July 24, 2019 PM Children Choir

Okay, I just want to make sure they're in the right place. This is our summer children's program choir, and we do this every year, and I always ask the next year, are we going to do that again? No, I look forward to it, because it's so much fun working with these kids.

Planting Scripture and Music in Children’s Hearts

And what I shared with them before we came in is that what our hope is is to plant seeds in them of Scripture and music, music based upon Scripture, that will flourish and grow, and as they become older, it expands their vision of who God is, that their peripheral vision and their long-distance vision becomes back like God.

And that's our hope. And tonight, we hope that as they sing for you and they quote Scripture, and we sing together in congregation, that there are seeds planted here, that your vision of God grows, and it becomes bigger, and more deep, and more high.

Congregational Singing and Prayer for the Children

So, we're going to begin, we're going to work a number of times in congregational singing, so we're going to warn you up front, congregational choirs. Father, we thank you for this opportunity to bring this message, both in spoken word and in sung word, to you.

Although this congregation is witness to it, we do it for your glory, for your honor, for your pleasure. And I pray for these young people that they will sense your presence as we participate in this time.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.

Sin, Mercy, and Salvation in Christ

Romans 32, 3. For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God.

Ephesians 2, 4. But God, rich in mercy, because of the grace... I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sin. Micah 7, 19. He will again have compassion on us.

He will tread our iniquities underfoot. He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. One is a modern-day hymn written in 2002 by two men, one from England, Stuart Townend, and one from Ireland, Keith Getty.

The hymn tells the story of Jesus in four verses. The first verse tells who Jesus is. He is our hope, light, strength, song, cornerstone, solid ground, comforter, and all in all. The second verse tells us about his birth and death.

The third about his resurrection.

He does have those answers. He does have those answers to the death, the burial, the resurrection, because he did give up. The resources, the riches, anything that matches God. Corrie Ten Boom said in her book, he owns a cattle and thousands of goats.

There are many scriptures that talk about him and his Christ. In John 3 .3, it talks about the new birth. And in John 16 and John 36. In John 14 .6, it talks about the way, the truth, and the life. There is no other way.

Romans 10, 9 .11, it's salvation. 1 Corinthians 5 .15, the eternal service that we will offer to God when we join him in heaven. 3 .20, he knocks. Will you answer the call of the convicting of your sin and the recognition that you are so far away from God, there's no way you can get across that chasm without the help of Christ Jesus being that bridge.

Romans 3 .23, all have sin. Romans 6 .23, the wages of sin is death. Not continued life in the worst case scenario, but death. Separation eternally from God. If you have been saved, you believe that. You must believe that.

That's core to your relationship with God. So are you trying to save yourself before Christ comes? Are you fighting sin in your life? You know what it is. You know what you're supposed to do with it. You're supposed to turn from it.

Run from it. Leave it. Put it down. Ignore it. You can't do it like God does. Are you at the end of your strength and ability, your strength and ability, to fight the problems of life? If you are, you know what?

This is a good place to be right now. Because we would pray that the Holy Spirit intervenes and helps you recognize that these things are beyond your ability to deal with. But God, who sent you some Christ, has the ability to do it all.

Rest in the night. Giving your heart and mind and soul, accept the offer of salvation. Believe in the death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ, who took on He Himself.

Your sin. My sin. Nobody else does that.

He will make you new. He will renew your soul. It's like leaving the courtroom, and you commit a crime. There is no way out of it. The judge has all the witnesses, and he's ready to declare the penalty of the punishment.

And a man stands in the back of the courtroom and says, Your Honor, please punish me instead of him. And he walks down to the bench, and the judge dictates the punishment on this man, and you go free.

That is what Christ does. Those are things you're dealing with tonight. I want the elders in the audience to raise their hands. These people in this audience are ones you can go to. They can lead you through what it means to yield to the Holy Spirit's calling of your soul to God who saves.

The Worthiness of the Lamb and the Call to Worship

Five nights of this, and they sang a new song, saying, worthy are you to take the scroll and open its sealings. For you were slain by your blood. You ransomed people for God from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

And you have made them a kingdom, and you have given the priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Jesus alone is worthy. We sang this song before. Is he worthy? We're going to sing it again tonight.

And it's an echo song. It's part of the answer to the question. And if you want to be the echo, you say. The kids are going to help us with that. Lisa's going to play. And I'll be with you. Do we have words for that?

Do we have words for that? Join us in the Fellowship Hall for desserts.

And we have a special song that pretty much represents what something we're eating.