Philippians 2:16-21 "Hold Fast to The Word"

Wonderful. Yeah, seriously look into that that catechism questions and answers. It's a really good way for the kids to learn it and and whatnot so today we're gonna be in Philippians chapter 2

Philippians chapter 2 verses 16 through 21 for today

Philippians chapter 2 verses 16 through 21

Philippians chapter 2 verse 16 through 21 as you're making your way there. I will start off with a word of prayer.

So let's pray Lord, I I do thank you God for these little ones.

I thank you for every Individual that is here in our church Lord in our little local building here in Hagerman Lord God, I thank you for those that have been born again that are a part of your church your body your bride

Lord God, I would ask that you would just help us Recognize this truth in this reality call those that are yours unto you and help them be born again

Lord God help us be good stewards of your word today. Let us not think or say

Anything that goes beyond what your text has here for us Lord God, we say these things in your holy name

Jesus Christ. Amen Philippians chapter 2 verse 16 through 21.

Let's go ahead and read over these things and we will pray again specifically over this text Verse 16

Holding fast the word of life So that in the day of Christ, I will have reason to boast

Because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith.

I rejoice and share my joy With you all and you also rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me

But I hope in the Lord Jesus To send Timothy to you shortly so that I always may be in good spirits when

I learn of your circumstances For I have no one else of kindred spirit who genuinely be concerned about your circumstances

For they all seek after their own interests not those of Christ Jesus This is our text

For all of us who have it here. Let us hear these things. Let us pray again over this specifically Lord God, I would ask today

Lord that you would help us have genuine care for each other Lord God that you would help us rejoice

Even in the midst of our suffering in the midst of persecution the midst of drought and hardship

Lord God I would ask that you would help fill us with joy and having faith in your son and what he has done for us on the cross of Calvary and let us be let that be our

Hope in life and let that be the joy that we take everywhere with us something that cannot be taken from us

Lord God Help us recognize what you have here for us help us be reformed and refined as a church by reading this text and Lord just may you receive the glory from today, and we say this in your name

Jesus Christ Amen So again, we have to start with context every time that we look at any text as a reminder

Paul again is writing this letter while in prison It's a important reminder especially in light of the fact that here in this text it talks about Paul Expressing and having joy, and so it's kind of peculiar that here

Paul has joy while he's in prison, so that's just a very important Contextual piece that we have to remember

Paul writing this letter from prison while in Rome, and he's writing this to the

Church of Philippi and here in verses 16 through 21 just as a reminder what we've gone through already

We went through verses 12 through 15, and I think for us to understand what's going on here in verse 16

We have to back up and read verse 15, so let's go ahead and read verse 15 here It says so that you will be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in this world now

If you would just pause with me for a moment I want to read two verses real fast to two sections of Scripture That talk about how we are to be lights and this this concept of lights here in the

Bible Turn with me into Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 through 16 And this is just really building up what's going on in here in verses 16 for us, but Matthew chapter 5 verse 14 through 16

Matthew chapter 5 Verses 14 through 16 and Just for a little contextual piece for this portion

I just want to read verse 1 to start us off with just to tell us where Jesus is at when he says this he says now when Jesus saw the crowds he went up on the mountain and After he sat down his disciples came to him

This is part of the Sermon on the Mount that glorious text that we often go through as a church or as churches in the

United States, but here is Jesus sitting on top of this mountain and he gives them some very very

Important lessons that we ought to listen to so let us read so Jesus sitting on this mountain

He says these things here in verses 14 through 16. He says you are the light of the world a city

Set a city set on a hill Cannot be hidden Nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket

But on the lampstand and it gives light to all those who are in the house let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and Glorify your father who's in heaven this concept of what's going on in here what

Jesus is speaking about is in the day of Jesus and prior to that there was Going to be in the temple there was a there were these lights that they would have around the temple

And it would illuminate the whole city the way they have the temple built up was quite Marvelous the way that they was the centerpiece of Jerusalem and when they lit that up in the middle of the night

It would give light everywhere. It would give light everywhere And so what's going on in this text is

Jesus is sitting on this mountain is he's giving us a picture of what the church Is to be doing it's to give light unto this whole area and tell you the whole

World and that's what Jesus is getting at in this text and even more important than that this concept of light

Connected to that of the temple is even seen here in John chapter one I'd like to invite you now just to turn with me to the second text

I would like to read to us before we get it back into Philippians turn with me to John chapter 1 John chapter 1 as we know everything as as Especially Jonathan and everybody in Bible study.

We've been going through in the book of Hebrews, right? What in the temple pointed to Jesus all of it 80 % 60 % what pointed to Jesus in the temple all of it

Right every single thing pointed to Jesus Christ and what he was going to be doing two thousand years ago for us

But for them many many years prior to 2 ,000 years ago What it was pointing towards was the Messiah over and over and over again

We know that the nation Israel was called the light they were to be a light unto the nations and here we have a proclamation of who

Jesus is for us John chapter 1 verses 1 through 13 and it's important that we read all this text

We're not going to be dissecting and looking and exposition Lee going through each one of these verses today But John 1 1 through 13 it says in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was

God He was in the beginning with God all things came into being

Through him and apart from him nothing came into being that has come into being in him was life and the life was the light of men and The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overtake it

There was a man having been sent from God whose name was John. This is John the Baptist He came as a witness to bear witness about the light

So that all might believe through him he was not the light but he came to bear witness about the light

There was the true light Who is this true light? It's the the word that we have prior to this

This is Jesus as we would read through this text that the word becomes flesh and dwells amongst us

He is this light. He is the true light which coming into the world enlightens everyone

He was in the world and the world was made through him and the world did not know him He came to what was his own and those who were his own did not receive him

But as many as received him to them He gave the right to become the children of God even to those who believe in his name

Who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God The important thing

I want you to take notice of here in John chapter 1 and the reason that we read these things together is

That just as Philippians chapter 2 verse 10 says That at the name of Jesus Every knee will bow and how we look at that text and how we saw that that does not mean everyone in the world will

Have salvation but either you bend the knee in submission to him as your king

Or you bend your knee by having it broken in submission to him conquering you as The king that both bend the knee but either one is in salvation or one is in judgment

Look at this text here in John 1. He is the light that enlightens all men

And then it gives us a description of two types of people those that love the darkness rather than the light or Those that are born of the

Father who are drawn by him again You when you come in and consider

Jesus when Jesus is exposing you and your sin There's two things that can take place for us as believers as and we recognize this in the text

There's two things that can either take place the light exposes you and you're born again, and you

See the light and you have recognition of who he is and what he has done for you and being exposed

You're born again, and you become this new covenant member as we've been going through in this this Bible study.

You're born again you have a relationship with Jesus or the second type of person would be you're exposed to this light and What do you do?

You scurry off into the dark places to try to hide from the light because it has exposed you and you didn't like being exposed

For who you really are You try to hide from it. You love the darkness Rather than the light it exposes all people

But only those that are born again Only those that are drawn by the Father and are born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man

But of God Recognize this light as this saving thing.

It gives light unto all but only those that come to it have Salvation now turn back with me to Philippians chapter 2.

There's a reason that I wanted to read this for us today As Christians if you profess to be born again

You're also professing that you've been exposed by this light and That by being exposed that you are professing and confessing that Jesus Christ has paid for your sins

That you love this light far more than this darkness and when you look here in Philippians chapter 2 verse 15 and it says among whom you shine as lights in this world in this midst of this perverse and crooked generation

Verse 16 tells us how we are to shine as lights. What are the means of us doing this?

it says holding fast the word of life

I Would like you to think back in your own life here in verse 16. What was the verse?

What moment in your life did you experience this being born again?

When that light bulb went off and you knew that Jesus paid for your sins, however, you experienced that whatever that looked like in your life

Was it a Bible verse that was being read to you? Was it the street preacher telling you the gospel? Was it a near and dear friend coming to you and telling you the importance of Jesus Christ, whatever that looked like I hope that that meant something in your life.

I Hope that you hold that near and dear, right? That light that exposing light that you had

It's the light that now you carry unto others Would it be a fair thing to say that instead of holding fast that word that was first told you that truth of who

Jesus is that he's the way the truth in the life would it be a Good thing to not hold fast to that to forget that and forsake it or to have a loose grip over though that Incident and that reality that being born again.

That would not be a good thing It sells us in this text to hold it fast to hold quick to that to remember it to hold on to it

What I think is important for us when we read that in John 1 and that Matthew 5 text in this in this way.

I was reading a commentary on this text and You know, it said something and I saw something this week that made me even think further in this analogy a little bit but we did a campfire as a family this week and And what does this fire this light what does it do for us when we gather around the campfire?

It gives us heat and gives us light in the midst of darkness Now consider this would it be wise on a cold night when it's dark out and you need to see around this campfire

Would it be a wise thing to cover this fire up? So to put a barrier around it

No, you would immediately experience the coldness of the dark You'd immediately experience the blindness that the dark has in it

It would be unwise to want to try to cover up this fire

What this is telling us to do is if we were this campfire this this this

This is this means of holding this fire if that was us The word holding fast to the word is how we expose this light to others

If we don't hold fast to this light, it would be like covering up the campfire It'd be like not feeling its warmth not experiencing its light

We are to hold fast to the word of life. Look here in verse 16 holding fast the word of life

Brothers and sisters I am often Asked and even persuaded at times by even people outside of our local body

To change our church function to be an attraction for the world

To to put things in our building such as you you you look at some of the mainstream things that happen in the

United States today in the church and they would persuade you that you should have smoke machines that you should have nice music that you should

Have activities that you should really push these things that guess what they aren't

They're not the light They are not Jesus They are not the gospel

Now think about this for a moment for us If you think about about that moment when you knew the truth when you were

Exposed to that light and you couldn't run to the darkness any longer that you were exposed and came to it

Whatever that looked like I read John 1 today also for a double purpose That was the text that opened my eyes.

I could no longer deny Jesus as Lord and God That the

Word was God and the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory

That text is what opened my eyes Would it be right to say well that was the means

God has spoken and opened my eyes changed my heart How foolish would it be for me to say that means that God attracted myself in I?

Think I can copy it and duplicate it by adding a smoke machine in the church people make

Church into being a stage Into being an act trying to get to sell tickets to fill seats and the reality of this is is that the way that the church is refined and reformed is the same way that it all is always been and that's by being

Possessors of this light it's by holding fast to the word and continually preaching that message

You might say well Bray and I come here every single Sunday and all I hear about is the gospel good The day you don't hear it you leave

Why? Would Paul say something like this hold fast the word of life?

I want to remind us what the end of this text says verse 21 We'll talk about it again here in a moment for they all seek their own interests

But not those of Christ Jesus what Paul has done here is he's given us what a faithful servant ought to be doing

And that's holding fast to the word of life And then he is mirrored that by showing what an unfaithful servant of Jesus would be doing ones that seek after their own interests

Look in any time that we talk about church function We have to realize and remember that it has to be done by holding fast to the word of life

Hold fast to this church. Do not let anyone persuade you out of it The only means that you draw someone to a true church a true relationship a true fellowship is by preaching the gospel

It's got no other way No other way it doesn't matter if we threw a new paint of paint on the outside of the church

It doesn't matter doesn't matter if we added lines to the parking lot It doesn't matter The only way you get someone to be planted in a church is by having them be planted upon the rock

Jesus Christ And that it comes about by you holding fast to the word do not trade that in for any other means

Hold fast to the word of life Why why does Paul tell this church this church that he's writing this letter to 2 ,000 years ago.

Why does he say this? Why does he say you shine his lights by holding fast to the word of the word of life?

Why why does he say this so that in the day of Christ? I will have reason to boast because I did not run in vain nor labor in vain

This is really peculiar because this is continually thinking that same theme of Philippians chapter 2 with the with the topic of humility

Paul saying his running has not been in vain is the producing of the advancing of the gospel

He's saying I want you church to be holders of this light to be holders of the word of truth

So that the gospel continues to go forward so that in the day of Christ I would see that what

I have been doing what I have been suffering was not in vain That Christ is having a mightier song sung to him

That Christ is being recognized amongst the people here 2 ,000 years ago for Paul. That is what

Paul is seeking after Notice Paul does not say in here. I Want you to hold fast the word of life so that I can be released from prison

No He doesn't do that verse 17, let's look at this

But even Think about this being said from prison and the humility that comes from here from Paul But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering

Upon the sacrifice and service of your faith

I Rejoice And share my joy with you all

Paul sees what he's going through In the in the sovereign plan of God and this providential plan of God Paul now has a place of it in this this humble

Servant that is suffering here in prison, and he sees that what he is going through is being poured out upon the service of Their faith it's a strengthening of the church's faith

Now what's peculiar about this is the zeal of the servant Jesus The zeal of the servant

Paul who serves Jesus Christ while he's suffering is meant to be a strengthening for the church of Philippi here in this text

Brothers and sisters don't you get strengthened from this as well? To see that Paul suffered and while suffering he was rejoicing for being in Christ That should only encourage and strengthen you today as well in the midst of your suffering the midst of your hardship

You can remember and think how did Paul behave? Was he wanting to magnify himself in it or was he wanting to magnify

Christ through it? Even if I'm being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith.

I Rejoice and share my joy with you all something that we've talked about here previously is

And I believe it comes from John McCarth and I think Shauna was the one that pointed this out to me the reason that Paul Had joy in the midst of prison is because his joy wasn't found in the circumstances that he was in His joy was something that he took everywhere with him and that joy was knowing

Jesus Christ and knowing Jesus Christ is something that no one can ever take away from you think about it

Somebody somebody hurts you does that take away your faith in Jesus? No does somebody punching you take away your faith in Jesus?

No, does somebody chaining you to a wall take your faith away from Jesus? There's a tyrannical government take away your faith in Jesus.

No, it's something that no one can take from you This Killing you take away your faith in Jesus Christ.

Oh, no as the song we just sung death is going to be our victory

What? What does this look like for us today many of us can in the

United States We can get this this thing thinking of lazy Christianity right because none of this ever really hits home for us, right?

None of us are going to prison day and day not out for having faith in Jesus, right? You know just a few years ago.

We can see how this played out for even us today There was a pastor up in Canada and without getting into all the minutiae that was to be considered in the time of kovat

We saw how many churches forsook the assembling together and closed their doors and not only this but in Canada There was a huge push to have churches shut their doors

No matter what that the government overstep their realm of authority and said church

You have to shut your door down. You have to close the doors and lock them you can't go in and enter them and worship

God any longer is what they told them and It took one pastor in Canada pastor coats of What is this the church grace life

Church of Edmonton? He stood up and opened the doors He stood up and continued worshiping

God He continued to to praise and preach the word of life.

What was he doing? He was being a light amongst the darkness, what was he doing? He was holding true to holding fast to the word of truth.

He was not forsaking it He was more worried about being held responsible from God as a pastor and servant of his

Then he was a citizen of Canada and what happened to him They came and arrested him and he sat in prison

Because of him worshiping God and being obedient to Jesus Christ as a servant of his

What happened to Canada because of that? Churches opened their doors churches in the

United States opened their doors What Paul is doing in here is he's showing how being strong in the faith

Actually encourages the fellow Christian to act as Christians ought to act Like I said without getting into the minutia of all the the the debates and thoughts that went along with Kovat the point of it is is that God has given us command to assemble together and to worship him and as servants of him

We ought not to disobey him Be the light

Amongst the world amongst a crooked and perverse generation and how do we do this?

Holding fast the word of life Look here in verse 17 again

But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon a sacrifice and service of your faith

I rejoice and share my joy with you all verse 18 and you also rejoice in a different way

In a in a similar way Rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me brothers and sisters the reality of this is that we don't think that we could ever be persecuted because today we've gotten used to our nice cushy position of being a

Christian here in the United States the reality of it is though if next week was to bring hardship and turmoil Hold fast to the word of truth.

Hold fast to the word of life. Be that light not cover that campfire

Let it breathe let it be exposed stoke that fire Stoke that light hold fast to the word

Verse 18 again, and you also rejoice in the same way and share your your joy with me

The the suffering that Paul was going through in that day He wants the church of that day to have joy in his circumstances as well

To have joy that the providential hand of God is working and that More and more people are knowing

Christ through the zeal of this servant Paul and here in verse 19

Notice this in verse 19 This is something that really pulled at my heartstrings this week while studying this verse 19, but I hope in the

Lord Jesus To send Timothy to you shortly so that I also may be in good spirits when

I learn of your circumstances Paul writing this letter. It's gonna have this letter sent right and In this letter what he's doing is he's saying

I'm also going to send Timothy one day to you so that then he can see if you have listened to this apostolic inspired word and And report back to me if you were actually obeying this

Who is this Timothy that he's talking about in this text? this is a a young pastor a Man that grew up in the faith a friend of Paul a saint that had true affection for the early church

Paul is sending him to this church 2 ,000 years ago this Church of Philippi here in this book

And he hopes that by having this letter penned to them with again that apostolic authority

That it will be heeded that those people that read this for the first time could you imagine?

gathering together as a local body of this church and opening this letter from Paul for the very first time and Reading what it had contained in that can you imagine that experience of what that was like?

and You're seeing in this text. I'm to treat others Better than myself.

I'm to have the attitude of Christ Jesus that he possessed himself That I'm to be humble and I'm to be united together as a church and not only that but Timothy he's gonna be coming to us in a month to make sure we're actually listening to what he's told us to do

You can almost imagine immediately the the people the church being somewhat concerned with maybe how they've been behaving

They'd be concerned with with how Paul would or how Timothy would recognize them now think about this for a moment today

Again we're not going outside I want to use this as the means of understanding what this church went through the in that day but could you imagine today if Paul wrote us a letter and Many asked what would a letter the

United States Church look like from Paul today? And I've heard that you should just read the book of Corinthians the first and second letter of Corinthians What the letter to the

United States Church would look like for us a lot of things about sexual immorality in there and and whatnot, but if Paul wrote this letter to us

Valley Baptist today And we read in there and we see that were to be these lights that were to have humility

That we're reading these things and we're being convicted by them, and then we read in there Timothy is gonna be coming to us in a month

Timothy is gonna come and report To Paul the honest review that he has about the

Church of Valley Baptist in Hagerman, Idaho Do you think we would want to hold fast the word of truth when he came?

That we would be seen as obedient to what this apostle of the faith has told us to do

I hope that you would but you might scoff at this idea. You might say well Pastor Paul is dead

Timothy is dead. He's not coming to us next month and This is true, they are not coming to us next month

However, it is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living

God That church 2 ,000 years ago should not have been concerned about Timothy coming to report to Paul They should be concerned just as we should be concerned.

Are we being obedient to God? Because if Jesus comes back next month or if he tarries for another hundred years or a thousand years

We ought to be behaving as the church Today ought to be behaving from a month from now that ought to be behaving from a hundred years from now

The church must do what? Hold fast to the word of life

How does a church have a revival how does a church have numbers

How does a church have spiritual growth? How does the church have baptisms? How do little ones come to have faith in Jesus Christ?

How is it done? Holding fast to the word of life

Preaching and teaching and thinking with the authority of Scripture because there's authority there in This letter today that was written 2 ,000 years ago church.

Are you obeying it? It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of a living

God You ought to live not like if Timothy was coming next month You have no fear of no man. You have fear of Jesus coming again and judging you

This is not me teaching legalism or a work salvation I'm saying that you've been born again and you've been exposed by the light and Jesus paid for your sins

You ought to behave as such Verse 24

I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned about your circumstances now

What is Paul speaking about in this text he's talking about Timothy in the prior verse I think

This verse is actually very very remarkable and actually even as a call to myself as as a pastor

Paul as an apostle of Christ sees a genuine care

For the sheep of God given through the means of this lowly young pastor

Timothy Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 through 13 says this and he gave listen to that text again

Ephesians 4 verse 11 through 13 and he gave this is God who gives and God gave some as Apostles and some as prophets and some as Evangelists and some as pastors and some as teachers and for the equipping of the

Saints for the work of service To the building up of the body of Christ until we attain all the unity of the faith and the full knowledge of the

Son of God to a mature man To the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ when we look at the makeup of the church pastors elders and deacons these themes are a gift from God to the church and It's for her the bride of Christ to be strengthened so they

She as the bride would know more about her future husband Think about this.

So Paul is sending not just anybody. He's sending this lowly Loving pastor to this church to go in and see how they're doing.

He's sending Timothy to them Think about back in the day for when

Jesus the tradition of marriage in that day again This bridegroom would go to the groom go to the bride and would ask for the hand in marriage and do this ceremony and asking in such in this traditional way and Immediately from then what was tradition after that is the bridegroom the future husband would go away and start building the house on the father's property

He'd go away and guess what? He would not see the bride until when? Until the wedding day

What God has done It's essentially like if in that day Could you imagine if the the bridegroom with so much?

Excitement and zeal for having this future wife of his to be married to him to come live in the house of the father

He then sends his messenger his best friends or whoever it is he sends these individuals and he says go and tell her that we are almost done and This messenger goes and knocks on this bride's door and says you should see the molding that he's put up in this house

You should see the entryway He has been attentive to every detail for this house for you

You can see the love that he has there for you there in this house He knocks on this door to tell this bride that do you not think that the bride would be an amazement?

For what she's waiting for for the day when the bridegroom comes and brings her to this house Do you not think that she would just be listening and gleaning off of what this messenger has to tell her about this future house?

Or do you think she would scoff at it shut the door in his face and say I don't care what

God has set up for the church is for pastors like Timothy To be going to the bridegroom or to the bride.

Excuse me going to the bride and telling her About what the bridegroom is building

Telling her about the salvation that's in Jesus Christ telling her hold fast to the word of life

Now think about the weight and the concern that those messengers ought to have about telling them every detail of this house

Do you think it would be a good messenger if this bridegroom sent a messenger that went to this person to tell him about this

Future house and he left out every detail He said that yeah, it's being done lazily or it's dying done

Not that well or it's being done in a picture that's opposite of what it's actually being done. How do you think?

The bridegroom would would feel hearing about a misrepresentation of what he's building

Be pretty mad Pretty upset with the unrighteous steward of that word

Paul in this text for I have no one else of a kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned about your circumstances for they all

Seek after so he's now talking about these other pastors in this day For they all seek after their own interests and not those of Christ Jesus When we read this in light of what chapter 1 has already taught us that some preach

Christ out of vainglory Out of these reasons that are not according to the gospel

We see now what that looks like why Paul is saying I'm not gonna send any other pastor to you church

But I'm gonna send the one that actually is doing the work of a pastor. I'm gonna send

Timothy to you I'm gonna send Timothy to you and I hope in doing so that he's gonna recognize

The very things that I've been writing in this book to you this letter to you church that you've actually been

Listening to them that you've been refined by them that you have humility that you have you unity in the faith together

That you have a fellowship that is so true that he can see it that you are holding fast to the word of truth

And that you were being lightened to the world He's saying I want Timothy to come and recognize that you have been obedient to these commands

Paul Had men in his day that failed at this There are men today that fail at this church

I Would tell you today the exact same thing that Paul has said here that you are to be lights unto a world that is perverse and Crooked and the only way that you do this

The only way that we are the church the only way that we ought to behave is by holding fast the

Word of Life In So doing this you will be obedient to what

Paul told this church 2 ,000 years ago and not only this

But that the work of Paul the Apostle that his work of Preaching this and teaching this and writing this letters was not done in vain

We're a testament to that today 2 ,000 years ago this church has been continually going not just this church, but the the

Christian Church has been Continually holding fast to the word of truth and through that you were called

Through that you were justified Through that you now sing worship to God instead of running and scurrying away to the dark places

You now have been coming to the light and the only way that this light will continue to go about Is by you holding fast to the word of Truth this word of life in this text.

That is what it's told it for us to do This is how the gospel goes out and this is how people see this light that we have come to know

So let us have faith in these things and let us lift up a prayer today to God Lord I would ask today

God that you would help us hold fast to the word of life Lord you have said that you are the only way

The only truth and the only life and that no one comes to the father except through you

So Lord God if there is anyone that has come here today that is not knowing you that Has been denying you and has been running to the dark and the scurrying to the the evil places

Lord Let them be exposed to your light today and Lord if there's any of us today that have come

Concealing this light Keeping it away from the world being almost like we were ashamed of your love

God help us Expose this light help us hold fast to the word.

Let us stoke this flame that is inside of us God let us be these lights unto this world

Lord God you are good. You are sovereign. You have a plan and Lord God I would ask that we would take assurance in your will and whatever you have that is to befall us

Lord and That we would have a greater faith in you and your sovereign plan through reading

This wonderful text that Paul has written here for us Lord that Lord that we would have a joy

That would be inexpressible just as Paul had Lord God, I would ask these things today

And next week in the next week Lord that we would continue to be reformed to your word of truth

Let us hold fast to it. Let us not Slip from it. Let us not have vanity or self -glory

But instead have us have humility and genuine care for your church