaps you were asking 

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an Israelites who are singing 
about the faithfulness of God, 

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and you say to them, Hey, how do
you know that Yahweh, the God of

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Israel, is faithful? 
I'm sure the Israelites would 

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sit you down and tell you many 
wonderful stories of God's 

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faithfulness because Israel knew
something about the faithfulness

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of God. 
They knew something about a God 

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who keeps His promises and never
breaks His covenant with His own

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people. 
Perhaps the people of Israel 

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will talk to you about how God 
kept his promise and brought 

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them out of Egypt. 
Perhaps the people of Israel 

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will tell you about how God 
brought his judgment against 

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Egypt as they were exploiting 
the people of God. 

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Maybe they would tell you 
something about how when they 

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were grumbling against God, 
rebelling against God in the 

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wilderness, and yet God gave 
them food and water to keep them

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safe. 
The Israelites know something 

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about the faithfulness of God. 
That is why we see many songs in

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the Old Testament that speak 
about the faithfulness of God. 

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Israelites know something of 
that faithfulness that God can 

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indeed be trusted and in 
oftentimes because of their sin 

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and rebellion. 
God would bring His judgment 

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against Israel in many 
instances, but also God would 

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bring His restoration, 
fulfilling His promise to His 

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dear people that He will one day
restore them. 

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When the people of God, for 
example, worship the golden calf

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and Moses is intervening, he's 
saying, God, Please remember the

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promise that you've made to 
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

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He's not appealing based on the 
merits of the people. 

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Rather, he's appealing to God's 
reputation and God's 

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faithfulness. 
God, please don't let your 

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judgment fall on these people. 
Why? 

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Because God is faithful. 
When you read the book of 

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Lamentations, when Jerusalem has
been destroyed and the temple is

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burned and the people of God 
found themselves in exile, they 

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are suffering the consequences 
of their own sin and yet they 

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utter this wonderful word. 
In Lamentations chapter 3, verse

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22, Jeremiah says this. 
I mean, I, I think it's Jeremiah

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who wrote that book anyway. 
Other people think it's not, but

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he says the following. 
The steadfast love of the Lord 

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never ceases. 
His mercies never come to an 

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end. 
They are new every morning. 

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Great is thy faithfulness. 
It is as though that worship 

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team knew I was going to preach 
on faithfulness this morning. 

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Great is your faithfulness 
because God is faithful, God is 

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trustworthy, God is truthful, 
God is reliable, and all of this

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is grounded in His nature, is 
grounded in His identity. 

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The psalmist writes the 
following For the Lord is good, 

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he is steadfast, love and yours 
forever, and his faithfulness to

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all generations. 
Saints, the Lord is 

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faithfulness. 
The Lord is faithful to Abraham 

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in moments of doubt and 
faithlessness. 

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And when Abraham tells lies, God
remained faithful and keeps his 

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covenant with Abraham. 
Not only that, he blesses 

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Abraham as the father of many 
nations. 

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Isn't it quite interesting that 
God is faithful even when we are

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faithless? 
God is faithful even in our 

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rebellion and sin and wonder, 
but God remains faithful. 

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When Sarah knew that she was 
promised a child, she knew that 

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God is faithful. 
For the writer of Hebrews says 

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the following. 
And by faith, even Sarah, who 

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was past a child bearing age, 
was unable to bear children 

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because she considered him 
faithful. 

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Who made the promise? 
God is faithful. 

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Perhaps this morning you have 
your own story where you've seen

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the faithfulness of God in your 
own life thing for a moment 

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00:18:52,120 --> 00:18:55,440
where God has been faithful in 
your life in many areas of your 

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00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,840
life. 
Lest you forget that God is 

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00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:06,240
faithful in moments when you 
know that perhaps this is not 

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the hand of man. 
Clearly this is God at work. 

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00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:14,480
Think of moments in your family 
where you've seen God being 

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00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:19,400
faithful, how God has been 
faithful to your children, how 

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00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:23,200
God has been faithful to your 
workplace, how God has been 

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00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,160
faithful in many areas of your 
life where you've seen the 

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00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,720
finger of God that God is 
faithful. 

288
00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:32,520
And when you just see the 
faithfulness of God, you begin 

289
00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:35,320
to be reminded that Lord, I 
don't deserve this. 

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00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:40,240
I didn't get this because I've 
done anything good, but because 

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00:19:40,240 --> 00:19:45,040
you are faithful, God is 
faithful. 

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00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:50,680
And the apostle Paul knows 
something about the faithfulness

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00:19:50,680 --> 00:19:54,040
of God. 
He writes in First Corinthians 

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00:19:54,040 --> 00:19:59,560
one verse 9. 
God is faithful who has called 

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00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:03,160
you into fellowship with his Son
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

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00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,240
He writes in First Corinthians 
10/13. 

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00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,400
God is faithful. 
He would not let you be tempted 

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00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,120
beyond what you can bear, But 
when you are tempted, He will 

299
00:20:13,120 --> 00:20:17,760
also provide you a way out so 
that you can endure. 

300
00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:24,600
Second Timothy chapter 213 says 
even when we are faithless, he 

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00:20:24,800 --> 00:20:31,680
remains faithful. 
Maybe this morning you may even 

302
00:20:31,680 --> 00:20:35,920
be doubting God's faithfulness, 
perhaps because of what you are 

303
00:20:35,920 --> 00:20:39,960
going through presently. 
Maybe the circumstances are 

304
00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:45,400
pressing and are very difficult 
at this moment, but may I say to

305
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:50,000
you this morning, be reminded of
this biblical truth that when 

306
00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:53,800
man is faithless, God is 
faithful. 

307
00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,920
He is worth your trust, for he 
never breaks His promises. 

308
00:20:59,160 --> 00:21:01,760
He will always keep His 
promises. 

309
00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:09,360
His yes is yes, his no is no. 
Therefore, believe him, God is 

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00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:12,160
faithful. 
He is faithful because he is 

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00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:16,120
unchanging in nature. 
God does not change. 

312
00:21:16,120 --> 00:21:20,160
He is the same yesterday, today 
and forever. 

313
00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:25,640
And therefore he will keep his 
promises forever because his 

314
00:21:25,640 --> 00:21:30,120
word is true. 
God never come to us and say, 

315
00:21:30,120 --> 00:21:32,480
hey guys, in fact, I made a 
mistake. 

316
00:21:34,240 --> 00:21:36,680
What what, what I've said, 
actually, it's not what I meant.

317
00:21:37,520 --> 00:21:44,040
He never said that. 
What he says stands because he 

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00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:50,360
is faithful. 
God is faithful often to people 

319
00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:56,440
who are unfaithful. 
This is amazing mercy and grace 

320
00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:01,520
that God is faithful to people 
who are unfaithful. 

321
00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:10,480
Reminded in Isaiah 49 verse 15, 
God said can a woman forget her 

322
00:22:10,480 --> 00:22:14,480
nursing child that she had, that
she should have no compassion on

323
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:19,240
the son of her womb. 
Even though even these may 

324
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:22,840
forget, yet I will not forget 
you. 

325
00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:28,840
A mom can forget the child that 
she is nursing and God says even

326
00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,640
though the mom may do that, 
listen to this I will not forget

327
00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:33,520
you. 
Why? 

328
00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:39,240
Because I am faithful, I'll not 
forget you. 

329
00:22:40,560 --> 00:22:46,040
So faithfulness means we follow 
even in highs and lows in life. 

330
00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:49,680
So hear me now. 
Our faithfulness does not flow 

331
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,400
from ourselves. 
Our faithfulness flows from who 

332
00:22:54,720 --> 00:23:05,760
God is the Lord who is faithful 
#2 faithfulness to God. 

333
00:23:06,880 --> 00:23:11,480
I think it is correct that is 
believers, we reason this way, 

334
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,760
that because God has been 
faithful to me by the help of 

335
00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,440
the Holy Spirit, the ancient of 
the Holy Spirit, therefore I 

336
00:23:20,440 --> 00:23:23,680
ought to also be faithful to 
him. 

337
00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:28,520
I think the apostle Paul makes a
similar point. 

338
00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:32,000
He writes the following in 
Colossians 123. 

339
00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:38,680
Continue in the faith, stable 
and steadfast, not shifting from

340
00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,640
the hope of the gospel and the 
Word. 

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00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:46,960
Continuing here actually means 
constantly trusting in Jesus. 

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00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:57,920
I do not know what today and 
tomorrow holds for many of us. 

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00:23:57,920 --> 00:24:04,480
I don't know what next year pass
may hold for many of us, but as 

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00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:08,120
we are being reminded of the 
faithfulness of God, I want to 

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00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:12,000
say to you that is you trust in 
God. 

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00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:16,480
As you draw near to God, be 
reminded of the text that was 

347
00:24:16,480 --> 00:24:20,320
read this morning. 
That whatever you may face, they

348
00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,400
can never separate you from the 
love of God. 

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00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:31,160
In sickness, in loss, in lack, 
in tribulation, in distress, in 

350
00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:34,840
suffering, in danger, in 
persecution, in famine, in 

351
00:24:34,840 --> 00:24:39,120
brokenness. 
Be reminded that you can still 

352
00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:41,640
trust Jesus in all of these 
things. 

353
00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:46,920
They will or care. 
It's not a of matter if they 

354
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,640
will care, but also it's a 
matter of when, because they are

355
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:53,840
on the way, they are coming. 
And perhaps some of us this 

356
00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:59,240
morning are already experiencing
some of this, experiencing 

357
00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:04,800
suffering, loss, lack, hardship,
brokenness. 

358
00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,320
But even in those moments we 
want to cry out. 

359
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:19,120
Like the psalmist, I will trust 
the Lord faithfulness to God and

360
00:25:19,120 --> 00:25:22,680
in in certain moments of our 
lives more especially when we 

361
00:25:22,680 --> 00:25:26,800
are pressed by suffering, 
pressed by difficulties, we may 

362
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,280
even want to tend back, just 
like the the the audience of the

363
00:25:30,280 --> 00:25:33,720
book of Hebrews, We may actually
want to say, like the audience 

364
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:38,200
of Hebrews, maybe we should go 
back to Judaism that's better 

365
00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:42,960
and leave Christ all together. 
And the author says no, no, no, 

366
00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:44,280
no, no. 
Guys, listen to me. 

367
00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:46,640
Jesus is better than the 
prophets. 

368
00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:49,600
He's better than Abraham. 
He's better than angels. 

369
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,920
He's worth dying for. 
Judaism is not better. 

370
00:25:54,760 --> 00:25:58,600
And often suffering may make us 
feel that way, that we want to 

371
00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:02,440
turn back because the pain is 
too much. 

372
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:08,880
But I have faith for the Saints 
here at Common Ground Weinberg 

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00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:13,200
that it will be our resolve, it 
will be our determination that 

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00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:17,440
Lord, we will not turn back on 
Christ nor will we desert him. 

375
00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:20,560
We will not jump with the ship 
and forsake him. 

376
00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:26,360
No, we will remain committed in 
following Him no matter the 

377
00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:30,800
cost. 
Elin was sharing about that one 

378
00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:35,320
guy who who shared at the 
conference and he stays in an 

379
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:37,080
island. 
I think it's a communist island.

380
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,040
Interesting enough. 
He says, listen, you know they 

381
00:26:40,040 --> 00:26:42,920
jail one of us and another one 
continues to preach. 

382
00:26:42,920 --> 00:26:46,080
They kill one of us, another one
steps up and preach and the guy 

383
00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:50,320
is smiling at this perfect mind.
He said, didn't they jail me 4 

384
00:26:50,320 --> 00:26:52,120
times? 
They put me in the container and

385
00:26:52,120 --> 00:26:57,760
he's speaking that with a smile.
Oh God, he knows what it means 

386
00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,480
to be persecuted, to be jailed, 
and yet he is willing to pay the

387
00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:09,080
cost for the sake of Christ, 
faithful to him. 

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00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,880
Consider with me, for example, 
John Rogers. 

389
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:18,760
You will see on your screen 
there a man who was proclaiming 

390
00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:24,880
the Gospel, fighting against the
wrong doctrines that that the 

391
00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:28,920
other bishops we're bringing 
forth and, and, and, and they 

392
00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,360
take him and they say to him, 
John Rogers, can you please 

393
00:27:31,360 --> 00:27:33,920
recount what you say? 
Please say you're not following 

394
00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,360
Christ. 
And he said the famous words 

395
00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:40,080
there. 
That which I preach, I will 

396
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:44,440
steal with my blood. 
They take John Rogers while his 

397
00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:48,720
wife and kids are looking and 
they burn him at the stake 

398
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:53,120
because he said, I will not 
recount, I believe in Christ. 

399
00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:55,360
Therefore I cannot say I do not 
believe. 

400
00:27:55,840 --> 00:27:59,480
I'd rather die faithful to 
Christ. 

401
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:03,080
What about John Haas, A reformer
who fought against the 

402
00:28:03,080 --> 00:28:08,840
supremacy, the inherent word of 
God and before in his death he 

403
00:28:08,840 --> 00:28:12,120
said this, these words in the 
same truth of the Gospel. 

404
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:17,360
I am ready to die today. 
He says kill me because I 

405
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:21,880
believe in the sufficiency of 
Scripture, that this is the word

406
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:25,840
of God. 
Kill me and he died. 

407
00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:30,240
Kill them. 
What about Lady Christina who 

408
00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:37,520
was being accused of neglecting 
the addicts and those who were 

409
00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:39,920
her superiors? 
They threatened her with death. 

410
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:48,000
That if you do not recount your 
faith, we will kill you, she 

411
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:54,520
replied, I cared not for my 
life, and she was beheaded in 

412
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:55,920
three. 
O 4. 

413
00:28:56,200 --> 00:29:02,240
That wonderful woman of faith. 
Perhaps the last person to 

414
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,600
consider John Stott, whom some 
of us know and are familiar with

415
00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:09,600
the writings of John Stott in 
his old age when he was 

416
00:29:09,720 --> 00:29:13,120
bedridden. 
And someone comes, a dear friend

417
00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,240
goes to Joe's Start and say 
John's Start, how can I pray for

418
00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,280
you? 
Start replied, Pray that I will 

419
00:29:18,280 --> 00:29:22,200
be faithful to Jesus until my 
last breath. 

420
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:36,360
I will not die faithful. 
The cost of faithfulness to God.

421
00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,920
The psalmist puts it this way in
Psalm 119, verse 30. 

422
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:43,880
I have chosen the way of the 
faithfulness. 

423
00:29:44,080 --> 00:29:51,560
I set your rules before me. 
A faithful Christian obeys God 

424
00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,680
even when no one else around is 
obeying. 

425
00:29:57,160 --> 00:29:59,240
Another person uses a wonderful 
phrase. 

426
00:29:59,640 --> 00:30:02,960
He says that we should call that
a holy stubbornness. 

427
00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:08,080
And when others don't want to 
obey, I will obey. 

428
00:30:12,160 --> 00:30:16,520
I, I I told you that in 2008. 
We stood before that. 

429
00:30:16,520 --> 00:30:20,680
The owl as he was officiating 
our wedding and he asked us to 

430
00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,640
take vows as we looked at each 
other and take vows and he asked

431
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:28,240
us a number of questions. 
He said to us from have to hold 

432
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:31,720
from this day forward, for 
better and for worse, for 

433
00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:35,680
richer, for poor, in sickness 
and in hell, to love and to 

434
00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:40,320
transform this day forward until
death do us apart. 

435
00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:45,440
He was saying to us guys, as you
step into this, you are 

436
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:49,400
committing yourself to one 
another, but also there is a 

437
00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,760
call for you to be faithful to 
one another. 

438
00:30:53,720 --> 00:30:56,120
Even when there's no money, be 
faithful. 

439
00:30:56,680 --> 00:30:59,560
Even when one of you falls sick,
you don't say, hey, I didn't 

440
00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:02,440
sign up for this. 
Now I'm jumping ship. 

441
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:11,600
For better, for worse. 
That's faithfulness that 

442
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:15,200
marriage is that picture of a 
lasting your loyalty, fast 

443
00:31:15,200 --> 00:31:19,680
worthiness in a relationship of 
those who seek to keep the 

444
00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:22,600
promises they've made before 
God. 

445
00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:28,480
And therefore be reminded that 
my wife and I to remain 

446
00:31:28,480 --> 00:31:32,000
faithful. 
It's not because Eric is a very 

447
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:38,280
good husband, not at all. 
In fact, it falls short a lot as

448
00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:43,280
a husband and as a father, but 
I'm always reminded of the 

449
00:31:43,280 --> 00:31:51,200
commitment I made to my wife. 
But also, more importantly, I'm 

450
00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:58,560
remaining faithful because God 
is faithful to me and that the 

451
00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:03,280
Holy Spirit being at work in 
both of us help us to do that. 

452
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:07,880
Well, it's nothing of me, 
everything of Him. 

453
00:32:10,240 --> 00:32:15,400
So let us consider together, 
perhaps are the areas in our 

454
00:32:15,400 --> 00:32:19,240
lives where perhaps we need to 
be faithful. 

455
00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:25,480
And sometimes it can be small 
things when you promise someone 

456
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:30,520
that, hey, borrow me this thing 
and I'll bring it back to you. 

457
00:32:31,280 --> 00:32:33,840
And it's been over a year and 
you've not brought it back. 

458
00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,520
Maybe you're an artisan here. 
Maybe you are a builder, 

459
00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:45,800
whatever your trade is and you 
are, you are paid to do a 

460
00:32:45,800 --> 00:32:49,000
specific job that you ought to 
be doing. 

461
00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:54,840
And you submit the quote to your
client and the and the quote 

462
00:32:54,840 --> 00:32:57,720
includes some of the most 
expensive material. 

463
00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:02,160
And when you go to Builders 
warehouse, you buy the cheapest 

464
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:07,160
material. 
It's in a small things very 

465
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:09,920
faithful. 
If you code for the expensive, 

466
00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,800
you buy the expensive. 
Why you're faithful to Christ 

467
00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:17,280
and you know if you're doing 
that, you are cheating and 

468
00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,400
defauding others. 
Therefore it's wrong to do it. 

469
00:33:22,280 --> 00:33:26,080
If you like me, if I could speak
in tongues, which I don't speak 

470
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:29,640
in tongues, I think every time I
would go and see a mechanic I 

471
00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:31,080
would preach, I would speak in 
tongues. 

472
00:33:32,480 --> 00:33:34,480
I always get worried when I get 
to the mechanic, but I know 

473
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:37,520
nothing about cars and sometimes
they just look and look and say,

474
00:33:37,520 --> 00:33:40,920
OK, it's 20 grand buddy, how how
to get to 20,000. 

475
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,440
And maybe that's your trade and 
you know that the issue is so 

476
00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:49,280
small and yet you're charging 
people more money. 

477
00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:56,080
Faithfulness in small things. 
Maybe as you are sitting here 

478
00:33:56,080 --> 00:33:59,920
today, you don't have a driver's
license and you've already made 

479
00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:05,200
a deal with a traffic officer 
somewhere to pay something and 

480
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:11,440
to get your driver's license. 
We don't do those things because

481
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:17,560
we are faithful to Christ. 
One pastor said if he were to 

482
00:34:17,560 --> 00:34:20,239
ask his own church members who 
bought licenses, he said he 

483
00:34:20,239 --> 00:34:21,639
would not have a church 
afterwards. 

484
00:34:26,080 --> 00:34:27,960
Colossians reminds us it says 
the following. 

485
00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:32,040
Whatever you do, do it with all 
your heart as though working for

486
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:35,080
the Lord and not for human 
masters. 

487
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:38,520
Do everything as though you're 
working for God. 

488
00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:43,159
That brings God's blessing to 
what you're doing, whether it's 

489
00:34:43,159 --> 00:34:47,840
your job, do it faithfully. 
And therefore church. 

490
00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:51,159
I am suggesting that we need 
faithfulness in our marriages, 

491
00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:54,199
faithfulness with our children. 
We need faithfulness in our 

492
00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:57,440
friendships, and we need 
faithfulness in the church among

493
00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:02,000
God's people because our 
faithfulness impacts those 

494
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:07,040
around us, those we love, and 
those we serve, including our 

495
00:35:07,040 --> 00:35:11,200
members. 
This is what I'm saying, that 

496
00:35:11,200 --> 00:35:15,560
God's faithfulness motivates us 
to be faithful. 

497
00:35:16,480 --> 00:35:21,960
That's where it flows from. 
And there are many people in the

498
00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:26,560
Bible who are called faithful. 
So it's not a strange thing that

499
00:35:26,560 --> 00:35:30,000
believers are called faithful. 
For example, in Numbers 12, 

500
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,800
Daniel 6, Moses and Daniel are 
called faithful. 

501
00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:38,120
The apostle Paul calls Timothy 
and Silas First Corinthians 4, 

502
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:41,640
Ephesians 6, first Peter 5. 
He calls them faithful. 

503
00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:47,360
These are faithful believers #3 
our last point, our faithfulness

504
00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:54,640
in community. 
I think this points begs 2 

505
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:58,600
questions from us. 
How can we exhibit faithfulness 

506
00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:02,600
towards one another, but also 
how are we called to be faithful

507
00:36:02,600 --> 00:36:08,000
as brothers and sisters in 
Christ to each other? 

508
00:36:08,960 --> 00:36:13,400
I'm always drawn to the story in
Philippians chapter 2, the 

509
00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:16,520
apostle Paul talking about 
Timothy, but also talking about 

510
00:36:17,000 --> 00:36:21,640
Epaphroditus as well. 
These wonderful two men who were

511
00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:24,200
faithful. 
Not just what the apostle Paul 

512
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,920
says in Philippians 220 says 
about Timothy. 

513
00:36:27,120 --> 00:36:31,200
I have no one like him. 
Wow. 

514
00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:35,000
I often read things like that 
and stop words like this. 

515
00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,160
The apostle Paul says I have no 
one like Timothy, such a 

516
00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:41,320
faithful brother. 
But also let's be reminded that 

517
00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,440
he does not say that about 
everyone in the pastoral 

518
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:47,880
epistles. 
For example, in Second Timothy 

519
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:53,320
chapter 4, the apostle Paul says
Dimas in love with the present 

520
00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:57,440
world has deserted me and gone 
to Sectesola Nica. 

521
00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,520
And then he says, but look alone
is with me. 

522
00:37:02,240 --> 00:37:07,120
And so Paul says, I have guys 
that have been with me and some 

523
00:37:07,120 --> 00:37:11,400
of them have deserted me. 
They love the world and they 

524
00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:16,480
left. 
But I have friends who are with 

525
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:20,360
me through thick and thin that 
even though I am in prison, I'm 

526
00:37:20,360 --> 00:37:22,960
not in Hawaii. 
I am jailed for the sake of the 

527
00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:27,080
gospel. 
I have these people that are 

528
00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:31,200
with me, supporting me, praying 
for me. 

529
00:37:31,640 --> 00:37:34,240
And then he says, I have no one 
like him. 

530
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:39,760
And then it says to the church 
at Philippine, I commend these 

531
00:37:39,760 --> 00:37:45,760
dear brothers to you and Paul. 
You can see here this wonderful 

532
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:52,320
partnership in the gospel and 
how the apostle Paul is being 

533
00:37:53,920 --> 00:37:57,840
sort of loved and cared for by 
these men. 

534
00:37:57,840 --> 00:38:02,880
And church cannot say that at 
times the faithfulness can be 

535
00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,480
rare. 
I think it's a virtue that we 

536
00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:11,440
need to work on and perhaps 
rediscover and redeem among us 

537
00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:14,720
wherever we may find ourselves. 
But not just as well that he not

538
00:38:14,720 --> 00:38:18,600
only speaks this way about 
Timothy alone, but also as he 

539
00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:20,360
addresses the issue of 
Ephoditus. 

540
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,720
He says the following in verse 
25 of Philippines chapter 2. 

541
00:38:23,880 --> 00:38:27,000
Not just the words he used to 
describe this dear brother. 

542
00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:32,120
He says to you, my brother, a 
fellow worker, a fellow soldier,

543
00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:36,800
amazing words that that's who he
is to me. 

544
00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,040
He is my brother, he is my 
fellow worker because this man 

545
00:38:40,040 --> 00:38:44,280
is standing with me side by side
in the work of the gospel, but 

546
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:48,200
also in the defence of the 
gospel as well. 

547
00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:52,640
He says this man has cared for 
me personally, loved me 

548
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:57,560
personally and therefore I 
commend them to you. 

549
00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:05,000
What a wonderful picture of 
faithfulness in the context of 

550
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:10,640
community. 
Faithfulness meaning being with 

551
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:14,440
one another in our 
relationships, in the bonds that

552
00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:19,440
we have as common ground. 
Weinberg believing the best 

553
00:39:19,720 --> 00:39:27,160
about each other, genuinely 
caring for the welfare of others

554
00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:31,840
in this community because that's
who we are. 

555
00:39:33,080 --> 00:39:38,760
Fellow soldiers, brothers and 
sisters, fellow workers in the 

556
00:39:38,760 --> 00:39:42,600
gospel, we are not simply 
acquaintances. 

557
00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:44,840
Those people. 
No, no, no, no, no, no. 

558
00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:50,480
We are a family. 
We are a community of the 

559
00:39:50,480 --> 00:39:55,360
Spirit. 
That's who we are, joined by the

560
00:39:55,360 --> 00:40:00,360
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. 
And therefore, you may be 

561
00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:03,640
wondering this morning then, 
what does this mean for me? 

562
00:40:03,760 --> 00:40:06,960
As we think about Timothy, Paul,
and Aphroditus, what does this 

563
00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:10,000
mean to me? 
I think it means three things. 

564
00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:13,720
Number one, there must be 
genuine love for each other. 

565
00:40:14,480 --> 00:40:17,960
The apostle Paul reminds us that
the only debt that ought to be 

566
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:23,080
remaining among us is the debt 
of love, and we never fully pay 

567
00:40:23,080 --> 00:40:25,680
that debt. 
We continue to pay the debt of 

568
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:33,920
love each day. #2A genuine 
concern for each other and where

569
00:40:33,920 --> 00:40:38,440
possible, minister to the 
physical needs of others. 

570
00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:46,120
For the Bible says in Proverbs 
1717, a friend loves at all 

571
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:53,280
times. 
Perhaps in closing, let's be 

572
00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:59,320
reminded in closing that to be 
faithful to God, to be faithful 

573
00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:03,080
to others is not an easy thing. 
Why? 

574
00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:05,520
Because we are selfish by 
nature. 

575
00:41:06,600 --> 00:41:08,520
We are so selfish. 
In fact, we we are quite 

576
00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:10,640
prideful people. 
We are quite proud. 

577
00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,480
And often the the enemy will 
tempt us in many areas of our 

578
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:20,400
lives to be unfaithful to 
Christ. 

579
00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:27,160
But thank God that this is the 
fruit of the Holy Spirit, that 

580
00:41:27,160 --> 00:41:32,040
the Holy Spirit produces this in
us through the work of the 

581
00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:37,440
Spirit as the Lord is 
sanctifying us. 

582
00:41:39,680 --> 00:41:45,840
And if you've been unfaithful in
many areas of your life, repent 

583
00:41:45,840 --> 00:41:52,200
and I'll repent with you. 
Because I've been unfaithful in 

584
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,280
some areas of my life, I'll 
repent with you and so would 

585
00:41:55,280 --> 00:42:00,200
help us to be faithful. 
Lord, I want to grow in 

586
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:02,000
faithfulness. 
I want to grow in faithfulness 

587
00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,600
in small things so that I can 
grow in faithfulness in big 

588
00:42:05,600 --> 00:42:09,080
things. 
Help me to be faithful. 

589
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:14,280
The psalmist puts it this way in
some 1912 who can discern his 

590
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:17,480
errors? 
Declare me innocent from my 

591
00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:20,000
hidden fault. 
The psalmist says, listen, show 

592
00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:24,080
me my hidden faults. 
Perhaps they are not evident to 

593
00:42:24,080 --> 00:42:26,560
me. 
Perhaps I may be even unaware of

594
00:42:26,560 --> 00:42:28,400
them. 
They are hidden from my eyes. 

595
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:32,240
Lord, show me my hidden faults. 
I I want to see them. 

596
00:42:32,240 --> 00:42:36,000
Lay them bare before me. 
What are my hidden faults? 

597
00:42:36,880 --> 00:42:42,520
And please, as I see them 
produce in me this fruit of 

598
00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:48,280
faithfulness, because the one 
who calls us is faithful. 

599
00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:52,160
Our Lord. 
We are grateful this morning to 

600
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:58,000
be reminded of how faithful you 
are, great and sovereign King, 

601
00:42:58,000 --> 00:43:00,920
you are faithful. 
Lord, we are so gracious of 

602
00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,600
your, We are so grateful of your
faithfulness. 

603
00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:07,720
Even Lord God, as we read the 
Old Testament, we can just see 

604
00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:11,600
throughout as your people 
constantly went back to false 

605
00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:15,880
gods and false worship and how 
you constantly called them back 

606
00:43:15,880 --> 00:43:21,040
to you, restored them, forgive 
them and release them. 

607
00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,160
We're so grateful of God to 
learn of these wonderful 

608
00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:28,320
stories, but also God, more 
importantly, to learn about the 

609
00:43:28,320 --> 00:43:33,960
faithfulness of Jesus as the one
who motivates our own 

610
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:39,160
faithfulness, that he was 
faithful, faithful until the 

611
00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:43,480
point of death. 
And so Lord, we pray that help 

612
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:47,680
us to grow in faithfulness. 
Please produce this in US. 

613
00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:50,720
And we're, oh God, we've been 
unfaithful. 

614
00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:53,440
We ask you to please help us. 
We repent of that. 

615
00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:56,000
But we ask you to please help us
and cleanse our hearts. 

616
00:43:57,640 --> 00:44:00,080
Do a work in US and through us 
as a people, we pray. 

617
00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:00,840
Amen.