The Royal Law

Please turn in your Bibles to the book of James and chapter 2 Going to read verses 1 through 13

This is God's holy and infallible word James 2

My brethren do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the

Lord of glory with partiality For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings and fine apparel

And there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes And you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him you sit here in a good place

And say to the poor man you stand there or sit here at my footstool

Have you not shown partiality among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts

Listen my beloved brethren Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to those?

Who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?

Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture you shall love your neighbor as yourself

You do well but if you show partiality you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors

For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet stumble in one point He is guilty of all

For he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder you have become a transgressor of the law

So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of Liberty For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy mercy triumphs over judgment

Please pray with me. Oh Lord.

I pray that you would increase our love for you and our love for our brothers love for our enemies that we might

Fulfill the law. Oh Lord. I pray for a powerful working of your

Holy Spirit upon us that we might apply these wonderful truths

And as our brother prayed that they would take a deep root in us

And I ask these things in Jesus name Amen Please be seated.

Thank you two weeks ago we started

James chapter 2 and we learned that partiality is forbidden and We were challenged to take some inventory of our own hearts to root out that tendency in us to show favoritism and we learned the sad reality that our favoritism is directed to ourselves

When we show favoritism to others we do so that we might get some benefit.

So we were Convicted by the deep Corruptible nature that we have that finds itself in opposition to the

Word of God Today we consider the royal law and this law is the king of kings law

This is the law of Christ and Under this heading today.

I have four points of consideration These are going to be intertwined

They're going to be in mesh together, but this may help you to organize your thoughts The first one is the title of the message the royal law the second is transgressors of the law the third is the law of Liberty and the fourth is mercy triumphs over judgment

The royal law number two transgressors of the law three the law of Liberty and four mercy triumphs over judgment all of those

Phrases are found in the text that we're considering verses 8 through 13

Love law and Liberty love law and Liberty Christ has

Reconciled us to the law in love We now possess liberty when we think of these

Three words we do not generally put them together In fact, we see them at somewhat at odds with one another particularly love and law and law and Liberty Those seem like competing ideas

We learn in scripture that these actually all go together and they find their full expression in Christ they find their

Realization these terms which seem to be at odds find a reconciliation in Christ and therefore for the

Christian There's a couple of principles of law that I'd like you to consider today as a backdrop to think of these things

The first is the law that was given to our first parents in the garden

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil

You shall not eat were our parents in bondage prior to eating of the forbidden tree

Answers no our first parents dwelt in freedom and In order to maintain that freedom they had to obey this command

God was gracious in his dealings with Adam and Eve and when we think about the covenant of works

But but even in that early days those primitive Righteous days of Adam and Eve God was being gracious to them

They had absolute liberty and freedom and their communion with him and with one another

The problem came when they disobeyed God That's how this law concept starts and as we learned a little bit today.

We have an aversion to Law, we feel it restricts us. It takes away our freedom whenever I hear the legislature passes something

I know it's going to cost me But it's not so with the law of God The path to liberty is found in obedience to the law of God and The essence and substance of law as we have learned

It's so clear in Scripture is love love for God and love for neighbors. So these three which seem at odds come together the second

Principle from Scripture, I'd like us to think about an evidence from Scripture is the preface to the

Ten Words Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 I am the

Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage

Therefore Ten Commandments God had set his people free and Liberated them from the tyranny and bondage of Pharaoh is a type of Satan and He sets them free

To worship him and then he gives them the ten words This law is not to take our fun away, but to give us liberty

We walk within the confines of the law we have absolute freedom We have peace

We have no chastening we have blessings set before us that we can go out and grab and take hold of blessings and promises of God for those who will obey and believe

The third principle and I think this is in the background of James's Reasoning is

Christ in Matthew 5 verse 17 Do not think he would say

I came to destroy The law or the prophets I did not come to destroy but to fulfill

And in Christ's coming and fulfilling he has set the captives you and I free

His Perfect obedience Liberates the people of God they enter into the glorious liberty of the children of God the fourth principle and this is the elevated Commandment of the royal law

It's found in John 13 34 Jesus even

Structures it and as a new commandment because there's a new qualifying statement in the commandment, which is the royal law which has been articulated throughout the pages of Holy Scripture and now is magnified in the person and work of Christ a

New commandment I give unto you That you love one another and here is the expansion the enlargement of the love commandment as I have loved you

Every saint throughout history has known that they were called to love God and to love their neighbor, but now

Christ has elevated the commandment He's not detracted from it, but in his own person

He has exemplified the principle and he is demonstrated and shows to us

Particularly when he gets to the cross that he wants us to have a love that is

Self -sacrificing as he has loved He calls us

To love one another Should point out to you as well that the captivities of the

Jewish nation were judgments against the nation for their failures to love

God And to love one another They violated the first and second table they became idolaters and worshipped false gods

They didn't look after the poor among them or the widows or the orphans. They they failed to love one another

Of course, the question is posed to Jesus and this is attached to these principles

What is the greatest commandment in the law, and of course, it's so familiar to us to Love the

Lord our God With all our heart with all our soul with all our mind

This is the first and greatest commandment And the second is like it you shall love your neighbor as yourself

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets

Let's consider the first verse and the first Point of the outline the royal law look again at verse 8

It says if you really fulfilled the royal law according to the scripture In children when you're reading your

Bibles and you come across a phrase like this The first question you should ask probably without moving on is

What does that mean? What is the royal law? I was talking to my youngest son last evening

About this and I asked him the question about what the royal law was and he gave some pretty good answers.

I Said let's continue reading this verse and let's see if more information is supplied to us now

We might know what the royal law is According to the scripture it's right there at the end of verse 8

So if anyone asks you what the royal law is according to scripture you can say

You shall love your neighbor as yourself. And if you do this thing you will be doing

Excellently, you will do well We have to ask well, what does this mean?

What does it mean to love This way

What is? the royal law the law of God is summarily comprehended in the

Ten Commandments the five books of Moses the

Pentateuch a large portion of it is the case laws a Commentary an attempt to apply the ten words to all of the issues of life

Jesus is most famous sermon. It's really an articulation of the law of God in the

Sermon on the Mount the greatest commandment which we've already heard is to love

God with all that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves and and so this is at the very heart of what law is and It's royal that word basilica comes from this

Greek term It is a royal law because it's the king's law the law came through Moses The grace and truth has come through King Jesus Moses was the subordinate lawgiver

But Jesus is the lawgiver the law of Moses comes from the mouth of Christ Moses and Christ are not at odds

We have a faulty conception and notion about law

The law is the path for Liberty walking on the path that God prescribes keeps us from all kinds of Trouble we have forgotten the the gracious character of law

And I think people if if we are going to be those people who walk in righteousness

And if we're going to be those people who enjoy the blessings of God we have to have a

Reimagined reconfigured view of the law of God The law is a blessing

It's not a curse. And in fact, we're gonna learn later that for the

Christian Condemnation and judgment have been taken off the table because of the righteousness of the law

Christ has been punished in our stead now our Affinity and love for the law is now the path of blessing the path of obedience

It's already been laid out in James is the path of blessing for the Christian If you really fulfill the royal law

And I love this qualifying statement according to the scripture all of our

Conceptions of law and love and Liberty have to be formed in the pages of Scripture Very much what you're talking about this morning mark

These aren't based on our feelings These are based on the truth that proceeds from the very mouth of our

God So our conception of law of love and Liberty Need to be drawn from the pages of Scripture and according to our text today the royal law the kingly law

Christ's law from Scripture is you shall love your neighbor as Yourself.

I've been meditating on this idea for some time for something. I'm working on and I've always been amazed at this configuration of love for God and love for neighbor and how simple and concise and clear that it is and how

Embedded in the language is the knowledge that we love ourselves. I Think this is the place where the church today can really grow we need to become much more selfless

In our love we are Immensely selfish creatures

We love often to get love back We serve in order to get something back we

We show compassion that we will be thought well of among our our peers

And I think it would be wonderful if we could drive out our self -interest in our our interest would then shift to to God and to our neighbor and I think what would actually happen for us is our

Self -fulfillment would go through the roof When we're out seeking it for ourselves

We fall into all kinds of sin, but when we really fulfill the royal law according to Scripture We love our neighbor as ourselves

Now the message from two weeks ago that first part of James 2 is still riddled with this

Conflict about partiality and showing preferential treatment for the rich That is not lost in our text.

It's still the context of the text that we're studying today Look at verse 9

It says but if you show partiality You commit sin and are convicted by the law as Transgressors and I want you to focus on two words for me.

Look at the word sin and then look at the word transgressors

Sin is the more common word in Scripture Amartya and I don't love its definition, but it is the best

Literal definition is missing the mark. I prefer the Catechism's answer Sin is any want of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God but this word

Amartya means missing the mark. So children, I want you to imagine that I have a big long bow and There is a target

With a bullseye down at the end of the church corridor and I bring my bow back and I Release the arrow and I shoot my arrow and the only acceptable target is the bullseye and my

Arrow falls limply to the ground coming short of the target

I've missed the mark. It's the first kind of basic Illustration of what sin is

The second found in that same verse transgressor Parabatis And what this means is one who steps over God's line.

I Love the illustration of these two words in the same verse because it almost covers all the bases

Imagine again this walkway in the middle of the pews that that we walk in and out of This is the path of blessing

Transgressors walk between the pews Transgressors go down the other aisle.

They don't they don't stay on the path that God has prescribed for his people and the object lesson for those who show partiality is

They have missed the mark and they have transgressed the boundary lines of God's blessing to be a transgressor of the laws to be one who steps over God's line

Learn those concepts. It's very helpful for you to picture your sin. There is no sin of omission and transgression

Transgression is willful disobedience. There's a little bit of omission and missing the mark but not in transgression

Transgression is willingly defying the purpose and plan of God to do it our own way and swinging back to this concept in chapter 2

Those who show partiality are guilty of a grave sin They are not fulfilling the royal law according to the scripture and you and I violate this every day we don't love as We ought to love

Been thinking a lot about this in recent weeks and The guy who was very important to me and mentoring me as a young pastor

Said you know when you were planting a church from the original church and He gave some very sage wisdom and advice he said you know you guys are young and you're gonna make a lot of mistakes your preaching is not gonna be the best and Your doctrines gonna have some holes in it, but you know your little church plant

Could be the most loving church in the world And I don't know if you notice this but we are awash in superficiality

And when I was in California I was thanking God for you the people of Ascension and I have had an increasing year after year growing love for the church for the people of God and We have to have a growing and deepening love for one another

We can't have a shallow commitment to one another the world does that today the church

Seems to look a lot like the world So how much do you love the brethren of Ascension?

You should love all Christians, but how much do you love the brethren of Ascension?

Do you really love them like you love yourself?

Do you merely tolerate them? Do you like the ones who who go on to canon press as much as you do?

Those the ones that you love? Do you love the ones who practice paedo -communion and or do you only love the ones who don't?

Do you really love the saints that you have been united to in Christ?

There's a world of blessing for us if we love one another a world of richness and fullness and joy in Christ when we love one another so if we show partiality

We commit sin and are convicted by the law as Transgressors my suspicion is that the audience that James was preaching to and writing to originally they had a high view of the law

They were loose -lipped they were rough on each other with their tongues They showed partiality, but but otherwise they felt like they were really good

Christians They were really Solidly rooted and grounded in the

Word of God and and James said if they lacked love for one another they were guilty of transgressing

The whole of the law look at verse 10 This is reminiscent of the

Sermon on the Mount the language here for whoever shall keep the whole law

And yet stumble in one point he is guilty of all

You've got all of your theological ducks in a row you have sound reform theology you believe in election and you believe in and radical corruption and You believe in a limited atonement you believe in the perseverance of the

Saints and you have all of these things dotted and crossed Do you love

The brethren do you despise other Christians for whom

Christ has died? It's unloving it's murderous heart

You Would never cheat on your wife But would you be enraged and angry at your heart and murder your brother or sister in Christ in your heart?

Jesus says we're guilty of murder if we do that for whoever shall keep the whole law

And yet stumble in one point. He is guilty of all

I could imagine a Rebellious spirit in us throwing up our hands and saying well

Why do I even try anymore if I if I miss the the horn on the

Hebrew letter or the jot or the tittle? if I if I miss it by even a little bit my my arrow if it just touches the edge of the

The board the target I've missed it. It's should I just throw my hands up and quit?

The answer is no We are guilty of violating the whole of God's law and that should cause us to pause

It says in verse 11 he who said do not commit adultery also said do not murder

Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder you have become a Transgressor of the law a

Willful defiler a rebellious Treasonous transgressor

God says walk down this aisle and you hop over the pews.

I Don't want to be that kind of person. You do not want to be that kind of person because You are in Christ The people of Israel Should have loved to hear the ten words that Moses brought back from the mountain because God was their

God Adam and Eve in the garden should have joyfully received that commandment because they had freedom and communion and liberty and Joy and peace in the presence of God How much more so for us?

When all of the penalty and sting of the law For you the

Christian has been laid upon Christ all of your sin all of your transgressions laid upon Christ Should you not now receive and be delighted because of your love for Christ?

to keep his commandments That brings us to the third point and Probably the most confusing statement

I think it's gonna be helpful for us to turn to the book of Galatians in chapter 5. Please turn there with me

You have no idea How free you are

How much liberty has been given to you and you are now freed by our

Redeemer to Fulfill the grand design of a redeemed creature

To have fellowship and communion with God and to to preach his gospel to the nations and to to walk in holiness and receive and enjoy all the

Blessings that that are intended for us in our created and now recreated

Humanity an amazing

Section of Scripture that helps us understand the law of Liberty is found in Galatians 5. I'm gonna read a large portion of that now

Galatians 5 stand fast therefore in the

Liberty by which Christ has made us free of course the

Context here is the imposition of the Judaizers to impose Circumcision upon the

Greeks as a qualifier a prerequisite to faith in Christ You better look in your lives and make sure there be no prerequisites

The law was never the means of salvation The law was given as the fruit of salvation

You've had salvation and in Christ and he gives us the law

Do you believe that? stand fast therefore in the

Liberty by which Christ has made us free and Do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage

When did the bondage come for Adam and Eve? Was it when the law was given or when they transgressed it they transgressed it

The people of God in the Exodus are delivered God has drawn them to his bosom

He takes them and he says you are my people. I am your God. I've brought you into my family

Therefore live this way That wasn't bondage in the giving of the love the bondage came in the disobedience

Paul says indeed I Paul say to you that if you become circumcised Christ will profit you nothing

And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law

You will not have Christ alone as your salvation and you're going to have your foreskin clipped

Keep all of the commandments now boy and try to earn your salvation Impossible Impossible you have been

Estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by law you have fallen from grace

For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith

How important is love for in Christ? Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything

But faith working through love should be pointed out that Paul and James are not at odds at all.

It would seem same language You ran well who hindered you from obeying the truth

This persuasion does not come from him who calls you a little leaven leavens the whole lump

I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will have no other mind But he who troubles you shall bear his judgment whoever he is

And I brethren if I still preach circumcision, why do I still suffer persecution?

Then the offense of the cross has ceased I Could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off now, would you listen closely children?

Pay close attention When I say obey the law our natural man recoils

When I say you have freedom and Liberty our natural man says I can go do whatever

I want This is the goal of my life. It's just for me to do whatever I want verse 13 for you brethren

Have been called to Liberty Only do not use

Liberty as an opportunity for the flesh But through love serve one another

For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this love law and Liberty intertwined interlaced in Galatians 5 and in fact the whole of Scripture We need to make law and gospel distinctions

But we must understand these things go together Surprising almost isn't it?

Do not use Liberty as an opportunity for the flesh You've been set free from the bondage of sin you have now the capacity to walk in righteousness

Which would be the most fulfilling and beautiful way to live You cannot use your

Liberty as an opportunity to feed your sinful sensual impulses

Use your Liberty through love To serve one another

For all the law is fulfilled in one word even in this you shall love your neighbor as Yourself, but if you bite and devour one another

Beware lest you be consumed by one another It's also interesting in the the prelude the preface really to the fruits of the spirit you have these

Dirty legal terms adultery fornication uncleanness lewdness idolatry sorcery hatred contentions jealousies outbursts of wrath selfish ambitions dissensions heresies envy murders drunkenness revelries and the like If you participate in these things and these are the practices of your lives

You will not inherit the kingdom of God. That's halting James is asking us to have a genuine faith.

It seems that Paul is as well but listen to the difference in the tone and the flavor the the aroma of the language of the fruit of the

Spirit and See how love and law and Liberty kind of intertwine again in this section

The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace

Long -suffering kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self -control

Against such there is no law if you practice these things If this is what your heart sings

If this is what you love you cannot find in the pages of Scripture a law that condemns you law and love and Liberty all together

Against such there is no law and Those who are

Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires We resist the law we resist the commandment

We should love it because Christ has saved us and redeemed us and and he's washed us and he's purified us

And he's he's making us holy and we're going to be glorified one day. This is an easy command for us to mortify the flesh

If we love Christ and we love his holy ways If we live in the spirit

Let us also Walk in the spirit Let's go back to our text

James 2 the audience in the days of James were transgressors of the law because they didn't love their brethren

And Illustrated in this particular sin of partiality

But the broad application for us is are we guilty of failure to love

God and to love our brothers? and sisters in Christ particularly He charges us and gives us an admonition

He says in verse 12. So speak and So do as those who we judged by the law of Liberty Do you have salvation in Christ and if you do do you walk in it if You do you are operating on that glorious liberation of the children and people of God And he closes our section with these words

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy and mercy

Triumphs over judgment Brethren mercy grace

Unmerited favor Blessing promises have triumphed over judgment because Christ is born the judgment

And because he has born the judgment you have been the recipients of mercy

You therefore are required to be like Christ and to show mercy as an outward expression of your gratitude for God's love surely the commandments of Christ His yoke is easy his burden is

Light you're free You're freed from the bondage of Satan and sin and death

You're now free to to walk in righteousness You're now free to to fulfill the the optimum state of human existence as a child of God Walk in that glorious Liberty Do not entangle yourself in ensnare yourself with the bondages that strip away your freedoms in Christ Well, we're out of time and I have a lengthy application section, so let me go there now

I want you to think intently and deeply about these things

What relationship? husband wife parent child siblings workers workplace what relationship and what conflict is not improved by a scriptural love in action whatever conflicts you are involved in whatever struggle you're enduring

Love is the essence of God's character and law and he has given us the capacity the utility of putting the scriptural love into action

If you need a Lord's Day activity today read the larger and shorter catechism on The fifth commandment and particular its sections on the superiors inferiors and equals

How to love in those Relationships Husbands love your wives children

Love your parents. How do we do that by obeying them? Love one another in this goofy small little church

And enjoy all the blessings of real Christian fellowship deeply love one another second

This is very important. This is very covenantal very important and probably lost largely

To many people maybe not you but many in the church today We need to now consider the corporate nature of our existence we are

Even here in this room so individualistic Here's what

I mean by this as a Christian my first identifier.

I'm a Christian. I Have a singular allegiance to Christ But I'm not alone.

I'm an individual who has a singular allegiance to Christ, but I'm part of the body of Christ I've got a love my brethren.

I may have more of these titles and manage you get older you start getting more titles I'm a husband.

So now I live corporately with my wife And I have to love as a husband is to love his wife.

So I love as a Christian, but now I have more Responsibility I have to love This very covenantal familial way corporately.

I have to love my wife It's just not me. It's me in relationship to Christ me in relationship to the church me in relationship to my wife

Me gets very small and and God and Christ get exalted and others get exalted, but I get diminished.

I Don't get to do what I want to do. I have to consider my relationship to Christ in the church and my wife

And my wife has all of these children, so I'm a father I'm a father to nine children and now

I'm a father -in -law To three great people, but but now I have to love corporately

I have to love my children as a father is to love his children, but I'm also to love my in -laws as is appropriate as a father -in -law

I'm a pastor, but I serve with another pastor, but it's not I'm not alone.

We're not alone We're part of a presbytery So now I have to think about all of that Corporately, it's not just me.

It's not just you Zach is more than Zach. Zach's a husband. Zach's a father make sense

I'm also a son and I was chastened by my father for not

Spending enough time with them So I was rightfully rebuked. I Need to still remember

Even though I'm a father and as a pastor, I'm a father of fathers in some ways

I'm still a son. So I've got to make my way over to my parents house and spend rich time

With them to be a good son I'm also a brother

And I don't think of my little sister as I ought I don't think every day about my little sister

But but I'm still a brother And I have to think about myself in relationship to my sister

I need to love my sister I'm an uncle. I Have Ten nieces and nephews.

Is that right? And I have to love them and it's hard to believe with my youthful appearance,

I'm a grandfather But I'm a nephew also you and I Live in a calm pond and every time we move like a pebble in the middle the ripples are affect other people

If you excel at love in your home and your family and your church and your workplace your extended family

Imagine the ripple effects That would have for the kingdom of God Third I want you

To mortify your spiritual pride We got a lot of pride in the room you take pride in your areas of perceived obedience and You fail to recognize the holes in your disobedience

We like to talk about what we like to talk about But do we like to talk about our

Amartya And our parapet us are missing the mark our failure to walk on his way in his ways

We need to mortify our spiritual pride We have transgressed the boundary lines of God's protection and blessing and we have missed the mark and fallen short

And our obedience we should be humble about it. We shouldn't be discouraged. We have Christ We should be humble about it

We should be getting to work on those things and forth your

Accusation from James and for me that you're a transgressor of the law That you haven't fulfilled the royal law of Christ All of these things reveal our need of Christ and Christ alone for our salvation the standard

We're reminded again is perfect precise exacting obedience

No brethren Take heart today Christ has met the standard and now

I have this new Uncomplicated view with the law because I see it for what it is.

It's a blessing for the redeemed It's a blessing for his people to walk in the 613 laws

It's a good thing a wonderful blessed thing for you to obey

Stop resisting in your natural man The blessings of the law when

I say law you recoil you should say give me the law of God Because here is where Liberty is found

Today we strive for greater obedience Because we don't have the fear of punishment

Hey children my children speak of my

Discipline and it's very exaggerated. I pointed out to Jacob very exaggerated

But but parents this is one thing. I want you to instill in your children They need to be disciplined when they have transgressed

But you don't want your children walking in fear and in eggshells in your home

Children Don't obey your parents so that you might not get disciplined.

That is the old man kind of view of law That's one way to conform to your family standards and laws is for you to say

I'm not going to disobey my mom and my dad because Then I won't be disciplined.

I'll get to do what I want We are operating in fear we've been made perfect in love children obey your parents because you love them and you recognize them as God's Authority and and you want the blessing that is attendant with obeying the command of God.

It's going to go well with you if you obey Big difference, isn't it?

That's how we should approach approach the law of God We're safe and secure in the family of God we belong here

We're not walking on eggshells We're not fearful that he's going to strike us down because we have

Christ So we stand a little taller we perform a little better because of that security

That we have as the liberated children of God finally

Today, I really want you to do this I want you to ask the

Lord because James has given us License to do so Ask the

Lord today to give you greater wisdom that you would take the knowledge that you have right now and that That God would enable you in the power of his

Holy Spirit to love him and to love your neighbor more more consistently with the truth of Scripture and the second half of the prayer

That he would grant in the power of the Holy Spirit That he would give to each of us a greater capacity and higher and higher decrees a love for God and for love

Toward one another the Christian is to be known for his love

May the Lord make it so in your home your marriage and your family your work life your church

And your efforts to reach the lost Please pray with me

The Lord I pray that your people will excel at scriptural love at the royal law of love the law that brings liberty found in the gospel and person of Christ Lord I thank you that Your mercy has triumphed over judgment and we like you should be blessed

That we should heed the beatitude and be merciful To others because You have shown us mercy.

Oh Lord grant us this gift we pray Oh Lord we

Horrendously miss the mark in our sin

We trample on the well -trod path of obedience and and yet you restore us you

Reconcile us you renew us because we are in Christ. We're part of your family and you set us on the path again

Oh Lord, I pray that our response to that will be gratitude and thanksgiving and oh, yes

Lord obedience new fresh Commitment and obedience to walk in your ways.

Oh Lord we want to enjoy the liberty that you have secured for us We we pray that you would grant us this and give us greater wisdom and a greater

Hunger and thirst for your love and to to show that love to others We ask all this in Jesus name