White Coat Ceremony 2006

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White Coat Ceremony 2006
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• I have asked the LORD for one thing one thing
  only do I want.

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Wealth and Power

• I accomplished great things. I built myself
  houses and planted vineyards. I planted gardens
  and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in
  them I dug ponds to irrigate them. I bought many
  slaves, and there were slaves born in my
  household. I owned more livestock than anyone
  else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. I also
  piled up silver and gold from the royal
  treasuries of the lands I ruled.

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Wealth and Power

• Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all
  the women a man could want. Yes, I was great,
  greater than anyone else who had ever lived in
  Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me.
  Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself
  any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had
  worked for, and all this was my reward. Then I
  thought about all that I had done and how hard I
  had worked doing it, and I realized that it
  didnt mean a thing. It was like chasing the
  wind---of no use at all. (Ecclesiastes 24-12
  GN)

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Wealth and Power

• If you love money, you will never be satisfied
  if you long to be rich, you will never get all
  you want. It is useless. The richer you are, the
  more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the
  knowledge that you are rich. (Ecclesiastes
  510,11 GN)

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Church and Worship

• Quit your worship charades. I cant stand your
  trivial religious games Monthly conferences,
  weekly Sabbaths, special meetings meetings,
  meetings, meetingsI cant stand one more!
  Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate
  them! Youve worn me out! Im sick of your
  religion, religion, religion, while you go right
  on sinning. When you put on your next
  prayer-performance, Ill be looking the other
  way. No matter how long or loud or often you
  pray, Ill not be listening. (Isaiah 113-15
  The Message).
• I, the LORD, hate and despise your religious
  celebrations and your times of worship. I wont
  accept your offerings or animal sacrifices-- not
  even your very best. No more of your noisy songs!
  I wont listen when you play your harps. (Amos
  521-23 CEV)

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Generous giving and tithing

• Youre hopeless, you religion scholars and
  Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account
  books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get,
  but on the meat of Gods Law, things like
  fairness and compassion and commitment--the
  absolute basics!--you carelessly take it or leave
  it. (Matthew 2323 The Message)

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Bible study

• You have your heads in your Bibles constantly
  because you think youll find eternal life there.
  But you miss the forest for the trees. These
  Scriptures are all about me! (John 539, 40
  The Message)

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Mission and Outreach

• You sail the seas and cross whole countries to
  win one convert and when you succeed, you make
  him twice as deserving of going to hell as you
  yourselves are! (Matthew 2335 GN)

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• Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath
  preparation, and so the bodies wouldnt stay on
  the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy
  day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs
  be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken
  down. (John 1931 The Message).

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What then is most important?

• This is eternal life
• to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
  whom you sent. (John 173 GODS WORD)

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To know God

• My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
  Because you have rejected knowledge, I also
  reject you as my priests (Hosea 46 NIV)
• My people are being destroyed because they dont
  know me. (Hosea 46 NLT)
• Go away, I never knew you

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To know God

• On Zion, Gods sacred hill, there will be
  nothing harmful or evil. The land will be as full
  of knowledge of the LORD as the seas are full of
  water. (Isaiah 119)
• We know that the Son of God has come and has
  given us understanding, so that we know the true
  God. We live in union with the true God---in
  union with his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true
  God, and this is eternal life. (1 John 520
  GODS WORD)
• I once thought all these things were so very
  important, but now I consider them worthless
  because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything
  else is worthless when compared with the
  priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I
  have discarded everything else, counting it all
  as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become
  one with him. (Philippians 37-9 NLT)

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To know God

• I do not call you servants any longerInstead I
  call you friends (John 1515 GN)

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Is this really desirable?

• I wont ask to speak with God why should I give
  him a chance to destroy me? Gods power is so
  great that we cannot come near him (Job
  3720,23 GN)
• The parable of the three talents
• Sir, I know you are a hard manI was afraid
  (Matthew 2524,25 GN)
• But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the
  immoral, those who practice magic, those who
  worship idols, and all liars (Revelation 218
  GN)

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Is this really desirable?

• JESUS
• He reflects the brightness of Gods glory and is
  the exact likeness of Gods own being. (Hebrews
  13 GN)
• If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.
  (John 148 CEV)
• I have shown your glory on earth I have
  finished the work you gave me to do. (John 174
  GN)
• I spelled out your character in detail to the
  men and women you gave me. (John 176 The
  Message)

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Jesus God in the flesh

• His words
• learn from me, because I am gentle and humble
  in spirit (Matthew 1129 GN)
• I do not condemn you (John 811 GN)

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Jesus God in the flesh

• His actions
• He will not shout or raise his voice or make
  loud speeches in the streets. He will not break
  off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp
  (Isaiah 422,3 GN)
• He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly
  he never said a word (Isaiah 537 GN)
• He comes triumphant and victorious, but humble
  and riding on a donkey (Zechariah 99 GN)
• I will send them a prophet like you from among
  their own people (Deuteronomy 1818 GN)
• Moses was a humble man, more humble than anyone
  else on earth (Numbers 123 GN)

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Jesus God in the flesh

• Jesus did many other things. If they were all
  written in books, I dont suppose there would be
  room enough in the whole world for all the
  books. (John 2125 GN)
• Jesus knew that the Father had given him
  complete power he knew that he had come from God
  and was going to God. So
• So, he rose from the table, took off his outer
  garment, and tied a towel around his waist.
  (John 133,4 - GN)

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Jesus God in the flesh

• How many pairs of feet did Jesus wash?
• Judas left, Since Judas was in charge of the
  money bag, some of the disciples thought that
  Jesus had told him to go and buy what they needed
  for the festival, or to give something to the
  poor. (John 1329 GN)
• The crucifixion
• His mother
• The people
• The thief
• After the resurrection
• The woman at the tomb
• She thought he was the gardener (John 2015
  GN)

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Conclusion

• God is just like that!

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The one thing

• I have asked the LORD for one thing one thing
  only do I want to live in the LORDs house all
  my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to
  ask for his guidance. (Psalms 274 GN)
• This I will seek to remain in the LORDS house
  all the days of my life in order to gaze at the
  LORDS beauty and to search for an answer in his
  temple. (Psalms 274 GODS WORD)