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[ Music ] Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee

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# A great thought, a great thought. # Who will hear, who will hear? # When did the wind take sweetly from the tree? If I look up, don't lock me out of breath.

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I hear the moon, I feel the sun's a-sweeping. It is my song, my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art, This is my song, my Savior God to Thee.

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How great Thou art, how great Thou art, When then, O Queen, that God his Son not sparing, Sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,

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He died and died to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art, how great Thou art. Then sing my soul, my Savior God, to Thee.

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How great Thou art, how great Thou art! Then Christ shall come with shout of acclamation And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow in humble adoration,

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And then proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!" Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee How great Thou art, how great Thou art Then sing my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee

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♪ I'll praise the Lord ♪ ♪ I'll praise the Lord ♪ - Oh Lord, our Lord, how excellent is your name in all of the earth.

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As your children, we bless your name for the privilege of assembling in this place and bowing reverently in your presence to say thank you for all of the goodness that you have so graciously showered upon every one of us.

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We thank you for the gift of life. We thank you for the gift of family. We thank you for the gift of fellowship that we celebrate one with the other.

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Forgive us of our sins, for we have all gone astray. Every one of us has walked in his or her own way. Forgive us. Renew the right spirit in each one of us.

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Bless us as we seek to proclaim the good news of your saving grace. And we pray not only for ourselves and for the ministry you have assigned to our hands,

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we pray for our country in this time of crisis. We pray for the leadership and for all of those seek to guide this our ship of state. Now we come Lord with certain petitions, special petitions that have been submitted here. We lift up to you those

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who are in the hospitals. We ask that your saving power, your healing mercies will be manifested in each one of them. Bless each family here that has lost a We know that you are able to comfort sorrow. Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

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And then use us in a way that is pleasing in your sight, so that when the end shall come, we will hear your welcome voice saying, "Well done." We ask in Jesus' name, amen.

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- Amen. (soft music) [ Music ] ♪ Bless me not ♪

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♪ For in the Savior's ♪ ♪ Keep my hope ♪ ♪ Unbroken ♪ ♪ I ♪

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♪ I won't doubt ♪ ♪ Thou art holy ♪ ♪ Judah, Judah ♪ ♪ Judah, Judah ♪

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♪ Judah, as we watch ♪ ♪ As we watch ♪ ♪ As we watch ♪ ♪ Your gentle Savior ♪

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♪ Here I am, oh, cry ♪ ♪ I'm on the road ♪ ♪ Out of glory ♪ ♪ Goodbye ♪

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♪ Goodbye ♪ ♪ Do not pass me by ♪ ♪ Let me at a throne of mercy ♪ ♪ Find a sweet relief ♪

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♪ Deep ♪ ♪ Kneeling there ♪ ♪ In deep contrition ♪ ♪ Help my ♪

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♪ Help my ♪ ♪ Help my arm ♪ ♪ Believe ♪ ♪ Trusting only in thy merit ♪

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♪ Would I seek thy face ♪ Heal my wounded and broken spirit. Save me. Save me.

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Save me by thy grace. ♪ For I see Savior, Savior ♪ ♪ In my arms, oh, my God ♪ ♪ I'm not worthless ♪

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♪ Thou art holy ♪ ♪ Tonight, tonight ♪ ♪ To the best divine ♪ ♪ Oh my Savior ♪

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♪ Savior Lord ♪ ♪ Here by Your throne ♪ ♪ I will rise ♪ ♪ I will rise ♪

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♪ For You tonight ♪ ♪ Tonight ♪ ♪ Who would I pass to be divine ♪ ♪ Who would I pass to be divine ♪

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♪ Who would I pass to be divine ♪ [MUSIC] ♪♪ ♪♪

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] ♪ Together we will be ♪ ♪ Together we will be ♪

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♪ Oh yes, it will be ♪ ♪ Oh yes, it will be ♪ [MUSIC] ♪ For our good and our present ♪

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♪ For me and for you ♪ ♪ For our good and our present ♪ ♪ For me and for you ♪ ♪ Together, together ♪

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♪ Together ♪ ♪ Oh yes it's wonderful ♪ ♪ Oh yes it's beautiful ♪ ♪ Oh it's true and beautiful ♪

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(upbeat music) [MUSIC] (upbeat music) (upbeat music)

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] (upbeat music)

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(upbeat music) (upbeat music) (music) (music)

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[MUSIC] ♪ Oh, yes, it's wonderful ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, it's beautiful ♪ ♪ Oh, it's wonderful to me ♪

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♪ Oh yes, it can be found ♪ ♪ For His red and blue beads ♪ (chanting) (chanting)

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(choral singing) (choral singing) (music) (chanting)

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[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC]

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[MUSIC] (chanting) (chanting) (chanting)

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(chanting) (chanting) ♪ So good, so good, so good ♪ ♪ So good, so good, so good ♪

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♪ So good, oh yes, it's wonderful ♪ ♪ Oh yes, it's beautiful ♪ ♪ Glory to God in the highest ♪ - Listen to this story Jesus told.

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There was a certain man which was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. And there was a certain beggar

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named Lazarus which was laid at his gate full of sores and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

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And it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels unto Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. and in hell he lift up his eyes being in tarments and seeing Abraham afar off

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and Lazarus in his bosom and he cried and said father Abraham have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water

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and cool my tongue, I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receiveth thou good things and likewise good things likewise Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented and

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beside all this between us and you there is a great gulf fixed so that they which would pass from fence to you cannot. Neither can they pass to us that thou would come from fence. And he said I pray thee therefore father that thou would "I will send him to my father's house.

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"For I have five brethren that he may testify unto them, "lest they also come into this place of torment." Abraham saith unto him, "They have Moses and the prophets.

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"Let them hear them. And he said, "Nay, father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent." And he said unto him, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, "Though one come who rose from the dead."

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The subject of the message, "The poor man at the rich man's gate." "The poor man at the rich man's gate." Jesus told many stories, parables of judgment, parables concerning the nature of the kingdom of God. Here in the book of Luke we have a number of parables focusing upon money, upon material possessions.

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Parables are stories that are peculiar to Luke. There is a parable of the rich farmer. Some term it the rich fool. There is a parable of the shrewd manager.

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And there is also this parable which is the focus of our message today. the parable of the poor man at the rich man's gate. This is a story about affluence and poverty. It is a story about the rich and the poor, and it has to do with suffering and sorrow. This is indeed a story that is related to our

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lives, a rich man and a beggar. In this story there is truth regarding life that that is somewhat in contradiction. It's a paradox. Rich and poor.

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And often paradoxes are used to express divine truth. We live in a world that is fraught with inequities. Certain nations are rich, others are poor.

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The wealthy nations are called the great powers, while other countries with limited material resources are called underdeveloped nations. In the shadows of the most affluent society

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can be found acute poverty-stricken conditions. In the heart of the most prosperous cities are some of the worst slums. The rich dwell in the midst of poverty,

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the poor dwell in the midst of affluence. The rich and the poor are separated like East and West. West. They're segregated by human economy. The rich live in one section of the city, the poor in another. Jesus says in this story that there was a certain rich

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man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fed sumptuously every day. This man is referred to as "Diavese" which is the Latin word for rich man. This man was high up in the world. He had reached the pinnacle of human success. This rich man is nameless in the story because his name does not appear in the book of life.

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He never knew what it was to really live. His name was written in the social register as the man about town. But he was not registered in the Lamb's book of life. He selected for himself a meaningless human existence.

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Oh, he had fine clothes. His wardrobe was the last word in the most up-to-date styles and fashions. His suits were exquisitely tailored, made of the most costly imported materials, purple and fine linen, the garments of royalty.

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So he was a pace setter in fashion circles. He enjoyed the coveted distinction of being the best dressed man in town. He was rich. He fared sumptuously.

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His table was laden with delicious delicacies. Every day he feasted on rare and dainty dishes. He stuffed his stomach to his heart's content. A retinue of servants diligently

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and meticulously performed his commands. This man was rich. His home was the finest. Beautifully situated in the most exclusive

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residential section of the city. He had a hideaway in the hills of suburbia. His home was surrounded by a high, impenetrable wall designed to keep out beggars.

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He wanted to make sure that his prized pleasure precincts would not be molested by the unfortunate. But what looked like a palatial mansion was really a padded prison cell.

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This man was rich, but he was only rich in himself. Everything he had and everything he did was to satisfy himself. He was self-made, he thought, and he was self-sufficient.

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He was wrapped in himself, clothed in costly garments of self-righteousness. He strutted about from place to place with an exaggerated sense of his own importance.

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He spent his time admiring and congratulating himself. This man was rich. He considered himself the ground and goal of his striving. He was a glorified form of humanism,

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which may be expressed in the language of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. I sent my soul through the invisible, some letter of the afterlife to spell.

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And by and by my soul returned to me and answered, I myself am heaven and hell. Heaven but the vision of fulfilled desire and hell the shadow from a soul on fire

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cast on the darkness and ourselves, so late emerged from and soon, shall soon expire. Everything that mattered to him had its beginning and ending in himself.

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This man was rich. He trusted in his riches. He believed that money could make all the friends he needed in this world. He did not bother about God.

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He became a God to himself. He did not know there are some things money cannot buy. a young pastor was visiting and came upon

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one of his parishioners and this parishioner was boasting of how much he had accumulated, how much he had in the world and the pastor had to call his attention to it.

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He said to him, as they were looking around, the parishioners said to the pastor, "You see all of this, pastor? See all of this land? That belongs to me."

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And he pointed to the east and pointed to the west and said, "All of this belongs to me." He pointed to the north and to the south and said, "All this belongs to me." the pastor said, "Well, what I would like to know," as he pointed his finger toward

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heaven, he said, "How much do you own in that direction? How much do you own?" And that's the question that all of us need to ask. Sure, we need material possessions. God made them for us to possess, but in our living we ought to be sure that we are rightly related to him. Long ago there lived a brilliant teacher named

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Saint Philip Nera and he had eager young students who would travel great distances to sit at his feet and each new student was given an entrance exam that he described in this manner. He asked them several questions. "Why did you come?" he would begin. "To study law," was the standard reply. "Well, what will you

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do upon completion of your studies?" "I will set up my practice. After that, I will enjoy my home and my work, then what? I will grow older and eventually die. And after death, what then? In this particular manner, the great teacher would guide his student to the most certain of life experiences. People need

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to know that they not only have to live in this world but they also have to die. What then? What then? Billy Graham told a group of students at the University of California about a college girl who injured, was injured in a fatal car accident and as she was experiencing her life ebbing away she spoke these last

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words to her mother. She said, "Mother, you've taught me everything I needed to know. How to light my cigarette, how to hold my cocktail glass, how to have sexual then of course safely, but mother you never taught me how to die. You better teach me quick mother because I'm dying. Well both Diavese and Lazarus died. They

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were victims of the democracy of death. Lazarus died and was carried by angels to be with Abraham, the father of the faithful. The rich man died and was buried. He didn't even have the situation that many people have. He had a big celebration of a funeral, but Lazarus didn't even have a funeral.

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The word says that he died and was buried. So here we are in a world where we're entrusted with possessions, but what is our attitude toward those possessions?

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And the thing that we must all recognize is that there is another world. There is another world. Beyond this veil of wrath and tears,

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there is another world. There is a world beyond this world. And here, both of them are in the great beyond. And we listen as,

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as Diavese makes his plea. He says, "Father Abraham, send Lazarus, "send Lazarus back to the other world "and let Lazarus warn them of the situation

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"on the other side because I am tormented in these flames." So the dialogue continues in the other world. Father Abraham says no, no. You see this rich man,

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it was so in the habit of giving orders that he thought he could give orders in eternity. Father Abraham says oh no, no, no, I can't do that. There is a difference between those on this side

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and the other side. And beside all of that, there is a great gulf that's fixed. See, there is segregation. There is segregation here in this world.

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We have the rich and the poor, as I said earlier, living in different sections and in different categories. We classify them according to the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class.

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So we have segregation. And there's also a kind of segregation on the other side. He said, "No, no, there's a great gulf that's fixed." He said, "Well, if you could just go back

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"and I have five brothers and tell them "not to come to this place "because I'm tormented in these flames." So well, they have Moses, they have the prophets,

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and said, "If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, "then they will not hear one who has risen from the dead." Jesus Christ comes to us in the resurrection experience. That's why we can read this story and listen to it

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with a certain joy because we know that through Jesus Christ we have been raised from the dead and we've been given a new life in him. And that we have a life that cannot be taken away from us.

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God is with us. The same God who is with us on this side is also on the other side. And the thing that sort of grips me

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as I read this story that Jesus told is the way God follows and leads. He's with us wherever we go. He's there and he's faithful.

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His goodness does not disappear on this side. It follows us on the other side. The psalmist says, "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the

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Lord forever. So on the other side we have Lazarus in Abraham's bosom and we have the rich man who is tormented in flames. But God sort of balances the scales. You know we'd like to put him on a timetable and wonder how somebody else has so much and we have so little. This man Lazarus was at the gate of

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Diavese and Diavese never saw him. He passed by going in and out but he never saw this man at his gate. He was just sort of neglected by society, he was just thrown there, he just was cast there daily and even the dogs came to lick his sores, but Diavese never saw him. But there is one who sees us, there is one

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who cares and there is one who has a way of leveling the scales. There is one who does that. God has control. He's not limited by this world. Abraham, this is not a story about poverty altogether and richness, persecuting people who have much and cursing those who have nothing. No.

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Abraham was a rich man. He was a rich man who followed God and here we find him in eternity and here the man who was poor in the world, now God sort of balances the scales. You see God isn't limited to blessing us just on this side, He continues to bless us as we go on and on and on. So Jesus tells this story not

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to be used by people in a way that curses riches, but what he tells this story to do is for us to be sure that we are not used by money, but that we use money to enrich our lives, to be sure that it becomes a blessing to us rather than a curse. So the conclusion is and in all of your getting be sure that you

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get the right understanding and be sure that you are rich toward God. Be sure that you have the spiritual quality in your life that causes you to embrace whatever God sends your way because you know that you are rich toward Him. Rich toward God, yes. Rich toward the Creator, yes. Rich toward the judge. Rich toward

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the one who is the Redeemer of our lives. God, rich toward God. God, the one who is our Alpha and Omega. God, who is the strength for our weakness. God, who is the refuge and strength for everyone who trusts in him. God, a very present help in time of trouble, be sure, be very sure that you are rich toward God. That's the

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greatest joy one may have in this life is to be rich toward God. As we come to the hymn of invitation we extend the privilege of the church to accept this God who comes to us through Jesus Christ as our Savior and as our Lord. Door of the church is open.

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You may come by letter, by Christian experience. Door of the church is open, we ask that you come. May come by letter, on Christian experience, on professional faith,

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or restoration. Be sure that you're rich toward God. [ Music ]