1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:29,980 . . . . 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:59,980 Thank you. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:29,980 Thank you. 4 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:59,980 Thank you. 5 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:14,840 Good morning. 6 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:23,080 I am very excited and very glad to be able to worship with you this morning. 7 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:28,400 Before we pray, I'd like to share with you the words from Galatians chapter 1 8 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:33,580 As Paul greets the church, I would like to sort of greet us today as we begin. 9 00:02:33,580 --> 00:02:38,720 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 10 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:43,600 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, 11 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,500 according to the will of our God and Father, 12 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:50,500 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 13 00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:51,640 Let's pray. 14 00:02:51,640 --> 00:02:55,960 Father in heaven, we thank you for the grace and the peace 15 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:58,220 that you have brought to us through your Son. 16 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:26,180 We ask this morning as we worship, as we read Scripture together, as we gather to the table, as we pray, as we worship, as we open your word, whether upstairs together or in the kids' classes downstairs, may you make evident to us the power and the goodness of your grace that we would be transformed and that we would find peace in you. 17 00:03:26,340 --> 00:03:31,240 Be with us during our service this morning. It is in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 18 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:37,540 If you would be standing with me, we're going to begin by reading from the 145th Psalm, 19 00:03:37,540 --> 00:03:42,020 and then we are going to move right into This Is Our God. 20 00:03:42,020 --> 00:03:43,960 So if you would, read with me. 21 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:52,180 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you. 22 00:03:52,180 --> 00:04:08,260 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 23 00:04:08,260 --> 00:04:09,780 This is the word of the Lord. 24 00:04:22,180 --> 00:04:27,940 Remember those walls that we called sin and shame 25 00:04:27,940 --> 00:04:33,620 They were like prisons that we couldn't escape 26 00:04:33,620 --> 00:04:38,440 But he came and he died and he rose 27 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:41,300 Those walls are rubble now 28 00:04:41,300 --> 00:04:51,360 Remember those giants we called death and grave 29 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:57,200 They were like mountains that stood in our way 30 00:04:57,200 --> 00:05:01,840 But He came and He died and He rose 31 00:05:01,840 --> 00:05:04,880 Those giants are dead now 32 00:05:04,880 --> 00:05:12,340 This is our God, this is who He is 33 00:05:12,340 --> 00:05:14,760 He loves us 34 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:18,240 This is our God, this is what He does 35 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:20,680 He saves us 36 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,880 He bore the cross, beat the grave 37 00:05:23,880 --> 00:05:26,680 Let heaven and earth proclaim 38 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,480 This is our God, King Jesus 39 00:05:30,480 --> 00:05:41,140 Remember that fear that took our breath away 40 00:05:41,140 --> 00:05:46,860 Faith so weak that we could barely pray 41 00:05:46,860 --> 00:05:51,700 But He heard every word, every whisper 42 00:05:51,700 --> 00:05:58,260 Now those altars in the wilderness 43 00:05:58,260 --> 00:06:04,700 Tell the story of His faithfulness 44 00:06:04,700 --> 00:06:07,540 Never once did He fail 45 00:06:07,540 --> 00:06:11,360 And He never will 46 00:06:11,360 --> 00:06:16,720 This is our God, this is who He is 47 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,200 He loves us 48 00:06:19,200 --> 00:06:21,000 This is our God 49 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:22,560 This is what He does 50 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:25,060 He saves us 51 00:06:25,060 --> 00:06:26,720 For the cross 52 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:28,300 Feed the grave 53 00:06:28,300 --> 00:06:30,900 Let heaven and earth proclaim 54 00:06:30,900 --> 00:06:32,840 This is our God 55 00:06:32,840 --> 00:06:34,580 King Jesus 56 00:06:34,580 --> 00:06:38,620 This is our God 57 00:06:38,620 --> 00:06:40,140 This is who He is 58 00:06:40,140 --> 00:06:42,580 He loves us 59 00:06:42,580 --> 00:06:44,400 This is our God 60 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:45,960 This is what He does 61 00:06:45,960 --> 00:06:48,500 He saves us 62 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:51,660 He bore the cross, beat the grave 63 00:06:51,660 --> 00:06:54,480 Let heaven and earth proclaim 64 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:57,900 This is our God, King Jesus 65 00:06:57,900 --> 00:07:03,520 He bore the cross, beat the grave 66 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:05,940 Let heaven and earth proclaim 67 00:07:05,940 --> 00:07:09,620 This is our God, King Jesus 68 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:26,580 Christ is my firm foundation 69 00:07:26,580 --> 00:07:32,420 The rock on which I stand 70 00:07:32,420 --> 00:07:36,220 When everything around me shaken 71 00:07:36,220 --> 00:07:42,100 I've never been more glad 72 00:07:42,100 --> 00:07:51,660 I put my faith in Jesus, cause he's never let me down. 73 00:07:51,660 --> 00:08:01,660 He's faithful through generations, so why would he fail now? 74 00:08:01,660 --> 00:08:03,280 He won't. 75 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:08,540 He won't. 76 00:08:10,500 --> 00:08:15,060 I've still got joy in chaos 77 00:08:15,060 --> 00:08:20,460 I've got peace that makes no sense 78 00:08:20,460 --> 00:08:24,260 So I won't be going under 79 00:08:24,260 --> 00:08:30,040 I'm not held by my own strength 80 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:33,860 Cause I built my life on Jesus 81 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:39,740 He's never let me down 82 00:08:39,740 --> 00:08:43,480 He's faithful in every season 83 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:49,720 So why would he fail now? 84 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:51,320 He won't 85 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:56,500 He won't 86 00:08:56,500 --> 00:09:02,560 He won't fail 87 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:07,300 He won't fail 88 00:09:07,300 --> 00:09:14,580 Rain came, wind blew 89 00:09:14,580 --> 00:09:18,460 But my house was built on you 90 00:09:18,460 --> 00:09:24,020 I'll say with you 91 00:09:24,020 --> 00:09:27,960 I'm gonna make it through 92 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:33,540 Rain came, wind blew 93 00:09:33,540 --> 00:09:37,540 But my house was built on you 94 00:09:37,540 --> 00:09:43,340 I'm safe with you 95 00:09:43,340 --> 00:09:47,300 I'm gonna make it through 96 00:09:47,300 --> 00:09:52,120 Yeah, I'm gonna make it through 97 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:56,840 Cause I'm standing strong on you 98 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,660 Oh, I'm gonna make it through 99 00:10:01,660 --> 00:10:06,320 Cause my house is built on you 100 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:09,860 Christ is my firm foundation 101 00:10:09,860 --> 00:10:15,720 The rock on which I stand 102 00:10:15,720 --> 00:10:19,480 When everything around me is shaken 103 00:10:19,480 --> 00:10:25,300 I've never been more glad 104 00:10:25,300 --> 00:10:29,180 But I put my faith in Jesus 105 00:10:29,180 --> 00:10:34,920 Cause he's never let me down 106 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:38,560 He's faithful through generations 107 00:10:38,560 --> 00:10:44,900 So why would he fail now? 108 00:10:44,900 --> 00:10:46,480 He won't 109 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:51,760 He won't 110 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:58,980 He won't fail 111 00:10:58,980 --> 00:11:02,420 He won't fail 112 00:11:02,420 --> 00:11:06,960 He won't fail 113 00:11:28,980 --> 00:11:44,660 Christ is sure, steady and in the fury of the storm. 114 00:11:44,660 --> 00:11:53,980 In the winds of doubt blow through me and my sins are all been torn. 115 00:11:54,760 --> 00:12:12,780 In the suffering, in the sorrow, when my singing hopes are few, I will hold this to the end which I'll never know. 116 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:24,680 Christ ensured in steady anger 117 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:29,080 While the tempest rages on 118 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:31,460 In temptation 119 00:12:31,460 --> 00:12:37,700 It seems the night is warm 120 00:12:37,700 --> 00:12:42,520 Deeper still then goes the anger 121 00:12:42,520 --> 00:12:47,400 Though I just at least stand acute 122 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:56,660 I will hold first to the end, it shall never be one. 123 00:13:12,560 --> 00:13:18,480 A nice and strong and steady anger 124 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:22,360 Through the floods of me 125 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:27,640 Hopeless on now, oh my soul 126 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:32,260 Now lift your eyes to Calvary 127 00:13:32,260 --> 00:13:37,480 This my ballast of assurance 128 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:40,780 Sees love forever 129 00:13:40,780 --> 00:13:46,660 I will hold fast to the anger 130 00:13:46,660 --> 00:13:51,660 And it shall never be removed 131 00:13:51,660 --> 00:14:03,060 Christ is short and steady anger 132 00:14:03,060 --> 00:14:07,420 As we face the weight of death 133 00:14:07,420 --> 00:14:35,520 When these trials give way to glory, as we draw our final breath, we will cross that great horizon, clouds behind them, life's secure in the calm, be the bed for the storms that we bring. 134 00:14:35,520 --> 00:14:39,380 Christ is sure of salvation 135 00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:44,260 Ever faithful, ever true 136 00:14:44,260 --> 00:14:51,300 The world fast to the anchor 137 00:14:51,300 --> 00:14:54,760 It shall never be 138 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:14,920 Spurgeon once said in the midst of trial 139 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:17,320 that I have learned to kiss the wave 140 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,300 that cast me upon the rock of Christ. 141 00:15:21,300 --> 00:15:26,080 And as we prepare to come to the table this morning, 142 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,500 I want to read first from Matthew, the 27th chapter, 143 00:15:29,500 --> 00:15:33,520 and then two verses that we just sang about 144 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,000 from the book of Hebrews. 145 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:40,780 Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 146 00:15:40,780 --> 00:15:45,500 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice saying, 147 00:15:45,500 --> 00:15:48,540 Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani. 148 00:15:48,540 --> 00:15:51,540 And Jesus is quoting from the 22nd Psalm. 149 00:15:51,540 --> 00:15:55,380 God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 150 00:15:55,380 --> 00:16:00,620 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, this man is calling Elijah. 151 00:16:01,380 --> 00:16:04,460 And one of them at once ran, took a sponge, 152 00:16:04,460 --> 00:16:06,360 filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed 153 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:07,660 and gave it to him to drink. 154 00:16:07,660 --> 00:16:10,700 But others said, let us wait to see 155 00:16:10,700 --> 00:16:13,120 whether Elijah will come to save him. 156 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:18,800 And in his darkest hour, not just in spiritual darkness, 157 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:23,500 but also physical darkness, pointing to the darkness of Jesus 158 00:16:23,500 --> 00:16:25,560 carrying the weight of our sin, 159 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:28,460 people are surmising and they're questioning 160 00:16:28,460 --> 00:16:30,040 and in some cases mocking. 161 00:16:31,020 --> 00:16:37,260 But it's in that moment, Jesus cried out with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. 162 00:16:37,260 --> 00:16:41,400 We get a note of what happens in verse 51. 163 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:47,300 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn into from top to bottom. 164 00:16:47,300 --> 00:16:51,120 And in the Jewish temple, which was a place of separation, 165 00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:55,020 depending on where you were from, but depending on whether you were a man or woman, 166 00:16:55,020 --> 00:16:58,060 determined how close you could get into the temple. 167 00:16:58,700 --> 00:17:02,000 Priests could enter into the inner courts and into the temple itself, 168 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:07,220 but only the high priest could enter into the most holy place, 169 00:17:07,220 --> 00:17:09,840 and Him only once a year, 170 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:14,900 and Him only with the blood that takes away sins. 171 00:17:14,900 --> 00:17:18,280 And so standing between the place that any priest could go 172 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,760 and standing between the holy of holies was a curtain. 173 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:25,420 And when we think of curtains, we might think of something like this. 174 00:17:26,380 --> 00:17:30,440 The curtain that separated the holy place and the holy of holies 175 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:32,620 was several inches thick. 176 00:17:32,620 --> 00:17:35,780 It's said that when it was mounted, 177 00:17:35,780 --> 00:17:38,100 it was so heavy because of its thickness 178 00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:42,220 that it took 300 priests in the construction of the temple 179 00:17:42,220 --> 00:17:45,600 to be able to hang this curtain because of the weight of it. 180 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,660 And when the priest enters into the holy of holies, 181 00:17:48,660 --> 00:17:51,000 he doesn't sort of go through and part the curtain, 182 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:52,840 but because of its weight, 183 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,600 he goes to the edge and sort of heaves back apart 184 00:17:55,600 --> 00:18:02,000 and goes in behind the curtain with the blood on the Day of Atonement to take away sin. 185 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:08,900 But as Jesus on the cross cries, it is finished, and gives His Spirit. 186 00:18:08,900 --> 00:18:14,940 The curtain in the temple is torn, and notice what Matthew says. 187 00:18:14,940 --> 00:18:24,240 That curtain that is so thick and so heavy is torn, not from bottom to top, but from top to bottom. 188 00:18:25,220 --> 00:18:29,820 And because Jesus has entered into the holy place with his blood, 189 00:18:29,820 --> 00:18:35,500 there is now no separation between God's people and God. 190 00:18:35,500 --> 00:18:37,360 Hebrews chapter 6 says it this way, 191 00:18:37,360 --> 00:18:42,100 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, 192 00:18:42,100 --> 00:18:45,860 a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 193 00:18:45,860 --> 00:18:51,100 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, 194 00:18:51,600 --> 00:18:56,580 having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek, 195 00:18:56,580 --> 00:19:04,300 that there is an anchor that enters into the place of our redemption that is sure and steadfast. 196 00:19:04,300 --> 00:19:07,860 And so this morning as we partake of the bread and the cup, 197 00:19:07,860 --> 00:19:15,760 and we are nourished by the grace and the mercy and the love of God through the death of his Son, 198 00:19:15,840 --> 00:19:23,820 we are reminded that there is an anchor that holds our souls so deeply and so strongly. 199 00:19:23,820 --> 00:19:24,440 Let's pray. 200 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:31,380 Father in heaven, I ask that as we partake of this bread, 201 00:19:31,380 --> 00:19:37,580 that you would remind us that we are anchored in something that is bigger and stronger than ourselves. 202 00:19:37,580 --> 00:19:44,300 And that that anchor is not without cost, that it was the broken body of your Son. 203 00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:49,960 And that as we partake of this cup, you remind us of the blood of the new covenant. 204 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:56,260 The blood that opens a way for us through an impenetrable curtain of separation. 205 00:19:56,260 --> 00:20:01,380 That we may enter in to find grace and mercy to help in our time. 206 00:20:01,380 --> 00:20:05,220 So I ask that you bless this bread and this cup. 207 00:20:05,220 --> 00:20:08,240 May you nourish us. May you strengthen us. 208 00:20:08,240 --> 00:20:10,700 May you help us with your presence. 209 00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:14,540 May we proclaim you until your son comes again. 210 00:20:14,980 --> 00:20:16,900 It's in his name we pray. Amen. 211 00:20:16,900 --> 00:20:22,580 If you would take the bread with me as Jesus shares with his disciples, 212 00:20:22,580 --> 00:20:24,000 remember Jesus. 213 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:35,100 If you would take the cup as we remember that cup of the new covenant 214 00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:38,820 that opens a new way for us, let's remember Jesus. 215 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:49,920 Father, I thank you so much for your grace and for the peace that comes from that grace. 216 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:57,840 May that be our anchor in times of joy or in times of sorrow, in times of struggle and loss. 217 00:20:57,840 --> 00:21:03,100 May you anchor our souls firmly to Christ. It's in his name we pray. Amen. 218 00:21:03,100 --> 00:21:10,860 At this point, the kids can be dismissed to Children's Church, and then we will move directly into our time of prayer. 219 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:28,620 Thank you. 220 00:21:43,040 --> 00:22:13,020 Thank you. 221 00:22:13,040 --> 00:22:43,020 Thank you. 222 00:36:43,040 --> 00:37:12,260 Just a moment will be 223 00:37:13,040 --> 00:37:20,540 Hearing from the Apostle Paul specifically about God's grace evidenced in his life. 224 00:37:20,540 --> 00:37:27,540 Before we do that, we're going to just sing one more song reminding us of the goodness of God. 225 00:37:27,540 --> 00:37:38,540 I love you, Lord. 226 00:37:40,700 --> 00:37:44,440 Oh, your mercy never fails me. 227 00:37:44,440 --> 00:37:51,580 All my days, I've been held in your hands. 228 00:37:51,580 --> 00:37:59,840 From the moment that I wake up, until I lay my head, 229 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:06,460 I will sing of the goodness of God. 230 00:38:09,340 --> 00:38:23,840 All my life you have been faithful All my life you have been so, so good 231 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:36,440 With every breath that I am able I will sing of the goodness of God 232 00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:45,540 I love your voice You have led me through the fire 233 00:38:45,540 --> 00:38:53,320 In the darkest nights You are close like no other 234 00:38:53,320 --> 00:39:01,040 I've known you as a father I've known you as a friend 235 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:08,440 I have lived in the goodness of God 236 00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:16,000 All my life you have been faithful 237 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:25,800 All my life you have been so, so good 238 00:39:25,800 --> 00:39:30,700 With every breath that I am able 239 00:39:30,700 --> 00:39:38,460 I will sing of the goodness of God 240 00:39:38,460 --> 00:39:45,780 All my life you have been faithful 241 00:39:45,780 --> 00:39:54,800 All my life you have been so, so good 242 00:39:54,800 --> 00:40:00,600 With every breath that I am able 243 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:07,940 I will sing of the goodness of God 244 00:40:07,940 --> 00:40:16,960 I will sing of the goodness of God 245 00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:22,580 Let's pray. 246 00:40:23,580 --> 00:40:27,260 Father in heaven, I thank you for your faithfulness. 247 00:40:27,260 --> 00:40:34,280 Even in the midst of our struggles and in our faithlessness, 248 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:41,380 you have been a constant source of goodness and correction. 249 00:40:41,380 --> 00:40:46,640 Calling us to yourself, we thank you so much for your grace 250 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:50,180 that has come with us to bring us to you. 251 00:40:50,180 --> 00:40:55,180 but also sustains us and energizes us as we seek to follow you. 252 00:40:55,180 --> 00:40:59,220 So I ask this morning that you would direct us toward that grace, 253 00:40:59,220 --> 00:41:05,020 that maybe we would understand it more deeply, more wonderfully, 254 00:41:05,020 --> 00:41:10,080 that this morning we would be surprised by grace and transformed by grace, 255 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:16,440 and especially those struggles that we have with grace and our fears about grace 256 00:41:16,440 --> 00:41:19,620 and our pride that says we don't need grace. 257 00:41:19,620 --> 00:41:22,020 May you humble our hearts. 258 00:41:22,020 --> 00:41:24,180 May you comfort our souls. 259 00:41:24,180 --> 00:41:26,040 It is in Jesus' name we pray. 260 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:27,000 Amen. 261 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:32,720 Sometimes it seems like we rush from one thing to another 262 00:41:32,720 --> 00:41:34,440 without much break, 263 00:41:34,440 --> 00:41:38,120 and so we finish up with Easter last week, 264 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:42,440 the joyous celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. 265 00:41:42,440 --> 00:41:45,500 And now two weeks, we've got Mother's Day coming up, 266 00:41:45,540 --> 00:41:48,660 And a few weeks after that, we have VBS coming up. 267 00:41:48,660 --> 00:41:54,220 And it seems in our life that oftentimes we run from one thing to another. 268 00:41:54,220 --> 00:41:58,320 And I think it says something sometimes about us, not just about the busyness, 269 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:02,560 because it's not necessarily bad or unhealthy to be on mission 270 00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:07,160 and to have times of planning and times of busyness. 271 00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:13,320 But sometimes I think we are so quick to move from one thing to another 272 00:42:13,320 --> 00:42:19,840 that we miss the moments to drink in the goodness of what we have. 273 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:23,880 And so what I want us to do this morning and next week 274 00:42:23,880 --> 00:42:28,080 is consider a little bit more about the resurrection of Jesus 275 00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:34,580 because it is this wonderful, earth-shattering, world-changing, life-transforming thing. 276 00:42:34,580 --> 00:42:39,660 And so many times we rush simply to see what is next. 277 00:42:39,720 --> 00:42:44,160 It's possible that for some of us, when it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, 278 00:42:44,160 --> 00:42:45,980 we might have some questions. 279 00:42:45,980 --> 00:42:51,540 For example, we might say, well, how is it possible that a man who was crucified 280 00:42:51,540 --> 00:42:56,460 and he died and was buried, how is it possible that he rose again? 281 00:42:56,460 --> 00:43:01,360 And then, if that is true, what do I do about it? 282 00:43:01,360 --> 00:43:02,340 What happens next? 283 00:43:02,340 --> 00:43:07,320 What are the implications of the resurrection of Jesus? 284 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:11,700 And the interesting thing about the 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians 285 00:43:11,700 --> 00:43:16,180 is that Paul sort of helps us with an answer to both of these questions. 286 00:43:16,180 --> 00:43:18,460 And as you read through this chapter, 287 00:43:18,460 --> 00:43:22,800 one of the things that Paul does is he defends the truth of the resurrection. 288 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,180 So in the first section of verses, 289 00:43:25,180 --> 00:43:28,900 he talks about all the people who have seen Jesus. 290 00:43:28,900 --> 00:43:31,500 And essentially what Paul is saying is, 291 00:43:31,500 --> 00:43:33,520 go back and check my story. 292 00:43:33,520 --> 00:43:36,020 To those who were contemporary with Paul, 293 00:43:36,120 --> 00:43:39,880 He says 500 people saw Jesus at one time. 294 00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:44,000 What he is doing is encouraging those original readers of this letter 295 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:47,860 to go check it out with somebody other than Paul. 296 00:43:47,860 --> 00:43:53,200 And we might say, well, that's interesting if you're a first century reader of that. 297 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:54,800 What about now? 298 00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:58,160 Well, in part, it tells us Paul wasn't afraid of having his story checked. 299 00:43:58,160 --> 00:44:03,500 But secondly, he doesn't just talk about these 500 people, most of whom who are still alive. 300 00:44:03,500 --> 00:44:05,860 He also says, let me tell you about Peter. 301 00:44:06,120 --> 00:44:09,720 Let me tell you about the apostles. Let me tell you about the brother of Jesus. 302 00:44:09,720 --> 00:44:12,280 And let me tell you about myself. 303 00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:16,480 And look at us before the resurrection of Jesus. 304 00:44:16,480 --> 00:44:22,100 And look at us after and see the transformation that occurs. 305 00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:26,640 And so Paul defends the truth of the resurrection. 306 00:44:26,640 --> 00:44:33,580 The other thing that he defends is there is an idea, and I think it's especially prevalent today. 307 00:44:33,920 --> 00:44:41,760 It's not just the truth that this happened, but there are some who sort of come to the resurrection with a half-truth. 308 00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:50,620 And it's very popular today, the idea that the resurrection of Jesus was not necessarily a physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus from the grave, 309 00:44:50,620 --> 00:44:58,680 but it's really more of a metaphor for how we can overcome the darkness of death and the difficulty of life. 310 00:44:58,680 --> 00:45:05,000 and it's really more of a spiritual thing than it is a physical thing. 311 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:09,340 And what you end up with is a watered-down, empty version of the resurrection. 312 00:45:09,340 --> 00:45:12,880 And so Paul addresses this argument, even in the first century. 313 00:45:12,880 --> 00:45:17,200 And I love what he says in 1 Corinthians 15, verse 34. 314 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:19,480 He goes, wake up from your drunken stupor. 315 00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:22,500 And he defends the truth of the resurrection. 316 00:45:22,500 --> 00:45:28,220 And his point is that if this is just simply a symbolic story, it's worthless and empty. 317 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:31,360 But then there's other people, and maybe you're one of them 318 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:33,540 who has sort of some logistical questions 319 00:45:33,540 --> 00:45:36,880 about what a resurrection from the dead really looks like. 320 00:45:36,880 --> 00:45:39,120 And Paul doesn't ignore your questions either. 321 00:45:39,120 --> 00:45:44,520 In fact, he seeks to help you understand a little bit more deeply. 322 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:51,860 Paul argues for a real resurrection, not just for Jesus, but for us as well. 323 00:45:51,860 --> 00:45:55,060 But in the midst of this, from beginning to end, 324 00:45:55,280 --> 00:45:59,380 He's not just arguing, saying the resurrection is true. 325 00:45:59,380 --> 00:46:05,000 He's also saying there's something about it that changes us. 326 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:09,420 And when you see the resurrection, things are different. 327 00:46:09,420 --> 00:46:14,680 In fact, he begins by telling us that the gospel is the most important thing we can know, 328 00:46:14,680 --> 00:46:19,000 that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and rose again. 329 00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:24,780 And as a result of that, we need to be continually reminded of that. 330 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:29,620 And we need to hold on as tightly as we can. 331 00:46:29,620 --> 00:46:33,480 The second thing, and where we'll be this morning, 332 00:46:33,480 --> 00:46:39,440 is that the resurrection of Jesus directs us very clearly to the grace of God. 333 00:46:39,440 --> 00:46:42,180 And Paul will actually say in his words, 334 00:46:42,180 --> 00:46:45,000 he's like, when I talk about the resurrection, he just talks about grace. 335 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:48,000 He starts out by saying, I'm not worthy of this gift, 336 00:46:48,000 --> 00:46:50,020 which is another way of saying it's a gift of grace. 337 00:46:50,020 --> 00:46:54,380 And then he says, grace, grace, grace, in the next three verses. 338 00:46:55,280 --> 00:46:58,500 And where we'll end up next week as we look at grace this week, 339 00:46:58,500 --> 00:47:06,060 we'll see how the resurrection of Jesus is transformative in his power for the life of God's people 340 00:47:06,060 --> 00:47:11,460 in their steadfast and in their energy and their service of the mission of God. 341 00:47:11,460 --> 00:47:19,980 And so I kind of want us to take a look at this resurrection from 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 342 00:47:19,980 --> 00:47:21,360 We'll take Paul's look at grace. 343 00:47:21,860 --> 00:47:26,680 And next week, the ending of the chapter that talks about how this transforms how we live. 344 00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:32,820 So I want to begin this morning by directing us first and foremost to the goodness of grace. 345 00:47:32,820 --> 00:47:37,980 And I don't know how old I was, but my grandma Nelson, my mom's mom, 346 00:47:37,980 --> 00:47:44,780 came home with one of those little cut glass crystal things that were popular for a while. 347 00:47:44,780 --> 00:47:48,640 Sometimes it was in the shape of an animal or a giraffe, and people would hang them up. 348 00:47:48,660 --> 00:47:52,220 It's sort of a prism, and she had one that was kind of in the shape of like a raindrop, 349 00:47:52,220 --> 00:47:54,880 and I remember she brings it home, and we're looking at it, 350 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:57,100 and as kids, right, this is something adults know, 351 00:47:57,100 --> 00:47:59,240 but as kids, right, you hold it up to the light, 352 00:47:59,240 --> 00:48:03,180 and sunlight comes in one side, and then what happens? 353 00:48:03,180 --> 00:48:05,820 Inside the prism and in the cuts, right, 354 00:48:05,820 --> 00:48:09,080 it divides the light up into its different wavelengths, 355 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:11,880 and so out of the other side, you have colors, 356 00:48:11,880 --> 00:48:15,120 and out of all the facets, colors everywhere. 357 00:48:15,120 --> 00:48:18,600 So, right, you hold it up to the light, and you kind of spin it a little bit, 358 00:48:18,660 --> 00:48:21,340 and all of a sudden, your room looks like a disco ball, right? 359 00:48:21,340 --> 00:48:23,680 It's all these different colors everywhere. 360 00:48:23,680 --> 00:48:28,380 And as we come to the grace of God, 361 00:48:28,380 --> 00:48:33,400 it can seem so simple to look at it and say, 362 00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:36,320 yeah, I've heard about grace, the church believes in grace, 363 00:48:36,320 --> 00:48:41,380 God's shown me grace, but when we begin to pour the light 364 00:48:41,380 --> 00:48:45,580 of what God has said and taught and showed us about grace 365 00:48:45,580 --> 00:48:53,480 into that, all of a sudden it explodes in this explosion of colors and crystals and joy and all 366 00:48:53,480 --> 00:49:04,700 that to say that it's very hard to sum up all of grace in a very simple way. Because it's not just 367 00:49:04,700 --> 00:49:11,380 the undeserving favor of God, but grace is tied so closely to mercy. It's why we often hear 368 00:49:11,380 --> 00:49:17,980 mercy and grace. It's tied so closely to the love of God and the kindness of God. And I would say 369 00:49:17,980 --> 00:49:26,860 also without the justice of God, we cannot see the grace of God. And so we're going to try to 370 00:49:26,860 --> 00:49:32,000 get a glimpse, maybe just in a small way of a couple of those facets this morning. And we'll 371 00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:40,720 start like this. The grace of God is giving us freely what we do not deserve. And what you find 372 00:49:40,720 --> 00:49:47,080 is throughout the Bible when it talks about grace oftentimes the language is used is that of a gift 373 00:49:47,080 --> 00:49:55,260 but a gift specifically to those who have not earned it bought it or especially deserved it 374 00:49:55,260 --> 00:50:01,380 look a little bit you get a glimpse here in Romans chapter 11 Paul writes this so to it the present 375 00:50:01,380 --> 00:50:08,960 time there is a remnant chosen by grace I want you to see what he says about grace but if it is by 376 00:50:08,960 --> 00:50:18,460 grace it is no longer on the basis of works otherwise grace would no longer be grace and 377 00:50:18,460 --> 00:50:27,340 what Paul says is specifically if you look at the gift aspect of grace that if you can earn it 378 00:50:27,340 --> 00:50:31,960 through your work if you can deserve it through your behavior if you can buy it with your money 379 00:50:31,960 --> 00:50:35,380 It is no longer grace. 380 00:50:35,380 --> 00:50:43,420 God is freely giving grace specifically to those who don't deserve it. 381 00:50:43,420 --> 00:50:50,180 And what we find throughout Scripture is that grace is extended to the enemies of God, 382 00:50:50,180 --> 00:50:56,220 to the rebellious, to those even who persecuted His church. 383 00:50:56,760 --> 00:51:04,760 and while grace is a gift that is free to receive it is costly to the one who gives it listen 384 00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:11,180 to this description of how we are purchased or how the grace of God has poured out for us 385 00:51:11,180 --> 00:51:17,020 knowing that you were ransomed from your futile ways of life inherited from your forefathers 386 00:51:17,020 --> 00:51:25,360 not with perishable things such as silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ like that of 387 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:32,640 a lamb without blemish or spot, that God sees broken, sinful, rebellious people who are his 388 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:42,980 enemy and he dies from them, dies for them, that grace is a gift that is freely given for salvation 389 00:51:42,980 --> 00:51:49,540 to those who do not deserve it. You cannot buy it, you cannot put it on layaway, you cannot set up a 390 00:51:49,540 --> 00:51:55,280 payment plan. There's another picture of grace that I want us to see or glimpse in Scripture 391 00:51:55,280 --> 00:52:05,940 that God doesn't just give his salvation by grace, but he equips us with his grace, right? So in part 392 00:52:05,940 --> 00:52:12,880 God's grace is his heart toward us and the gift of salvation, but he doesn't simply say, here you 393 00:52:12,880 --> 00:52:20,500 are. Good luck. I hope you're okay after this. Listen to what he says in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 8. 394 00:52:20,500 --> 00:52:26,980 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things, 395 00:52:26,980 --> 00:52:33,940 that in all times you may abound in every good work. And so grace is not just how we come into 396 00:52:33,940 --> 00:52:40,900 the family of God, but it is how we continue as we move through the Christian life. Spurgeon will 397 00:52:40,900 --> 00:52:47,440 say this that salvation he just sums it up like this it's all of grace so as we come to our text 398 00:52:47,440 --> 00:52:53,720 today in first Corinthians 15 Paul is going to recount his experience first with the resurrection 399 00:52:53,720 --> 00:53:03,100 but also with God's grace so let's go ahead and read this text together last of all as to one 400 00:53:03,100 --> 00:53:10,420 untimely born he appeared also to me for i am the least of the apostles unworthy to be called an 401 00:53:10,420 --> 00:53:16,900 apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his 402 00:53:16,900 --> 00:53:23,220 grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them. It's the important 403 00:53:23,220 --> 00:53:31,960 part, though not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Paul loves the grace of God. In fact, 404 00:53:31,960 --> 00:53:35,560 the 124 uses of grace in the New Testament, 405 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:38,740 Paul uses 86 of them. 406 00:53:38,740 --> 00:53:41,960 And sometimes people will read, 407 00:53:41,960 --> 00:53:44,960 and we're probably all guilty of this in some way, 408 00:53:44,960 --> 00:53:47,360 reading our own personalities and our own ideas 409 00:53:47,360 --> 00:53:48,940 back into the Bible. 410 00:53:48,940 --> 00:53:50,540 And we might, for example, 411 00:53:50,540 --> 00:53:52,320 look at what Paul is saying here 412 00:53:52,320 --> 00:53:54,880 and say, man, Paul, you seem pretty proud. 413 00:53:54,880 --> 00:53:57,620 I worked harder than any of them. 414 00:53:57,620 --> 00:53:59,960 Notice that's not what Paul is saying. 415 00:53:59,960 --> 00:54:01,580 He is saying, I worked harder than any of them, 416 00:54:01,620 --> 00:54:04,540 But notice it's not about Paul, but what? 417 00:54:04,540 --> 00:54:06,780 About the grace of God. 418 00:54:06,780 --> 00:54:13,480 He goes, it's not me, not I, but the grace of God at work in my life 419 00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:16,940 that every good thing that happens to the Apostle Paul, 420 00:54:16,940 --> 00:54:20,180 he says, the only thing I did was persecute the church. 421 00:54:20,180 --> 00:54:23,560 But God, in his grace, changed me, transformed me, 422 00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:26,900 gave me this energy and this strength and this mission, 423 00:54:26,900 --> 00:54:29,560 and it is all of God's grace. 424 00:54:30,500 --> 00:54:36,480 And what I contributed to it was the unworthiness to be called an apostle. 425 00:54:36,480 --> 00:54:41,380 See, Paul loves grace because of how deeply he has experienced it. 426 00:54:41,380 --> 00:54:44,620 It's not just a theory to him. Let's try this. Maybe it'll work. 427 00:54:44,620 --> 00:54:49,460 It's not a second-hand account. I heard so-and-so say this about that. 428 00:54:49,460 --> 00:54:54,160 Grace is all of Paul's life. 429 00:54:54,160 --> 00:54:59,260 I was the one untimely born. I'm unworthy. 430 00:55:00,500 --> 00:55:05,600 My hard work is not even me, but it is grace. 431 00:55:05,600 --> 00:55:11,040 And what I want us to see and what I hope has happened or will happen in your life 432 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:14,760 is that grace will surprise you. 433 00:55:14,760 --> 00:55:16,840 Because grace is a surprising thing. 434 00:55:16,840 --> 00:55:18,060 In fact, look at what Paul says. 435 00:55:18,060 --> 00:55:25,000 He says, last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 436 00:55:25,000 --> 00:55:26,360 And here's the thing. 437 00:55:26,360 --> 00:55:28,760 No one expected Paul to follow Jesus. 438 00:55:28,840 --> 00:55:31,520 Just like you never expect the Spanish Inquisition, 439 00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:37,540 you never expect the Apostle Paul to have followed Jesus. 440 00:55:37,540 --> 00:55:43,700 And the example Paul gives of God's grace is simply what he's done in his life. 441 00:55:43,700 --> 00:55:47,100 He says, I never looked to me. There was no hope. There was no future. 442 00:55:47,100 --> 00:55:50,720 But the grace of God changed me in a way that nobody expected. 443 00:55:50,720 --> 00:55:54,060 He said it was the wrong time and the wrong place. 444 00:55:54,060 --> 00:55:58,160 And it's this surprising birth that caught everybody off guard. 445 00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:04,740 So back in January, our friend's pup started getting fat and really grumpy. 446 00:56:04,740 --> 00:56:08,220 Man, man, she's gotten really mean in the last few weeks. 447 00:56:08,220 --> 00:56:11,180 We were sitting there talking to him one day. 448 00:56:11,180 --> 00:56:13,220 He said, oh, it turns out she's expecting puppies. 449 00:56:13,220 --> 00:56:15,160 He said, we're going to have some puppies. 450 00:56:15,160 --> 00:56:16,820 He said, oh, we're going to get an ultrasound of the vet. 451 00:56:16,820 --> 00:56:18,140 We'll let you know how many puppies. 452 00:56:18,140 --> 00:56:19,980 He gets to the vet. 453 00:56:19,980 --> 00:56:21,700 He texts me, there's eight puppies. 454 00:56:21,700 --> 00:56:23,620 It'll probably be about eight weeks until we see puppies. 455 00:56:23,620 --> 00:56:26,740 A week later, get a picture of eight puppies, right? 456 00:56:27,520 --> 00:56:33,320 is expecting puppies, right? Nobody had planned. Just all of a sudden, we got puppies. We got like 457 00:56:33,320 --> 00:56:37,880 eight weeks, two months to prepare. And all of a sudden, there they were. Paul is saying, that is 458 00:56:37,880 --> 00:56:44,760 what happened to me, right? Nobody expected the persecutor of the church of God. Nobody expected 459 00:56:44,760 --> 00:56:53,860 this to ever happen. And here I am, the one who is untimely born. Listen to what Paul says about 460 00:56:53,860 --> 00:57:00,980 himself. But Saul, or what Luke says about Saul, Luke goes on to travel with him, breathing threats 461 00:57:00,980 --> 00:57:06,860 and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters 462 00:57:06,860 --> 00:57:11,960 to the synagogues of Damascus that if he found any belonging to the way, men or women, he might 463 00:57:11,960 --> 00:57:19,940 bring them bound to Jerusalem. Paul is about to visit some churches, but not as a seeker, not as 464 00:57:19,940 --> 00:57:26,800 a first-time visitor on the road to Damascus he encounters a surprise that turns his world upside 465 00:57:26,800 --> 00:57:33,260 down so much so that we find later on in Acts chapter 9 that for three days he doesn't eat 466 00:57:33,260 --> 00:57:38,060 or drink and most of us can maybe understand we've been sick enough we didn't want to eat for three 467 00:57:38,060 --> 00:57:44,880 days but not drink anything for three days because your world has been turned upside down because 468 00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:50,980 As you're on your way to murder Christians, Jesus shows up and has some things to say to you. 469 00:57:50,980 --> 00:57:56,020 But grace doesn't just surprise those who comes into their life. 470 00:57:56,020 --> 00:57:58,340 It surprises those who see it happen. 471 00:57:58,340 --> 00:57:59,580 I love this account. 472 00:57:59,580 --> 00:58:03,660 God comes to a man by the name of Ananias and goes, 473 00:58:03,660 --> 00:58:06,020 I have a mission for you. 474 00:58:06,020 --> 00:58:12,000 Go to this street and there's a house owned by a guy by the name of Judas. 475 00:58:12,480 --> 00:58:15,000 Look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. 476 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,960 He's praying and he heard that somebody's coming 477 00:58:17,960 --> 00:58:19,920 and I'm sending you to preach to him. 478 00:58:19,920 --> 00:58:21,600 And look at Ananias. 479 00:58:21,600 --> 00:58:23,580 Lord, I have heard many things about this man. 480 00:58:23,580 --> 00:58:27,100 How much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. 481 00:58:27,100 --> 00:58:30,140 And here he has the authority from the chief priest 482 00:58:30,140 --> 00:58:33,740 to bind all who call upon your name. 483 00:58:33,740 --> 00:58:37,460 And Ananias goes, God, do you even know what you're doing? 484 00:58:37,460 --> 00:58:41,640 Are you sure you want me to go talk to this guy? 485 00:58:41,640 --> 00:58:49,520 he can throw me in jail, drag me to Jerusalem, and maybe even have me killed. You see, the grace of 486 00:58:49,520 --> 00:58:56,040 God doesn't just surprise those it encounters. But when we see the grace of God in the life of 487 00:58:56,040 --> 00:59:02,260 others, sometimes our response is a little bit like Ananias. How can that be possible for that 488 00:59:02,260 --> 00:59:07,800 person? And what I want you to see about the surprise of grace is that it gives you hope. 489 00:59:08,660 --> 00:59:13,980 That there is hope, that no one is hopeless before God. 490 00:59:13,980 --> 00:59:18,420 You might, like me, look at somebody and like Ananias think, 491 00:59:18,420 --> 00:59:19,880 man, that guy is a goner. 492 00:59:19,880 --> 00:59:21,900 Like, that's the only word for it. 493 00:59:21,900 --> 00:59:28,180 But the surprise of grace is that nobody is hopeless before God. 494 00:59:28,180 --> 00:59:34,800 Not even if you have to spend 40 years or 50 years 495 00:59:34,800 --> 00:59:39,040 or your whole life praying for them. 496 00:59:39,040 --> 00:59:41,780 There's also hope for you. 497 00:59:41,780 --> 00:59:46,500 There's hope for you who may be long to see Jesus 498 00:59:46,500 --> 00:59:50,460 and you look at your hurt and your brokenness and your sin 499 00:59:50,460 --> 00:59:53,420 and it is so heavy and it is so awful. 500 00:59:53,420 --> 01:00:00,000 Grace comes and surprises us in those darkest moments. 501 01:00:00,820 --> 01:00:05,020 The second thing we see about grace is that it transforms. 502 01:00:05,020 --> 01:00:11,180 Look what Paul says as we get into 1 Corinthians 15, verses 9 and 10. 503 01:00:11,180 --> 01:00:14,920 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, 504 01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:17,480 because I persecuted the church of God. 505 01:00:17,480 --> 01:00:22,280 But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace towards me was not in vain. 506 01:00:22,280 --> 01:00:26,300 That grace radically transforms every part of your life. 507 01:00:26,300 --> 01:00:29,040 I was the least. I was unworthy. 508 01:00:29,340 --> 01:00:34,580 And there was a good reason for my unworthiness because I attacked and persecuted the church of God. 509 01:00:34,580 --> 01:00:39,280 Notice that Paul's transformation, right, it's not just simply cosmetic. 510 01:00:39,280 --> 01:00:41,260 Let's throw a new coat of paint on. 511 01:00:41,260 --> 01:00:42,420 Let's put some new wheels on. 512 01:00:42,420 --> 01:00:43,960 Let's change our hair color. 513 01:00:43,960 --> 01:00:46,940 Let's go to a tailor and get some nicer clothes. 514 01:00:46,940 --> 01:00:57,080 That Paul's transformation was from the depths of his heart into his thinking and ultimately out into his actions. 515 01:00:57,080 --> 01:00:58,280 Let me show you. 516 01:00:59,340 --> 01:01:04,720 First Christian martyr Stephen, the very next verse after Stephen is stoned to death. 517 01:01:04,720 --> 01:01:06,180 Saul approved of his execution. 518 01:01:06,180 --> 01:01:10,140 And there arose that day a great persecution against the church. 519 01:01:10,140 --> 01:01:16,300 And they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 520 01:01:16,300 --> 01:01:19,980 Devout men buried Stephen, made a great lamentation over them. 521 01:01:19,980 --> 01:01:21,000 So here's the contrast. 522 01:01:21,000 --> 01:01:24,160 The Christians are weeping and burying Stephen. 523 01:01:24,160 --> 01:01:26,800 Saul was ravaging the church. 524 01:01:27,360 --> 01:01:30,220 entering house after house, dragging off men and women, 525 01:01:30,220 --> 01:01:32,700 throwing them in prison. 526 01:01:32,700 --> 01:01:37,480 I want you to understand this is not just accidental destruction, right? 527 01:01:37,480 --> 01:01:40,600 So there's these moments where maybe you have a cup of coffee, 528 01:01:40,600 --> 01:01:43,900 glass coffee mug, slips out of your hand and breaks, right? 529 01:01:43,900 --> 01:01:44,720 That's destruction. 530 01:01:44,720 --> 01:01:48,380 What Paul is doing is walking up to somebody, 531 01:01:48,380 --> 01:01:52,380 holding that cup of coffee and smacking them as hard as they can 532 01:01:52,380 --> 01:01:55,460 so that coffee lands on the floor, shatters and goes everywhere. 533 01:01:55,580 --> 01:02:00,340 The difference in the destruction is that Paul's heart was actively seeking it 534 01:02:00,340 --> 01:02:05,280 and loving it and delighting in it, and he was proud of it. 535 01:02:05,280 --> 01:02:11,880 This is the place where Paul hates the church with his whole being. 536 01:02:11,880 --> 01:02:14,520 And where does he end up? 537 01:02:14,520 --> 01:02:19,560 In Acts 9.20, he immediately begins to declare the gospel, 538 01:02:19,560 --> 01:02:21,940 and nobody believes him because he changed so much. 539 01:02:23,100 --> 01:02:26,960 And as we read through his life, he travels, has been beaten, has been left for dead, 540 01:02:26,960 --> 01:02:30,340 he's been plotted against, he's been imprisoned, he's been shipwrecked. 541 01:02:30,340 --> 01:02:34,040 And even in those moments, his heart worries and cries from the church. 542 01:02:34,040 --> 01:02:39,800 It's a far cry from the man who was murderously attacking the church with vengeance 543 01:02:39,800 --> 01:02:48,200 to the one who will give his life in the declaration of the gospel in Rome. 544 01:02:49,620 --> 01:02:52,200 And if God can transform the Apostle Paul, 545 01:02:52,200 --> 01:02:53,440 Paul will say in 1 Timothy, 546 01:02:53,440 --> 01:02:57,160 Christ died for sinners, whom I am the foremost. 547 01:02:57,160 --> 01:02:59,740 It can happen with you. 548 01:02:59,740 --> 01:03:02,480 There is hope for the broken. 549 01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:05,560 And notice how grace energizes. 550 01:03:05,560 --> 01:03:10,360 Paul goes from the energy of zealous persecution 551 01:03:10,360 --> 01:03:11,960 to the joy of energy, 552 01:03:11,960 --> 01:03:14,500 and the joy of energy of zealous proclamation. 553 01:03:14,500 --> 01:03:17,700 And so grace is this wonderful gift 554 01:03:17,700 --> 01:03:20,140 that transforms us and surprises us, 555 01:03:20,140 --> 01:03:23,980 energizes us for the work of the kingdom. 556 01:03:23,980 --> 01:03:30,460 But it is also a great struggle for us. 557 01:03:30,460 --> 01:03:33,100 See, when we encounter grace, 558 01:03:33,100 --> 01:03:37,440 our instinct, I think, is to struggle deeply with it. 559 01:03:37,440 --> 01:03:40,860 You see, we struggle, first of all, to understand grace. 560 01:03:40,860 --> 01:03:42,460 You know, we can have a definition, 561 01:03:42,460 --> 01:03:47,380 we can have a nice little bullet point of what grace is, 562 01:03:47,440 --> 01:03:50,120 maybe recognize it on a standardized test. 563 01:03:50,120 --> 01:03:51,220 You have four options. 564 01:03:51,220 --> 01:03:52,220 Which one is grace? 565 01:03:52,220 --> 01:03:57,220 One of my high school teachers always called that 0.25 knowledge, 566 01:03:57,220 --> 01:03:59,280 recognizes the correct answer when shown. 567 01:03:59,280 --> 01:04:01,700 Like, we might know that about grace, 568 01:04:01,700 --> 01:04:05,480 but we don't often really know it. 569 01:04:05,480 --> 01:04:10,720 And one of the greatest reasons for the fact that we don't know grace well 570 01:04:10,720 --> 01:04:15,260 is because in our world there aren't very many good pictures of grace. 571 01:04:15,260 --> 01:04:18,940 We can always maybe catch a little glimpse of grace here and there, 572 01:04:18,940 --> 01:04:22,040 but there's always associated with grace in our world 573 01:04:22,040 --> 01:04:26,880 a little bit of payment or a little bit of deserving behind it. 574 01:04:26,880 --> 01:04:29,940 And in our experience, there are no free gifts, 575 01:04:29,940 --> 01:04:32,440 and it makes grace hard for us to understand. 576 01:04:32,440 --> 01:04:37,180 Maybe you've heard the acronym Tonstoffel. 577 01:04:37,180 --> 01:04:39,000 There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. 578 01:04:39,000 --> 01:04:44,320 And I guess that started back in the time where you could go into the saloon 579 01:04:44,320 --> 01:04:46,700 and they give you a free lunch if you bought some drinks, right? 580 01:04:46,700 --> 01:04:48,600 Sounds like a good deal, right? 581 01:04:48,600 --> 01:04:49,540 They're making money. 582 01:04:49,540 --> 01:04:52,740 You're losing money, but you got a free lunch out of it. 583 01:04:52,740 --> 01:04:53,800 All of a sudden, it's a catch. 584 01:04:53,800 --> 01:04:57,240 It becomes popularized in the 60s 585 01:04:57,240 --> 01:04:59,520 and a science fiction book and in the 70s. 586 01:04:59,520 --> 01:05:03,060 And we all recognize there's probably no such thing 587 01:05:03,060 --> 01:05:04,680 as a free lunch, right? 588 01:05:04,680 --> 01:05:06,420 In our experience, we have to earn, deserve, 589 01:05:06,420 --> 01:05:08,780 and qualify everything in life, right? 590 01:05:08,780 --> 01:05:10,320 Want a job? Let's see your resume. 591 01:05:10,320 --> 01:05:11,880 Want a credit card or a mortgage? 592 01:05:11,880 --> 01:05:14,220 Let's see your credit score. 593 01:05:14,320 --> 01:05:18,940 And because of our experience in all these things that we're told are free, 594 01:05:18,940 --> 01:05:23,220 but turns out there's a catch hidden somewhere inside of them, 595 01:05:23,220 --> 01:05:26,420 we either become very skeptical about grace, 596 01:05:26,420 --> 01:05:30,280 or we reject it by saying the world doesn't work that way. 597 01:05:30,280 --> 01:05:34,020 I've never been given anything for free when I didn't deserve it. 598 01:05:34,020 --> 01:05:36,560 Why would it work differently here? 599 01:05:36,560 --> 01:05:42,340 And so we struggle to understand grace 600 01:05:42,340 --> 01:05:44,740 because what we often think of as grace 601 01:05:44,740 --> 01:05:46,560 is simply something for you with a catch. 602 01:05:46,560 --> 01:05:49,880 We've got the wrong idea and the wrong description 603 01:05:49,880 --> 01:05:53,240 and we've looked in the wrong place. 604 01:05:53,240 --> 01:05:57,020 And I want you to understand that grace is a spiritual battle 605 01:05:57,020 --> 01:06:01,340 because at the heart oftentimes of our skepticism about grace 606 01:06:01,340 --> 01:06:04,260 is the idea that I don't deserve this. 607 01:06:04,260 --> 01:06:06,220 And the answer is right, you don't deserve it. 608 01:06:06,220 --> 01:06:08,360 That's what makes grace, grace. 609 01:06:08,360 --> 01:06:12,060 The Scripture tells us that we have an accuser 610 01:06:12,060 --> 01:06:21,940 Satan, in Revelation, he's called that the accuser of the brothers, who comes and he 611 01:06:21,940 --> 01:06:28,480 accuses us, and he reminds us of our sin, and he reminds us of our brokenness, and he 612 01:06:28,480 --> 01:06:35,740 reminds us of our unworthiness, constantly reinforcing that feeling that we already have 613 01:06:35,740 --> 01:06:38,320 that I am not enough. 614 01:06:38,320 --> 01:06:41,000 And he says to us, don't try. 615 01:06:41,000 --> 01:06:42,740 Don't bother. 616 01:06:42,740 --> 01:06:45,380 Nobody would want you. 617 01:06:45,380 --> 01:06:47,700 I want you to understand 618 01:06:47,700 --> 01:06:49,820 that the understanding of grace for you 619 01:06:49,820 --> 01:06:52,000 and for the church is a spiritual battle 620 01:06:52,000 --> 01:06:53,600 and it must be fought spiritually, 621 01:06:53,600 --> 01:06:56,120 which means if we as Christians 622 01:06:56,120 --> 01:06:58,580 are going to show up and declare grace, 623 01:06:58,580 --> 01:07:00,720 we better be wearing the armor of God, 624 01:07:00,720 --> 01:07:02,600 standing in the truth of God 625 01:07:02,600 --> 01:07:04,280 with the Word of God, 626 01:07:04,340 --> 01:07:06,080 empowered by the Spirit of God, 627 01:07:06,080 --> 01:07:08,860 that our battle is not against flesh and blood, 628 01:07:08,860 --> 01:07:11,740 but it is against the principalities and the powers 629 01:07:11,740 --> 01:07:13,720 that rule in our present world. 630 01:07:13,720 --> 01:07:17,820 That grace, first and foremost, is a spiritual battle. 631 01:07:17,820 --> 01:07:19,640 Secondly, 632 01:07:19,640 --> 01:07:24,860 if you're seeing grace and you're hearing those accusations, 633 01:07:24,860 --> 01:07:30,420 look to the one who is broken for your brokenness on your behalf. 634 01:07:32,440 --> 01:07:36,520 Part of our issue is that grace for us is a struggle because we're so good at looking backward. 635 01:07:36,520 --> 01:07:39,040 Remember what Paul says in our text. 636 01:07:39,040 --> 01:07:40,600 He starts out by looking backward. 637 01:07:40,600 --> 01:07:45,140 He says, I was unworthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. 638 01:07:45,140 --> 01:07:47,340 And some of us, this is what we do. 639 01:07:47,340 --> 01:07:51,860 We look backward at what we have done. 640 01:07:51,860 --> 01:07:56,520 And we say, I'm unworthy because of this and because of that. 641 01:07:56,520 --> 01:08:02,100 And therefore, I will not or cannot accept the grace that is offered to me. 642 01:08:02,240 --> 01:08:05,680 But it's not just us looking backward in our life struggling with grace. 643 01:08:05,680 --> 01:08:08,640 It's us looking backward at the lives of others 644 01:08:08,640 --> 01:08:11,780 and struggling to extend grace to them. 645 01:08:11,780 --> 01:08:18,560 And some of us and some of you are filled with unforgiveness and bitterness 646 01:08:18,560 --> 01:08:21,880 and it's eating you up because you look at somebody else 647 01:08:21,880 --> 01:08:26,660 and you say, how can God have grace for them or to them? 648 01:08:26,660 --> 01:08:28,780 Do you know what Paul's response is? 649 01:08:28,780 --> 01:08:30,360 By the grace of God. 650 01:08:30,420 --> 01:08:32,240 The problem is not that you're looking backward. 651 01:08:32,240 --> 01:08:34,900 The problem is you're not looking backward far enough. 652 01:08:34,900 --> 01:08:38,140 You need to go back even further. 653 01:08:38,140 --> 01:08:41,160 And behold the man upon the cross, 654 01:08:41,160 --> 01:08:43,540 your sin upon his shoulders, 655 01:08:43,540 --> 01:08:46,440 to see his suffering 656 01:08:46,440 --> 01:08:49,220 and to hear him exclaim, 657 01:08:49,220 --> 01:08:51,660 it is finished, 658 01:08:51,660 --> 01:08:52,940 your sin 659 01:08:52,940 --> 01:08:55,620 and the sin of others 660 01:08:55,620 --> 01:08:58,100 for you. 661 01:08:59,800 --> 01:09:01,860 Maybe the problem is you're looking backward. 662 01:09:01,860 --> 01:09:05,940 I think the problem is you're not looking backward far enough. 663 01:09:05,940 --> 01:09:10,940 But grace is also a struggle for us because we think we can pay our own way. 664 01:09:10,940 --> 01:09:17,460 Intellectually, we might know something is free, but I can pay for it anyway. 665 01:09:17,460 --> 01:09:21,100 And one of the ways to test our hearts with this, 666 01:09:21,100 --> 01:09:24,700 the pride that struggles against grace by saying, 667 01:09:24,700 --> 01:09:27,960 I can pay for this all on my own, 668 01:09:28,560 --> 01:09:32,340 is go somewhere with somebody and let them pay for you, right? 669 01:09:32,340 --> 01:09:34,340 What do we tend to do when somebody offers to me? 670 01:09:34,340 --> 01:09:35,600 Well, I'll pay you back, right? 671 01:09:35,600 --> 01:09:36,720 I'll get the next one. 672 01:09:36,720 --> 01:09:37,720 You should let me get it. 673 01:09:37,720 --> 01:09:41,520 Maybe in our heads we're going, you know, I can afford it more than you can. 674 01:09:41,520 --> 01:09:42,320 You should let me pay. 675 01:09:42,320 --> 01:09:43,200 Let me get the bill. 676 01:09:43,200 --> 01:09:46,460 Just try to accept grace in a small way. 677 01:09:46,460 --> 01:09:48,940 Somebody buys you coffee. 678 01:09:48,940 --> 01:09:52,020 Instead of arguing over the bill, just say thank you. 679 01:09:52,020 --> 01:09:52,860 Right? 680 01:09:52,860 --> 01:09:53,640 It's hard to accept. 681 01:09:53,640 --> 01:09:54,700 It's like, oh, I can get this one. 682 01:09:54,700 --> 01:09:55,720 I'll get the next one. 683 01:09:57,160 --> 01:10:00,300 And that small act of grace for us is hard to accept. 684 01:10:00,300 --> 01:10:06,560 How much harder is it for our pride to accept the grace of God for all of our sins? 685 01:10:06,560 --> 01:10:12,200 If we struggle to even let somebody help us in a small way. 686 01:10:12,200 --> 01:10:15,900 You see, we have this idea that we can do it on our own. 687 01:10:15,900 --> 01:10:19,100 And once again, we're looking in the wrong place. 688 01:10:19,100 --> 01:10:25,160 We're looking to what we think is our strength instead of seeing the brokenness of our sin. 689 01:10:25,780 --> 01:10:30,180 And what Paul does is he goes back and he goes, it's not me. 690 01:10:30,180 --> 01:10:31,840 I was a persecutor of the church. 691 01:10:31,840 --> 01:10:35,660 And even as he looks at his accomplishments, I worked harder than any of them. 692 01:10:35,660 --> 01:10:40,700 He doesn't go, it was me, not I, but the grace of God. 693 01:10:40,700 --> 01:10:45,940 You see, in all of this, we're directing our attention in the wrong way. 694 01:10:45,940 --> 01:10:49,900 We're directing it to the words of our accuser. 695 01:10:49,900 --> 01:10:54,180 We're directing it to the pictures of grace we see in the world instead of Scripture. 696 01:10:54,420 --> 01:10:58,200 We're directing it to our past instead of to the cross 697 01:10:58,200 --> 01:11:02,800 or to our strengths instead of our brokenness. 698 01:11:02,800 --> 01:11:06,720 I want us to direct our eyes to grace 699 01:11:06,720 --> 01:11:09,220 for our lives, 700 01:11:09,220 --> 01:11:16,420 but also as we see and interact and love others. 701 01:11:16,420 --> 01:11:21,500 Because grace in those moments, right, 702 01:11:21,500 --> 01:11:22,740 it's not just applied to us, 703 01:11:22,800 --> 01:11:24,620 Sanctified to all. 704 01:11:24,620 --> 01:11:27,060 Listen to what Spurgeon says. 705 01:11:27,060 --> 01:11:28,960 Let this be your comfort, little ones. 706 01:11:28,960 --> 01:11:33,460 That the same grace that made an apostle of Paul 707 01:11:33,460 --> 01:11:36,300 has made a Christian of you. 708 01:11:36,300 --> 01:11:40,100 The same power that has quickened 709 01:11:40,100 --> 01:11:43,220 the mightiest man in the army of the Lord of hosts 710 01:11:43,220 --> 01:11:46,620 has quickened you. 711 01:11:46,620 --> 01:11:51,280 There's another struggle I think we sometimes have with grace. 712 01:11:52,800 --> 01:11:54,340 And this is not in your notes, 713 01:11:54,340 --> 01:11:56,420 but I think maybe you can relate to it. 714 01:11:56,420 --> 01:11:57,840 It's the struggle of grace. 715 01:11:57,840 --> 01:12:00,640 Or maybe we've seen God's grace 716 01:12:00,640 --> 01:12:03,560 and we've been overwhelmed by the power of God's grace, 717 01:12:03,560 --> 01:12:07,120 but we still keep looking backwards. 718 01:12:07,120 --> 01:12:11,500 And we say, if only I'd found the power of grace sooner. 719 01:12:11,500 --> 01:12:15,280 If only I had done so much more quickly. 720 01:12:15,280 --> 01:12:18,220 If I hadn't wasted my life, 721 01:12:18,980 --> 01:12:22,960 then this grace could abound even more. 722 01:12:22,960 --> 01:12:25,740 Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones, 723 01:12:25,740 --> 01:12:28,200 a preacher in the last part, 724 01:12:28,200 --> 01:12:30,360 or the last half of the last century, 725 01:12:30,360 --> 01:12:31,800 or first half of the last century, 726 01:12:31,800 --> 01:12:34,660 has a sermon called Vain Regrets. 727 01:12:34,660 --> 01:12:37,100 And he basically said, 728 01:12:37,100 --> 01:12:38,420 as long as you're looking backward 729 01:12:38,420 --> 01:12:40,260 at what you wish could have happened, 730 01:12:40,260 --> 01:12:41,380 you will never look forward 731 01:12:41,380 --> 01:12:42,480 at the work in the kingdom 732 01:12:42,480 --> 01:12:44,060 that God has called you to do. 733 01:12:44,060 --> 01:12:46,600 I would say it's like driving a car forward 734 01:12:46,600 --> 01:12:48,680 or only looking at your back. 735 01:12:48,980 --> 01:12:56,620 what you find is that God uses those even if we look at our life and say if only it had been 736 01:12:56,620 --> 01:13:03,140 sooner God says my grace is sufficient for you my power is made perfect in weakness he says the 737 01:13:03,140 --> 01:13:08,300 apostle Paul as he looked back on his regrets he said i worked harder than any of them because of 738 01:13:08,300 --> 01:13:18,300 the grace of God that sometimes as we seek grace we are called to look forward to what God has 739 01:13:18,300 --> 01:13:19,820 called us to do 740 01:13:19,820 --> 01:13:22,220 rather than where we wish 741 01:13:22,220 --> 01:13:24,160 we would have been years 742 01:13:24,160 --> 01:13:26,100 ago. Dr. 743 01:13:26,100 --> 01:13:28,280 Martin Lloyd-Jones says of this, that 744 01:13:28,280 --> 01:13:30,080 so many times we 745 01:13:30,080 --> 01:13:32,180 spend so much time wishing about how 746 01:13:32,180 --> 01:13:33,800 the past would have been different 747 01:13:33,800 --> 01:13:36,020 that we never take a step forward 748 01:13:36,020 --> 01:13:37,040 in the future. 749 01:13:37,040 --> 01:13:40,320 And so I would encourage you this morning 750 01:13:40,320 --> 01:13:42,060 whether you 751 01:13:42,060 --> 01:13:44,080 struggle with understanding grace is 752 01:13:44,080 --> 01:13:46,060 to look and see what that looks like. 753 01:13:46,060 --> 01:13:48,060 Not just in the world, but in Scripture. 754 01:13:48,300 --> 01:13:51,200 would turn your eyes to the cross 755 01:13:51,200 --> 01:13:53,880 that you would evaluate your heart 756 01:13:53,880 --> 01:13:56,300 for how you feel grace in your life 757 01:13:56,300 --> 01:13:57,520 but in the life of others 758 01:13:57,520 --> 01:13:59,700 and that you by the grace of God 759 01:13:59,700 --> 01:14:01,320 would see what he has called you to do 760 01:14:01,320 --> 01:14:02,240 moving forward 761 01:14:02,240 --> 01:14:04,940 rather than in regret 762 01:14:04,940 --> 01:14:06,560 if you haven't done it this year 763 01:14:06,560 --> 01:14:08,040 let's pray 764 01:14:08,040 --> 01:14:09,920 Father in heaven 765 01:14:09,920 --> 01:14:13,000 I thank you that you take and transform lives 766 01:14:13,000 --> 01:14:13,760 at all stages 767 01:14:13,760 --> 01:14:16,140 from Samuel 768 01:14:16,140 --> 01:14:19,060 under 10 years old 769 01:14:19,060 --> 01:14:19,840 to Moses 770 01:14:19,840 --> 01:14:23,300 at 80 years old. 771 01:14:23,300 --> 01:14:25,840 You take and you use people 772 01:14:25,840 --> 01:14:27,360 from all ages and all walks 773 01:14:27,360 --> 01:14:28,440 and all backgrounds as well. 774 01:14:28,440 --> 01:14:31,880 May we understand grace more deeply. 775 01:14:31,880 --> 01:14:33,420 May we live in it more truly. 776 01:14:33,420 --> 01:14:36,020 May we extend it to others more fully. 777 01:14:36,020 --> 01:14:37,360 It is in Jesus' name. 778 01:14:37,360 --> 01:14:41,340 We're going to stand and sing 779 01:14:41,340 --> 01:14:42,900 His mercy is more. 780 01:14:46,140 --> 01:14:59,680 What love could remember no wrongs we have done 781 01:14:59,680 --> 01:15:04,500 Our nations all knowing He counts not their son 782 01:15:04,500 --> 01:15:09,340 Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore 783 01:15:09,340 --> 01:15:15,560 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more 784 01:15:15,560 --> 01:15:23,560 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more 785 01:15:23,560 --> 01:15:31,360 Stronger than darkness, you every more 786 01:15:31,360 --> 01:15:36,560 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more 787 01:15:39,340 --> 01:15:48,980 What patience would wait as we constantly roam 788 01:15:48,980 --> 01:15:53,680 What Father so tender is calling us home 789 01:15:53,680 --> 01:15:59,680 He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor 790 01:15:59,680 --> 01:16:05,480 Our sins there are many, His mercy is more 791 01:16:05,480 --> 01:16:12,900 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more 792 01:16:12,900 --> 01:16:20,640 Stronger than darkness, new every more 793 01:16:20,640 --> 01:16:26,280 My sins, they are many, His mercy is more 794 01:16:26,280 --> 01:16:38,880 What riches of kindness He lavished on us 795 01:16:38,880 --> 01:16:43,700 His blood was the payment, His life was the cost 796 01:16:43,700 --> 01:16:49,600 We stood beneath a debt we could never afford 797 01:16:49,600 --> 01:16:55,380 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more 798 01:16:55,380 --> 01:17:02,760 Praise the Lord, His mercy is more 799 01:17:02,760 --> 01:17:10,500 Stronger than darkness, pure every more 800 01:17:10,500 --> 01:17:15,380 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more 801 01:17:15,380 --> 01:17:20,420 Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more 802 01:17:25,380 --> 01:17:32,280 Just a couple of quick announcements as we get ready to pray, 803 01:17:32,280 --> 01:17:36,480 read a verse of Scripture, and sing the Doxology Wednesday night Bible study. 804 01:17:36,480 --> 01:17:43,940 This Wednesday at 6 p.m. also, I would encourage you to be in prayer for our Vacation Bible School. 805 01:17:43,940 --> 01:17:49,380 June 16th through the 20th, we have a good amount of volunteers. 806 01:17:49,380 --> 01:17:51,160 We can always use more. 807 01:17:51,160 --> 01:17:54,660 There's going to be plenty to do, especially as it's our first year, 808 01:17:54,720 --> 01:17:59,000 and we have no idea how many kids we're going to have. 809 01:17:59,000 --> 01:18:03,920 And so the help, we're happy to have help with that. 810 01:18:03,920 --> 01:18:07,260 We'll also have some more ways to help in the coming weeks 811 01:18:07,260 --> 01:18:11,160 as we've been kind of getting everybody finding a spot where they'll fit 812 01:18:11,160 --> 01:18:13,220 and seeing what we need next. 813 01:18:13,220 --> 01:18:16,180 So the main thing I would encourage you to do now is pray for us 814 01:18:16,180 --> 01:18:19,260 as we start letting people know about it, promoting it, 815 01:18:19,260 --> 01:18:22,640 as we start and continue to prepare in more detail 816 01:18:22,640 --> 01:18:29,160 that we would be able to proclaim the goodness and the glory of a big God who loves everybody, 817 01:18:29,160 --> 01:18:34,680 especially those little children who oftentimes sometimes feel overlooked or lost. 818 01:18:34,680 --> 01:18:40,320 We want them to see that God loves them, cares for them, and came to save them as well. 819 01:18:40,320 --> 01:18:45,080 So we'll pray, and I'll read from 2 Corinthians, and we'll sing the doxology. 820 01:18:46,320 --> 01:18:49,020 Father in heaven, thank you for your word and for your church, 821 01:18:49,020 --> 01:18:51,840 for your people, for your spirit, 822 01:18:51,840 --> 01:18:54,080 and for your love and for your grace 823 01:18:54,080 --> 01:18:56,340 that's been poured out to us through your Son. 824 01:18:56,340 --> 01:18:59,080 It's in his name we pray. Amen. 825 01:18:59,080 --> 01:19:02,440 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ 826 01:19:02,440 --> 01:19:03,580 and the love of God 827 01:19:03,580 --> 01:19:05,940 and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit 828 01:19:05,940 --> 01:19:07,900 be with you all. Amen. 829 01:19:16,320 --> 01:19:22,060 Praise God from whom all blessings flow 830 01:19:22,060 --> 01:19:27,360 Praise Him all creatures here below 831 01:19:27,360 --> 01:19:33,200 Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts 832 01:19:33,200 --> 01:19:38,780 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost 833 01:19:46,320 --> 01:20:16,300 Thank you. 834 01:20:16,320 --> 01:20:46,300 Thank you. 835 01:20:46,320 --> 01:21:16,300 Thank you.