Published: July 13, 2025 | Speaker: Chuck Hartman | Series: Romans - Part 72 | Scripture: Romans 12:10-13
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Mr. Bob, >> you good?
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We worked hard this week, but it looked like we were hardly working. You know, some of those don't move forward at all. >> You get to Friday, you're like, >> "Yeah." Yeah, we took some back
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>> Yeah. Was it >> the annual outlook? >> Yeah, that was interesting. >> It was very good stuff.
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had a little more data behind it to help you understand what they were. I sent it
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>> Yeah. He's out there
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>> Well, let's take a look at our bulletin this morning and um see what's going on. pretty normal schedule for the summer midweek fellowship supper Wednesday evening here at the church. Uh there's a
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note here concerning the August uh fellowship lunchon. The theme is Nope. The theme is to be announced. Okay, so just keep that in mind. Um also the
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plumline class uh will mostly most likely start up again in August. So stay tuned for the developments there. We'll be rep uh going back to the biblical theology study only focusing on the
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biblical theology of Israel and the scriptures concerning uh the call of Abraham and all the way through to the to the um advent of Christ. So that'll
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be coming up in August. Well, let's turn our hearts to the Lord again in worship with the words of Psalm 27, a Psalm of David. The Lord is my light and my
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salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread? When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh, my adversaries and my
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enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear. Though war arise against me, in spite of this, I shall be confident.
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One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord
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and to meditate in his temple. Let us Father, it is also our desire to be in your presence and we give you thanks and
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we rejoice that you have by your spirit made us your temple. So that not only do we dwell every day in the temple of the Lord, we are the
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temple of the Lord, the temple of the Holy Spirit. So we pray, Father, that in your temple we might worship you, that we might be fed of you and taught of
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you, that we might meditate upon your commandments, and that we might bask in the the glow of your appribation of your love. So we ask father that you would
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bless us this morning and bless all our brothers and sisters as they gather on this day to worship you through Jesus Christ. Fill us with your holy spirit that we might understand your word but
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also that we might return to you the worship that is your due and even further that we might fellowship with one anothers as brothers and sisters in the Lord. and that that love with which
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you have loved us might flow through us, not only to one another, but even to the world. We ask that you would glorify your name through Jesus Christ in this
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place and in all others where our brothers and sisters are gathered today. May Jesus Christ be exalted. We ask in his name. Amen.
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I invite you to stand as we turn our himnels this morning to 292. 292. We'll be using an alternate melody of Germany which is on 262.
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God is the reuge of his saints. When storms of sharp distress in vain in vain we can offer our complaints
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behold him present him present with his aid. Let mountains from their seeds be held
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down to the deep and buried Convulsions shake. The solid
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world our faith shall never yield to fear. Loud may the trbleled
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ocean roar ocean roar in sacred peace our souls abide while every nation
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every shore trembles shore trembles and dreads a swelling tide. There is a stream whose gentle
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flow supplies a city of our God. Life, love and joy still glide
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through and walk. Green are divine.
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word, our grief, our grief, our fears control. We peace thy promises
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Z joys her monarch's love secure against secure against a threatening
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a threatening hour. Nor can her firm foundations move built on his truth and armed with
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Oh Lord, by thee delivered. I thee with songs extol my foes. Thou hast not suffered to glory or my fault.
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Oh Lord my God, I sought thee and thou did he and save. Thou Lord from death did ransom
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and keep me from the grave. his holy name. Remember
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ye saints Jehovah praise his anger lasts a moment.
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His favor all our days. For sorrow like a pilgrim
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may tear for a night. But joy the heart will gladen
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when dawn of morning light. In prosperous days I boasted,
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unmoved I shall remain. For Lord by thy good faith,
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my cause thou did maintain. I soon was sorely trbled
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for thou dead in my face. I cried to thee Jehovah.
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I saw Jehovah's grace. What profit if I perish?
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If my thou dost not spare, shall dust repeat thy praisees?
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Shall it thy truth declare. Oh Lord, on me have mercy
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and my petition here. That thou mayest be my helper
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in mercy, Lord appear. [Music] My grief is turned to gladness.
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To thee my thanks, my praise. Fruit has removed my sorrow,
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angered me with praise. And now no longer silent, my heart thy praise will sing.
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Oh Lord my God, forever my thanks to thee I bring.
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>> Amen. >> Please be seated.
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I'm going to continue our reading in the prophets with Zephaniah. Let's read.
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The word of the Lord, which came to Zephaniah, son of Cushi, son of Gdaliah, son of Amoriah, son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah, son of Ammon, king of Judah. I will completely remove all
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things from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. I will remove man and beast. I will remove the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea and the ruins along with the wicked. And I will
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cut off man from the face of the earth, declares the Lord. So I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this
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place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, and those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, and those who bow down and swear to the Lord, and yet
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swear by Milcom, and those who have turned back from following the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord or inquired of him. Be silent before the Lord God, for the
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day of the Lord is near. For the Lord has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests. Then it will come about on the day of the Lord's sacrifice that I will punish the princes, the king's sons, and all who
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clothe themselves with foreign garments. And I will punish on that day all who leap on the temple threshold, who fill the house of their lord with violence and deceit. On that day, declares the
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Lord, there will be the sound of a cry from the fishgate, a whale from the second quarter, and a loud crash from the hills. Whail, O inhabitants of
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Mortar. For all the people of Canaan, will be silenced. All who weigh out silver will be cut off. It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are
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stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, "The Lord will not do good or evil." Moreover, their wealth will become plunder, and their houses desolate. Yes,
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they will build houses, but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards, but not drink their wine. Near is the great day of the Lord, near and coming very quickly.
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Listen. The day of the Lord. In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day. A day of trouble and distress. A day of destruction and desolation. A day of darkness and gloom.
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A day of clouds and thick darkness. A day of trumpet and battlecry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers. I will bring distress on men so that they will walk like the blind
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because they have sinned against the Lord. and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of
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the Lord's wrath. And all the earth will be devoured in the fire of his jealousy. For he will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
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I invite you to stand as we continue singing Psalm 127.
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[Music] Unless the Lord builds up the house, it builders to in vain.
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Unless he keeps the city safe, they may
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[Music] In vain you rise before the dawn and lay ours mayly eat
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that you may to for food to eat. He gives his love sleep.
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songs are a preious heritage, a blessing from the Lord.
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The children all are born to us are truly his reward.
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My carros in the warers and are children of one youth.
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The man whose wers full of them is blessed by God in truth.
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Judge men will not be put to shame. That will not be their fate.
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And they contend against their foes who raise them in the gate.
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Unless the Lord build up the house, it builders to vain.
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Unless he keeps the city safe, they
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[Music] The Lord's my shepher. I'll not want. He makes me lie in pastures green.
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He leads me by the still waters. His goodness restores my soul.
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And I will trust in you alone. And I will trust in you alone.
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For your endless mercy follows me. Your goodness will lead me
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home. He guides my way in rightuousness [Music] and he anoints my head with oil
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and my cupet overflows with joy. I feast on his pure delights.
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[Music] And I will trust in you alone. And I will trust in you alone.
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For your endless mercy follows me. Your goodness will lead me
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home. And though I walk the darkest path, I will not fear the evil one.
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For you are with me, and your rod and staff are the comfort I need to know.
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And I will trust in you alone. [Music] And I will trust in you alone.
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For your endless mercy follows me. Your goodness will lead me
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Let's go before our Lord together in prayer. If some of you will pray after time, I'll close. It's back. Father, we rejoice in your
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sovereignty. You are almighty God. You are the one who bends and none can strengthen. Straightens and one can bend. You create light and darkness. All
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things are known to the alpha and the omega, including our days. Even before there was yet one, you knew the number of them. But Father, we do pray that
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those days that are numbered to us would be spent in worship and glorifying you. It would be spent in thanksgiving and
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contentment, giving thanks for the great gifts of life, of love, of food, especially of salvation through Jesus Christ.
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Fill our hearts with gratitude. We pray in Jesus name.
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Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. We come to you this morning humbly and thankfulness of what you've done for us. Things that
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we just can't even fathom or really imagine, but they are true. Father,
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we as been prayed to ask and we would walk humbly walk humbly and we give thanks of all things you have given to us, things that we are to do and that are appointed to us in
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this life. Father, we pray for those who are here this morning. We pray for those who can't be with us today. pray that you would
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strengthen our walks with you, Father, to seek you in all things to do things that would bring honor and glory to your name and to you alone, Father.
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Dear heavenly father, we thank you for all that you teach us and remind us through your word. We ask that you would continue to be with us this morning as we worship you. Please bless the word as
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it is preached and guide us into all truth through your spirit. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
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>> I invite you to stand again as we turn to him 422.
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[Music] As when the Hebrew prophet raised the praise and ser
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the wounded looked and straight were cured. The people ceased to die. So from the Savior on the cross, a healing virtue
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flows. Who looks to him with lively faith is saved from endless
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woes. For God gave up his son to death. and rest was his love
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that all the faithful might enjoy might enjoy eternal life above.
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Not to condemn the sons of men, the son of God appeared.
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No weapons in his hand are seen, nor voice of terror.
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He came to raise our fallen state and our lost hold restore. Faith leads us to the mercy seat and
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bids us fear no more.
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So turn with me to Romans chapter 12 this morning. this morning. We resume our study in Paul's letter. looking again at verses that we
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introduced a couple of weeks ago in chapter 12:es 10-13. I'm going to read um beginning in verse 9 as this does form a cohesive and
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important section of what Paul is is saying and as he's leading forward into his exhortations the remainder of chapter 12 13 and 14. So hear the word
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of the Lord from Romans 12, beginning in verse 9. verse 9. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhore what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be
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devoted to one another in brotherly love. Give preference to one another in honor. Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
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rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. practicing hospitality. Let us pray.
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Father, we ask that by your spirit you would again open your word to us. We have heard it read. We've heard it taught. And now again, we dig into your
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word, seeking to know your will, your mind. We know that the spirit of God searches the deep things of God. And that same spirit dwells within all who
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believe in Jesus Christ. So that as Paul says, we have the mind of Christ. So we pray that our minds might be filled with the Holy Spirit, the spirit
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of truth and of instruction. Guide us into all truth and keep us from error. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.
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I don't think I can overstate the importance of these verses uh 9 through13 as we move into what is what many consider the application of Paul's letter to the Romans as he talks about
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how the church is to live in the world and he says things in these chapters that uh that are sometimes hard to understand and at all times hard to put into practice. Chapter 13, he deals with
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our relationship with the civil authorities. Chapter 14, he deals with our relationship with one another and the differences of what we believe and what we consider important and days and
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and foods and drinks and how we are to live together in harmony. So, these are very important practical chapters, but I would submit to you that they all begin in verse 9. And as as I mentioned two
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weeks ago that Paul's um Paul's I don't know if you can call it grammar. Um the way Paul lays this out in in the Greek is so tur so uh blunt
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that it it just it almost demands attention. The these are not complete sentences. As I mentioned two weeks ago this is filled with adverbial participles. Now adverbs modify verbs
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but there are no verbs. Even the opening verse let love be without hypocrisy is way more words in the English than Paul uses.
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In fact the word love there is a noun. It's agape. That word that we are so familiar with. He says love without
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hypocrisy. Then he says abhore evil cling good. It is just very tur and staccato almost rapid fire gunshot almost to the way he
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says it and I want to bring that back to our attention because um what he's doing here is he is describing in these verses 9 through13 what it is the church is
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supposed to be in the world and it is something that is completely different than what the world presents and that's something the church perennially every
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generation loses sight of. We even hear those in the church talk about being culturally relevant. That's the last thing the church ought to be.
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We ought to be culturally astounding, culturally wandering culturally wandering and abhorrent to the culture. And so what Paul is saying here is is an
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is a description of a new humanity, a new humanity in Christ. If Paul's theology is that of a new creation, the heart of Paul's theology in 2 Corinthians 5 where he talks about any
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who are in Christ, behold new creation. Again, no verb. Just just these staccato words that he it's almost like it's it's so exciting to him that he can't put it into
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standard grammar. standard grammar. And it's interesting that if we were to find a word to sum up the life of the church in the world, that world would not that word would not be doctrine
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and that word would not be purity and and in fact that word would not even be faith although all three of those are integral to the life of the church in
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the world. But the one word that Paul would say this is what it is is love. That is the word that describes the people of God in Christ. And it is a
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love that only comes from God and responds to God and everything else. Paul says it if I have faith to move mountains, if I
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prophesy, if all of that and I have not love, it profits me nothing. So even though all these other things, sound doctrine, purity, faith, all of these are
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integral, they're not the key term to the Apostle Paul. Love. He doesn't even say believe. He says love because he is presupposing
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belief. Because he knows that of which that which he speaks here is impossible in the world. This can only prevail among those who do believe
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because it can only come about by the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit. And so he's giving us here in verses 10 through13 a a description and again a
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very rapid fire very vivid description of what this love means. And that word in verse 9 is agape. That that very
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familiar word. And I want to rehearse the the literal reading of this passage as I did two weeks ago again just to remind us of the complete lack of
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grammar in this section. He starts in verse 10 in brotherly love toward one another, loving tenderly
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loving tenderly in honor toward one another, outdoing each other each other in zeal, not lagging behind. in spiritual things being in full vigor
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and at the center of all this to the Lord serving Lord serving in hope rejoicing in tribulation bearing patiently in prayer persevering
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to the needs of the saints participating in the love of strangers ardently pursuing.
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ardently pursuing. This is what agape looks like at a glance. Now, this whole section is also set apart as a unique section by two words
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in verse 9 and verse 13. At the very beginning, the first word of verse 9 and at the very end of verse 13, there are two words that are constructed from that
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other love word fileto. The first one we're familiar with, Philadelphia, love of the brethren. The second one we're not so familiar
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with familiar with pho zenon. In most of your Bibles that is translated as hospitality. The word literally means love to
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but we see it as hospitality. Now this pairing between Philadelphia and Phoenon is a very important pairing. It is a they are bookends of this entire section of what agape looks like. And I
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want to present the the the metaphor of a bifurcated tree. Now you're familiar with that sort of thing. It has one trunk that soon after it rises above the
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ground, it breaks off into two major canopies of the tree. That is a bifurcated tree. Now in this sense the trunk is agape.
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And what Paul is doing here is that this agape love in Christ which is love in its essence is then divided
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into two canopies of the same unified tree. The one bifurcated canopy is Philadelphia. love to the brethren. But
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the other bifurcated trunk that goes off into its own section of agape is pho zenon, love toward strangers.
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These two together are love agape in action. But we tend to f focus on the first one. We
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have a we have a city named after it. You know, we don't have a city named Phoenon because there isn't a city on the planet that loves strangers. That's important, that point.
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But we we tend to focus in our devotionals and in our Christian self-help books and even in our commentaries on love toward the brethren. And we tend to to ignore this
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other end. It's almost like lightning has struck our tree and one of the branches has been lpped off. Well, that's a wounded tree.
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And any agape, any claim to the love of God within the church that lacks this other side of it, this other canopy is is not truly agape. It is not biblical
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divine love. It is not the love that Christ enjoins or Paul even enjoins in the church. the church. However, this is actually compounded by
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what I would say is an improper English translation of the word in verse 13. In the New American Standard, it says practicing hospitality. practicing hospitality. Um, that's wrong in in two ways. First
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of all, the word practicing uh that's not strong enough. The the participle that Paul uses
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is also translated in a negative sense
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This is a a going after something with vigor with vehements as one might persecute another. This is how a believer and the church is to pursue
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this pho zenon. But the other word hospitality and I would submit that probably most of you have that word. It's the same word that we find in 1 Timothy 3 where the
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description of elders is given that an elder is to be hospitable and also in Hebrews 13 verse two where
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we are to uh to not neglect hospitality. Well, the problem with the word is is not so much the word itself hospitality is that that word doesn't mean what it
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used to mean. Today, hospitality means having people over for dinner. That's hospitality. That's hospitality. And it means uh making people feel
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welcome in your home. It it means basically throwing a party, entertaining friends. And it is a very important gift. But hospitality as we understand it and
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practice it in the church today is actually a part of Philadelphia because generally it is a manifestation of brotherly love.
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It is not what the word actually meant in the in the time when say the King James Bible was translated and that transferred into our more modern English
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versions. The Oxford English dictionary has several pages of history and etmology of the word hospitality or hospitable from which we get hostile the
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place where people can stop and stay the night or hospital or hospice. The word essentially focuses as you as you read through the definition the
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emphasis is on the recipient of the kindness and in every case the recipient is a pilgrim. It is a traveler is a stranger.
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We we sang a hymn today when it talks about like a pilgrim tar for a night. Th this whole word has to do with people who you don't know. People who are not
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of your tribe, not of your family. They are strangers. are strangers. And what Paul is saying is we are to
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persecute love persecute love toward strangers. toward strangers. That that's what the word means. And as I said, it's it's one of the trunks of this tree called agape.
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That's what hospitality the these are not members of our own community. Now the question is
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are these strangers believers in the early church up until the modern era really up until the 20th century.
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Phoenon was practiced for those itiner itinerant preachers that would be traveling around Europe when they came into your community you would you would
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feed them you would house them there's actually a document from the second century called the teaching of the 12 that did that did and it actually prescribes how to
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receive a traveling prophet and it says that that if he stays one night or two, that's fine. But if he stays three, he's a false prophet. Okay?
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Keep that in mind when you invite guests over. Okay? My mom used to say, what is it? Three three nights with friends, two with family. Okay? There's a limit to this whole concept. Pilgrims tar for a
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night and your phloenon is to see to their well-being. Okay? That's that's the whole idea. But in the church, this had to do with, for example, refugees,
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from persecution. For example, when Claius issued the edict to ban all Jews from Rome. We read about this in the book of Acts, but also in the Roman
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histories, he did so because there was a conflict among the community of the Jews in Rome about a certain crest. What was evidently happening is that the
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Jewish believers and the unbelieving Jews were causing a disturbance and and Claius being a Roman emperor and not having any idea what they were arguing about simply banned all the Jews
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which also gave the opportunity to steal everything they had. And so they left Apollo or um Priscilla Aquilla are two who left Rome. They were cast out but
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they were received by Corinth by the church. That's phosenion. In the reformation when the Marian persecutions were going on in England, many fled to the
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continent and were received as refugees in the Geneva of John Kelvin. And so that's the idea. But even with that idea, there came this notion that these
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are believing strangers. But in fact, the word doesn't give us the right to make that limitation. And the scripture gives us better examples
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because inspired examples of what this means. Indeed, the the word is not even limited to human beings.
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In Hebrews 13, the word is used where the writer says, "Do not neglect to show hospitality." There's phoenon, two strangers, which is redundant.
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For by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. You see, it's not even limited to humans. Now, who was it who entertained angels unaware?
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Abraham, right? When those men came by his tent and looked like they were could continue on, he said, "No, stop. Come." and he killed a fatted calf and he
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provided them a meal and he he refreshed them. They didn't even stay the night. But that's Phoenon. He he helped these men. He didn't know who they were. They weren't relatives. They were strangers.
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Lot in Sodom does the same thing. This was the pattern of the ancient world that you would you would provide for stranger. I think the most beautiful and poignant example in scripture is Boaz.
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He was most definitely a man who practiced vanosenon practiced vanosenon that he he took care of a woman who was a Moabitis. She was not an Israelite.
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He knew that. He knew the story. He knew her background. He knew she who she was. He had no idea that that that he would end up marrying her. He He's obviously a
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man who practiced the law, the holiness code of Leviticus. He did not allow his men to go over and glean twice. He did not harvest into the corners of his
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field because the young poor women would go behind his men to glean what was left. This was a godly man. It's what a man looked like who followed the law of Yahweh. And it included as an integral
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part love toward strangers.
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So we have then agape love. Therefore this is this is the the essential love that we read in scripture that God loves us. And this is broken into two
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components. Then love toward fellow believers Philadelphia and then love toward strangers believing or unbelieving. Phoenon.
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How do we do this? Are we supposed to turn our homes into hostiles? Are we supposed to just take in any any homeless person, any vagrant that we see on the streets? This is a very difficult
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practical question in our day. Vagrancy itself is not what it was in the ancient world and society itself is not what it was in the ancient world. Is what Paul
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is Paul saying that we should take in the homeless and and give up our rooms for those who wander the streets? Well,
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perhaps. I'm not quite sure. That's a very difficult struggle. Our church itself is is located in in a part of town that actually has a lot of vagrants toward
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our west. You know, pointed and Rutherford, you know, there there are a lot of homeless people and and people who are unemployed. And so over the years, we have had a lot of those people
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at our doors. Years ago, we had a ministry in the inner city on Green and Seth Avenues. Green Avenue and Seth Street, excuse me, down by the old Mills Mill, if you're
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familiar with Greenville. There were a lot of families without fathers, a lot of children who were raised by
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grandmothers. There's a lot of poverty, a lot of drug abuse, a lot of destitution. We really struggle with that. struggle with how do we how do we
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effectively minister to these children or to these families or to these men without employment when when you know that what you give them is is not going
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to be used for their betterment. If you give them money, you know it's going to go for alcohol or or drugs. You you know that vagrancy in a modern American city is is not only epidemic, it's it's also
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systemic. And you don't want to participate in that and enable that. And yet we're enjoined by Paul here not to invite one over over for dinner and have a good time. Yes. But that's not Phoenon.
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That's Philadelphia. That's Philadelphia. We need to learn how to do the other. And so that's what I want to try to present this morning is is what what does this mean? Well, I think one place
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we go whenever we, you know, um, whenever we're challenged to love our neighbor, the first question that comes to our mind is who is my neighbor?
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Right? What we mean then is you don't really mean my neighbor because I don't like my neighbor. Who is my neighbor? And of course, from that we get the parable of the good Samaritan. Now, of course, the parable of the good
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Samaritan is primarily focused on, you know, who is the neighbor? Well, in this case, the Samaritan was being a neighbor. Uh Jesus actually says at the
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end of that parable, go and do likewise. He was telling the Jews to go imitate the Samaritan. That went over real well. I have no doubt. Go be a Samaritan. But what did this man do? Well, he provided
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for the Jews immediate needs. and for he provided for his restoration. There are two aspects in what we read in
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that parable. The man was wounded by robbers and left to die in the street. So the first thing the Samaritan did was he saw to his immediate need. His wounds
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were bandaged. They were anointed. But then he also saw to his restoration. He put him up in an inn. and he told the inkeeper, "If this man has any need, here's some money for it, and if that
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doesn't cover it, I'll get you on the next time. Just take care of this man." And so, there's a sense in which we meet people where they are, but not with the intention of leaving them there.
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We we meet people as they travel, we could say, through life. But Fosen not only meets the immediate need, but helps provide for the continuing journey.
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sending them on their way fed, clothed as James talks about, filled in their belly, clothed in their body, and hopefully also in their spirit
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and in their soul. This is not a situation where we become a a home for homeless people, where we simply provide for a continued destitution.
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That's not what this was. This is a means by which those who are destitute are helped to recover.
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There's a a progress involved here just as there is with Philadelphia. Philadelphia is all about edifying and building up the body of Christ. Phloenon
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is the love of God to restore and to resume a person's journey. It's never a place to stay. You don't
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live in a hospital. Okay? And even hospice, we know that except for Jimmy Carter, is not long-term.
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not long-term. It it's it's shortterm and it has a purpose. And that purpose is a purpose of compassion, a per a purpose of provision,
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enabling the person to be comforted, but also enabling except for obviously modern hospice, enabling for a person to
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recover. So that that's kind of the idea that's that's l lurking behind the parable of the good Samaritan that we often don't talk about. talk about. And so we have these three words, agape,
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Philadelphia, and Phoenia. And these these words are throughout the New
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Two of them, Philadelphia and agape, are throughout Christian sermons for 2,000 years. But of those three words, only one of them is uniquely Christian.
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You see, agape is is just a Greek word. It's an important word. It it is a form of love that is intense. It is a form of love that is often directed to that
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which is not deserving of it. But it is also, as I mentioned before, the same form of love with which Deeus loved the world and abandoned both Paul and
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Christ. And so we see from the scripture that we can't say agape as many have said agape is God's love or agape is Christian love. No. No. God loved with
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agape love. Yeah. But it's just a Greek word. Deus loved the world with agape love. He loved intensely and he loved something that wasn't worthy of that love. Agape. Philadelphia. Loving one's
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own kind. Well, who doesn't do that? Jesus even talked about that. He says there's no reward in that. He says even the Gentiles do that. To love your own
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kind, to love your brethren is common among humanity. So it is not uniquely Christian. But to love strangers. No. What is natural to man's heart and
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mind is another Greek word xenophobia which means the fear of strangers. That is what we naturally turn to when
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there are immigrants at our doors. We are xenophobes. are xenophobes. We don't like strangers. We don't like people who don't speak our language. They don't look like us. They don't act
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like us. They are strangers. They are threatening. Get rid of them. That's the world. And in fact, there is no other culture in human history
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that even has the word pho zenon. The Greeks didn't, and it's their language. The Romans never practiced it.
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Strangers are to be abhored. Strangers are to be outcast. Strangers are to be executed because they're different. They believe differently. And so mankind has been
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exercising a form of genocide with one another throughout history because of this xenophobia. this xenophobia. And so I will submit to you that this
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word Phoenon is the only one of the three that is uniquely Christian because it is one that is impossible to accomplish through human effort alone. And it is one that is so absolutely
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contrary to our fallen nature and to our natural response that it could only be by the power of the Holy Spirit. And so that's what I'm saying I guess is
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that of the two bifurcated canopies the one that we most neglect is the most important one. It is the most evident one that says these are Christians.
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These people love strangers because they unloly as they are as sinners were loved by God. These people take the love wherewith God loved us that agape and
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yes they pour it their sap into themselves in Philadelphia. They do that. Yes. But also this other branch, this other branch of the tree, this other canopy that no other world
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philosophy, no other society has ever exhibited. love toward strangers. I hate to reference uh this particular
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historian um mainly because his name is Tom Holland and you know everybody thinks of Spider-Man but he's a very wellknown and renowned historian of the
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Greco Roman world and he's also an atheist. his his uh books have have never shown any uh evidence of of belief in Christianity. But unlike his forebear
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Edward Gibbon who blamed the fall of the Roman Empire on Christianity, which is probably more accurate than even he realized, Tom Holland wrote a book recently called Dynasty. And I recommend
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it to your reading because he is actually making a public admission that um is quite astounding. And he says that the the compassion, the care for the
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poor, uh the the welfare programs, the hospitals and hospices and hostiles that populated Europe throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era have no
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foundation in Greco Roman philosophy, religion or society at all. He says they all come from Christianity.