"Who Kissed Me?" - The Law of Christ in Action - Charles Leiter
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0:01 - 0:05Let me give you an example.
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0:05 - 0:11Some of you have read this and you're aware of it.
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0:11 - 0:20This is Evangeline Booth,
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0:20 - 0:27who was a daughter of William Booth, founder of Salvation Army.
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0:27 - 0:38Evangeline Booth: "As one who ministered often to the dregs of society,
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0:38 - 0:43she found herself one morning outside the large iron gates
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0:43 - 0:46of a local police court and temporary prison.
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0:46 - 0:52Waiting for the gates to open she heard the
shuffling of heavy feet and loud, agitated voices. -
0:52 - 0:55In her own words (and I'm quoting from her),
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0:55 - 1:00she says, 'The gates opened wide, and I witnessed a sight
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1:00 - 1:03which, if eternity could wash away from my mind, time never can.
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1:03 - 1:06It was a woman.
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1:06 - 1:09Two policemen walked in front and two behind.
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1:09 - 1:11(Now the Salvation Army, in the early days,
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1:11 - 1:16they reached out to the lowest of the low and they were full of life).
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1:16 - 1:19Two policemen walked in front and two behind.
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1:19 - 1:23One stalwart man firmly held the right arm and the other the left.
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1:23 - 1:30(You got six guys escorting this woman out).
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1:30 - 1:34Her hair was uncombed and matted and disheveled.
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1:34 - 1:36Her right temple was blackened with bruises.
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1:36 - 1:40Clots of dry blood stood upon her left temple.
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1:40 - 1:44Her clothes were torn and bloodstained.
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1:44 - 1:47She tried to wrench her arms from the grasp of the policemen.
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1:47 - 1:52The very atmosphere of the morning
was laden with her curses and oaths. -
1:52 - 1:58She tossed her head wildly as the six policemen
dragged her down the passageway. -
1:58 - 2:00What could I do?
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2:00 - 2:04One more moment and the golden opportunity to be of help would be gone.
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2:04 - 2:07Could I offer a prayer? No, there was not time.
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2:07 - 2:09Could I sing? It would be absurd.
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2:09 - 2:12Could I give her money? She could not take it.
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2:12 - 2:17Could I quote a verse of Scripture? She would not heed it. (P)
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2:17 - 2:23"Whether it was a divine suggestion or not, I did not stop to think,
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2:23 - 2:28but the impulse of a burning desire which filled my heart as she passed
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2:28 - 2:33made me step forward and kiss her on the cheek.
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2:33 - 2:37Whether the police were taken off their
guard by my extraordinary action, -
2:37 - 2:40relaxed their grasp, I do not know.
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2:40 - 2:44But with one wrench she freed her arms and clasped her hands
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2:44 - 2:47as the wind spread her matted, disheveled hair,
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2:47 - 2:52and she looked toward the grey skies and said, 'My God.'
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2:52 - 2:58She looked around wildly for a moment
and then said, 'My God, who kissed me? -
2:58 - 3:00My God, who kissed me?
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3:00 - 3:04Nobody has kissed me since my mother died.' (P)
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3:04 - 3:08"Lifting her tattered apron she buried her face in her hands
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3:08 - 3:14and, like a little lamb, she was led to the vehicle which took her to prison.
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3:14 - 3:16Later I went to the prison in the hope of seeing her,
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3:16 - 3:18and at the door stood the warden.
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3:18 - 3:23When I approached the warden,
she said, 'We think her mind is gone. -
3:23 - 3:26She does nothing but pace up and down her cell,
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3:26 - 3:31asking me every time I go in if I know who kissed her.'
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3:31 - 3:37'Would you let me go in and speak to her?' I asked,
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3:37 - 3:43'I am her only and best friend.'
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3:43 - 3:44The door was opened and I slipped in.
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3:44 - 3:47Her face was clean. Her eyes were large and beautiful.
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3:47 - 3:50And she said, 'Do you know who kissed me?'
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3:50 - 3:52Then she told me her story.
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3:52 - 3:57'When I was a little girl of seven years old, my widowed mother died.
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3:57 - 4:00She died very poor, although she was of genteel birth.
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4:00 - 4:03She died in a back basement in the dark.
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4:03 - 4:07When she was dying she called me to her,
took my little face in her hands, -
4:07 - 4:10and kissed and said to me, 'My poor, little girl.
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4:10 - 4:12My defenceless, little girl.
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4:12 - 4:14O God, have pity on my little girl;
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4:14 - 4:17and when I'm gone, protect her and take care of her.'
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4:17 - 4:23From that day to this, nobody ever put a kiss upon my face until recently.
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4:23 - 4:25Then again she asked me, 'Do you know who kissed me?'
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4:25 - 4:28I said, 'It was I who kissed you.' (P)
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4:28 - 4:34"Then I told her of Him whose life was so
much more tender than mine could ever be, -
4:34 - 4:37and how He went to the cross and bore our sins upon Himself
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4:37 - 4:39and was wounded for our transgressions,
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4:39 - 4:44that He might put the kiss of pardon upon our brow.
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4:44 - 4:47In Him she found light, and joy, and comfort,
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4:47 - 4:51and salvation, and healing, and love.
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4:51 - 4:53Before she was released from the prison,
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4:53 - 4:58the warden testified not only to the
change in her life, but to its beauty. -
4:58 - 5:02She was made, through Christ, the means of salvation
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5:02 - 5:06to numbers of others who were down as low as she had been,
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5:06 - 5:12and who were bound with fetters as heavy as those
with which she herself had been bound." (P) -
5:12 - 5:14Now what is that?
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5:14 - 5:19What law are you going to say, "Kiss this woman now"?
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5:19 - 5:20You see how different it is?
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5:20 - 5:26The New Testament is not the idea God gave us a new list of laws.
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5:26 - 5:28He didn't do that. He gave us the life of Christ,
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5:28 - 5:32and He gave us some signposts saying, "Look fellows, this is radical.
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5:32 - 5:35This is what it's going to look like."
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5:35 - 5:38That's what He is doing in the Sermon on the Mount.
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5:38 - 5:44And these things are things that God has given when we desperately need...
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5:44 - 5:47How did she know to do that?
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5:47 - 5:51She knew it because she loved people like that,
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5:51 - 5:54and the Holy Spirit prompted her to do it right then;
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5:54 - 5:58and she just did it, without thinking.
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5:58 - 6:02That's what we need. That's what we're talking about.
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6:02 - 6:04And beloved, I'm speaking for myself,
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6:04 - 6:09we are so quick to become acting atheists
and forget about the Lord Jesus, -
6:09 - 6:16and read our Bible verses and do our thing, our Christian thing.
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6:16 - 6:24But if you're full of Christ and full of love, it's totally different, isn't it?
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6:24 - 6:26Totally different. And it's a living relationship.
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6:26 - 6:29We have to be brought back to that over and over and over.
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6:29 - 6:32It's not your list of rules. (P)
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6:32 - 6:40Sometimes I go on trips overseas, come back,
my wife's standing at the door, -
6:40 - 6:45she's got a list: "Kiss husband. Hug husband."
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6:45 - 6:49Do you realize how insulting that is?
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6:49 - 6:54If you've got love in your heart you're going to do the right things.
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6:54 - 6:59But a lot of times, that's the way we are treating the Lord.
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6:59 - 7:01"I didn't do this, I didn't do this..."
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7:01 - 7:08He's looking at something a lot bigger than that. (P)
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7:10 - 7:14Now which of these things do you think will most convict of sin:
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7:14 - 7:19the Law of Moses or the law of Christ?
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7:19 - 7:23Here's an example - what I just read.
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7:23 - 7:24I mean, it's convicting.
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7:24 - 7:26I remember when I was a college student,
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7:26 - 7:33I was staying with a family that was full of the Spirit of God.
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7:33 - 7:38And there were always a lot of people coming there for meals,
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7:38 - 7:41and the kitchen was just a beehive of activity -
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7:41 - 7:43women fixing stuff and what have you.
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7:43 - 7:47And one of the kids came in, right in the middle of all that,
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7:47 - 7:51and had to get a glass of milk out of the refrigerator.
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7:51 - 7:54You know, it's like he was already an annoyance.
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7:54 - 8:00And then he opens the door up,
and breaks the glass of milk all over the floor, -
8:00 - 8:05right while they're preparing this big meal.
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8:05 - 8:07And his mother turned around like this,
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8:07 - 8:12she said, "Oh, Steven, I love you."
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8:12 - 8:15She took his face in her hand.
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8:15 - 8:18That did more to convict a self-centered college student.
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8:18 - 8:21I mean, we were talking last night about college students.
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8:21 - 8:25They'll come through your door, and they'll say, "Feed me, I'm yours.
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8:25 - 8:29What can you do to serve me?" [Laughter].
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8:29 - 8:36But to see that, you see, that's much more than the "thou shalt nots".
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8:36 - 8:38It's convicting. (P)
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8:38 - 8:42Watchman Nee tells a story, there was a Christian there in China
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8:42 - 8:46where they had these fields that they would paddle full of water - rice fields -
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8:46 - 8:50they would paddle them full of water using a bicycle-like contraption
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8:50 - 8:53that has a water wheel on it.
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8:53 - 8:59And this man paddled and paddled, filled his field full of water.
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8:59 - 9:01And the neighbor came in the night and opened the gate,
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9:01 - 9:06and let the water out, and it ran down to the neighbor's field.
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9:06 - 9:09So the Christian came the next day, he saw that;
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9:09 - 9:16he closed the gate, didn't say anything, filled his field up again.
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9:16 - 9:19Next night, same thing happened.
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9:19 - 9:22And it was time for prayer meeting, he came in and said,
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9:22 - 9:24"I haven't done anything against my neighbor,
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9:24 - 9:27I haven't said anything hurtful to him or anything.
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9:27 - 9:34But somehow I feel like this is just not measuring up to Christ."
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9:34 - 9:36And they prayed about it.
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9:36 - 9:40The next day he opened the gate and filled his neighbor's field first,
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9:40 - 9:42then closed the gate and filled his field.
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9:42 - 9:47The neighbor came to him, and he eventually became a Christian.
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9:47 - 9:53He said, "What, What, What is this?"
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9:53 - 9:56It's the law of Christ! (P)
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9:56 - 10:01When Jesus said, "If they compel you to go one mile, go with them two,"
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10:01 - 10:07you know, the Romans had the right to compel you
to carry their burden for one mile. -
10:07 - 10:09So they yell at you and call you over there,
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10:09 - 10:10you think, "Well, I'm doing pretty well.
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10:10 - 10:14I'm not complaining, I'm not really angry, I didn't curse the guy,
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10:14 - 10:17I'm not thinking bad things about him."
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10:17 - 10:20None of that measures up, does it?
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10:20 - 10:23So Jesus said, Go the second mile.
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10:23 - 10:28It's during that second mile the guy is wondering,
"What is different about this person?" -
10:28 - 10:34I mean, he starts talking to you,
and you have the opportunity to witness to him. -
10:34 - 10:36It all sounds so good, doesn't it brethren,
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10:36 - 10:45until you're carrying that burden the first half a mile [Laughter].
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10:45 - 10:49It's a lot easier to preach about it than it is to do it,
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10:49 - 10:56because in reality it's sweaty and it's heavy, and your back is hurting.
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10:56 - 11:01It's the same way with our spouses.
It's the same way with our children. -
11:01 - 11:05It's the same way in the body of Christ.
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11:05 - 11:08There's nothing more costly than that.
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11:08 - 11:13It's costly.
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11:13 - 11:20But that's where it is. That's what we're talking about. (P)
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11:21 - 11:26Another question comes up, How can you tell what real love is?
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11:26 - 11:30Two college students living in sin,
they say, "Well, we love one another." -
11:30 - 11:37Jack Kevorkian, he loves his people so much he helps them commit suicide.
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11:37 - 11:42Love is claimed to support abortion.
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11:42 - 11:47So it sounds like Jesus left us a pretty flexible, mushy-type standard, doesn't it?
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11:47 - 11:50But what did He say? He didn't say, "Love one another, "
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11:50 - 11:53He said, "Love one another as I have loved you."
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11:53 - 11:58In other words, all of His teaching, His holiness, His perfection, His life,
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11:58 - 12:03everything about Him, His manner, all that, that's the standard.
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12:03 - 12:05And that takes care of the problem.
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12:05 - 12:09The conduct and life and person of the Lord Jesus Himself
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12:09 - 12:13is the rule and duty of the Christian.
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12:13 - 12:16We're called upon to be just as holy as He was.
- Title:
- "Who Kissed Me?" - The Law of Christ in Action - Charles Leiter
- Description:
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This reality of the law of Christ is well illustrated by an account from the life of Evangeline Booth... as one who ministered often to the dregs of society, she found herself one morning outside the large iron gates of a local police court and temporary prison. Waiting for the gates to open, she heard the shuffling of heavy feet and loud, agitated voices. In her own words...
MP3: http://illbehonest.com/kissed-law-christ-action
Series: http://illbehonest.com/series/the-law-of-christ
- Video Language:
- English
- Duration:
- 12:22
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Michael Okiei edited English subtitles for "Who Kissed Me?" - The Law of Christ in Action - Charles Leiter |