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[ Silence ] [MUSIC] Magnify the Lord, magnify His holy name. ♪ For He is great ♪

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♪ And His mercy ♪ ♪ Endures ♪ ♪ Forever ♪ ♪ He is great ♪

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♪ And His mercy ♪ ♪ Endures ♪ ♪ Forever ♪ He is great and his mercy endures forever and ever.

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♪ Forever ♪ ♪ Magnify him ♪ ♪ Magnify him ♪ ♪ Magnify his holy name ♪

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♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ Forever and evermore ♪ ♪ Magnify him ♪ Magnify, magnify His holy name

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Forever and ever and ever Oh, how wondrous is His name! Heaven and earth, Thou greatness proclaim! Every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord of all.

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♪ Every ♪ ♪ Should know ♪ ♪ And every tongue ♪ ♪ Confess ♪

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♪ That Christ ♪ ♪ Is Lord ♪ ♪ Of all ♪ ♪ Magnify Him ♪

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♪ Magnify Him ♪ ♪ Magnify His holy name ♪ ♪ Forever and ever ♪ ♪ Forever and evermore ♪

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♪ Magnify, magnify ♪ ♪ Magnify His holy name ♪ ♪ Forever and ever and ever ♪ ♪ Forever and ever magnify His holy name ♪

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♪ Forever and ever magnify His holy name ♪ (Applause) Holy Lamb

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[applause] ...warning message. These words are the closing words to the letter

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that Paul has written to the church in Corinth. He comes to the close of the letter by giving in detail what his plans are. We have just lifted what may be considered an excerpt

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for the message today. No doubt when you're corresponding with someone, the other side of the correspondence has raised the issue, "Oh, when are you coming to see us? When are you going to in Corinth again.

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So as he comes to the close of his letter, he says, I plan to come and spend the winter with you. But for the present time, I will stay in Ephesus. For there is open to me a wide door of opportunity.

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And there are many adversaries I will carry in Ephesus. Ephesus, a cosmopolitan city. People of many races, cultures reside in Ephesus. In Ephesus there are many temples

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because Ephesus is a very religious city. people worship different gods. And Ephesus is a city

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not only known for its religious worship, it's a place where soldiers like to come during a leave period, get off in Ephesus and spend some time there.

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Not only is it known for its pagan worship, it is known for a place where there was promiscuity based on religion. We had the privilege some time ago of visiting Ephesus, and the Scripture doesn't mention, but there are the remains, temple remains, of the God that was worshipped there and the religious promiscuity that was carried on in the name of this God.

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Oh, it was a city that Paul selects as one in which he would spend considerable time. He decided to stay there in spite of what we may consider favorable conditions. that are--they're not here, we wouldn't--if we were missionaries, no doubt, select Ephesus.

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We'd like for the missionary to have a more convenient and comfortable place. But Ephesus has been singled out by Paul, and he says in the In closing words, I plan to tarry in Ephesus.

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Ephesus is a city where in the early days of Christianity, people went, and now we find them as converts later when visits he finds a group and he says did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believe and they said to him Holy Spirit we have even heard of the Holy Spirit so

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Ephesus is a place where the Holy Spirit is not even recognized, Ephesus. Ephesus is a place where the God--Goddess is worshiped. Diana, Artemis is worshiped in Ephesus. And people have all kinds of religious practices built around this

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goddess. Demetrius de Silversmith has a lucrative business going on at Ephesus. And he has been able to to increase his employees, his income, very prosperous because of the worship of the goddess there in Ephesus.

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Ephesus. Ephesus is a place where Paul meets a group of people have the business of driving out demons, they deal with evil spirits, seven sons of Sceva, they're all in Ephesus.

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Yet Paul says, "I have decided to tarry in Ephesus." Ephesus. Well, usually when you find a rather difficult place, we'd rather steer away from it.

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We like to have an easier assignment. If you're given an assignment in school as a teacher, you don't want, as a rule, the students that are at the bottom of the class. Many teachers would like to have those at the top of the class rather than at the bottom.

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the bottom. But Ephesus represents the hard work, difficult circumstances. One man was interested in teaching a Sunday school class and they didn't have the kind of class that He ordinarily would have preferred, but he said, "Give me a list of those who are not attending Sunday school."

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And they gave him a list of Sunday school non-attendees, and he took that list and developed one of the largest classes in the church. That was Ephesus, going to Ephesus. Paul says, "I have decided to stay in Ephesus."

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Not run away. Instead of running away from Ephesus, Paul is running to Ephesus, so to speak. "I have decided to stay in Ephesus."

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So the decision to stay in Ephesus is based on the fact that Ephesus has many adversaries.

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Stay in Ephesus because it has many adversaries. I've got many people who oppose what I'm trying to do,

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the work I'm trying to achieve, but I have decided to stay in Ephesus.

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In other words, It's a difficult task, and some may consider it an impossible task, but I have decided to tarry in Ephesus, for there are many adversaries.

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Now, most of us don't welcome our adversaries. We like to be rid of them. Like one of our convention leaders said in an address, he said, "You know how I pray for my enemies?

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I pray for them every day." He said, "You do?" "Yes, I pray that God will trip them up." That's the way we are about Ephesus, our enemies.

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Paul says, "I have decided to stay in Ephesus." So many people decide to leave the church if someone says something they don't like. They can't deal with Ephesus. But Paul says, "I have decided to stay in Ephesus, and there are many, many adversaries."

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And the fact is, the fact that there are enemies of the faith in Ephesus and that they are numerous, that encourages me because it gives me an opportunity to do more work for God. "For there hath opened unto me a door, a wide door of opportunity by my remaining in Ephesus."

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So, being in Ephesus is not only a challenge, it involves learning how to walk in the steps of the master. Because the people in Ephesus who are enemies of the faith are giving bold witness to their position.

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They're not hiding. They're coming to the forefront. It's like the story of a rat that was marching around in the house and came upon some wine and took a little sip of it,

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and then came back later and took another little sip, and then later took another little sip, and then finally the rat marched out in the middle of the floor of the house

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and said, "Bring on all of the cats." (audience laughing) That was a bold witness. Not afraid, bold witness.

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So there was a bold witness for idolatry. witness for that which is contrary to the will of God, a bold witness in Ephesus. And so Paul counters this bold witness by having a bold presentation for Jesus Christ. "I, I have decided that I will stay in Ephesus for there are

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many adversaries. Now this is this is something that all of us need to consider quite seriously to be able to welcome opposition to Jesus Christ when you identified with that which is affirmative to be able to stay in Ephesus and to witness for him. Oh how wonderful it is to understand what the

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Apostle Paul is saying to us here through this message, "I have decided to stay in Ephesus." Opposition is strong, difficult as it may be. There are fierce winds of opposition. There are raging waters against what I'm trying to do, but I have decided to stay in Ephesus. So as we look at this decision, he says there is a wide

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door of opportunity. Many people are coming to Austin every week and they they present to us a door of opportunity. Ephesus presented to Paul a door of opportunity because sailors, people from all over the region

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were coming to Ephesus. It was a place where people congregated, and even though the opposition was strong, he says, "I have decided," because it's a wide door.

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Opposition, the wide door, enemies, a wide door of opportunity. I have decided to stay in Ephesus because there are many adversaries. Demetrius is there to be sure. magicians who have burned their books in Ephesus. They have their

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way of interpreting life, and I have my way of interpreting life, but I have decided to stay in Ephesus. That's what Jesus did when he went to Calvary. On his way to Calvary, there were those who said,

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"Master, you need not go there. Don't you know that they recently tried to kill you?" But he set his faith steadfastly to go to Jerusalem. So, every one of us has an Ephesus, an Ephesus somewhere.

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Ephesus sometimes is in the family. Ephesus sometimes on the job adversaries and many people when they encounter Ephesus they run from place to place trying to get away from Ephesus but Ephesus is a reality that we must deal with and this wide door of opportunity

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Paul welcomes it because many times when things seem to be against us, there are opportunities for us if we will utilize them. I have decided--I've decided that no matter what comes or what goes, I have decided to stay in Ephesus

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Because when we go with firm faith in God, God has a way of opening the door. Doors may be closed in our faith, but God will open the door.

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Even when heaven seems to be shut up, He opens the windows of heaven and pours us out of blessings. Because when we say, "Well, God, who's faithful,

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He's faithful. He has trusted us with his gospel and he will not depart from us because we encounter Ephesus. I have decided. Oh, when you look over there and read what happened in Ephesus, it was a rather trying and searching experience when Paul comes to Ephesus.

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It's during his last days there he recognizes that they will not see him anymore. And so he has the elders to come and he delivers a rather moving speech. He stayed until his time was up. So be faithful, be faithful.

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No matter what may be the charge, be faithful. Dr. Petty Wade, president of our convention, tells the story that he was in the army and the orders were given and he was marching and in following the orders he marched right up to the wall and

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he was still marching right even though he couldn't push the wall down he was still marching and the superior officer called him out and for obeying orders. We have orders.

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We have orders from headquarters as to what we are to do. Be faithful. I have decided to stay in Ephesus

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because there are many adversaries and God is able to give us the victory. He's able to give us the victory, able to give us the strength to climb the mountains,

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to walk through the valleys, to sail through turbulent seas, I have decided to stay in Ephesus. We come now to the invitation, the invitation to abide no matter what the circumstances may be.

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Sometimes you're in car rant, but there is an Ephesus that God calls us to. And not only calls us to it, He gives us the strength to be faithful in it. I have decided to stay in Ephesus." I extend now the invitation to Christian discipleship.

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Would you come? Making the decision to be faithful, to give your all, no matter what may be the price, to give your all.

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