True Blessedness

Gospel of Luke  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented
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Opening Illustration

Beloved, I would like you to pay attention to the following titles that I am about to say...
Now, as I am stating them, I want you to picture the person that first comes to mind regarding these titles:
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The Mediator for the Whole World...
The Gate of Salvation...
The Sustainer of our Life...
The Acceptable Sacrifice...
The One Perfect in Soul...
The Protector of our Life...
The Salvation of the World...
The Source of Life...
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Who comes to mind?
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If you are thinking Jesus...
I completely understand...
As titles like these should only be said of God...
But, these are the titles that both Catholics and Orthodox use to describe Mary, Jesus’ mother.
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Now, their claim is that they are just honoring Jesus by honoring His mother...
Yet, the Word of God reveals to us that this excessive praise and veneration of Mary is wholly unbiblical...
You see Beloved, we as believers are not to focus on who was related to Jesus by blood...
We are instructed to have completely different priorities.
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So, please turn your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.
We will conduct our study in Chapter 11 and focus on verses 27 through 28.
Our message this morning is titled, True Blessedness
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As you are turning to our passage...
Keep this in mind...
The message today will focus on a key conversation between Jesus and a women who had good intentions...
But needed her zeal redirected by Jesus.
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So, this morning we will cover three main points:
1) The Setting
2) The Woman’s Blessing
And...
3) The True Blessing

Opening Prayer

Before we consider our text, please join me in prayer...
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Heavenly Father...
You are like no other...
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We pray for greater understanding of the Scriptures...
Help us to see Your truth...
And help us to apply that truth to our lives on a daily basis.
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Give us wisdom and discernment to identify false teaching...
And help us to run away from anything that contradicts Your truth.
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Thank You for having mercy on us...
Thank You for having mercy on our nation...
We deserve Your judgement and You gave us more time...
May we as a country take advantage of this opportunity and turn back to You.
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And it is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
Amen.
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Let’s turn to our text for today:

Reading of the Text​

Luke 11:27–28 ESV
27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
So, let’s look at our first point...

1) The Setting

Verse 27(a): As he said these things,
The phrase “these things” that Jesus was saying in this scene is the section of Scripture we covered last week...
As a reminder of that passage...
Look with me at Luke 11:24-26 which says:
Luke 11:24–26 ESV
24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”
Last week we talked about the danger of only seeking a moral reformation...
The kind where you only try to clean up your act for a bit but never surrender to Jesus as Lord...
That kind of moralism can’t save...
And even if one experienced God’s mercy in the past...
If they refuse to humble themselves and follow the Lord...
Then they are in danger of experiencing a worse condition than when they first attempted to reform their life...
For one can not be neutral when it comes to the Lord...
We are either with Jesus or we are with Satan...
If we are with Satan then our attempt at moral reformation will fail...
But if we are a brand new creation...
If we are born-again...
Then the salvation we experience with as a byproduct lead to true and genuine moral reformation.
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Now, as Jesus is sharing this important teaching...
He is all of a sudden interrupted.
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You see Beloved, it was most likely from amazement of Jesus’ teaching that a woman in the crowd’s response swells to one of exuberance...
And this led to her making a pronouncement of blessing...
And this takes us to our second point.

2) The Woman’s Blessing

Verse 27(b): A woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”
Now, this is a blessing that the woman gives Jesus by mentioning that His mother is blessed...
For the phrase “the womb” is an idiomatic expression for “mother.”
So, the woman’s words could be accurately translated as “Blessed is the mother that bore you.”
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Furthermore, the original sense of the woman’s blessing seems to have been this...
“Women are blessed by being mothers of great sons.”
So, in an attempt to show the greatness of Jesus...
The woman speaks highly of His mother, Mary.
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Now, the woman is right...
Mary truly is considered blessed...
And this is not the first time we see someone else call Mary blessed.
Just look with me at Luke 1:39-48 which says:
Luke 1:39–48 ESV
39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
Now, the phrase, “Blessed are you among women” is a Semitic way of saying “most blessed.”
Since according to contemporary Jewish ideas, a woman’s greatness was measured by the greatness of the children that she bore. Mary was called most blessed due to who Jesus is.
So, this blessing is not to be interpreted as a call to praise or bless Mary but as an affirmation that Mary stood in a state of blessedness.
The focus is Jesus.
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Likewise, pastor John MacArthur says this about Elizabeth calling Mary the “Mother of my Lord”:
“This expression is not in praise of Mary, but in praise of the Child whom she bore.
It was a profound expression of Elizabeth’s confidence that Mary’s Child would be the long-hoped-for Messiah—the one whom even David called “Lord”.
Elizabeth’s grasp of the situation was extraordinary, considering the aura of mystery that overshadowed all these events.
She greeted Mary not with skepticism but with joy.
She understood the response of the child in her own womb.
And she seemed to comprehend the immense importance of the Child whom Mary was carrying.
All of this must be attributed to the illuminating work of the Spirit.”
So, again we see that this indicates that the focus in this account is upon Mary’s Child more than Mary herself.
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Next, when Elizabeth says, “Blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
She is talking about Jesus Christ.
As Psalm 127:3 says:
Psalm 127:3 ESV
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
Well, how much more of a blessing can one have than for Jesus to be the fruit of one’s womb like in Mary’s case?
So, Jesus is the focus of our worship and veneration.
Not anyone else.
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This truth was even witnesses by the way Jesus responds when He hears that His mother and His brother have come to see Him...
Look at what it says in Luke 8:19-21:
Luke 8:19–21 ESV
19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see you.” 21 But he answered them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.”
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So, Scripture records a constant theme from Genesis to Revelation...
The Old Testament points to the first coming of Jesus and His earthly ministry...
The Gospel accounts document that arrival and ministry of Jesus...
Acts and the Epistles explains the theology we take away fro Jesus’ teaching during His ministry...
And Revelation points to the future return of Jesus and final judgment of the whole world by Jesus.
All of Scripture focuses on Jesus!
However, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church miss this completely...
Due to their man-made traditions...
Due to their invented doctrines...
They take the attention away from Jesus and venerate Mary in an unhealthy manner.
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Consider just a handful of examples of their teachings...
Like how the Catholic Church teaches that Mary is the Co-Mediatrix...
That is, along with Jesus she is the mediator of all graces.
To them, she is the channel of all graces. 
For example they say:
“Mary is the mother of all graces.
Mary is the source of all mercies.
No grace is conferred on anyone without her mediation, and intercession, and cooperation.
All graces come to us through Mary’s hands.
Mary is the direct intercessor with Christ who receives from Christ all graces and dispenses them to us, and therefore our prayers should be directed at Mary.”
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In fact, Pope John Paul II once said:
“Mary participates in our redemption.”
This is problematic, Beloved...
Although it is not a total surprise for when Pope John Paul II was shot...
His heart was revealed...
Do you remember what he kept crying out?
Do you remember who he cried out to?
He said over and over again:
“Mary, save me. Mary, save me. Mary, save me.”
In his time of great need...
He did not cry our to Jesus...
He cried out to Mary.
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In The Glories of Mary which is a classic book in the field of Roman Catholic Mariology, it says:
“At the command of Mary all obey, even God.” 
This is pure blasphemy against God!
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The Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos...
Which is considered an infallible hymn by the Orthodox Church...
Calls Mary the “propitiation of the whole world.”
“Restoration of men.”
And the “Forgiveness for many who have stumbled.”
It says that she “taketh away the filth of sin.”
And that she is the “salvation of my soul.”
Simply put, this is complete blasphemy.
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In The Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple
We find a hymn that is about Mary as a 3-year-old going to live in the Holy of Holies for a number of years which is clearly a violation of God’s law as it says in Leviticus 16 that the only person allowed in the Holy of Holies is the High Priest and he is only allowed once a year on the Day of Atonement.
Ignoring for a moment the blasphemy with this claim…
We see that the words of this hymn are even more blasphemous.
As it says she is the “acceptable sacrifice.”
And the “the ewe-lamb of God without spot, the dove without blemish.”
She possessed “a body that was never subject to the taint of sin.”
And they sing, “Through thee we are reconciled with God.”
Again, not a single prophet, apostle, or our Lord Himself ever made these outlandish claims and we have no reason to engage in this idolatrous behavior.
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In The Mother of the Light prayer book…
The second prayer says to Mary:
“Heal my miserable soul [because] I do not dare ask, nor do I have anyone to entreat on my behalf, the loving God to heal my many sins and incurable wounds.”
Another prayer says:
“I have no other hope or refuge apart from you, for you are my consolation...You are the joy of my soul, my liberation from captivity, the deification of mortals, our propitiation and refuge, the resurrection of those who have fallen, the ransom of my sins…the covering of my nakedness.”
One is even said to be “being saved by your [Mary’s] grace.”
And “O Virgin Lady Theotokos, you are the salvation of all Christians.”
“Grant me forgiveness of sins.”
They even make her Godlike by saying, “You have the ability to bring about whatever you wish.”
And “You can do all things, and are able to bring about whatever you wish, in heaven or on earth, merely by the power of your will.”
In some of the prayers collected one will come across statements like she is the “Mediator for the whole world.”
And that she is the “salvation for mortals.”
She is called the “redemption of sinners.”
Mary is even presented as the better alternative than going to Jesus for prayer with highly unacceptable statements like, “I do not dare to draw near with boldness to your Son, but instead I pray to you that I might obtain salvation through your intercession to Him.”
And “Apart from you I have no other helper or defense.”
These are just a few of the myriad of examples in this prayer book that is highly regarded as having faithful prayers to Mary from the ninth century.
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It is not just hymns and prayer books...
Prominent Orthodox saints of the church like Gregory Palamas says this shocking statement regarding Mary:
“She alone forms the boundary between created and uncreated nature, and no one can come to God except through her and the mediator born of her, and none of God’s gifts can be bestowed on angels or men except through her.”
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However, this is not the way at all!
This is not what we take away from Scripture when we study it...
And this is not the message we get from Jesus when He responds to the woman who praises His mother...
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So, let’s look at Jesus has to say...
And this takes us to our third and final point.

3) The True Blessing

Verse 28: But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
First and foremost...
Jesus’ statement must not be taken as reflecting unfavorably on Mary...
For the phrase “But he said” or as other translations render “On the contrary” has the sense of, “Yes, but rather … .”
So, we are not to respond to the inappropriate veneration...
And to be honest...
Worship and idolatry of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches...
By tearing down the character of Mary...
That is wrong too.
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What we are to do is follow the standards of faith as laid of for us by God in the Scriptures...
So, while not denying the blessedness of Mary, Christ did not countenance any tendency to elevate Mary as an object of veneration.
Mary’s relationship to Him as His physical mother did not confer on her any greater honor than the blessedness of those who hear and obey the word of God.
In other words, Jesus is saying that hearing and obeying God’s Word is far more important than Mary’s biological connection to Him.
Spiritual relationship to Him is of much greater importance than natural relationship.
So, True blessedness, according to Jesus, is found in obedience to God’s Word.
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Mary was a sinner like us...
And she needed a Savior like us too...
And like the heroes of the faith found throughout Scripture and through church history...
Mary was a devoted woman of God...
And she was blessed...
But her greatest blessing was not as the mother of Christ but as a follower of Jesus!
Her greatest blessing was not her blood relationship to Christ but as a hearer and doer of the Word of God!
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Look with me at the very first psalm and the first few verses in Psalm 1:1–2:
Psalm 1:1–2 ESV
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
We are called by God to meditate on His Word day and night...
We are called to seek our counsel for Scripture...
We are called to stand on the truth as laid out in the Bible...
We are called to be blessed by the Word of God and we should not be seeking any other source of faith to stand on.
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I love how the psalmist puts it in Psalm 119:9–11:
Psalm 119:9–11 ESV
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Beloved, how are we to keep our way pure?
What are we to store up in our hearts?
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The Word of God!
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God’s Word keeps us on the path of purity...
God’s Word when it lives in our hearts helps us not to sin against God.
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You see Beloved, it is not just knowing the Word of God that is important...
In addition to knowing God’s Word, we need to be obeying what God’s Word says!
For if we only know what the Word of God says and do nothing to follow it...
Then we deceive ourselves...
As James 1:22-25 says:
James 1:22–25 ESV
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
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Obedience to God’s commands is not what saves us...
But obedience to God’s commands are a reflection of our heart...
That is why a genuine born-again believer is both a hearer of God’s Word and a doer of God’s Word.
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In fact, our level of obedience to God’s Word acts as a gauge of our love for God...
We can’t just give God lip service...
We have to back up the things we say and believe in our hearts with our actions...
As John 14:21 says:
John 14:21 ESV
21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
Likewise, God has made it clear that those who are considered righteous in His eyes are the ones who are obedient to the commands given in the Scriptures...
That makes since since the Holy Spirit that lives inside every born-again believer will lead that person to a righteous life...
That is why there is no such thing as a carnal Christian...
There is no such thing as a Christian who lives in habitual sin...
There is no such thing as a Christian who lives a wicked life.
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We as followers of the Lamb are called born-again for a reason...
We as followers of the Way are called a brand new creation for a reason...
And that reason is that we are no longer like we where before we where saved...
As Romans 2:13 says:
Romans 2:13 ESV
13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
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Beloved, everyone in this world has two options...
You can build a life on the Word of God...
Or you can build your life on a deck of cards.
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You can build a life on the commands found in Scripture...
Or you can build your life on the wisdom and traditions of men.
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As we witnessed...
Many in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches build a faith on their man-made traditions...
They build a faith on a Mary who has ben elevated to godhood status...
But that is unwise...
For they are building a life on sand...
As Matthew 7:24–27 says:
Matthew 7:24–27 ESV
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
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So, build a life on God’s Word...
Build your faith on the Bible...
And put that truth not just in your mind...
But put it on your heart...
For anyone who claims to have saving faith while producing no good works is deceived...
For a faith without works is dead!
As James 2:14–26 says:
James 2:14–26 ESV
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Closing Illustration

So, as this message comes to a close...
I would like you to consider this:
Billy Graham was once asked,
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“If you had to live your life over again, what would you do differently?”
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He answered:
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“One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough, I wish I had studied more and preached less.
People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should have been studying and preparing.”
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Donald Grey Barnhouse said that if he knew the Lord was coming in three years, he would spend two of them studying and one preaching.
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The church needs more men like John Wesley, the powerful eighteenth-century preacher who cried out,
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“O give me that Book! At any price, give me the book of God!”
Beloved, before you can put the Word of God in your heart...
You do need to put in in your mind...
So, don’t skip this crucial step in the process...
For Scripture is literally our guide to everything that is good in this life and the next life...
As 2 Timothy 3:16–17 says:
2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray...
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Heavenly Father...
If anyone hearing this message right now does not know You in a saving way...
Open their eyes to see the truth found in Your Word...
Show them they need to build their life and faith on Your truth and Your commands...
Save then!
Please Lord!
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I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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For those hearing this message who already know You...
Remind us of the importance of regular study of Your Word...
Show us how crucial it truly is to their walk with You...
For without Your Word we would be lost...
So, equip us and strengthen us to be both hearers and doers of Your Word!
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Again, I appeal to Your Name’s sake!
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It is in Jesus’s name we pray all these things...
To God be all the glory.
Amen.
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