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1 Peter 3:8-12
For a Sunday night crowd. I'm gonna ask you to turn in your Bibles to 1st Peter chapter 3. 1st Peter chapter 3. Did we get lost in Psalm 119? Well, we're gonna come back to Psalm 119, but I had this on my heart this week.
And I thought that he would be a fitting occasion to preach. You know growing when my kids were well, my kids are still growing up, but when my older boys were younger They used to sit in the living room and and play church and I've seen it with Jacob's kids, too.
Maybe it's just something about preachers kids but you know. You've got one that Stands up on the table and says he's gonna preach and he preaches and then you got the other ones That are saying amen are running around crazy or whatever the case may be but it's really cute when your kids play church.
It's not so cute when adults Play church and that's what I want to look at tonight. The title of tonight's sermon is how to play church. Let me just go ahead and warn us up front. You don't want to do that.
Right 1st Peter chapter 3 beginning in verse 8, would you stand with me as we honor the reading of God's Word? Peter says finally all of you have unity of mind sympathy brotherly. Love a tender heart and a humble mind do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling.
But on the contrary bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing for whoever desires to love life and see good days. Let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.
Let's pray father help us to be a church that doesn't want to play games. Help us to be a church that's committed to your truth. Walking in fellowship with one another loving the gospel loving the scriptures.
Help us to be the church that Christ bled for. We believe in this place that Christ is worthy of a healthy church. And so let each individual member take up the responsibility of striving toward such a lofty goal.
We pray that you would open up hearts to hear tonight we know there are some unconverted in this room whether they be children or whether they be teenagers whether they perhaps a An adult and we pray that the gospel is clear and that repentance would be had even this night.
We pray it All in Jesus name. Amen. You may be seated. I like Peter.
Because.
Monty's gonna appreciate this. He says in verse 8. Finally Peter didn't have to deal with the microphone, by the way. Okay, now he says finally but it's only in first Peter chapter 3, right. He's still got a couple more chapters To go but actually what he's doing is when he says finally, he's not concluding the letter.
He's in first Peter chapter 3 verse 8. He's concluding a section. This section really began in chapter 2 verse 11 and I would just describe this section to you for sake of brevity as holiness shows holiness in believers reveals itself in With those outside the church and to those inside the church.
So here in the passage, I just read this is the conclusion of the section. I everybody look in your Bibles and look at verse 8 and consider there. What Peter says finally all of you. Now, what does he mean when he says all of you?
Who is that? Too. Well, it's to all Church members. You can just look a little bit even in the headings of your sections you have Submission to authority. You have wives and husbands you have all these different areas of the church.
That's being addressed. But when you get to verse 8, he says he's not just talking about husbands. He's not just talking about wives. He's not just talking about servants now he's talking about all of you all Church members all Christians in verse 8 need to heed these verses.
These are church life. Instructions and by church life. I don't mean Sunday mornings. I mean life as a New Testament local church all of you. That is all the church, by the way. Another caveat here. This is why church membership matters so much.
Church membership is vital to a healthy church. Because as Peter pens this letter to these churches.
These.
Churches have an understanding of who belongs to the membership of the church. When Peter says all of you It's not just there's an understanding of of who the you is right. Those who have been born again and put their faith in Christ and followed the Lord and believers baptism and Publicly identified now as part of the local church under proper leadership.
These verses that we are examining They're not just meant to be understood for anyone is supposed to do them. It's church members.
Believers.
They are to live this way. Why they are to live this way that we're about to talk about because of the change That has been wrought in them by the power of the gospel. I remind you tonight of this simple Statement the do in the Christian life flows from the done of Christ in other words Christ work on the cross for sinners doesn't merely take us to heaven.
But it changes us it changes who we are now and when we are born again our desires our nature. Our affections are changed. Let me just illustrate it with one verse first Peter chapter 1. Go back to first Peter chapter 1 verse 3.
First Peter chapter 1 verse 3 blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ According to his great mercy. I love this by the way because It who is the cause of our regeneration? Is it you and God is it you alone or is it God alone?
It has to be one of those three. What's God? It's God alone. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ According to his great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
And so the gospel comes in to a person's soul and by the grace of the Holy Spirit. They are born again and this being born again is to a living hope whereby their affections their desires their Attitude all of these things they change and so six times in this section Peter exhorts believers to do good.
Do good. I'm gonna highlight them this section begins in chapter 2 verse 11. So go to verse 12 just chapter 2 verse 12 He says to the church keep your conduct among the among the Gentiles Honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Chapter 2 verse 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those Who do good again? It's mentioned in verse 15 for this is the will of God that by doing good You should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people or it's found again in verse 20 of chapter 2 for what credit?
Is it if when you sin and are beaten for it you endure but if when you do good and Suffer for it you endure. This is a gracious thing in the sight of God. It's found again in chapter 3 verse 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord and you are her children if you do good.
And do not fear anything that is frightening and then finally in verse 11 let him turn away from evil and do good. Believers, I'm trying to tell you tonight Believers are those who do good. This is going to be relevant to the end of the sermon.
Believers are those who do good and we do good. Because of what has been wrought in our heart. We have been born again. We are not playing church. We are the church. So you can't hear these or exhortations.
I'm going to give you tonight and say well, I've got to do good. So God will love me. No, the reality is The gospel in and of ourselves. We weren't good. But God is good and he loved us anyway. And he took care of our sin problem in the work of Christ by Christ's life by his substitutionary death on the cross by his Resurrection Jesus the good one was crucified in the place of bad ones.
That's what verse 18 of chapter 3 says look at that the gospel-laden verse for Christ also suffered once for sins the righteous for The unrighteous that he might bring us to God. Christ is the good one and he was given in place of the lawless and the unrighteous.
That's where we're resting and as a result of resting in that gospel. We live these truths out that I'm going to give you tonight now. You don't want to play church. Right like that's not our tagline our tagline is for what it's worth.
Christ is King and we painted it real big above my head in case you ever forget it, right? We don't want to be Providence Baptist Church. Where we piddle around right Providence Baptist Church where we play church.
That's not who we are. So we want to do the opposite of the six points that I'm going to give you we want to do good in God's sight. According to his word not play church. But but but if you want you hear all that and you want to play church.
Then listen to this number one if you want to play church, you need to have unity. That is superficial number one tonight if you want to sit there in that chair and play church. Have unity that is superficial verse 8 finally all of you have unity of mind.
Peter commands the church to have unity of mind. Unity and harmony in the church have always been an issue they have always been something that is Fragile. Well, how do I know that because the New Testament writers are always addressing Unity, so the solution for those who want to play church is just go have it superficially build unity around.
Something else and I've been in places before and so have you where everyone claims that they're unified. But they're not really unified around the right things. So they're unified around the heavenly highway hymnal.
They're unified around Western culture we're a cowboy church here or they're unified around wokeness or politics or Ethnicity or whatever the case may be and the point I'm making to you tonight is all of that unity is superficial.
The world can gather around those things. The world can be unified in things other and the world is unified in things other than Christ. You need to understand tonight that unity for the sake of unity is not necessarily a spiritual Fruit just because people are together, right?
Doesn't mean that it's because of Christ. So if you want to play church have unity that is superficial. What if you don't want to play church, then you need to have gospel unity. Peter says have unity of mind this unity of mind is a unity and harmony in Christ.
I'll just lay this out here pastor Jacob and myself. It is our desire. That's what we seek for the Lord to build here Christ centered unity now listen to me church. What do you want to be known for as?
A church I'm gonna tell you the answer Christ. We do not want to be known in this community as the young people Church. We don't want to be known in this community as the senior Saints Church or the hymn-singing Church or the church the Canadians go to or whatever.
Yeah, it's like whatever the case may be listen I don't even want to know let listen listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. I don't even want to be known Primarily as the reformed theology Church, you understand now all of these things we stand for God's sovereignty God's sovereign grace the doctrines of grace biblical values conservative Positions, but all of these things are serving a much higher end.
They're all serving.
Christ.
I.
Give you an example I've used this before but I think I think it's one of the best analogies I've ever heard and I didn't come up with it. Reformed theology I say like the 1689 our confession of faith our confession of faith here at this church is like these glasses and What we do with these glasses is what.
Well. What I do I can't see you now, right? Like you're just a bunch of blobs. I mean that nice not pejoratively. You're just fuzzy. I put this on I can see you. We use the confession here to see Christ rightly.
But we don't worship the glasses. You understand our unity Primarily must rest in what the glasses point to. I'm talking about Jesus. So what unifies us here? I hope your answer is Christ. We want to see Christ Magnified here.
Peter says you must have unity of mind and that means that we are Christ focused and pursuing together the Glory of God. You want to play church have unity that is superficial. Secondly, if you want to play church have sympathy that is skin-deep have unity that is superficial.
Sympathy that is skin-deep the text says finally all of you be you have unity of mind and then he says sympathy. If you want to play church have unity that just our sympathy that just shows on your face.
Oh I'm so sorry about that. Oh. Bless your heart. But that's it or oh, I'll be praying for you, but you don't actually.
Do it.
Don't care about the trials and tribulations and hurts. That your fellow believers are enduring. If you don't want to play church, then you have to have genuine Sympathy, it's not hate that for them. But that's not my problem rather the local church is a family.
What the gospel is doing when God Causes us to be born again. It's creating a family a kindred spirit whereby when someone goes through pain We all go through it. We weep with those who weep. We rejoice with those who rejoice.
You want to play church? Have unity that is superficial. Have sympathy that is skin-deep. Thirdly if you want to play church have love. That is self-centered. The text says finally all of you have unity of mind sympathy and then it says brotherly Love.
You want to play church tonight? Then you need to have a love that is centered on.
Self.
For many people in the Bible belt church has become like Burger King. It's about me. It's about myself. It's about I. I can have it my way and if you don't give it to me my way What am I gonna do? I'm gonna just go to a church down the road that will give it to me the way I want and now you have entire churches and structures and networks of churches that are being built to tailor to your Exact needs whatever it is.
You want the firetruck baptist trees or write the confetti cannons? Whatever the case this is what we're going to give you and guess what those churches are thriving. I put that in air quotes because they're not thriving spiritually.
But they're thriving with people. So people choose churches for what the church can provide them. But this is a consumer Rhystic mindset the customer is always right or you have people that choose churches based on their kids preferences.
And so if you want to play church tonight be a consumer have a love that is centered on self. Put your needs and your preferences above. Everyone else don't gather with the church thinking. How can I serve?
Instead every time you come to church think how is it that they can serve me today? How is it that I can be recognized today? How can I make sure that everyone down there knows just how important I am?
You know what? I'll neglect meeting. I'll come to church whenever I want because It's not about them. Anyway It's about me. And so I'll deprive them of the blessing that God gives in me. Because it's all about.
Me.
Again, this is the Sunday night crowd. I get it. But verse 8 is that really brotherly love all of you have unity of mind sympathy brotherly love. Is it really? Brotherly love to miss. Gathering with our brothers and sisters when we're not providentially hindered.
The pastors how I'm gonna say this on behalf of pastor Jacob and myself. The pastors have labored in study. They they've lost sleep thinking about you praying for you. Thinking about specifically how to best feed you from God's Word.
They've gone short on Sleep they've carried you in their hearts all week like a burden and yet it's not been burdensome to him. They they've done it with joy but but they've they've wrestled and they thought and they and they've You know wrestled again and they prayed and they've talked to their friend their pastor friends and they pulled out the commentaries and they they've Stuck the Word of God in their heart and oh, how is it?
How am I gonna feed these people today? Oh, this is so beautiful. I can't wait to show them Christ and I know that this family's going through that situation and that family's dealing with this and and Here I'm going to feed them.
Oh God, please be merciful and help them and then you say well, it's raining today. I Rather just cuddle up on the couch. That's the mentality you need to have. If you want to play church. What if you don't want to play church.
You need genetic love. What do I mean by that? Well the text says brotherly.
Love.
This is familial. The church is a family. This is the language by the way brotherly love here this language in the first century Mediterranean culture. This is deep family, this is Serious, so our love now for one another in the church is not centered on self.
It flows in and through Christ. I put my needs and my preferences on the back burner.
To serve you.
Not just because I'm a pastor. That's what I should do as a church member. That's what we should be doing together. If you want to play church. Have love that is self-centered. Fourthly if you want to play church.
Well, then have a heart of stone. Finally all of you have unity of mind sympathy brotherly love a tender heart. The text says if you want to play church, then be impervious to the needs and Trials of others.
This is similar to the point earlier. But basically you can say things like this. Oh, they're going through that trial. Well, what'd you expect? That's the type of person that they are. Of course, they're going to that trial.
I warned them. I warned them don't do that. Well, they made that decision. They made that bed. They can lie in it or.
Simply Can't be inconvenienced right now. If you want to play church Then look around at your fellow church members in need and just pass by on the other side. Have a hard heart. Okay. What if you don't want to play church, then you need a gentle heart.
The text says a tender heart verse 8 a tender heart. Which we're given this tender heart in regeneration when we are born again. Our heart of stone is removed. It's replaced with a heart of flesh. So now this heart of flesh.
I have compassion. Hey listen as a pastor I can tell you this you don't you understand that one of the hardest things as a pastor pastor Jacob can tell you this one. Of the hardest things as a pastor is to sit down with the family to sit down with the man to sit down with a with A couple and and to give them counsel this is what you ought to do according to the Bible and then to see them take that counsel and wad it up and toss it and then go their own way and then Meet disaster with it.
So, what do we do with that? Ha serves you right or do we come back and we say I Want to have compassion? Because I have a tender heart. Towards one another in the church. This is what Peter commands us.
This is what God commands us to have. How do I know if I heart of have a heart of flesh? Do I have compassion toward the needs and trials of my church family? Do I have a tender heart? Fifthly do you want to play church then have a mind that is smug?
The text says finally all of you have unity of mind sympathy brotherly love a tender heart and a humble Mind if you want to play church. Then be prideful take off the helmet of salvation. Think how lucky our God is to have you on his team.
If you want to play church. Adopt the mindset that you are. Number one just like the world teaches you those who play church Only want to help out in the church if they get the starring role or at least if they get the recognition.
I can't tell you how often this has come up in almost 20 years of ministry. You want to play church think about how important and vital you are to God's work. I mean if not for you, would there even be a church at all?
Let your mind be smug when it comes to theology show up to Bible studies not ready to listen, but instead ready to tell people how much it is, you know, or Don't even show up to Bible studies at all because you don't need it.
Refuse to read the scriptures for personal growth. Refuse to read sound theology because you know it all already. Take the little insert that we give out each week that has the confession and catechism just little bite-sized Bits of theology and teaching.
Take that and don't look at it. Throw it up. You don't need that. You know enough already. You don't need catechism and theology. You have a mind that is smug. That's the mind you need if you want to play church.
What if you don't want to play church. Then you need a Godward mind. The text says that you're to have a humble.
Mind.
You are to remember church that God is big and you are small. You need a mind that sees God in his proper Perspective if you want to cultivate humility if you want to see God rightly then friends We should look at the cross.
I want to remind you of this tonight. Jesus didn't just have to die for those people those wicked people the transgender Homosexual thieves corporate greed that's the people Jesus had to die for. No friends.
You want a humble mind you need to be reminded tonight. Jesus didn't just have to die for those people. He had to die for you. If you were the only person that God was going to say the suffering of Christ on the cross.
Would have been no. When we look at the cross we see your shame your wretchedness your guilt but that's what Jesus was glad to do and let that humble our Minds and have a Godward mind. A proud Christian is an oxymoron.
What is it that you and I have to boast in the only? Reason a believer is who he or she is is because of the grace of God. What do I have to boast in nothing but the cross of Christ if not for the grace of God?
I would be in the ditch. I am nothing. Christ is everything think about it. Think about it just for a moment tonight. It is impossible to have dissension in a church. If everyone has humility of mine, and by the way, let me make this clear.
Why is he preaching this tonight? Well, I'm preaching it tonight because I found out something no, no. I'm preaching it tonight because I feel like this is what we need to hear. I don't have a specific person or case or thing in mind.
I think that we are a pretty unified Church. I think that we love one another. I think that we're for the most part that we're doing these sorts of things, but you better be ready. You better understand that there's never a time to hit the pause kick your feet up and just coast along in the Christian life these Things and maybe some of you are actually battling these things.
These things are ever-present and we must be ready to fight them off. With the spiritual armor that we've talked about in Ephesians 6. Pride is an evil vice. Do not let Satan puff you up. Look at the cross.
Okay, six Lee. You want to play church have a life that is spiteful. Verse 9 says this do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling. But on the contrary bless for to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing.
So if you want to play church tonight, you need to look for ways to repay people for the wrong that they've done.
To you so.
Run them down to others. They didn't come to your kids birthday party. Don't you bring your kids to their kids birthday party, right?
If you.
If they wanted your help, they should have asked you. They should have begged you. If you want to play church live that way. Make everyone else walk on eggshells. Around you. Be ready to be offended. Be easily offended.
Look for offense. Be Excited about someone in the church offending you. If you want to play Church. Have a life that is spiteful. What if you don't? Have a gracious life. Look. Look again. Look at the text verse 9 do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling.
But on the contrary bless. For to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. So listen to what Peter is saying a gracious life. You you listen in here a gracious life is not merely ignoring evil.
Right.
It's not that's not what the text says. Do not repay evil for evil or revive for revive, but on the contrary. Listen to this bless. So it's not just ignoring Evil but it's beyond that. It's when evil is done to you when wrong is done to you.
It's turning around and blessing them. The guy cuts you off in traffic. You almost run off the road. He's driving like a maniac a few miles down the road. He's got a flat tire. He's sitting by the side of the road and he's changing that tire and you've got your opportunity now.
There's a mud puddle. You're just gonna slide a little closer. You don't want to hurt him, but you want to splash him.
Why?
You want to repay?
Evil for evil.
But I'm telling you tonight that a gracious life blesses. You cut me off in Christianity. I change your tire. That's Christianity.
We don't.
Play. Why?
Because Christ is Worthy the gospel Changes us in such a way that I have been hurt. But in response to that hurt I turn around and bless. Think about that mentality for just a moment. How many people have ruined churches.
How many people have split churches? How many people have left churches because they have been hurt. And the response to their hurt has been not Attempting to bless but to just hurt in return. So you hurt me I hurt you and we continue this path of hurt until Jesus comes back.
But this is not biblical Christianity. You hurt me. I bless you that's What the text says. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for a violent. But on the contrary blessed. For to this you recall that you may obtain a blessing.
Now listen to this. Have you noticed any things about about these things that we've discussed tonight. A mind after God's glory sympathy love compassion Humility graciousness, do you notice anything about them?
I see Christ in them. Finally all of you have unity of mind Christ sympathy Christ brotherly love Christ. A tender heart Christ a humble mind Christ. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling Christ.
But on the contrary bless Christ. For this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. These verses. Drip they are Saturated with Christ and what he has done for us. He came to glorify God. He had sympathy upon our condition.
He loved us enough to lay down his life for us full of compassion. And the Bible says Humility. Who did not return our own evil upon us, but took our evil upon himself. On the cross he came to make his blessings known far as the curse is found.
This is Christ.
If you were called to be a Christian You were called of God to obtain a blessing verse 9 namely eternal life. Instead of God justly crushing you in your sin He called you to look upon his son and live to trust Jesus and as a result we begin Cultivating these qualities that are from our Savior because we now are being recreated in his image.
We have a new nature. These qualities are actually graces that the Holy Spirit produces in us because we've been born again. Unity of mind. Sympathy brotherly love a tender heart a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or revine for a vine.
But on the contrary blessed for to this you were called that you may obtain a blessing. That's what it looks like to be born again. That's what it looks like to have a new heart. How do I know if I've been born again?
Are these qualities yours? That's what the Spirit is producing in the people of God now verse 10 through 12. This is a quote from Psalm 34 for whoever desires to love life and see good days. Let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking to see let him turn away from evil and do good.
Let him seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ear his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Now in verse 11, we get a picture of true repentance.
This is true repentance. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. If we don't want to play church if you are here tonight and you are with me and you don't want to play church.
Then you must turn away from all evil. Now now, let me give it to you this way somehow in Christianity. We have created a list of acceptable and unacceptable sins. So we're in a conservative church and we have Unacceptable sins those big bad mean sins out there.
I don't mean to belittle those but we those are unacceptable.
Okay.
Unacceptable, but then we have a kind of a list of acceptable sins. Superficial unity. Skin deep sympathy. Self-centered love. Stone heart smug mind. Spiteful lives. It's okay. We'll just tolerate people in the church living this way because these things are acceptable and I'm telling you tonight.
They're not acceptable. They are evil. They are evil and the text says Let him turn away from evil verse 11 and do good. These things are the enemy of seeking peace therefore Turn away from them. They will destroy a church.
How precious how big of a deal is it? to destroy church. If we want to do good and pursue peace and not play church but we want to be the the church that Christ died for and Intends us to be then we must repent of all evil and place our dirty hands in the cleansing wounds of Christ our King.
We must arrest our sin-stained souls in the sin-bearing Savior and see the cleansing power Of his precious blood tonight. If you have a struggle with any one of these sins that we have mentioned the solution is well I'll just leave the church and then I'll come back when I'm better.
No, no, no go to Christ. Rest in him turn away from evil rest yourself in Christ and then based on his work.
Do good.
Friends if you are playing church in any way shape or form tonight The call to you is to come to Christ. To repent and believe the gospel. Look at verse 12 for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer.
That's kind of similar to Psalm 1. Verse 6 is next week. For the Lord knows the ways Or is just way. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous But the way of the wicked.
Will perish.
Very similar to verse 12 in our text. Christ is the Shepherd King. He's the friend of those who are his. What an outstanding thought. By the way, we were rebels thieves outcasts. Christ has cleansed us and brought us to himself and the text says that his ears.
Did you notice that at the second line there the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are open to their prayer. God loves his local churches. God listens to the prayers of his people and Christ is worthy of a healthy church.
Believer if you're tempted tonight to play church look again to the cross look again to the reality of what God has Done for us in Christ and live out the reality of who you are now in him. The gospel bears fruit informing healthy churches.
And then we close with this sobering warning the end of verse 12. But the face of the Lord is against Those who do evil. If you are playing church tonight God is not a friend to you. His face is against those who do evil.
The God of the universe is against those who do evil. His face is set against those who play.
Church.
Several times in the Old Testament God tells his people his physical people Israel that he is sick of their worship practices. He is sick of their songs. Amos 523 He says take away from me the noise of your songs to the melody of your harps.
I will not listen people showing up on Sunday mornings throwing their hands in the air swaying back and forth. They're feeling really good about it. But in their heart of hearts, they're playing church and God says I hate that.
Jace hates it. God hates the hypocrisy of People who profess to know him. He is not interested in a devotion that runs skin-deep. He is not interested in paltry attempts at moral conformity. He is not interested in a voting block.
He is after your heart and not just part of it, but all of it tonight. What escape plan do you have if the God of glory has set his face against you? Where will you go? What will you do the face of the Lord is against those who do evil?
Oh God understands my situation. No, he doesn't he loves his glory too much. There's nowhere for you to go. If you continue in the state of playing church, you will meet God in judgment forever. I understand this is a Sunday night crowd.
But I also understand this you need to hear the reality of judgment that awaits those who play church and if God Forbid you walk out of this place tonight and you never enter into this place again because you you meet God.
Before next Sunday rolls around you will spend an eternity under his judgment. But you're here tonight and so the call to you is this. Just listen just listen to the book. Lay down paltry Christianity.
Lay down half-hearted service. Lay down any superficial unity. Lay down Church plane. Lay down your sin. Lay down your shame. Lay down your rebellion. Repent and come to Christ knowing Christ receiveth sinful men.
Taste and see Psalm 34 8. Part of Psalm 34 is quoted here. But Psalm 34 8 is a beautiful verse. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Go.
Let us as a church go to this good God full of sympathy and love and a tender heart. Lay down all other treasures tonight and come find the treasure for your soul and church Believers. Let us ever guard.
Against the dangerous reality of the temptation to play Church, let's pray father. We thank you for your word. Help us to be a people serious about your truth. Let us not play church. We can only do that if you're gracious, please be gracious and let us respond appropriately pursuing Christ at all costs.
Tonight if there is a young man or young woman or older man or older woman or child. Who needs Christ? I pray even tonight. They see what Christ has done for them the righteous for the unrighteous and they repent and believe the gospel.
We pray it in Jesus name. Amen.