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[Silence] Amen. [Silence] I cry aloud to the Lord, to the Lord I plead aloud for mercy.

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[Audience] I cry to thee, O Lord, and say, thou art my refuge. Let us pray. Almighty God, our eternal Heavenly Father, we praise your name for the gift of this day,

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for the privilege of worship. Bless us with your spirit, we pray, as we seek to glorify thy name and have the right spirit renewed within us. We ask in Jesus' name, amen.

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Now we greet one another, good morning and welcome to the worship of God. Would you turn on the back of your bulletin where we will join in singing "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love." [MUSIC PLAYING] [ Music ]

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We are one. [MUSIC PLAYING] We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord.

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We are one in the Spirit. We are one in the Lord. And we pray that all humanity may one day be restored And we'll know we are Christians, la, la, la, la

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Yes, we'll know we are Christians, la, la We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand, And together we'll spread the news that God is in our land,

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And the glory of Christmas, our love, our love, Yes, the glory of Christmas, our love. [Music] ♪ With each other we will fight ♪

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♪ Side by side we will fight ♪ ♪ With each other we will fight ♪ ♪ Side by side ♪ ♪ And we'll guard each other's dignity ♪

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♪ And say Christmas bright ♪ ♪ And we'll know we are Christmas proud ♪ ♪ Bah-ha-bah ♪ ♪ As the holy and Christian's power ♪

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♪ And all praise to the Father ♪ ♪ Who hath returned ♪ ♪ And all praise to the Son ♪ ♪ Whose love is strong ♪

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♪ And all praise to the Spirit ♪ ♪ Who hath made the world divine ♪ ♪ And they'll know we are Christians, ♪ ♪ Fa la la, la la la ♪

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♪ Yes, they'll know we are Christians, ♪ ♪ Fa la la la ♪ - Amen. scripture lesson is found in 1st Corinthians the 6th chapter verses 12

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through 20. "All things are lawful unto me but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meets for the belly and the belly for meat but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the body and

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God hath raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power. "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of Anharlot? God forbid."

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What? "Know ye not that he which is joined to Anharlot is one body? too saith he shall be one flesh but he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication every sin that a man doeth is without the body but he

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that committed fornication sinneth against his own body. What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you which ye have of God and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's. This is our time of

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prayer together. We invite those of you who feel led so to come forth as we gather around the altar and unite our hearts in the blessed fellowship of prayer. [SILENCE]

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[COUGH] [BLANK_AUDIO] [ Pause ] Let us pray. Oh God, here we are, your children gathered in your house,

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standing in your presence. We pause to say thank you. Thank you that we are yet alive to see each other's face and that you have permitted us to continue in this race. Lord have mercy upon us, forgive us of our faults and our failures for what we have done that we ought not to have done, for neglecting

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to do what you have assigned to our hands. Forgive us, oh God. We are finite creatures of the dust. And we need you every moment of our lives.

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And so we come here today conscious of the need of your spirit, the need of your guidance, and the need of your power. Father, have mercy upon us.

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And we pray that you will give us the courage that we need to face the challenges that are set before us. Help us when we would become depressed, when we would feel that the burdens of this world are too heavy for us to bear. Help us to understand that thou art with us as our eternal companion, to walk with us and to help us and carry the load.

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We pray not only for ourselves, but we pray for our families. We pray for the work in which we are engaged, that which you have assigned to our hands. We pray for those who are sick and shut in, those in hospitals and in homes,

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for those who have lost loved ones, for those who serve as public officials, for the leaders of the nations of this world, and for the mission of your church,

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to serve as the conscience for righteousness and the light that calls men and women, boys and girls from the darkness, that they may live in blessed fellowship with you. Lord God, our Father, bless us not only in this service, but in this week,

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as we seek to serve you and be with you here and always in the world to come. We ask it through the strong and perfect name of Jesus Christ, our savior and our Lord.

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Amen. (clears throat) (soft music) [SNIFFLES]

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[CLEARS THROAT] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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[MUSIC PLAYING] (dramatic music) [ Music ] [MUSIC PLAYING]

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(SINGING) The joy of the Lord is much here. The joy of the Lord is much here. The joy of the Lord is much here. The joy of the Lord is my strength.

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The love of the Lord is my light. The love of the Lord is my light. The love of the Lord is my light. The love of the Lord is my light.

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The song of the Lord is my guide. The song of the Lord is my guide. ♪ The song of the Lord is my guide ♪ ♪ The song of the Lord is my guide ♪

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♪ That's why I'm gonna keep on singing ♪ ♪ I'm gonna keep on shouting ♪ ♪ I'm gonna keep on lifting my voice ♪ ♪ To let the world know that Jesus reigns ♪

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- Let's all say amen. Amen, we worship the Lord now and the dedication of our gifts and as our issues come forward at us all prepare to give generously to God Remembering that pattern which was set by the Macedonians of old

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That they first gave themselves under the Lord When one recognizes the fact that he or she belongs to God it's also important to recognize that all that we have is his.

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We are just trustees of his possessions. Our church is supported through tithes and offerings. The tithe is one-tenth of one's income given to the Lord through the church.

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So let us give according to how the Lord has prospered us. Now there are those persons in the congregation possibly have not filled out the data farm for our computers. For every member

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you should be on a card. We're filling them out by families. So if there are more than three persons in the family then you'll need to fill out a second one of those farms. Let me see the hands of those who have not, who are members of this church and have not filled out a membership form. All right,

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ushers will you see that they get a form and please fill out the form this morning don't take it home because we're going to cut off this after the first Sunday and begin to operate with what we have on our membership roll as of that time. Please fill it out. It's not very difficult to do. Give all of the

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information because it helps us in the proper classification of our members, your birth date, your address, your members of the household. Let us pray. Bless us now, O Lord, as we give of our substance with loving and and sacrificial spirit in Jesus name, amen.

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Rosa Wilson, sister Rosa Wilson, will be held Wednesday at 2 p.m. at Phillips Upshaw Funeral Chapel, the chapel of the Phillips Upshaw Funeral Home.

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Wednesday at 2 p.m. is the time of the funeral of Sister Rosa Wilson. Let's remember the members of this family in our prayers. Brother Isaac Chapman underwent surgery

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in Seton Hospital last week. He is now out of intensive care and appears to be well on the road of recovery.

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Brother Chapman, as you know, one of the deacons of this church. Others that, another member who is at that hospital is Sister Mary Banks, but let's remember all of our sick and shoddy. And Sister Frances Winston, who is reported in the bulletin as being in

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Scott and White Hospital, is now at home. Sister Frances Winston is at home. Let me call your attention to the fact that there is an important business meeting that will be held in connection with our prayer meeting on Wednesday night, an important business meeting for you to attend in connection with our prayer meeting on Wednesday night of this

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week and that time is for the prayer meeting is seven o'clock so let's keep that in mind an important business meeting Wednesday at 7 o'clock. No doubt you some of you have been reading the news about me in the August of some four or five articles that have appeared there.

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And the last week's article was very damaging and made a number of accusations. In fact, it accused your pastor of being a thief in the way that it was written. The editor knew that those charges were false because they had already been investigated and he was aware of that by the grand jury and he did not even print any of that.

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So a liable suit has been filed against those involved in that, and they will serve the papers on Friday concerning that suit regarding the truthfulness of that particular article. And we feel quite sure that the truth will be vindicated, and that's what I want to happen. interesting this morning that I just before leaving home heard the report in

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the news of a libel suit that was filed against the paper in El Paso of three million dollars which the jury awarded. So I don't know what will happen but you will be kept aware of it. I have here a certificate of loyal service for Sister Lula Lee, Sister Lula Lee. Would you stand Sister Lee? Where is she? Sister Lee

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received here from the General Services Administration a certificate of loyal service for she has retired after 14 years of loyal service rendered to the government of the United States. Sister Lee we want to congratulate you. Let me look at you real good you're real young to be retiring so soon. Big pardon? Oh

00:20:06.300 - 00:20:38.140

disability retirement. Well at any rate we want to congratulate you for this award. All right God bless you. Now I mentioned last Sunday that the community College election is a very important election. So I want to say a little about that and then present some persons here who are involved in that. It is an election that many times

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we don't pay a great deal of attention to. We many times take the community college for granted but it is very, very important because it has to do with the education not only of youth but of adults and it's important that we be sure that we have the right people in those positions as trustees who are being considered for election.

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That election is April the 7th that's on Saturday April the 7th and you are to select I believe three trustees. All three of the incumbents are running for re-election. I didn't know the third one when I wrote this, but I want to be you to be sure to know what the issues are and these issues really concern us. They

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concern all of Austin, but it's important that we have persons in the position who are impartial, who are open, and who are concerned about justice for all people and giving all of us a fair opportunity. Now I happen to know that this is particularly true of M.K. Haig and Della Mae Moore, and we have one

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member of our church who's on that board also, and that's Sister Ada Anderson. So I'm going to ask Sister Della Mae Moore who is from Christo Ray Church, who is the guest of Ada Anderson to stand if you will

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She is being considered for re-election and so when you go to the polls remember that is Mr. MK Hague here He's not here, but those persons so when you come with your problems

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you need to be sure you've got someone who's going to be open and fair and dealing with those problems and They're being opposed Because they have made some decisions that were fair that were in our favor Now if we don't really recognize who our friends are and support and we're going to be in trouble

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So I'm sure you understand that I just want to make it very clear because this I haven't observed as president of that board. I'm familiar with the problems and we need to return these people to office for the best interests of Not only the persons that we have employed over there

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But for the best interest of the college and for the best interests of this community So we'd like at the close of the service sister Anderson for you to bring sister Della Mae Moore to the rear of the sanctuary so that the people of our congregation may have an opportunity to Meet and greet her in a more informal way. Are there other persons worshiping with us today who are not members of this church?

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I believe I had a card here for Mr. And Mrs. Lavon Smith All right, we are delighted to have you to share with us in our services are there others if so would you stand at this time The Veterans Administration Finance Division has vacancies for voucher examiners and accounting technicians.

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The salary range is $5.93 to $7.70 per hour. To qualify, you must pass a written test or have previously worked for the federal government and have reinstatement status. The finance division has day, evening, and part-time shifts available.

00:24:46.480 - 00:25:08.160

These are all permanent positions. To find out more about these positions, call 482-7025 or come by our office between 8 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. to pick up an application for the test. To be scheduled for the written test, you must apply between March 26 and April 6, 1984.

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We are located at 4175 Frederick Lane, just east of the Windham Hotel at the intersection on Ben White and IOH 35. (music) [MUSIC]

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(dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

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[ Music ] ♪ Give me a green heart ♪ ♪ So I can stand here ♪ ♪ For this my life ♪

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♪ So that I may be used by thee ♪ ♪ For I'm not worthy ♪ ♪ Of all these fantasies ♪ ♪ Give me a dream ♪

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♪ And I'll follow thee ♪ ♪ To thee ♪ ♪ I'm not asking for the riches of the land ♪ ♪ I'm not asking for high men to know my name ♪

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♪ To know my name ♪ ♪ Please give me, Lord, a clean heart ♪ ♪ That I may follow Thee ♪ ♪ Give me a clean heart ♪

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♪ A clean heart ♪ ♪ And I will follow Thee ♪ ♪ Give thee of me, Lord ♪ ♪ So I may serve Thee ♪

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♪ Lord, please my Lord ♪ ♪ So that I may be used by thee ♪ ♪ For I'm not worthy ♪ ♪ Of all these blessings ♪

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♪ Give me a clean heart ♪ ♪ And I'm lonely ♪ ♪ Sometimes I am up ♪ ♪ And sometimes I am down ♪

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♪ Sometimes I am almost level to the ground ♪ ♪ Please give me, Lord, a clean heart ♪ ♪ That I may follow Thee ♪ ♪ Give me a clean heart ♪

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♪ A clean heart ♪ ♪ And I will follow thee ♪ ♪ Give me a clean heart ♪ ♪ So I may serve thee ♪

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♪ Lord, please my heart so that I may be used by thee ♪ ♪ For I'm not worthy of all this mercy ♪ ♪ In the unending love ♪ ♪ And the glory ♪

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- Amen. Hear this word which is recorded in Paul's letter to the Corinthians, 1st Corinthians, the 6th chapter, verses 18 through 20, reading from the Living Bible, paraphrased. "Haven't you yet learned

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that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you and that he lives within you, for God has bought you with a great price. So use every part of your body to give glory back to God

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because he owns it. The subject of the message, use your body for the glory of God.

00:32:27.860 - 00:33:33.860

The body beautiful, this is the desire of many of us to develop the body, to care for the body in the best manner possible. This is of primary concern to the human family. A great deal of our time is spent making sure that our body appears to others in the best possible manner. We exercise, we engage in gymnastics and calisthenics, we walk, we run, we do many other things for the development, care, and preservation of the body.

00:33:33.860 - 00:33:55.260

Millions of dollars are spent on cosmetics, beauty products. There's no doubt about it. Both male and female want the body beautiful. This concern for the body is not new.

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It's as old as the family of man. The average woman wants to have a good figure, so there is concern about shape and size. Men also are concerned here. They like to be considered tall and handsome, and we like to remove the excess weight in

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order to have what we consider the body beautiful. out of his knowledge of human concern for the body that Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians saying, "Use your body for the glory of God." It's out of concern for the proper use of Christian freedom that he says this. You see that

00:35:09.300 - 00:35:45.940

was the prevailing attitude among the Corinthians that the body is mine and And since it belongs to me, I will do whatever I choose to do. And there is not anything that anybody has the right to say about it. It's like the words of a song that has been somewhat popular,

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It ain't nobody's business if I do. I'll do what I want to do with my own body. That is a general way in which the Corinthians viewed the use of the body. And it is Paul here who really addresses this particular situation.

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And what he's pointing out in this letter is that it is important how we use our freedom as far as the body is concerned. The body may be used for lust. One may make the body as attractive as possible in order to stimulate lust.

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And Corinth is remembered as one of the most immoral cities of ancient times. immoral acts were committed with the body in Corinth. There were those who believed that one ought to live according to mother nature, do whatever comes naturally. So they said no natural function is shameful. If you enjoy doing

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it do it, no matter what it may be. So in this frame of thinking, they encouraged the use of the body to create lust, to excite the passions, to tantalize human instincts for pleasure, as a means to entrap, to lead astray. And Paul is saying that this is the misuse of the body. To use the body in this manner is to make the body

00:37:46.840 - 00:38:16.940

a dwelling place of Satan, the demonic. Then there was also the popular philosophy among the Greeks that the body is a tomb. It's temporary and since the body is temporary and like a tomb, what we have that really matters is the soul. The body is only going to be here for a short time but the soul goes on and

00:38:16.940 - 00:38:52.360

on and that's what is really significant they said. And so since the body is temporary, what we do with it has no real significance. Let the body have its way, let human impulses hold sway. Then there was the view also that emphasized law, rules, regulations, prohibitions for the body. And so Paul begins this passage

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which is the basis for our message today by saying that all things are lawful and we're all concerned about what is right and what is wrong. What should I do here? how may I best conduct myself? These questions are related to external behavior and we hear much about morality and immorality. Something about the old

00:39:22.960 - 00:39:51.120

morality and the new morality. Someone has said that the new morality is just the old morality and new clothes. And it's strange today that there is a group that is focusing on certain issues in our society called moral majority. In what one calls moral another calls immoral and there are those who consider

00:39:51.120 - 00:40:19.800

the moral majority as the immoral majority. There are those who seem to be primarily concerned about emphasizing the legal aspects, what's lawful and then there is also the view that we really can't legislate morality. And so Paul answers here by saying that all things are lawful for me, it's all right for

00:40:19.800 - 00:40:45.440

me to do whatever I want to do. With me everything is permitted. All things are lawful. You see in a sense the Christian is a law unto himself. It's not necessary for the new being in Christ to go around with the book of rules and regulations to govern his or her conduct because there is something inside the

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Christian that guides the Christian in the way that he or she should go and so in the truest sense Paul is saying here all things are lawful I really live above the law I'm not a slave of the law because there is something in me Christ in me that guides me in the way that I should go. There is something that has

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happened that makes it possible for the Christian to live in a another dimension. All things are lawful and this is not to live in utter disregard for rules and regulations. At the same time it means not being a slave of rules and regulations it means to be free to do right for the sake of right. So not only

00:41:42.400 - 00:42:13.820

does he give attention to lust and to law but he also gives attention to liberty. You see to be set free is to be without chains, without any constraints in the sense of being forced to do this without any restraints. Those who are free are not free because of prohibitions but they are free in

00:42:13.820 - 00:42:34.060

spite of prohibitions and the liberty of the Christian is liberty which is in Jesus Christ and this freedom involves the use of the body, the body. And some people really think that freedom or liberty means license, that it is licensed to do whatever I want to do. And this is really what Paul is addressing,

00:42:34.060 - 00:42:57.400

that were those people in the congregation in Corinth who thought that since the body was not important that they could engage in sexual promiscuity, they could be linked up with the prostitutes in Corinth, and that it really didn't matter because they were right in the soul and so they didn't

00:42:57.400 - 00:43:21.560

have to worry about whatever they wanted to do in the body and that causes the Apostles to say use your body for the glory of God because your body is made by God and what you do with your body is important because you see the body is the gift of God. We read in the book of Genesis that God made Adam out

00:43:21.560 - 00:43:46.860

of the dust of the ground and when he had made Adam out of the dust of the ground he breathed into him the breath of life and Adam became a living soul. But that body that was made out of the dust of the ground is made by God. The The body that we have is God's gift to us.

00:43:46.860 - 00:44:02.640

It belongs to him. He has not relinquished his ownership of the body. And what we do with it is important. I remember standing on the street,

00:44:02.640 - 00:44:21.460

looking in a window in Stockholm, Sweden, and a man came by and came up to me, and he said, "Do you want to rent a body?" we do with that body is important because it is God's body and we don't

00:44:21.460 - 00:44:50.600

have to limit it to Corinth. We don't have to leave this passage back in antiquity. We can bring it up to today. I've just received some figures from the City Council that indicate that right here on 11th Street, just right behind where we are, that in this area prostitution has increased in the last

00:44:50.600 - 00:45:17.600

four years over 100% selling of the body or renting of the body. And in many instances it's just taken for granted. Someone has said well oh you can't do anything about that that's as old as man but there comes the eternal word that is addressed not only to the Corinthians, it's addressed to us that

00:45:17.600 - 00:45:45.820

the body is the gift of God, it belongs to God, and it is to be used in a manner that is pleasing to God. Well that's not only true as far as that area is concerned, but it's true as far as the stomach is concerned. You know they had the attitude you know this is my stomach and I can put it in whatever I want to

00:45:45.820 - 00:46:09.540

put in it as much as I want to put in it and it's really nobody's business. Well Paul says it is somebody's business. A lot of people don't recognize that and a lot of people die before their time so to speak. They have a great deal of misery because they follow no no have no understanding regarding how this

00:46:09.540 - 00:46:26.480

body is to be used and and we put in a lot of junk food and the like and Really make and pollute the system and make our lives miserable and Paul is saying yes, you know that the stomach is made for food and Food is made for the stomach

00:46:26.480 - 00:46:52.020

but remember that the body belongs to God and Since it is made by God to be used in the manner that suits the divine design. What are you saying in Corinth? And remember I just told you what a wicked city Corinth was that we are to follow as Christians the divine design.

00:46:52.020 - 00:47:22.380

No, the divine design is God made Adam to be Adam, a man, and he made Eve to be Eve, a woman. He didn't make Adam to be Eve and he didn't make Eve to be Adam. He made each one of them to be what he made them to be. The divine design is what God is concerned about in the use of the body and so we are called yes called to

00:47:22.380 - 00:47:51.780

freedom. We are called to be free to be free yes to do anything we want to do and to be slaves not to nature, free to do anything that we want to do if we are truly free in Christ. That's what St. Augustine means when he says you love God and do as you please because if you really love God you're gonna do what God

00:47:51.780 - 00:48:12.700

wants done so you can do as you please because what you do is gonna be pleasing God if you really love him. If you really love him you aren't going to be out disobeying him. You can love God and do just as you please because you are going to be motivated by the love of God and that is enough. You don't have to

00:48:12.700 - 00:48:29.780

worry about a lot of rules and regulations. You know when you really love you don't have to have your wife to lay the law down to you and the husband to lay the law down to the wife. If you really love each other you act within the context of that love. That's what Augustine is talking about.

00:48:29.780 - 00:49:05.100

This freedom is expressed through Jesus Christ. So he says we're not all. We don't really have ourselves. God has us in the Christian way. We belong to Christ. We have been bought with a price. We are not puppets, we belong to Christ, we are free in him. We are not prisoners bound in the deep dark dungeons of despair, we belong

00:49:05.100 - 00:49:35.620

to Christ. We have been bought with a price. We are not slaves to bodily comforts, we belong to Christ, we've been bought with a price. We are free, free from gluttony because we belong to Christ, we have been bought with a price. He gave his body for us, we have been bought with a price I say. Look at the

00:49:35.620 - 00:50:02.900

nail prints on his hands. Look at his pierced feet. We have been bought with a price. Look at the crown of thorns around his brow. We have been bought with a price. His body was crucified, his body. He gave his body for us. And there's a time when we sit at the table and we repeat the words, "This is my body which

00:50:02.900 - 00:50:42.540

is given for you. He gave his body for us and if the fact that he gave his body indicative that he was crucified for our sakes he died for us and what more can he do than what he has already done. But he not only died but he rose from the dead, his body was raised up from the grave for our sakes. And that body was a transformed body. And he says look at it, you can look at my hands, you can look at the wound in my side, the body is transformed. It's a new body.

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And so we live as new creatures in him. Blessed be the Lord God who manifests his marvelous transforming power in our lives. So be not conformed, the Apostle Paul says in another epistle to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, a living

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sacrifice. In other words, your body is God's dwelling place. It's the home for the Spirit of God, if God dwells with us at all, he has to dwell with us in this body, for it is the home as we walk about on this earth, that's the temple of God. And so Paul says, "Use your body, don't go off somewhere in some hut and

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isolate yourself from the main traffic of human existence, no, no, not an that extended existence, that's not the Christian way, but to get in the midst of life and use your body, but use it for the glory of God,

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for you have been bought with a price. That's the good news, Jesus paid it all. All to him I owe. Jesus, yes, I hear the Savior say,

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thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray. Oh, you may say that I'm frail, I'm feeble, I'm finite, but find in Him your all in all.

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Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. Use your body for the glory of God, For you have been bought with a price,

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and your body is not your own. As we sing now the hymn of invitation, we invite you to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life. I surrender all.

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We invite you to come forth, unite with the family of God here at Ebenezer. This is the invitation to Christian discipleship. [MUSIC PLAYING]

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Door of the church is open. [MUSIC - "GOD TO JESUS"] I surrender all to Him, my freely given. I will ever love and trust Him in His presence daily live.

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I surrender all. I surrender all. All to thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.

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Call to Jesus, Christ, to give birth Love me at His feet I bow All you precious, all forsaken Take me, Jesus, take me now

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I shall give you hope. I shall give you hope. Hope to keep my presence with you. God shall make you whole.

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I surrender all to thee, the blessed Savior. I surrender all. (church bell ringing) [inaudible]

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[INAUDIBLE] a body that has been [INAUDIBLE] great price. And we give you the Jesus Christ, body [INAUDIBLE] and praise them for the day of [INAUDIBLE] help us, each one of us, to use the body that you have given us in a way that

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glorifies your faith. >> In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. [MUSIC] [Music]

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[ Silence ]