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<v SPEAKER_00>Good morning everyone.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Today I'll be taking communion and I'm reading from Psalm 25, verse 14, and I'll just read it in a couple of translations.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The Lord is a friend to those who fear him, and he teaches them his covenant.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And it's called the friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him and he makes known to them his covenant.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The Lord confides in those who fear him and he makes his covenant known to them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I like this from the message.

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<v SPEAKER_00>God friendship is for God worshippers.

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<v SPEAKER_00>They are the ones he confides in.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the fear of the Lord is not terror or being afraid of God, but a deep reverence and respect for God's power, his holiness and authority.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So it involves worship and obedience, integrity, and it's often linked to wisdom, blessing, and divine favor.

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<v SPEAKER_00>There's many scriptures in the Bible about the fear of the Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Proverbs 1 7 says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

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<v SPEAKER_00>One I read last night was Psalm 34.7.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And that means guards and surrounds them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>He doesn't just come and go, but he actually encamps and encompasses them.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Joy Dawson wrote a book in the 80s called Intimate Friendship with God through understanding the fear of the Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And she said, God longs to manifest himself in far greater ways to his people.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But God does not reward casual inquirers, only diligent seekers.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So how much we experience or how close we come to God is really up to us.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So God has no favorites, and it's really how much we desire to know God and spend time in his company and to get to know him will determine the level of closeness that we come, we have with him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>James 4 6 says, Come close to God and He will come close to you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Malachi 3 7 says, Return to me and I will return to you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So God is always inviting us as his people to come close and have a more intimate relationship with him, one where he can share the secrets of his heart.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Jesus said to his disciples in John 15 15, I no longer call you servants, but friends, for a servant does not know what the master is doing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And another thing, another version, no longer do I call you servants, for the servants do not know what his master is doing.

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<v SPEAKER_00>But I've called you friends, for all that I have heard from my father I have made known unto you.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Psalm 103 talks about Moses and the children of Israel and the difference in their relationship with God.

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<v SPEAKER_00>It says the children of Israel knew his acts, but God made way his made known his ways unto Moses.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the children of Israel knew God through what he did and his acts, but Moses knew his heart and his character.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So the Bible is full of a long list of people who honored God, who feared the Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Abraham was called a friend of God.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Noah, Moses, David, Job, Daniel, and many, many more.

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<v SPEAKER_00>The second part of Psalm 25, 14 says he will teach them his covenant.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So God will reveal intimate and confidential and deep spiritual truths about his purposes, love, and plans for those who truly revere and trust and love him.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And we also in turn become people he can entrust those secrets with.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So as we take communion today, I think about the thought of becoming a friend of God through the fear of the Lord.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I know I want to be a friend of God and I want to be someone he can trust.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I know I am a work in progress just like we all are.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I know every day there's opportunities for me to learn and grow and things for me to overcome.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I need to be reminded daily also that he is God and I am not.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So I need to align my will, my thoughts, and my heart with his kingdom purposes in every situation.

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<v SPEAKER_00>So if you'd like to just take communion and spend a few minutes just in your own heart before the Lord, about fearing the Lord in a godly way that brings us closer to his heart.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Thank you.