2 Thess 2:15-17 So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 
	We have been dealing with the seriousness with which we are to consider our fellowship with God in Christ Jesus. We have looked at the Old Testament to ascertain just how much God has invested His Holiness into the lives of His people and His expectations for their consideration of Him. We have seen the fullness of Christ expounded within the New Testament and the value that God, The Father, places on the sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son. We have considered the manner in which we, the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, are to live forth the holiness of Christ unto this world. The very expression of Holiness, Jesus Christ, now indwells us through the Word and the Spirit of God.
	This morning, let us tie these reflections together in praising God for the power that He has instilled within us, His Church, His People, His Beloved. It is the effective and omnipotent power of Christ as our very lives on this earth. In Him, we no longer look at the idea that we should do this or that we must do that. No, in Christ we are His living glory. In Him, we are holy as He is holy! With our eyes set on Him, Alone, we are His living testimony, His breathe of praise on this earth. 
God, Himself, declares our position through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ in Eph 2:11-22, Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. 
	This is not a new passage to us; we have read it together numerous times. What is it saying to us? First, it is filled with the peace of God Who reconciled us unto Himself through the blood of Jesus Christ. Second, the foundation of our lives is built upon the cornerstone of Jesus Christ. And third, that fact makes us the dwelling place of God since He lives in us through His Holy Spirit. 
All of this is in place now. We are already His dwelling place, filled with His Holy Spirit. This passage compels us to consider all that God has done for us, and the inherent value that God has invested into us. We sometimes overlook this; sometimes conveniently overlook it as we try to make God fit into our ideas of what our lives represent on this earth. We are so good at putting God within a box of our human understanding. We are so good at making Him fit within the scope of our ideology and dogmas, and all the while, we have so very little true knowledge of what Christ in you, the hope of Glory, really means. 
	Now, let’s consider the fact that we are the dwelling place of God. Whether we choose to admit it or not, some of us have taken the beauty of God, and put it into the slums and tenements of the cravings of this age. We have taken the holiness of God and dragged it through the muck and mire of our lives on this earth. Now please do not misunderstand. God will not allow Himself to be compromised. While we wallow in the depths of the despair and anguish of lives that are lived unto the gods of this age, He is insulated in the holiness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Even while we frequent the dives of despair and offer sacrifices to the gods of self, God will have no part in it. Have we ever really analyzed what we encounter and experience as we try to find some value in the filth of this age. We never seem to find the same enjoyment, the same release, the same fulfillment in our sin, as we seem to see in other people. They can be so deliberate in their sinful actions and delight in their pagan rituals. Yet, we do the same things and only find a deepening void and lack of fulfillment in our participation. That is because God will not permit us to find satisfaction in anything other than Christ. He hallows that place of dwelling within us, and shelters it in the purity and the love and the holiness with which He created it, in Christ Jesus. 
	The writer to the Hebrews shows us the reason and the means by which we are not permitted to besmirch or befoul the work that has been so perfectly accomplished in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Heb 12:1-6, Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." 
Jesus Christ, Himself, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is the One by Whom God’s divine grace works. He eliminates those things which serve only to distract us from and deaden our relationship with God. We are permitted to go only so far in our selfishness, and then the very Lord God Almighty will put a stop to our self-seeking. He will work effectively to bring our desires to an end, and establish the single and urgent yearning for Christ to be glorified. He shows us Himself, in all His beauty of holiness and righteousness and draws us lovingly into the life that He is in us. He shows us Christ in us, the hope of moving from one glory to the next.
	Yes, we face the discipline and the correction and the instruction and the trials and the tribulations and the harvesting of the seeds of destruction that we have sown. As we have read frequently, what you sow, you reap is eternally true. But all those elements are used by God to bring death to that which we once desired and considered worthy of our time and energy. He elevates our eyes to the joy and the peace and the beauty of Jesus Christ, our true value of life. God will only permit us to go so far before He puts to death all that is not Christ in us, His dwelling place on this earth. As His focus is Christ, He makes our focus to be Christ.
	  The Apostle Paul brings this truth to the forefront in 1 Cor 15:56-58, The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. In Christ, we have the victory. We have dealt rather forcefully with those elements of this world which serve only to distract and pull us away from the full blessing of God that is ours in Christ Jesus. Those are these stings of death which try to draw our hearts away from the victory of Christ. They try to place us again and again under the bondage of sin and despair. If we allow them to have that sway in our lives, they will pull us just far enough away from our source of life that we begin to despair, that we begin to worry, that we begin to doubt the victory that is already in place in Jesus Christ. We find ourselves on the periphery of our relationship with God, in an area where we find satisfaction in Him some or even most of the time, but also find our distraction in the ways of this age. 
	Mind you, it can never remove us from the hand of God. It can never take away our salvation or our occasional blessings in God. It can, however, rob us of the fullness of God’s blessing opened totally in Christ. We will get our glimpses. We will taste tidbits, but we will never live and feast completely in the goodness of God’s wealth of provision laid before those to whom Christ is everything, the all and all of our heart’s desire. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote the following to the church of Galatia, Gal 5:1, It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. 
It is we, ourselves, who allow our hearts to be bound to the slavery of this realm. It is we, ourselves, who permit our souls to be distracted and swayed and pulled from the place of intimacy with God. It is we, ourselves, who focus our eyes on the attractions and the lusts of this age. And, it is we, ourselves, who must recognize that it is only Christ, by Whom we are enabled to face and to withstand these vicious elements of deceit and seduction. 
In Christ, we have all that fulfills our heart’s desire. In this world, we have nothing. In Christ, we have everything. Yes, it is that basic, that black and white. It is that absolute. Our life is Christ in all His truth and righteousness and holiness in the complete blessing of God.   
	As we are told in Phil 1:27+28, Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents — which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God…    ….Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ… standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel…. 
These are the keys of our relationship in Christ. How do we use these keys? We conduct ourselves in the ways Christ guides us. We are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We live in line with the Word of God. We seek always to please Him in everything. Our conduct stands firm in our conviction of the love and the truth and the beauty and the righteousness of Christ. We are as one in our dealings with each other. We always look for every opportunity in which we can be of service, of encouragement, of strength, of prayerful striving after that which brings us into greater oneness in Christ. This is not due to our individual effort and abilities; it is due fully to the power and the strength of the Lord God Almighty. As Paul writes in Phil 4:13, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 
	It is in Christ that we find the ability to wage the spiritual warfare that will deny this age any in road, any influence, any grip on us. The strangle hold of alcohol, drugs, wantonness, pornography, idolatry, lust, money, power, and influence has been broken in Jesus Christ. He is our power to stand firmly planted, of one spirit, against all that seeks to corrupt and to destroy. Each time we face the challenge to His victorious life, it is the power of the Holy Spirit Who gives us the strength, the endurance, the ability, and the desire to go His way. It is the power of the Holy Spirit, in the life of Christ, Who victoriously is our means and gives us the yearning to live in that full blessing of Christ Jesus. The key is that we desire Christ over all else. 
So many of us have deluded ourselves with the idea that we just can’t overcome the addiction that we savor in this realm. If it is up to us, we give in, we succumb, we relish that enslavement because we look at it as something that we can do to express our independence from God. Thank God that He does not leave it up to us! As He causes all things to work together for good in our lives, He shows us the Omnipotence of His victory. He is the Omniscience of our decision. And in His Omnipresence, He is our strength, our endurance, and provides all the encouragement to live to the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
	So often, we have been encouraged to ask God to work His way in our lives, no matter what the road, no matter what the cost. Are we truly willing for that to take place within us? Do we see God’s glorious victory in everything? Does each day bloom forth in the love of Jesus Christ, no matter how that day progresses on this earth? Is it our heart to serve God fully, in every word, action, thought, and deed? If so, He will provide every opportunity to do so. He will lead us on that road paved in Christ’s glory. 
	As the Apostle Peter writes, 2 Peter 3:17+18, You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. 
We have a choice. We can ask the Lord to make us steadfast in Christ, obedient to His Word and the Holy Spirit, or we can succumb to the flattering lie of our self worth. We can vainly seek after our glory at the expense of Christ’s glory in our lives, or we can live in His great and glorious victory over all the powers of this age today. We can watch, helplessly as our self-glory washes away, like sand castles in the waves of the ocean, or we can be a vital part of the establishment of Christ’s glory over all. He will be glorified, no matter what. Where do we want to be as that takes place? Do we want to be at His side, basking in the glow of His power and glory and strength and beauty? Or, will we be spectators, watching from the sidelines, as He receives that glory? That is the seriousness of this relationship. That is the true course of this life that we live on this earth. Let us pray that we, being built together into unity by the Holy Spirit, fulfill the gloriousness of the Love of God in Jesus Christ Our Lord, Our Savior, Our Everything. 
So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.

Guests
Announcements:    No Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting (night 
			Before Thanksgiving)
			Women’s Meeting?
			Young People’s Meetings
			Tuesday, Dupar’s 6 AM
			Men’s Meeting in two Monday, Dec. 3

Other announcements?  1. Any changes for the Address book – phone
numbers, cell phone numbers, email addresses? Calendar changes?  IN WRITING
2. Friday, Nov 30 – Lompoc Thanksgiving/Christmas celebration (number of attendees?)  Franceska needs a ride.
3. Materials for one or two Fijian villages needing school supplies, t-shirts and light clothing, crayons, finger paints, coloring books need to be here the Sunday after Thanksgiving, 25th, for shipment at the end of November. Need two suitcase, will hold 50# each and may or may not be returned.

Birthdays:		Today – Matt Thomas
			Wednesday – Cornelius Van
					
Anniversaries:	None 
Laura and I, Mom, and the entire Enke family desire and pray that each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving, basking in the fruit of God’s plentiful harvest of love. Enjoy your families. Seek to be the catalyst for peace, where there has been no peace. Ask the Lord to go before You and stand resolute in His victory with those hearts that simply love as He has so loved us. May the Lord be glorified in all our gatherings. Amen.
	Our benediction this morning is 1 Peter 5:8-11 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.