📃16 February 2025 Yeshua HaMashiach Worship Tabernacle Hands of Compassion (YHWTHOC) Sunday Message: Serving God in Spirit and Truth: Part 2 - The Challenge of Authentic Living _Introduction_ Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Last week, we explored the call to serve God in spirit and truth. We saw that Jesus is calling us to a deeper level of worship, one that is not just external, but internal. He's calling us to a relationship with God that is genuine, sincere, and true. But serving God in spirit and truth is not easy. It requires us to be honest with ourselves and with God. It requires us to confront our sins and our weaknesses. It requires us to surrender our pride and our ego. _The Challenge of Authentic Living_ In Matthew 23:27-28, Jesus says, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Here, Jesus is confronting the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He's saying that they're more concerned with their outward appearance than with their inward heart. They're more concerned with looking good to others than with being genuine and sincere before God. But Jesus' words are not just for the Pharisees. They're for us as well. They're a challenge to us to examine our own hearts and lives. Are we living authentically before God? Are we being honest with ourselves and with others? _The Importance of Self-Reflection_ In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!" Here, Paul is emphasizing the importance of self-reflection. He's saying that we need to examine our own hearts and lives to see if we're truly living for God. We need to test ourselves to see if we're genuinely seeking God with our hearts. _Conclusion_ Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Serving God in spirit and truth is not easy. It requires us to be honest with ourselves and with God. It requires us to confront our sins and our weaknesses. It requires us to surrender our pride and our ego. But it's worth it. When we serve God in spirit and truth, we experience the joy and the freedom that comes from a genuine relationship with Him. Let us seek to serve God in spirit and truth, and let us experience the blessings that come from a life of authenticity and sincerity. May God bless you and guide you as you seek to serve Him in spirit and truth. May God's blessings, peace, and love be upon you! May you continue to stand strong on God's word, no matter the challenges or obstacles you face. Final Blessing May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 Go in peace, dear brothers and sisters, and may God's divine qualities be your guiding light on your journey. 💥♨️YHWTHOC✊🔥