1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Amen. 2 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Amen. 3 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 Amen. 4 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:29,980 Let's pray. 5 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:58,000 This is as good as we're going to be. 6 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Hey, Luke, Luke, Luke. 7 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:15,000 Yeah, Luke, Luke, Luke. 8 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:26,000 Okay, all right, we're ready. I had a question. Are you doing prayer? 9 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:34,000 If George comes up, or somebody comes up and the TV is not on, just switch the input. 10 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:44,000 There's only two, HDMI 1 or HDMI 2. Well, it wasn't on. Well, I turned on the stuff, so the stuff should be on. 11 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Yeah, so if you want to check it. Anyway, I have no idea. 12 00:04:54,000 --> 00:05:08,000 I don't think so, but I have not really seen anybody since, like, because I was up and out before everybody was, yeah, yup. 13 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:18,000 So, yeah, I think there's one in the sound room right now, underneath the table, so. 14 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:50,000 All right. Good morning. 15 00:05:50,000 --> 00:06:06,000 We are very glad to be gathered for worship this morning. So far, it's been a bit of a morning of not necessarily technical difficulties, but technical challenges, and I think we are set and ready to go. 16 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:18,000 So we are glad that you are here with us this morning. We're looking forward to worshiping together this morning. We're going to begin with a word of prayer. Let's pray. 17 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:34,000 Father in heaven, I thank you for Jesus and for grace. We thank you for how you teach us and strengthen us and lead us. May we listen to your word. May we be encouraged by your people. 18 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:46,000 May we be reminded and strengthened in salvation. We just ask that you would be with our time together, that we would speak truth, that we would live truth, 19 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:53,000 that we would rejoice in the truth, and that your spirit would be at work in our lives. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. 20 00:06:53,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Just a couple of quick announcements as we get started. If you'd like to follow along with our service, there are some bulletins in the back on the little table with sermon handouts. 21 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:14,000 There's an order of service, some announcements, and some notes to follow along with our message if you would like to do that. And if you would like to, this morning, 22 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:24,000 we're taking the Lord's Supper with us. There are communion elements on that back table right as you come in, and we'll do that later in the service. 23 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:33,000 And so we're going to begin this morning with a Scripture reading from the 85th Psalm. And so if you would, go ahead and be standing with me. 24 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:43,000 We're going to read verses 7 through 9 together. If you would, read with me. "Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, 25 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:56,000 and grant us your salvation. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints. 26 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:12,000 But let them not turn back to folly. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land." This is the word of the Lord. And so as we come 27 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:24,000 with those words that we have just spoken and we have just heard, we want to focus on that beginning part. Let me hear what God the Lord will speak. 28 00:08:24,000 --> 00:08:33,000 And so as we prepare to sing, we're going to sing an older hymn. In fact, it was written in the 1750s. To some of you, it will be familiar. 29 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:41,000 And even though it's several hundred years old, to some of you, it may be new. But I want to give you a little bit of background. 30 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:48,000 A man by the name of Robert Robinson, which is quite the mouthful. And as a young man, he was pretty troubled. 31 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:56,000 He went to, him and his friends went primarily to heckle the preacher, George Whitefield, as he preached. 32 00:08:56,000 --> 00:09:03,000 And it's interesting that the Holy Spirit, through his work in convicting of sin, heckled this young man's heart. 33 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:10,000 And several years later, he came to know Christ. And it was on the third anniversary of him becoming a Christian. 34 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:15,000 He was getting ready to preach, and he was preaching on Pentecost Sunday about the Holy Spirit. 35 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:25,000 He wrote this song specifically for his church to sing. And so the first verse is very much focused on the work of the Spirit in our lives. 36 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:31,000 And so as we're speaking about the Spirit this morning, as we move into our message, it fits. 37 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:39,000 But it's also biographical. The second and third verses, as he writes about his life and how God changed him, remind us of our 38 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,000 salvation. And if you are not a Christian, they call us to salvation. 39 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,000 So we're going to start by singing "Come Thou Fount." 40 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:31,000 Come Thou Fount of every blessing. To my heart to see Thy grace. Streams of mercy never ceasing. Call for songs of loudest praise. 41 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:53,000 Teach me some melodious sonnet. Sung by flaming tongues above. Praise the mountain fixed upon it. Mount of thy redeeming love. 42 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:23,000 Here I raise my Ebenezer. Here by thy great help I've come. And I hope of thy good pleasure. Safely to arrive at home. 43 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:33,000 Jesus saw me when a stranger Wandering from the fold of God 44 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:43,000 He took me to help me from danger Interposed his precious blood 45 00:11:53,000 --> 00:12:04,000 Oh, to grace how great a debtor To the unconstrained to be 46 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:14,000 That I could be like a flair By my wandering heart to Thee 47 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:24,000 Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it Prone to leave the garden 48 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Here's my heart, Lord Take and seal it Seal it for Thy courts above 49 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:47,000 God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. 50 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:27,000 God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. 51 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:48,000 God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. 52 00:13:48,000 --> 00:14:17,000 My eyes are lifted upward for his glory and my will. There is hope in every trial, for I can trust the Lord. He will turn my heart towards you, and help me bear the thorn, so in faith I follow Jesus. 53 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:46,000 On the road not understood, for I know that he is working for his glory and my will. To our God be the glory. To our God be the praise. He alone, the name above all names. 54 00:14:46,000 --> 00:15:01,000 I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. 55 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:15,000 See the open arms of Jesus upon the cross that day. What they understood as weakness. 56 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:33,000 Deserves my every praise. For the charge that was against me, it was down to the wood. Yes, I know the King. For his glory and my good. 57 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:44,000 To our God be the glory. To our God be the grace. He alone. 58 00:15:44,000 --> 00:16:03,000 The name above always. I will boast ever only in the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. 59 00:16:13,000 --> 00:16:42,000 Would I gladly be made nothing that Christ would be made more? Would I seek the only King that far outweighs them all? I will stand before my Father where the faithful saints have stood. And with joy my heart shall praise him for his glory and my good. 60 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:49,000 And with joy my heart shall praise him for his glory and my good. 61 00:16:49,000 --> 00:17:11,000 To our God be the glory. To our God be grace. He alone, the name above all names. I will boast ever only. 62 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:40,000 In the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. To our be the glory. To our God be grace. He alone, the name above all names. I will boast ever only. In the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. To our be the glory. To our God be grace. He alone, the name above all names. I will boast ever only. 63 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:57,000 In the Lord my God. For I know his glory is my good. Yes, I know his glory is my good. 64 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 Amen. 65 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,000 Amen. 66 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,000 Amen. 67 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:57,000 Focused and reminded to repent of sin, to find strength and hope in Jesus. We're going to sing at the cross. 68 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:31,000 There's a place where mercy reigns, and never dies. There's a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide. 69 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:47,000 Where all the love I've ever found comes like a flood, comes flowing down. 70 00:33:47,000 --> 00:34:02,000 At the cross, at the cross, I surrender my life. I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of you. 71 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:18,000 Where your love ran red and my sin washed white. I owe all to you. I owe all to you, Jesus. 72 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:45,000 There's a place where sin and shame are powerless. Where my heart has peace with God and forgiveness. 73 00:34:45,000 --> 00:35:14,000 Where all the love I've ever found. Comes like a flood. Comes flowing down. At the cross, at the cross. I surrender my life. I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of you. 74 00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:43,000 I'm in awe of you. Where your love ran red. And my sin washed white. I owe to you. I owe to you. Here my hope is found. Here on holy ground. Here I bow down. Here I bow down. Here I bow down. 75 00:35:43,000 --> 00:36:12,000 Here, arms open wide. Here, you saved my life. Here I bow down. Here I bow. At the cross, at the cross, I surrender my life. I'm in awe of you. I'm in awe of you. Where your love ran red. And my sin washed white. 76 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:30,000 I owe all to you. I owe all to you. I owe all to you. I owe all to you. I owe all to you, Jesus. 77 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:41,000 One of my favorite pictures of one of our children. We were visiting mom and dad when we were in Vermont. 78 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:48,000 One of our kids was a toddler. In this particular picture, there was a gate around the backyard. 79 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:54,000 We were just walking somewhere outside the gate. I don't remember where we were going, but we look over, and there's our child 80 00:36:54,000 --> 00:37:03,000 standing there still in their pajamas, hands on the gate, just looking at you with these giant eyes going, "Where are you going? Why can't I come with?" 81 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:10,000 I've been reminded of this. If you walk down the hall, my office has a baby gate not for baby people, 82 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:17,000 but a puppy, and every time I get up to go get a drink of water or run down to the other office to grab something off my 83 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:25,000 printer, there's a dog with his paws on either side of the gate going, "Where are you going, and why can't I come with you?" 84 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:31,000 And a little bit of that is happening in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. 85 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:39,000 As Jesus is celebrating the Passover with his disciples, we frequently know this as the Last Supper when this meal 86 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:45,000 finishes, he is going to go to the garden, he will be arrested in the middle of the night, he will be tried, he 87 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:52,000 will be beaten, and the next day ultimately he will be crucified. And it's in the middle of this meal the 88 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:58,000 disciples have begun to realize that something is going on, and Jesus says, "Don't let your hearts be 89 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:05,000 troubled." And Jesus doesn't have to say that unless their hearts are already troubled. And he says, "I go to 90 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:13,000 prepare a place for you." And Thomas, who sometimes gets a little bit of a bad rap for what comes after the 91 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:18,000 resurrection, but before the resurrection you find him just simply wanting to be where Jesus is, and he 92 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:24,000 goes, "Lord, how are we going to know where to go? How are we going to know how to get to you?" And you 93 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:31,000 could almost see Thomas standing there as Jesus says, "I've got to go." And he goes, "I just want to go with you." And 94 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:39,000 Jesus says this to him, and it's a very familiar verse in John chapter 14 in verse 6. He says, "I am the way, 95 00:38:39,000 --> 00:38:47,000 the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." And so he says, "Thomas, right, I'm going 96 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:56,000 away. I'm going to prepare a place. I'm coming back, but I am the way." When you don't know where you're going 97 00:38:56,000 --> 00:39:02,000 or how to get there, I am the truth, the one thing that is really true and really reliable. I am the way 98 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:12,000 in which you have life. And it's during this meal as Jesus reminds them of who he is and what he is about to 99 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:21,000 do and tries to teach them that he institutes the Lord's Supper. This meal of this bread and this cup that 100 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:27,000 for the disciples was part of their celebration of Passover, but for us, and as Jesus institutes 101 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:35,000 it on that night, becomes a way in which to participate in the good news of the gospel. The 102 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:42,000 bread that reminds us and directs us to the broken body of our Savior in the cup, which directs us to his 103 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:50,000 blood of the new covenant that was poured out for us for the forgiveness of our sins. And so maybe like 104 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:55,000 Thomas this morning, we feel maybe like we're a little bit alone and we're a little bit uncertain and we're 105 00:39:55,000 --> 00:40:03,000 unsure of where to go and how to get there. And one of the reasons why we celebrate this and partake 106 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:11,000 together is because we need to be reminded of who Jesus is and what he has done. And not simply 107 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:19,000 reminded, but strengthened and encouraged and nourished by the good news of the gospel that Jesus, our Savior, came 108 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:26,000 home. He lived. He died in our place for our sins and rose again. And through his 109 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:31,000 resurrection, there is victory over sin and Satan and death and how all the things we fear 110 00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:41,000 and we avoid, there is victory in Jesus. Let's pray together. Father, we come to you through 111 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:51,000 your Son, by the power of your Spirit, and we ask that as we partake of these small 112 00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:57,000 elements that you would remind us of the greatness of the truth by which we are 113 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:07,000 nourished. Remind us of the cost of sin. Remind us that the price has been paid. Remind 114 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:15,000 us of the hope that is found in you and in you alone, that you are truly the only thing that really lasts 115 00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:25,000 and matters. May you direct our hearts to the Gospel. May you help us to see our sin and brokenness. May you 116 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:33,000 call us to repentance. May you strengthen us by your Spirit for the work that you have for us. So I ask that 117 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:39,000 you bless this bread and this cup. And may we proclaim your Son until he comes again. It's 118 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:49,000 in his name we pray. Amen. If you would, take the bread with me. And as Jesus says, "This is my body, which is for you. Do 119 00:41:49,000 --> 00:42:01,000 this in remembrance of me." And after supper, he takes the cup, and he says, "This cup is the new covenant 120 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:11,000 in my blood. For as often as you drink it, do so in remembrance of me." Father, may our 121 00:42:11,000 --> 00:42:20,000 hope be built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness, and may we not trust anything 122 00:42:20,000 --> 00:42:29,000 else, any other name, any other promise for salvation other than the one that you have made to us through 123 00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:41,000 your Son. Give us strength. Help us. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. We are moving to the Gospel of John here in 124 00:42:41,000 --> 00:42:48,000 just a minute, a little further in the 14th chapter of the Gospel of John. We'll be there in a minute, kind of 125 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:56,000 moving around. There are handouts in your bulletins if you want to follow along in that. We are in the middle of 126 00:42:56,000 --> 00:43:01,000 three short weeks of talking about the work of the Spirit in the lives of God's 127 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:06,000 people. We talked about that He is the Comforter from John 14. We're going to talk 128 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,000 this morning about how He is the Spirit of truth, and then next week we will talk 129 00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:18,000 about how we are given a spirit not of fear to be afraid, but one to speak and 130 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:23,000 proclaim the Gospel boldly. And then coming up, we'll announce a little bit more about this later. It's also 131 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:28,000 in your bulletin, beginning the second Sunday of September. We're going to begin about 132 00:43:28,000 --> 00:43:34,000 ten weeks in the book of Daniel, and I'm excited to be there. So before we dive into 133 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:39,000 the Word of God this morning, let's go to hymn and prayer. Father in Heaven, thank you for 134 00:43:39,000 --> 00:43:47,000 taking care of us. Thank you for your work in our lives, through your Word, that we would 135 00:43:47,000 --> 00:43:52,000 see truth, and that we would not just simply see it, but we would respond to it. That we 136 00:43:52,000 --> 00:44:00,000 would live in it, and may you help us as we seek to follow you. It's in Jesus' name we 137 00:44:00,000 --> 00:44:07,000 pray. Amen. So names are kind of a funny thing, especially if you're trying to pick 138 00:44:07,000 --> 00:44:14,000 out a name, whether it's for a child or a new pet. We tend to go through a lot of names, and 139 00:44:14,000 --> 00:44:21,000 for most of us, a name is simply the way to identify a specific person. And I always sort 140 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:27,000 used to tease my grandma when I was very young, because she had seven children, and 141 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:31,000 then those seven children had a bunch of grandchildren, and so sometimes when 142 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:33,000 grandma was trying to get your attention, it was like she had to flip through a 143 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:40,000 Rolodex of which one you are. And then I realized, not very long ago, when I was 144 00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:44,000 trying to do the same thing to get the attention of one of my children, and I only 145 00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:48,000 have three, but there were several friends there as well, and I'm like just running 146 00:44:48,000 --> 00:44:54,000 through the names until I got the right one. Names for us primarily are ways to 147 00:44:54,000 --> 00:45:02,000 identify one person from another. Now biblically, names become a little bit more 148 00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:09,000 important, because names not only are ways to identify one person from another, but 149 00:45:09,000 --> 00:45:15,000 names are frequently used to describe. So for example, Jacob and Esau, twins that are 150 00:45:15,000 --> 00:45:22,000 born. Esau is born first, and he is a very fuzzy baby, so they name him Esau, which 151 00:45:22,000 --> 00:45:28,000 just simply means hairy. And then Jacob comes out, and he's grabbing Esau's heel 152 00:45:28,000 --> 00:45:33,000 as he is born, and so he is called Jacob, which means supplanter, or one who's 153 00:45:33,000 --> 00:45:39,000 trying to grab a hold and pull himself ahead. And so not only do these names, Jacob 154 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:44,000 and Esau, describe these two brothers, but they also picture the character 155 00:45:44,000 --> 00:45:50,000 specifically of Jacob. That for most of his life, he was the guy who 156 00:45:50,000 --> 00:45:54,000 was grabbing and pulling people back and trying to get ahead, whether it involved 157 00:45:54,000 --> 00:45:59,000 dishonesty or trickery. Names weren't just a description of physical 158 00:45:59,000 --> 00:46:04,000 characteristics, but they could be descriptions of your character as well. 159 00:46:04,000 --> 00:46:10,000 Names also, in the Bible, describe hope or promise. So Noah was named so by his 160 00:46:10,000 --> 00:46:16,000 dad because he's going to be the guy who gives the world rest. And 161 00:46:16,000 --> 00:46:22,000 sometimes names describe transformation. So Abram goes from 162 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:27,000 exalted father, which is what Abram means, to father of a multitude, 163 00:46:27,000 --> 00:46:32,000 which is what Abraham means. And so in Scripture, when you find names 164 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:37,000 frequently, they don't just give you a label for a person. They describe them, 165 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:40,000 whether that's their appearance, whether that's their character, whether that's 166 00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:46,000 their attitude, whether it's their mission or the promise of God for them. 167 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:52,000 And so one of the ways that we, when we seek to understand the indescribable 168 00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:57,000 greatness of who God is, one of the ways in which we do that is we 169 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:03,000 look at the names that have been given to God. So when we think about, for example, 170 00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:08,000 we talked a few weeks ago about Hagar in the wilderness, and God appears to her 171 00:47:08,000 --> 00:47:13,000 twice, makes a promise, and she refers to God like this, that he is the God who 172 00:47:13,000 --> 00:47:20,000 sees me. And so she describes God as the one who sees. And we find God with his 173 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:26,000 name, I am, being the God who is, not just God who was, not God who will be, but 174 00:47:26,000 --> 00:47:32,000 wherever you are in history, in all of history, from eternity past to eternity 175 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:37,000 present, God simply is. And we can understand some things about God the 176 00:47:37,000 --> 00:47:44,000 Father through his name. The same is true of Jesus. One of my favorites is in 177 00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:49,000 Matthew chapter 1, when it says, "You shall call his name Emmanuel." And I love how 178 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:54,000 Matthew in parentheses puts the translation of the meaning of that name that says, "God 179 00:47:54,000 --> 00:48:00,000 with us." That God is not far away, sort of looking on, thinking about you, but that God is 180 00:48:00,000 --> 00:48:05,000 there with you in that moment. The same is true of the Spirit. He's called the 181 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:12,000 Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the Spirit of God. And so what I want us to do as we 182 00:48:12,000 --> 00:48:16,000 seek to understand the Spirit is to look at this name, the Spirit of Truth. And it's 183 00:48:16,000 --> 00:48:21,000 the one that's used frequently in these last moments of Jesus's life in 184 00:48:21,000 --> 00:48:27,000 John 14, 15, 16, and 17, as he speaks to his disciples about the promise of the 185 00:48:27,000 --> 00:48:32,000 Spirit. He will refer to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Truth, and it sticks with 186 00:48:32,000 --> 00:48:37,000 the Apostle John so much as he writes his letter in 1 John that he also reminds 187 00:48:37,000 --> 00:48:42,000 the church that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. So let's look at this 188 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:46,000 promise, and then we'll spend some time unpacking what it means. "I will ask the 189 00:48:46,000 --> 00:48:52,000 Father, and he will give to you another helper, to be with you forever, even the 190 00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:56,000 Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor 191 00:48:56,000 --> 00:49:04,000 knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." And so we 192 00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:10,000 want to zoom in on that name of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the 193 00:49:10,000 --> 00:49:19,000 Trinity, the Spirit of Truth. In John's Gospel, just a little bit after this, Jesus 194 00:49:19,000 --> 00:49:25,000 is going to be before Pilate, the Roman governor, and Jesus is going to be 195 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:32,000 speaking to Pilate, and Pilate will ask him, "Are you a king?" And Jesus will say, "Yes, I'm a 196 00:49:32,000 --> 00:49:36,000 king for this purpose. You say that I'm a king. For this purpose I was born, and this 197 00:49:36,000 --> 00:49:43,000 purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is 198 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:48,000 of the truth listens to my voice." And Pilate said to him, and this is sort of the age-old 199 00:49:48,000 --> 00:49:52,000 question, it's not just unique to Pilate, it's unique to the people, it's part of the 200 00:49:52,000 --> 00:49:58,000 people who come before him, it's part of our world as well. This question, "What is 201 00:49:58,000 --> 00:50:04,000 truth?" And our world has struggled with truth. It always has. It's not a new 202 00:50:04,000 --> 00:50:10,000 situation. And the reason we struggle with truth is because instead of looking to God 203 00:50:10,000 --> 00:50:19,000 who is truth, we tend to look to ourselves and to our desires. In fact, Romans 1 will say 204 00:50:19,000 --> 00:50:26,000 this. They exchange the truth about God for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather 205 00:50:26,000 --> 00:50:33,000 than the creator who is blessed forever. And we don't have time to dive into every 206 00:50:33,000 --> 00:50:39,000 Scripture about God and truth, but I just simply want you to see this, that God is 207 00:50:39,000 --> 00:50:46,000 truth and that he is the source of all truth. In Exodus 34, describing God the 208 00:50:46,000 --> 00:50:49,000 Father, the Lord descended in a cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed 209 00:50:49,000 --> 00:50:53,000 the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed the 210 00:50:53,000 --> 00:50:59,000 Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in 211 00:50:59,000 --> 00:51:06,000 steadfast love and faithfulness. And that picture of faithfulness is also 212 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:10,000 the word of truth. As we just read, as we gathered around the table, Jesus 213 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:15,000 says of himself, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the 214 00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:24,000 Father except through me." And in 1 John 5:6, the Spirit of God is 215 00:51:24,000 --> 00:51:29,000 referred to as the Spirit of truth. And so, in part, that 216 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:33,000 question that is so frequently asked, "What is truth?" should be 217 00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:40,000 replaced with this question, is, "Who is the source of all truth?" 218 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:44,000 And what we find is that truth, first of all, is not 219 00:51:44,000 --> 00:51:49,000 comparative. We're used to comparing things, sometimes in order to find 220 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,000 out something about it. So, for example, temperature for us is 221 00:51:52,000 --> 00:51:56,000 comparative. When you ask the question, "Is it cold or is it warm?" 222 00:51:56,000 --> 00:52:01,000 In some cases, it depends on who you ask, but it also depends on the time of year 223 00:52:01,000 --> 00:52:05,000 in which you ask. So, if you've just been having 95 or 100 degrees 224 00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:09,000 days, and you walk out in the morning, like I did last week or earlier this 225 00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:13,000 week, and it was like 60 degrees, I went back inside and got a coat because it was cold. 226 00:52:13,000 --> 00:52:20,000 However, in March or April, and you get that first 50 degree day after being in the 227 00:52:20,000 --> 00:52:27,000 winter, what happens? 50 degrees feels warm. And so, we're sort of used to, in a lot of 228 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:36,000 ways, sort of seeing truth as comparative, right? True compared to what? 229 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:42,000 What we find is that because God is unchanging, truth is unchanging. 230 00:52:42,000 --> 00:52:51,000 The truth is not comparative one thing to another. It is solid, it is unchanging, and 231 00:52:51,000 --> 00:52:59,000 it corresponds to reality, right? Fire is hot, and it will burn you, right? No amount 232 00:52:59,000 --> 00:53:04,000 of comparison or explanation can change the fact that if you're roasting 233 00:53:04,000 --> 00:53:11,000 marshmallows over the campfire, and you set your marshmallow on fire, and then accidentally set yourself 234 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:19,000 on fire that you're going to be burned. And our world, and many of us frequently, try to 235 00:53:19,000 --> 00:53:25,000 do it the other way around, sort of change truth and change reality. Let me share with you a 236 00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:30,000 quote that I read this past week. I'll share it to you in two parts. Here's a simple definition 237 00:53:30,000 --> 00:53:37,000 that is drawn from what the Bible teaches. "Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, 238 00:53:37,000 --> 00:53:45,000 glory, and being of God." Even more to the point, truth is the self-expression of God. That is the 239 00:53:45,000 --> 00:53:53,000 biblical meaning of truth, because the definition of truth flows from God. Truth is theological. Truth is 240 00:53:53,000 --> 00:54:01,000 also ontological, which is a fancy way of saying it is the way things really are. Reality is what it is, because 241 00:54:01,000 --> 00:54:07,000 God declared it so and made it so. Therefore, God is the author, the source, the determiner, the governor, the 242 00:54:07,000 --> 00:54:14,000 arbiter, the ultimate standard, and the final judge of all truth. We simply say what we're trying to say is that 243 00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:23,000 truth is by God, from God, and directs us to God. And so here is Jesus, God the Son, speaking of God the Spirit, 244 00:54:23,000 --> 00:54:31,000 saying the Spirit of truth. And Jesus repeats it, driving it into the hearts of the disciples so much 245 00:54:31,000 --> 00:54:40,000 that in his letter, 1 John, refers to the Holy Spirit that way. And one of the things that Jesus is doing by 246 00:54:40,000 --> 00:54:46,000 referring to the Spirit as the Spirit of truth is that this Holy Spirit is utterly trustworthy. Remember, these are 247 00:54:46,000 --> 00:54:51,000 disciples who are about to be alone, Jesus is about to leave, and they're terrified of what will happen, and 248 00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:57,000 Jesus says, "I will send another helper to be with you, the Spirit of truth, the one who is ultimately 249 00:54:57,000 --> 00:55:06,000 trustworthy, who will never mislead or misguide you." And the picture of the word truth used in 250 00:55:06,000 --> 00:55:13,000 John 14, the opposite of that word is illusion. And in that word truth, we find something that can be 251 00:55:13,000 --> 00:55:23,000 depended upon, something that is reliable, something that is true. And so when Jesus describes the Spirit as 252 00:55:23,000 --> 00:55:28,000 the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, what he is saying is you don't need to worry that you will be led astray if 253 00:55:28,000 --> 00:55:35,000 you have the Spirit, or that you will be led wrongly. You can depend upon him and trust him, and he wants his 254 00:55:35,000 --> 00:55:44,000 people to understand that he will, through his Spirit, lead us where we are supposed to be. So there is a 255 00:55:44,000 --> 00:55:54,000 reassurance in these words, the Spirit of truth. Now, the problem for us in our world is that so frequently 256 00:55:54,000 --> 00:56:00,000 we struggle to see the truth. So I was cooking earlier this week, and what I was cooking was 257 00:56:00,000 --> 00:56:05,000 pre-packaged, and so I picked up the package and I flipped it over to see what the cooking instructions 258 00:56:05,000 --> 00:56:13,000 were, and they used the lightest blue color font on the back, but the back of the package was also clear. 259 00:56:13,000 --> 00:56:18,000 And so I pull it out of the refrigerator, and I'm looking at it, trying to figure out what temperature 260 00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:25,000 I need to preheat the oven to, and it wasn't so much as a color as it was like clear with light blue, 261 00:56:25,000 --> 00:56:29,000 so the blue was kind of clear as well, and I'm like, do I look through the top part of my glasses, 262 00:56:29,000 --> 00:56:35,000 the middle part, the bottom color? Do I take the glasses up? Do I hold it up to the light? And the reality was 263 00:56:35,000 --> 00:56:42,000 it was just like invisible ink on invisible paper, and I had no idea what was being said. 264 00:56:42,000 --> 00:56:49,000 And so many times this is where we find ourselves in regards to sin, right? We struggle because we've 265 00:56:49,000 --> 00:56:55,000 been conditioned by it, and we're familiar with it, and it all just sort of looks the same, and we can't see 266 00:56:55,000 --> 00:57:03,000 the truth. Sometimes it's because we become so accustomed to sin. We build up calluses. 267 00:57:03,000 --> 00:57:08,000 And I remember the first time I did those monkey bars where you swing back and forth down the length of them, 268 00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:13,000 and upon that realization of finding out that we could do it, me and my friend did it so much 269 00:57:13,000 --> 00:57:18,000 that we ended up with blisters on our hands, and our hands took a while to heal, and then we did it again. 270 00:57:18,000 --> 00:57:23,000 We did it again and eventually do it all day, and there was no blisters because we built up calluses. 271 00:57:23,000 --> 00:57:31,000 And our hearts, who are consistently choosing ourselves and our desires over the truth of God, 272 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:39,000 sometimes become calloused to the truth. And because we're so familiar with sin and so callous to it, 273 00:57:39,000 --> 00:57:46,000 it's really just what we see. It's interesting. If you've ever gotten a car, whether a new car or a new-to-you car, 274 00:57:46,000 --> 00:57:51,000 and all of a sudden you're driving this car down the road, all of a sudden you start seeing this car everywhere. 275 00:57:51,000 --> 00:57:57,000 You're like, "Oh! There's another one! There's another one!" Everybody has one of these cars. 276 00:57:57,000 --> 00:58:01,000 And the interesting thing about this is they've done some research on this, 277 00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:06,000 and it's because it's an interesting commentary on how we see the world. 278 00:58:06,000 --> 00:58:11,000 In part, we're noticing it's because that's what we have. It's what we're familiar with. 279 00:58:11,000 --> 00:58:19,000 So as you drive down the road in your car, your brain has a tendency to see other cars that are just like that. 280 00:58:19,000 --> 00:58:23,000 So in part, we see cars like ours because it's familiar with what we have. 281 00:58:23,000 --> 00:58:32,000 However, the other part of this is a trick of our mind because subconsciously, we're counting all the cars that are looking like ours, 282 00:58:32,000 --> 00:58:38,000 and we have two categories: cars like ours and cars I don't count or care about. 283 00:58:38,000 --> 00:58:44,000 So it's not really a scientific thing when we're looking and going, "Man, everybody else is driving a Honda Accord." 284 00:58:44,000 --> 00:58:50,000 We're just not counting the other ones, and so we have two lists: cars that don't matter and Honda Accords. 285 00:58:50,000 --> 00:58:55,000 And so, of course, the list you're counting is going to be bigger. 286 00:58:55,000 --> 00:59:02,000 And sin is so much the same way we live in it. It's what we see. It's what we're used to. It's what we've become calloused by. 287 00:59:02,000 --> 00:59:10,000 And so we don't see the truth, and we struggle to see the truth. 288 00:59:10,000 --> 00:59:14,000 And we don't just struggle to see the truth in general. 289 00:59:14,000 --> 00:59:18,000 Don't just think this is sort of a general problem for humanity. 290 00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:24,000 We struggle to see the truth in regard to ourselves. 291 00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:33,000 Have you ever noticed that unless you are exceptionally honest with yourself, it's usually not your fault? 292 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:41,000 Right? Our default mode, if we're not real honest, is generally it's somebody else's fault. 293 00:59:41,000 --> 00:59:47,000 And when someone truly takes responsibility for something, we sit up and notice because it's not very common. 294 00:59:47,000 --> 00:59:56,000 And it's not just in general, but with sin, it's our struggle to see, unless we're brutally honest. 295 00:59:56,000 --> 01:00:01,000 And I don't know that we can be without the work of God in our life. 296 01:00:01,000 --> 01:00:09,000 And the remarkable thing about this is, while we may not be able to see our sin, we're sure able to be experts in seeing everybody else's. 297 01:00:09,000 --> 01:00:15,000 And have you noticed that all of us as sinners, like we're always good people? 298 01:00:15,000 --> 01:00:20,000 Well, yeah, I may have some problems, but I'm basically, basically a good person, right? 299 01:00:20,000 --> 01:00:27,000 We become immune and calloused to sin. And sometimes we struggle to see the consequences of sin, right? 300 01:00:27,000 --> 01:00:35,000 Not for me. I've done enough good other things. I didn't do what they did, so I should be blind. I should be fine. 301 01:00:35,000 --> 01:00:42,000 And you see, we struggle because we struggle to see sin. We struggle to see how we are not good. 302 01:00:42,000 --> 01:00:49,000 And we struggle to see that there is judgment for sin. Let's take a look at how the Spirit of Truth comes into our life. 303 01:00:49,000 --> 01:00:58,000 Speaking about the Holy Spirit, and when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. 304 01:00:58,000 --> 01:01:04,000 Concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me. Concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see Me no longer. 305 01:01:04,000 --> 01:01:09,000 Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 306 01:01:09,000 --> 01:01:16,000 Notice what the Holy Spirit does. And this is before we're Christians. This is for the world. 307 01:01:16,000 --> 01:01:24,000 He will convict the world, show us the truth about our sin, our righteousness, and our judgment. 308 01:01:24,000 --> 01:01:31,000 And the word conviction here is used like 18 times in the New Testament. And most of the time, in fact almost every time, 309 01:01:31,000 --> 01:01:44,000 it's used in a way that says, "You're wrong, and there's a better way to live. Leave sin behind and run to what is right." 310 01:01:44,000 --> 01:01:51,000 That conviction here is not just a, "Hey, look at how bad and how broken and how hurting you are." 311 01:01:51,000 --> 01:02:00,000 But rather, there is a different way to go. It's a call to live differently. 312 01:02:00,000 --> 01:02:06,000 And so what we find is the work of the Spirit in the world is gracious. 313 01:02:06,000 --> 01:02:11,000 It's designed to bring men and women of the world to recognize our need 314 01:02:11,000 --> 01:02:16,000 and to turn to Jesus and stop being, as we see in this text, the world. 315 01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:23,000 Right? The part of the work of the Spirit is to come and to wake us up, to shake us. 316 01:02:23,000 --> 01:02:29,000 Now, let's be honest, being woken up when you don't want to be is not often super fun 317 01:02:29,000 --> 01:02:34,000 or super great. Got the puppy. Sound asleep. Middle of the night. 318 01:02:34,000 --> 01:02:37,000 He, for whatever reason, decides he wants to sleep on the bed. 319 01:02:37,000 --> 01:02:40,000 Comes flying up onto the bed, like jumps right on your face, right? 320 01:02:40,000 --> 01:02:43,000 It's like, "I was sound asleep. I did not want to be woken up." 321 01:02:43,000 --> 01:02:48,000 And most of us, when it comes to our sin, do not want to be woken up. 322 01:02:48,000 --> 01:02:55,000 And so when the Spirit comes to convict us in regard to seeing sin, to seeing that we are sinful and there is judgment, 323 01:02:55,000 --> 01:03:03,000 right, it can be a difficult and painful process. 324 01:03:03,000 --> 01:03:11,000 And then, as He can fix us of sin, He also shows us the good news of the Gospel. 325 01:03:11,000 --> 01:03:15,000 Right? That through Jesus and through the work of the Spirit, we can be born again. 326 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:18,000 It's all of John chapter 3. 327 01:03:18,000 --> 01:03:23,000 And that those who see their sin, who respond to Jesus, 328 01:03:23,000 --> 01:03:29,000 then the Spirit of truth goes to work in a different way. 329 01:03:29,000 --> 01:03:33,000 He doesn't just show us our sin, but if you are a Christian, 330 01:03:33,000 --> 01:03:38,000 what He does is He transforms you to live in the truth. 331 01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:41,000 We all know the difference between joy and obligation, right? 332 01:03:41,000 --> 01:03:44,000 There's things that we love to do, things that we have to do. 333 01:03:44,000 --> 01:03:47,000 And think about our attitude as we go to do something that we love to do. 334 01:03:47,000 --> 01:03:49,000 We're excited and we're energized. 335 01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:53,000 And if it's something that we have to do, not that we want to do, right? 336 01:03:53,000 --> 01:03:57,000 It's like, "Oh, I guess I got to go get this out of the way." 337 01:03:57,000 --> 01:04:00,000 Not to keep bringing up dogs, but we love dogs. 338 01:04:00,000 --> 01:04:03,000 Not just me, but as a church, right? 339 01:04:03,000 --> 01:04:05,000 Watch a dog, you say, "Hey, come here." 340 01:04:05,000 --> 01:04:08,000 The dog kind of goes, "Oh, why would I come there?" 341 01:04:08,000 --> 01:04:12,000 Now, if you're eating a cheeseburger, and you go, "Hey puppy, come here." 342 01:04:12,000 --> 01:04:15,000 At least ours, like that dog is, it's no longer an obligation. 343 01:04:15,000 --> 01:04:17,000 I've got to go over and see Brandon, right? 344 01:04:17,000 --> 01:04:21,000 It's like, "There's a cheeseburger. I can't wait to be there." 345 01:04:21,000 --> 01:04:27,000 And one of the transforming works of the Spirit in your life, if you are a Christian, 346 01:04:27,000 --> 01:04:34,000 is He changes your attitude and your heart in regard to obedience to God 347 01:04:34,000 --> 01:04:42,000 from, "Oh, I guess I've got to do this," to this joyful explosion of righteousness. 348 01:04:42,000 --> 01:04:45,000 Look at this promise that's made all the way back in the book of Ezekiel. 349 01:04:45,000 --> 01:04:50,000 God says, "I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. 350 01:04:50,000 --> 01:04:57,000 I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh from that hard, calloused view of sin, 351 01:04:57,000 --> 01:05:01,000 and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you 352 01:05:01,000 --> 01:05:06,000 and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." 353 01:05:06,000 --> 01:05:13,000 Through the work of the Spirit, we don't just know the truth, but we're also able to live in it. 354 01:05:13,000 --> 01:05:19,000 The fruit of the Spirit, and I can't do it without the cadence of our VBS song, 355 01:05:19,000 --> 01:05:24,000 "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control." 356 01:05:24,000 --> 01:05:28,000 He's saying the fruit of the Spirit is not a coconut. 357 01:05:28,000 --> 01:05:36,000 He doesn't just show us the truth, but He causes us to have a transformed heart that desires the truth 358 01:05:36,000 --> 01:05:41,000 and then brings that to fruition in our lives. 359 01:05:41,000 --> 01:05:50,000 So one of the questions is, "How can I walk more deeply in the work of the Spirit?" 360 01:05:50,000 --> 01:05:56,000 Well, the first answer to that is that you have to be convicted of your sin to see your brokenness, 361 01:05:56,000 --> 01:05:59,000 to be saved by Jesus. 362 01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:06,000 And for Christians, Paul says something very interesting in Ephesians 5:18. 363 01:06:06,000 --> 01:06:09,000 He says this, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, 364 01:06:09,000 --> 01:06:12,000 but be filled with the Spirit." 365 01:06:12,000 --> 01:06:17,000 And then he gives you a list, "Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 366 01:06:17,000 --> 01:06:20,000 singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 367 01:06:20,000 --> 01:06:25,000 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 368 01:06:25,000 --> 01:06:29,000 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." 369 01:06:29,000 --> 01:06:34,000 Now the structure of this is interesting, because he's describing two ways to live, 370 01:06:34,000 --> 01:06:37,000 and he starts by saying, "Do not get drunk with wine." 371 01:06:37,000 --> 01:06:42,000 We probably know what that looks like. He says, "Instead of that, be filled with the Spirit." 372 01:07:07,000 --> 01:07:09,000 Let's pray. 373 01:07:37,000 --> 01:08:05,000 It's because we've been fixed on and listening to other things. And so if we are struggling, and one of the good blessings and the good gifts God gives us in gathering together is we get to speak encouragement to each other in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. We get to sing together. 374 01:08:05,000 --> 01:08:19,000 Not just saying those words, but there's something different about saying something and something different about singing something. To give thanks together. To serve and to help one another. 375 01:08:19,000 --> 01:08:33,000 You see, these things, I think, are both evidence of the work of the Spirit, but there are ways for you and I in Christ to see the Spirit of truth working more deeply in our lives. 376 01:08:33,000 --> 01:08:40,000 And so if we find ourselves this morning, I think, far from the Spirit, maybe you're not a Christian. 377 01:08:40,000 --> 01:08:56,000 You cannot be filled with the Spirit if you are not in Christ. And if you are a Christian, sometimes the call for us is to repent of those things we've been chasing and listening to elsewhere. 378 01:08:56,000 --> 01:09:05,000 Sometimes it's a call to listen to what God has said through His Word and through His people. 379 01:09:05,000 --> 01:09:21,000 And sometimes, right, what we need is to share that, what God has done in our lives, to speak that truth to others, to sing with others, submit to others, and give thanks with each other. 380 01:09:21,000 --> 01:09:27,000 So the Holy Spirit is at work in the lives of His people as they worship together. Let's pray. 381 01:09:27,000 --> 01:09:34,000 Father in heaven, I thank you for your Son who has saved us. We thank you for your Spirit who empowers us. 382 01:09:34,000 --> 01:09:48,000 We thank you that you have given us a way to be restored, that in our selfishness we have chosen ourselves, and in your grace you have saved us and equipped us. 383 01:09:48,000 --> 01:10:01,000 So I ask this morning that you would convict us where we need to be led to repentance, that you would encourage us where we are tired and weak, 384 01:10:01,000 --> 01:10:11,000 that you would give us courage where we are fearful, and that you would give us strength to follow you. It's in your Son's name we pray. Amen. 385 01:10:11,000 --> 01:10:21,000 So one of the truths that the Holy Spirit testifies to in our lives is Jesus, His person, who He is, and His work, what He has done. 386 01:10:21,000 --> 01:10:28,000 And so what we're going to do, we're going to stand and sing, "I set my hope on Jesus." 387 01:10:28,000 --> 01:10:43,000 If you would, go ahead and... 388 01:10:43,000 --> 01:10:53,000 When this life of trials test my faith, I set my hope on Jesus. 389 01:10:53,000 --> 01:11:02,000 When the questions come and doubts remain, I set my hope on Jesus. 390 01:11:02,000 --> 01:11:12,000 For the deepest wounds that time won't heal, there's a joy that runs still deeper. 391 01:11:12,000 --> 01:11:22,000 There's a truth that's more than all I feel. I set my hope on Jesus. 392 01:11:22,000 --> 01:11:41,000 I set my hope on Jesus. My rock, my only trust. Who set his heart upon me first? I set my hope on Jesus. 393 01:11:49,000 --> 01:12:16,000 Though I falter in this war with sin, I set my hope on Jesus. My rock fell and sank within. I set my hope on Jesus. Though the shame would drown me in its sea, and I drained the wave of justice. 394 01:12:16,000 --> 01:12:43,000 I cast my life on Calvary. I set my hope on Jesus. I set my hope on Jesus. My rock, my only trust. Who set his heart upon me first. I set my hope on Jesus. 395 01:12:43,000 --> 01:12:50,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 396 01:12:50,000 --> 01:13:10,000 Though the world call me to leave my Lord, 397 01:13:10,000 --> 01:13:15,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 398 01:13:15,000 --> 01:13:20,000 Though it offer all its vain rewards, 399 01:13:20,000 --> 01:13:25,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 400 01:13:25,000 --> 01:13:29,000 Though this heart of mine broke, 401 01:13:29,000 --> 01:13:34,000 give me grace enough to finish, 402 01:13:34,000 --> 01:13:39,000 till I worship on that final day. 403 01:13:39,000 --> 01:13:44,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 404 01:13:44,000 --> 01:13:49,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 405 01:13:49,000 --> 01:13:54,000 My life, my only trust. 406 01:13:54,000 --> 01:13:59,000 You set His heart upon me first. 407 01:13:59,000 --> 01:14:04,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 408 01:14:04,000 --> 01:14:09,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 409 01:14:09,000 --> 01:14:14,000 My life, my only trust. 410 01:14:14,000 --> 01:14:19,000 Who set His heart upon me first. 411 01:14:19,000 --> 01:14:24,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 412 01:14:24,000 --> 01:14:29,000 I set my hope on Jesus. 413 01:14:54,000 --> 01:15:24,000 The following, September 7th, where you're going to begin the book of Daniel. Throughout Daniel, you find a lot of really remarkable accounts from difficult decisions to all different kinds of dangers, from fiery furnaces to angry kings to a lion's den to some scary visions, and through it all, the message of Daniel is this, is that we can be unshaken, whether that's in conflict or struggle or fear or even in light of the future. 414 01:15:24,000 --> 01:15:49,000 Because God reigns. In fact, it's at the center of the book in chapter 7 is the Ancient of Days to sit on His throne. So that's where we're going on Sunday mornings, beginning September 7th, and then September 10th. On Wednesday nights, we're going to dive into discovering sort of the truth and the treasure of the Word of God. And so how do we know that we can believe what the Bible has to say? 415 01:15:49,000 --> 01:16:07,000 And then also, what makes it so full of treasure as we unpack some Scripture and see and find our hearts encouraged and strengthened. So that's what's coming up. We will be here this Wednesday night, but not the Wednesday night following, and then we will be back next Sunday as well. 416 01:16:07,000 --> 01:16:19,000 And also in September, our normal children's church schedule will resume the second and the fourth Sunday. So that's coming up as well. 417 01:16:19,000 --> 01:16:35,000 If you'd like to stay in touch with us, we'd love to grab your information or your email address. There are some cards in the back. If you want to leave your email address with us to be added to our email list or just to keep in touch, you can do that. 418 01:16:35,000 --> 01:16:41,000 I'm going to go ahead and have a word of prayer. We'll read from Romans, the 15th chapter, and then we'll sing the doxology. 419 01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:48,000 Father in heaven, I thank you so much for your people and the encouragement that they are to us. 420 01:16:48,000 --> 01:16:55,000 We thank you for all that you have done and all that you are doing, and we thank you for all that you will do in the future. 421 01:16:55,000 --> 01:17:03,000 So be with us. Watch over us. Take care of us. Strengthen us in your word and through your spirit. It's in Jesus' name we pray. 422 01:17:03,000 --> 01:17:11,000 Amen. Romans 15 says this in verse 13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 423 01:17:11,000 --> 01:17:16,000 so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope." 424 01:17:16,000 --> 01:17:32,000 Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures. 425 01:17:32,000 --> 01:17:44,000 Here below, praise Him above the heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.