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Lord Jesus we thank you for You are our Savior. It is your resurrection and your ascension that we so gladly and joyfully celebrate this morning and We thank you for the forgiveness. We have in Christ and We thank you for you have empowered the believer to Be conformed to the image of your son.
And to live in this chaotic world the glory of your name. Bless those who are traveling and even bless those who are here today. May all of us be encouraged to love and good works. Maybe be encouraged to worship you and to Even bless one another.
In Christ's name I pray. Amen. We've been looking at living in 2017 and how it's Not Easy how there's a lot of things distracting us how there's a lot of things Looking to bring us stress and how some of that or most of it is our own sin and I was joking with Scott Brown.
He said that next year this will change. It'll be a new set of series for 2018. How do you live in 2018? So no, it doesn't change year by year. I'm not trying to make an excuse to come up here and give you Sunday school lessons.
But I wanted to start by looking at two verses from the Bible to set our mind on a Very difficult topic the one I'm going to discuss today. It's on your bulletins if you've not seen it already, but Let's look at those two verses.
Can someone read Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 4? Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 4 and Ephesians chapter 1 Verses 3 to 10. Can you guys get the doors? Thank you. Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 4 and Ephesians chapter 1 verses 3 to 10.
He's got Ephesians 3 1 to 10. All right, let me read it blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in Love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ.
According to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace. With which he has blessed us in the beloved Ephesians 3. Ephesians 1 verse 7 in him in Christ. We have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses.
According to the riches of his grace. Which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will. According to his purpose which he set forth in Christ verse 10 has a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth.
These are two good Verses for us to take a look at these are two good sections of scripture to study because they exalt Christ because they define in our hearts and in our minds who Christ is how Exalted he is and who the believer is in Christ and it is good for us to keep reminding ourselves of what that is.
Every day here in 2017 and as we live in a world Where there are so many opposing views and where there are so many different kinds of elements coming at us. Agreed now, I've been having a good time with many of you on email.
You know, you've been asking a lot of questions and we've been having very lively discussions with some of you. Over this over the things I've been talking about the last two weeks yoga CrossFit Colossians one and two over the supremacy of Christ before I go on.
Did anyone have any thoughts or anything you wanted to add or any questions? That you didn't maybe have the opportunity to ask me over the last week or even over the week. All right, no problem. Let's keep let's keep moving on so last week we spoke about how the culture is really stressed and how in order to De-stress or to remove that stress people are turning to a lot of things.
Including Christians turning to all kinds of idols whether it's exercise which in and of itself is not wrong. Yoga is a very big thing in the culture. CrossFit is another very big thing again. There's nothing wrong with CrossFit.
You can't compare CrossFit and yoga. I hope you have not confused about that. There's nothing wrong with CrossFit. Yoga is a completely pagan thing, but CrossFit it's just the way some of the franchises are being run.
I like churches. So that's what's wrong with that. Another big idol another big stress reliever in the culture today is politics. Yes, you may say wait a minute, but politics causes most distress and you're saying Linton that it's also a stress reliever yes, because people do turn to the news and people do turn to debating with one another and people to Try to talk about it a lot in order to get away from.
Whether it's their own problems in their own life or whether it is to de-stress from The issues that they see there's nothing wrong with that when but when politics also becomes your identity and it's a thing you turn to.
Then it becomes an idol and that's a problem. How would you define politics anybody? We know this topic a lot. We hear it a lot. What is how do you how would you define? What what is politics? Wesley.
Very good. That is one of the definitions and not only Wikipedia, but also in Merriam-Webster. It is the Obviously you've been studying it. It's it's it's it's the maintenance of power acquiring and Fighting hard to maintain and keep power good.
What else do you know about politics? How do you define it? It's in every country by the way, it's in every part of the world. So it's not just in the United States. What is politics? Any activity that is associated with governing with governing a country or governing a group of people is politics.
Anything that deals with an organized and sustained way of controlling human activity human communities is politics. Whether it's involving an entire country or just a state it is essentially achieving and exercising positions of governance.
It's a major process and on a lot of countries it's often very dividing it's dividing because people have different views and how government should be done governing should be done and Usually the your idea, but governing is based on your worldview.
So it's a very big dividing topic causing a lot of stress to a lot of people. But like I said before it is also causing People to turn to it as an idol and worship it and they are it's causing people to have their Identities be be defined with what they believe politically two weeks ago.
I asked you this question. I don't know if you remember it. There's a big thing called the big sort taking in across taking place across America. Does anybody remember what I had defined it as? Gary. Yes.
Yes, thank you, so the the big sort is actually a book that was released I think a few years ago I think probably two years ago, but it's actually an a real movement where people in America are moving to geographic locations based on their political views.
So they're moving to certain parts of the country or certain neighborhoods based on what their neighbors believe about politics or about how government should be run and as Everything else in the culture.
It's affecting churches too. If you look at Mark Devers website on nine on nine marks. You'll see that one of the new things that has come up There is how people are now picking churches based on the pastors and the elders political views.
So churches are being affected by this, but it's a good for good or for bad and it's also affecting fellowship. I Don't know if you've seen this but I've seen some of this although not here at BBC to be very frank Christians on one end of the political spectrum are Asking the question question.
How can this person who is of the opposing spectrum be saved? Okay. They're asking your Conservative how can you be saved or your liberal? How can you be saved and what's happening in churches today as much as it's happening in and throughout the country is?
Fellowship is being is being Affected. It's no longer based on love for Christ the love for one another it is now being solely based on a person's political view or a group's political view. So, let me give you an example I'm gonna connect what I thought last week with yoga and politics and try to bring it in.
Okay I don't know if you're familiar with what's happening right now in Cobb County, Georgia. It's it's a Georgia. It's a it's a sorry. It's a county in suburban Atlanta, and I don't know if you're following the story.
It's a big political issue right now. What started off as a small thing is now a big political issue. A school administrator introduced yoga to her students, I don't know if you saw if you've seen this and She did it because she could not control her students and she wanted to calm the students down so she introduced yoga into her classes.
Christian parents Got very alarmed and asked the administrator to be removed and she was removed she came back and sued the school saying that this is a major violation of religious liberty and this is a major issue but The problem is not going into too much of details because it's not what the benefits.
It doesn't benefit us. This has now risen from what is just in Cobb County, Georgia to all over the country with schools and people suing each other and having All kinds of issues because they're not able to think through this carefully and there is there are problems.
I'm not trying to defend the US Constitution of religious liberty or any of those things here. But the Christian parents. And I and I give them a lot of credit because a lot of parents are not aware of the problems with yoga.
Which is why I taught about it last week. They were they were very good about bringing it up and and dealing with it correctly, but now let's say we are Objective and impassioned and removed from the situation as many of us are.
How do Christ's redeemed react to stories like this? How do you react if it involves all unbelievers and how do you react if it's all believers? Does it matter does our reaction to this issue and reaction to other?
Political issues matter. I Think they do. I think the way we look at it I think the way we respond is very important and that's what I want to focus on today for the next half an hour. Now throughout the world wherever you go whether it's India Kuwait or the United States.
You always have two differing political views. Anybody want to take a stab at what that is? It's pretty straightforward wherever you go in the world. It's actually more or less the same Liberal conservative good.
What is it? What are the other names that they're often go? What is it called here? What are the other things are called here? Good left and right right left and right is what is more general democratic and very good.
It's what is it what is? Called here now, this is a Hot topic. It's a blood-boiling topic. You put two men from opposing you especially men, right? You put them in the same room or if opposing views doesn't matter if they're Christian at the end of it.
One of them will be dead right? It's it's it is it is very intense. Okay. It is a very hot topic now I'm just gonna define liberal conservative and pick two topics that they believe in just to. Just to get us warmed up on what the beliefs are.
I'm not going to support either one or the other. Although I think it's very clear when you have a biblical worldview, which one we may tend to move closer towards. What a liberal what does what do liberals really believe in?
What is their main ideology if you can name it and keep it simple one word? What would you say? Good good. I like it. You didn't mention it by name, but they like equality. They're very big into that they they believe equal opportunity and equality for all in every single way.
They do believe the role of the government is to meet the needs of every single person in exactly the same way. They they usually Emphasize and this is true throughout the world and even more here. They usually like the idea of a big government taking care of all the needs of the people.
There's a lot more but that's generally the view of liberalism. Okay? What about conservatism? What is if you can summarize in two words or one word? What what would be the main? Thrust behind conservative beliefs.
I Like that Personal responsibility right as opposed to like a whole country, right? That's what they believe in Charlie. Individualism very big very very big they they believe in personal responsibility individual liberty the What are the things strong.
Defense a limited government free market. They believe that the role of the government should be to provide people the freedom Necessary to pursue their own goals. That's a big that's a very big difference in thinking right there they also believe that conservative policies empower the individual To go and solve their own problems and it's very big.
Now there are lots of areas that they differ in and as I've been studying this over the last few months I picked two that are the least what's the word blood-boiling? I don't want us to walk into the yes I don't want us to go into the next service with pastor Harry preaching on prayer thinking about this in our mind.
Okay. Stem cell. Yes. I picked a less. I don't think there's anything less controversial in this entire thing. But I picked two so liberals they like the idea of stem cell research in particular embryonic stem cell research.
They do not believe there is a life in the embryo. So they believe research conducted primarily with embryonic cells stem cells are Not a problem. They will assist scientists and doctors to treat all kinds of diseases with this kind of research and cure.
They do believe that and they don't believe that an embryo is a human. Conservatives are not against stem cell research that against embryonic stem cell research. They are for a dog. What's called adult or Umbilical cord stem cells which They they do believe that embryos begin at conception and therefore anything you do any kind of research conducted around Embryonic stem cell can cause to the destruction of that embryo and destruction of life so therefore conservatives believe that it is morally and ethically wrong for the government to participate in that and They instead support Adult and umbilical cord stem cell research.
Which is based on you know You can pull the stem cells out of the placenta the umbilical cord. Even the amniotic fluid and that has proven to work very well in many areas of research and development. Anything you want to add there?
That's one hot topic. I'm trying to move quickly through these before we have a meltdown here at BBC. Anything you wanted to add no. All right welfare. I'll give you this opportunity to make. What do what do liberal?
What do people in this spectrum the liberal spectrum of politics think about welfare? It's okay. It should be a little bit. What is the second thing you said all who need it? Big long-term welfare extended to everybody and.
What do what is the primary thrust behind that Charlie? There you go, yep, it's a tool of social justice, yes Leslie. Same thing. Okay. Yes it. Yes, everyone becomes a stream status primarily they're trying to meet the needs of the poor that's what that's what in every country.
They claim to do. And and that it is necessary to. I like what Bernie Saunders said. Okay. I don't like what he said. That's not what I meant. I think it's funny what he said. He said welfare is very important and necessary to bring fairness to American Economic life and it is a device for protecting the poor.
Okay. Okay conservatism going back to personal responsibility individualism, what does conservatives believe about welfare. Charlie excellent. Excellent. That's a that that is I couldn't put it better than that.
It's the idea is to Know give the responsibility into the hand of the person. Let them go and work out make them self-reliant rather than dependent on the government. It's one of the big things but if but and they don't believe in long welfare conservative.
People on that spectrum do not believe in long-term welfare. They do not believe in a large a government. That's dealing with all of these issues. They want to encourage people to become self-reliant.
Sounds sounds sounds good, especially from a biblical worldview. So those are two things and there are several issues about differences between liberalism and and conservatism. But in my opinion, I think it's people more worked up Than these views and it bleeds into the way they converse with people all throughout the day especially since We've just changed administrations in the in the in the United States and we've moved from Democrat to Republican liberal to conservative the talk seems to be louder and more divisive than I've ever seen and Christians are very very stressed about this and they themselves don't know how to stand.
Turn with me to the book of Romans chapter 3 verse 9 to 18. How do you deal with people in the opposing view? You might find this a strange place to go to. But I think it's a good place for us to start.
Even when we have political views that may be based on the Bible on a biblical worldview, which is good. How do you still deal with people who have differing views especially on a hot topic like politics and government.
Romans chapter 3 verse 9 to 18. Can someone read can somebody read? It's a lot of verses. Leslie yes through 18 that that's good. Thank you. Now we know what happens in Romans 1 and 2. What is happening in Romans 3 9 to 18 and why is this a good place to start when we look when we're dealing with people with opposing views.
Is this a good place to start? Do you agree with me or am I completely wrong about this? It's a good place to start maybe Francis says yes. Sure. He says sure. Okay. It's a good place to start because it is good to remind ourselves.
Though a we're not better than anybody else because of our views even if they come from a biblical worldview. We're not saved because of our views even if those views come from a biblical worldview. What this book with this entire book of Romans and talks about is righteousness if you can summarize the book of Romans is about Righteousness we see particularly in this section that there is no one who's good.
There's no one who meet the requirements of God no matter what they're bringing upbringing is no matter what their background is. No matter what their political view is. So for us when we deal with these issues, which are hot topics and which are increasingly divisive.
Even if we may be right We need to approach them cautiously understanding that there's none of us who are good. None of us who are perfect none of us who've got this correct and we need to understand that in order to be made right with God.
We need a Savior and that's the biggest problem in the world today sin and the sin issue has only one solution and that is imputed righteousness through the sinless Lamb of God Jesus Christ. A Person's political views cannot define who he is just like, you know, Charlie you mentioned last week how you can walk up to a person.
They ask you what are you doing? What do you do for work? And you say you're a musician. That might be the only thing you define. You're not saying that being a musician is wrong. You're not saying that is horrible.
No, it is. It's wonderful to have a career and have a profession, but when it becomes everything above Who you are in Christ when it becomes an idol then there's a problem and I think we apply the same thing to into into politics right now and into thing into the things of Christ.
Romans 3 21 to 25 now, let's go to the section which says, okay. How is one saved? How do you come to salvation? Romans 3 21 to 25. Can someone read that? Romans 3 21 to 25. Thank you. This is a wonderful reminder that propitiation in verse 25 comes by the blood of Christ and the blood of Christ alone.
God can be appeased not by our belief systems or by our views but through Christ and Christ alone and that's good for us to remember and. And my favorite book which I'm in right now Colossians if you look at chapter 4 verses 5 to 6.
There was a lot of conflict within the church right now and because of false teaching in the book of Colossians at the time of Colossians, but as a result of that false teaching they were starting to Mistreat unbelievers.
They were also struggling with dealing with unbelievers. So in Colossians chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 look what Paul has to tell. Tell these tell the believers. Colossians chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 walk in wisdom toward outsiders.
Making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious. Seasoned with salt so that you may know how you ought to answer each person now mind you this is also. This is also talking about the outsiders who were bringing in false teaching who were bringing in pagan beliefs and who were bringing in a Jewish mysticism and Jewish Religious rights.
This was even keeping them in mind. But watch he doesn't say. Let your speech always be gracious only to those who have the same views he is talking particularly outsiders. Unbelievers, no matter what their views are.
We are to be careful and cautious with the way we talk and the way we approach them. Agreed disagreed. Is that a good thing to say? I was sitting in the train the other day going into Cambridge and Behind me were two Southern seminary students.
Would you believe that? I mean, how often do you see? Christians in the train, but it was it was a we were having a I was having a good time. And I started chatting with them and I found out they were from Southern.
But at one point turns out that one is liberal and one is conservative and they really started getting into this. What's the best way to put it? I would say fight of words. All right, and these are guys who claim to know the gospel and know the words and they and they really started hitting each other literally.
With what I thought was difficult words to use all because they were on different political ends of the spectrum. Have you been in this situation before I know I've been tempted to be in the situation.
Have you guys been in the situation before where? You may have forgotten. Wait a minute. This is a believer. How should I behave with him or this is an unbeliever? But you know, I'm this is such a. Such an important topic right politics and stem cell research and abortion and illegal immigration, you know, how do you how do you?
How do you keep calm and how do you react in such a situation? Have anybody been in that situation? Is it just me the only sinner in this room today? Right is so you find yourself. So I didn't look at these guys and say oh, I'm better than them.
I realize how hot of a topic this is and how difficult it is to stay calm in the situation. But what does it tell about our identity? What does it tell you about your view of Christ is? If you're always fighting and arguing.
Where not there's nothing wrong with that in and of itself. But when that is your identity a political system your political view, even if it's right is become becomes your identity. What does that tell you about your belief or understanding of Colossians 1 15 to 20 or of Ephesians 3 1 to 10?
Yes, your focus is off of Christ. Perhaps off of the gospel a good time for us to examine ourselves in the Lord. There's nothing wrong with doing there's nothing wrong with doing that agreed disagreed.
Anything you want anything anybody wanted to add or remove? Charlie right and I have that as my next point, which I'll actually do it now because you said it but Bipolarization is often there's something wrong with bipolarization.
Often it's the view somewhere in the middle. That is either the best or either to understand. Or to be what's the word I'm looking for patient with others except when it comes to the gospel I do not think there's there's an end to the gospel.
There's just one Lord one Savior one way. There is no bipolarization in Christianity in that sense, but let's deal with evangelism. I mean though that is my next topic I'll go with that first. No matter how much we try to hide it We don't like to evangelize.
True or false. We don't like to evangelize we don't like to share the gospel no matter how much we say there are times when we We should do it. Yes because we know the Bible says and because we know ultimately the end the at the bottom of the issue or the main issue is sin and you can't fix it by political views or by anything else you need the gospel of Jesus Christ and That's the problem.
Well, we we know that We tend to pull back from evangelism as much and as often as we can. I know I do. Despite seven years ago. The excuse I made is I don't know enough about the Bible. That was never a good excuse then but now I know a little bit more not saying I know everything.
I know a little bit more but still today I make excuses to share the gospel and the problem is when I get into a political debate, even though I can clearly Articulate what I believe and why the other person's view is wrong.
I Can go into that loop and never ever preach the gospel. I don't know if it has affected you, but it has affected my evangelism and I think we need to be careful about that. We are so disgusted with another person's view that sometimes we may not even get close to them to share the gospel.
I know I have and I'm not saying that you should admit that you have or I'm not even saying you guys have that problem but I've had to work with this through the Word of God and Understand and remind myself of Romans 3 9 to 18 and that the gospel is the most important thing and That instead of spending so much of my energy debating about whether it's abortion or immigration or any of those issues I should spend some time at least giving the good news.
Agreed disagreed goes back into what you were saying Charlie, but what do you guys think? It's hard to get out of the political debate when you're in the middle of it, so what do you what do you do? Taylor excellent you're dealing with the symptom rather than the cause which is sin and Not the other way around almost always.
Your worldview comes from what you believe about God and what you believe about The Word of God and if you're attacking the person because the belief rather than taking that opportunity Especially with unbelievers to preach the gospel.
We're missing the point and our evangelism is being affected. Excellent. And in order to do that you have to have a high view of Christ and remember as we see in Ephesians chapter 3 towards The end of division chapter 1 towards the end of verse 10 Christ is the goal of all he will make it Right perfectly in the end and no political system can fix anything.
And that's what they try that's what people are trying to do right they do believe the government can fix everything. But the sin problem is not going to be fixed by any politician. It is the Word of Christ and the person of Christ alone.
Charlie I think it's great. I think it's great because as that means as one more person who I can work with right who I can Whether converse with happily without thinking about you know Lord come soon kind of thing right yes.
It's it's a wonderful. I think it's great. I think it's wonderful that they're moving away from. Perhaps what's wrong, and what is a dangerous view to something that is better? My my argument my argument today is is twofold one is as Christians.
We may think. That is the way to fix issues, and that is the way to deal with this so I'm not saying you I'm not saying you are but when we see the big sword and when we look at how people are dividing based on political views.
Even in churches, that's the thing okay. You're not conservative. You cannot come to this church. You know you cannot you can't be part of the fellowship, and I think that's where the problem is so I don't disagree.
I don't disagree with you. I actually have not heard of many instances where people have like. You don't listen six months to an opposing view without losing your mind. So I give a lot of these users I mean a lot of these listeners a lot of credit because people don't have that kind of patience to listen to the opposing view.
So my main argument is yes, okay? They will get morally better, and they they definitely will get have a better view better work view. Which we are definitely losing in the country no doubt about that, and I would love that I Like I'm leaning more and more towards.
I would rather attack it from the other perspective. Preach the gospel to them. I can't save them, but at least so them hate. This is the main issue. Let's deal with that and then things may arise out of Out of that although it's easier to win up in that way political argument than the gospel as Wesley was saying.
Is that answer your question? So it's a loaded agreed. Yeah, agreed. Larry absolutely. Why not why not. Absolutely that is a great point that is a wonderful point, and I completely agree with that. Why not maybe that is the avenue through which they may listen to the gospel.
Yes, that is excellent Leslie. Right it does and that's a very good point. I think let's let's turn to Colossians chapter 2 one moment while I wrap up as we as we think on these views and as we I'm not trying to pitch one political view over the other I'm just trying to remind us as the church we preach the gospel and we treat believers and unbelievers in certain respects has created the image of God and Not just based on a political view Colossians chapter 2 verses 11 to 15 something.
This is the gospel. So let's remind ourselves of this before we conclude in Him in Christ you also were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by putting off the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.
Having been buried with him in baptism in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God Who raised him from the dead and you who were once? Sorry and verse 13 and you who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh God made a life together with him having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt That stood against us with its legal demands this he set aside Nailing it to the cross.
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by Triumphing over them in him. Now if you look at verse 14, which is my main focus for this section, it's it's the IOU. Okay, the IOU has it's a it's a document.
It doesn't have any legal influence right now that you have the the the equivalent of an IOU that was Back in the days of Colossae. We have what is called a promissory note. Have you heard of that? It's a promissory note where in that you write Who do you owe the debt to how much do you owe and how do you plan to play a paid back it's a legal Document that's binding the IOU does not exist in that format anymore.
It's it's a it's a non-legal document. But look at it this way. What what Christ is telling the Colossians who are dividing because of false teaching and because of certain views what he's telling them is this you've been cleansed by Christ and You owed an incalculable debt and the debt was written on a chart sheet that was called a debt sheet or an IOU and If you read commentaries on this this chart sheet is is For one person is probably a million can go around this building a million times.
That's how much debt we owed a holy God and a holy Savior. But what Christ did is cleaned that debt sheet through the through his death on the cross. He's nailed it to the cross. No more can the Christian be condemned based on anything in that sheet that sheet does not even exist for the Christian.
That's our identity. That's who we are in Christ. And when we deal with these difficult situations in these opposing views, we must start to preach the good news. We must share the good news first. We must preach the gospel and even in our evangelism.
We start from that perspective. Now whenever I have started any conversation beginning with creation for instance or Beginning with a political view in mind. It has never gone well for me. Because while I may win the argument based on logic and reasoning I have never been able to go to the gospel.
I've never been able to I've never been able to approach that before then the Person's already too worked up to listen to me anymore, even though I have won the argument logically. My argument is if we start with the gospel We can't save them, but we point them to the to the infallible scriptures and the UN and the infallible Savior Who can save them and he is the only one who removed our debt and he's the only one who can remove their debt.
So while I love a United States of America And I love everybody to be united and makes life so much easier I'd much rather Have us as the church preach the gospel more and start with that rather than be so So harsh with one another and even with unbelievers when it comes to politics.
Does that make sense? Any more views before I wrap up? Have you guys ever tried to evangelize with a pro-life proton Trump shirt? I Know it's funny. I'm honestly asking what's Nothing. Have you tried to evangelize with a pro Hillary or a pro choice t-shirt.
I'm saying whether you like it or not. Your t-shirts cut off a certain section of people and people see you coming and they they run away. Because that's how charged the culture is right now and they're just gonna see one set and they're gonna move away.
I'm saying if that t-shirt is getting in the way of your evangelism. Don't vary it on Saturdays when you go out with Barry aliose to evangelize. Because you don't want to cut those people off. The the gospel is offensive as a such here don't need your t-shirt to do more.
That's my point of view. I'm not saying please have a political view. We need to be part of the democratic process have a view enjoy it. Mike my my thrust is it can't be your identity and it can't be the it can't be the basis for all your relationships.
It can't be the only basis. I Need more concerns. I'm back next week. So if you guys have any problems with me say it now, so. So I don't have to come back next week. All right, let's pray oh lord we thank you for your word we thank you for for a book that's divinely inspired and written 2 ,000 years ago.
It is amazingly powerful and for the believer. It is our hope it is by your word that we are sanctified and for the believer, there is nothing that is more encouraging and That is even more humbling than your word.
Help us to trust it to love it and Lord when we fail in our conversations and in our relationships. Please help us to come to you and to remember that we have a great high priest who is able to forgive us and intercede for us.
There's anyone here who has not repented and believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that you would convict them and that you would show them that they have a huge charge sheet and I owe you Against them and that in order to pay that off.
They would have to spend eternity in hell. But the good news is that Jesus Christ saves and that he can remove that debt sheet for the glory of the father and for his own purposes and according to his own will and That that that person can be saved and be made right with God.
Help us even in this politically charged climate and culture to not lose our joy to not lose our cool. But Lord to become to trust in your sovereignty and to preach the good news that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he saves.
In Christ's name I pray. Amen.