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[ Silence ] [music] There are some things I may not know. There are some places I can't go.

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But I am sure of this one thing, that God is real. What I can feel, feel me, pretend. Yes, God is real. Yes, God is real.

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Real in my spirit. ♪ In my soul ♪ ♪ Yes, God is real ♪ ♪ For he has washed ♪

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♪ And made me whole ♪ ♪ His love for me ♪ ♪ Is life to me ♪ ♪ Yes, God is real ♪

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♪ All I can tell you ♪ ♪ Deep in my soul ♪ ♪ Some folk may doubt ♪ ♪ Some folk may scorn ♪

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♪ All can desert ♪ ♪ And leave me alone ♪ ♪ But as for me ♪ I'll take God's call.

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For God is real, and I can feel Him in my heart. Yes, God is real. Yes, God is real. Feel Him in my spirit.

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Feel Him in my soul. Yes, God is real. ♪ For he has watched and made me whole ♪ ♪ His love for me ♪

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♪ Is life to me ♪ ♪ Yes God is real ♪ ♪ For I can feel him in my soul ♪ I cannot bear just how you fell when Jesus took your sin away.

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But since that day, yes, since that hour, God has been real, for I can feel His holy power. ♪ Yes, God is real ♪ ♪ Real in my spirit ♪ ♪ Yes, God is real ♪

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♪ For he has washed and made me whole ♪ ♪ His love for me ♪ ♪ His love to go ♪ (Music)

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KENNETH: Amen. Let's all say, "Amen." Hear this word recorded in the book of the prophet Hosea, the second chapter and the fiftieth verse. And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Acre for a door of hope. And I will give her her vineyards and the valley of Acre for a door of hope.

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The subject of the message, when the valley becomes a door. the valley becomes a door. The text of the sermon is identified with the exile. The prophet Hosea looks back on days fraught with disagreement and rebelliousness and then he looks forward to better days to a future radiant with

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hope listen again to the word I will give her her vineyards and the valley of of acre for a door of hope. The landscape of our lives is made of valleys and hills. There are times in our lives when we are in the valley, when we are down in the dumps

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depressed in spirit. It happens not only in the lives of individuals, but in the lives of nations. We have what we call depressions on a national scale. And we look to the hills for challenge and we pray for strength to pass through the valleys. I remember as a teenager I was riding a bike. Sometimes I'd get to a hill and I'd have to get

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off the bike and push it up the hill. Our lives are composed, I said, of valleys and hills. We are to travel through deep, dark valleys, and we are challenged to climb steep hills. The psalmist sort of describes these experiences.

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One says that passing through the valley of Baker maketh a whale. And another says, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help." the challenge of abundant living, how we deal with the valleys and the hills. The Reverend Hosea and his family have experienced a very difficult time.

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The Reverend has learned how to put up with an unfaithful wife. His marriage is used to portray the nation's unfaithfulness to God, and it's used to send a message to the people concerning the exile experience. He has a broken family and there's some lessons here on how to put together the

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broken pieces and start all over again. That's the challenge the family faces. The sunshine of hope penetrates the deep darkness, the morning star comes in the course of time to announce the appearance of a new day that's God's gift. And God says to the family, "I will

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give you her vineyard and the valley of Acre for a door of hope. A valley of defeat becomes a door of opportunity. When we take our experiences that contribute to discouragement and disappointment to God, He makes them to become stepping stones to success.

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Most of us have lived long enough to know that that's true. So the most undesirable circumstances we may face, when we look back on them, where they contribute to our strength and our growth in grace. So one needs to be determined in following God to turn stumbling stones into stepping

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stones. So God is saying to us through the experience of Hosea, "Do not despair." When you come to the experience of a lonesome valley in your life, do not despair. Be comforted and be strengthened in knowing that God is with us.

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He walks with us through the valley. In fact, God is engaged in a love affair with his people. That's the meaning of this book of the Prophet Hosea. He's engaged in a love affair.

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Now lovers may quarrel, but they make up. Robert Frost says in one of his poems, "If an epitaph were to be my story, I'd have one ready of my own. I'd have it written in me on my stone that I had a lover's quarrel with the world."

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lover's quarrel. God says in this story, even though this wife depicted here has been unfaithful, He says, "I will allure you, I will woo you." In other words, I'll take you back into the wilderness where our courtship, when our courtship was young and I will give you the valley of Acre for a door of hope." Now God earlier

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had promised to Israel vineyards she did not plant, wells she did not dig and now he says after Israel's waywardness he forgives and says I forgive you. The valley of Acre for a door of hope. After the exile there is a promise of restoration. The same God who makes the hills also makes the valley. Now the valley of Acre, the word

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acre means trouble. I will give you hope in the midst of your trouble. Trouble. You remember the story, Joshua fit the battle of Jericho, we sing? And right And right after that, when the walls came tumbling down, they had to fight the battle of Achan. And God told them not to take any spoil from the battle.

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But they did not obey, and there was one man who was responsible for that. name was Akin, A-C-H-A-N. And he was punished, he was destroyed. He and his family because they did not obey God. So for your valley, your valley of trouble, I will give you a door of hope. And when we find ourselves bogged down in trouble and

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disappointment and discouragement and failure and defeat. We find ourselves bogged down. God comes into the picture with us and gives us that experience as a door, a door of hope that enables us to see his goodness in a way that we've not seen it before so really as we celebrate Thanksgiving trouble can be a door of

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hope in other words through the trouble you may discover what God is up to God is up to something he's up to something in your life he's up to something in my life. He's up to something in the life of this nation and He is in control. He says, "I will give you the valley of Achar for all your troubles. I'll give you the door of hope."

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Some people get depressed and want to give up because they have some trouble. But God is using it here to bless and we ought to be able to say, "Oh, if we were to have testimony most of the time we testify about all of the things that God did that went so well in our lives, so smooth." But he's talking about now for the

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things that don't go away, when you have trouble, and trouble is all around. He said, "I, be comforted as you walk through this dark valley. Even though you can't see how you're going to come out, be comforted, do not despair. I, I will give you the valley of aches as a door of hope." Now, how does that happen? Well, we need, first of all, listen to God.

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Sometimes we listen to everybody else. But we need to listen to God. He's the one who's going to give you a gift. Not the person next door,

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but God Himself says, "I will give you the valley of Achan, for the devil. So listen, listen to who's saying this.

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He speaks not only to Israel, he speaks to you and me. I will give you... I will give you...

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So listen. Then not only do we need to listen to God, but we need to follow Him. Follow where He leads.

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Follow, follow. Now how does he do this? He does it by providing a door. I was in an office a few days ago and I looked on the wall and there was a large frame, About half the size of this screen here.

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And as I looked what was underneath, it said "Doors of Austin." Doors of Austin. And as I looked at it, there was doors of churches, doors of businesses, doors of this establishment, that. Many, many doors!

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all in that frame. There are many doors. No matter how deep we may think we're bogged down in trouble, that right there in the wall, God has a door. And all we have to do is get open it. It's there. Sometimes we don't see the door. Sometimes, you know, at home, when I'm about to leave, I turn off all the lights, and the only way I can get out the door is in the darkness. And even though the door has been there a long time, I have to feel around until I find the door knob.

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it ought to go, but God has arranged it. Be confident. Do not despair. I will give you, I will give you ather as your door of hope. Remember your trouble, the trouble that you had, what you're always complaining about. He said, "I'll give you that as a door of hope, that you'll have a bright tomorrow, that you'll have a glorious experience that you'll look back to in this valley.

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I'll give you the valley of hatred, valley of trouble." Him did, can't get out. Well, how did that happen? It happens through his words, he says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit."

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Now we think of that as the valley. Poor in spirit. Theirs is the kingdom of God, his is the door of home. "Blessed are they that mourn."

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That's a valley experience. but they shall be comforted. That's the door of hope. Blessed are the meek that's the valley. They shall inherit the earth. That's the door of hope. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness. That's the valley. They shall be filled.

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that is the door of hope. Blessed are the merciful, that is the valley, they shall obtain mercy, that is the door of hope. Blessed are the pure in heart, that's the valley, never can be good enough. They shall see God, that is the door of hope. Blessed, blessed are the peacemakers, that's the valley trying to make peace in the world. The faith shall be

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called children of God. That's the door of hope. Blessed are they that are persecuted for righteousness sake, that's the valley. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven, that is the door of home. Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, that's the valley.

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But rejoice, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for so persecuted they the prophet that would prophets ever before you. That's the door of hope. So when we're in the valley, when we're bogged down, when we're shut in and shut out, remember the word that God addresses to his people. I will give you the valley. I'll give you the valley. Down in the dumps, you have to depend on Prozac.

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He says, "I will give you the valley of Acre for the door of hope." And I'm glad, I'm glad that God let us know that he's up to something. He's up to something in fashioning our lives. He's given us a miracle. You come back and say, "You know what happened? God led me through this." If you give testimony, the goodness of God. So when I think about

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how God comes and dwells with us. It makes my soul happy. When I think about where He brought me from and where He's carrying me to and I'm comforted by this word, "Lift up your hearts, be lifted up for how God says I will give you survival." Yes, the valley of Acre, or the door of hope.

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So just think, just think. Think of his goodness. There's nothing that should keep you from rejoicing in the goodness of God, because he's down there with us

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and keeping us going in the valley, and carrying us and opening doors all the time. So just think of his goodness as we celebrate this Thanksgiving season. Think of God's goodness.

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Troubles he's delivered us from. Where he's carrying us as he says, "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills." Hills and valleys. But the same God who creates the valley, I said, also creates the hills.

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He leads us from the valley to the hilltop. As we sing, "Thank of His Goodness," we extend the privilege of the church to unite with the family of God here at Ebenezer by letter, by Christian experience, A professional faith will invite you to come.

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The door of church is open. [ Music ] It's been joy, joy, just having the Lord in my life. It's been joy, joy, just having the Lord in my life.

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It's been joy, joy, just having the Lord in my life. [Music] [Music] [Music]

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[Music] [Music] [Music] ♪ I'm here to take it away ♪

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♪ Oh, this joy ♪ ♪ This joy that I have ♪ ♪ The world is giving to me ♪ ♪ This joy that I have ♪

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♪ The world is giving to me ♪ ♪ This joy that I have ♪ ♪ I've been given to me ♪ ♪ I've been given ♪

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♪ The world can't take it away ♪ ♪ What a wonderful, wonderful thing ♪ ♪ In my life has been ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus ♪

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♪ Came into my heart ♪ [Music] [MUSIC] ♪ Jesus is the way ♪

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♪ The hope of the grave ♪ ♪ Jesus is the change into my heart ♪ ♪ Jesus is the change into my heart ♪ ♪ Oh ♪

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♪ Jesus came into my heart ♪ ♪ Into my heart ♪ ♪ Love is yours in my soul ♪ ♪ Love is yours in my soul ♪

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[MUSIC] ♪ Oh, since he came ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Since he came ♪

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♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into my heart ♪ ♪ Oh, since he ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪

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♪ Since he came ♪ ♪ Into ♪ ♪ Into my heart ♪ ♪ Into my heart ♪

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♪ I have joy in my soul ♪ ♪ There's joy in my soul ♪ ♪ There's been joy ♪ ♪ In my soul ♪

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♪ Falling over ♪ ♪ In my soul ♪ ♪ Falling over ♪ ♪ In my soul ♪

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♪ Joy ♪ ♪ Sweet joy ♪ ♪ Wonderful joy ♪ ♪ In my soul ♪

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♪ Like a sea ♪ ♪ Still on the road ♪ ♪ Oh, since you ♪ ♪ Since you came ♪

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♪ Into my heart ♪ [Music] [ Silence ]