1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,040 Hey everybody, this is Pastor John Ewart from Englewood 2 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:05,920 Baptist Church in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina. 3 00:00:05,920 --> 00:00:08,119 Thank you so much for tuning into our podcast. 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,320 You're going to hear from God today as we share from his word 5 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:15,080 about important issues facing your life that can guide you 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:20,840 according to the Bible. Good morning, Englewood. 7 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:22,640 Good to see everybody take your Bibles. 8 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:24,960 Turn to Nehemiah Chapter 9. I have a few things I need to 9 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:29,480 share with you. So let me share a couple of 10 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:31,560 things and then I'm going to talk about the international 11 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:34,880 things. So just a word of encouragement. 12 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,520 So the East Coast Men's Bible Conference is coming up the 13th 13 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:39,800 and 14th. I know many of you have signed 14 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:40,840 up. Appreciate that. 15 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:45,760 If you don't know what that is and you're a guest, it's there's 16 00:00:45,760 --> 00:00:50,400 not much of any other thing like it on the East Coast, to be 17 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:53,360 honest with you. We'll have around 11 to 1200 men 18 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:55,800 here. This place will be packed out 19 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:59,360 with men from at least 9 or 10 states. 20 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:03,040 Right now the numbers are driving me a little crazy and 21 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:04,920 you'll see why. So right now we're hit. 22 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,120 Last year at this moment, this was Friday, so it's probably 23 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,360 more than this. But as of Friday, we had 1098 24 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,000 men register. But you know, that drives me 25 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,600 nuts. I need at least two more. 26 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,600 I got to have at least two more. So whoever you are, hurry up. 27 00:01:20,080 --> 00:01:23,680 Had 192 Inglewood men, but that drives me nuts too. 28 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,080 So I need 8 more of those. Got to have eight more of those 29 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,080 and then 159 churches. So I'm just going crazy Friday. 30 00:01:32,320 --> 00:01:34,840 Appreciate that everybody. A lot of folks work, a lot of 31 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,720 volunteers into that. Going to be some great preachers 32 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,640 this year as well. You'll enjoy it very much. 33 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,200 Those who can come. Also this week at Southern 34 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,240 Baptist, this begins the week of prayer for North American 35 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:45,520 missions. Wednesday night, we'll call 36 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:49,000 special attention to that. Pray for our church plants as 37 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,880 well as what's going on in North American church planning. 38 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:53,520 You'll hear more about that on Wednesday night. 39 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,800 So come back for a midweek. We're talking about how we abide 40 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:58,280 in prayer. I will continue that Bible study 41 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:00,480 talked about why do we pray last week? 42 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,000 We'll talk a whole lot more about what is prayer and how do 43 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:04,920 we pray this week. It'll be a powerful time. 44 00:02:04,920 --> 00:02:08,720 So you come back for that. And then also just recognize 45 00:02:09,199 --> 00:02:15,120 that we're very aware of what's going on in the world and some 46 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:18,040 of our mission trips may be impacted by some of this and 47 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:19,560 we're talking to people on the field. 48 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:22,200 Don't worry about that. We'll stay in close contact to 49 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:25,280 give updates on that. We are having a meeting today at 50 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,000 4:00 right in here for everybody who wants to go to Brazil. 51 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,320 And if you haven't signed up for Brazil, come to the meeting 52 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:33,520 anyway that that trip's not till later in the year. 53 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:36,040 And so we're going to try to start getting some details 54 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:39,760 together today about Brazil, but let's talk about what's going on 55 00:02:39,760 --> 00:02:43,200 in the world for a minute. So first of all, our friends in 56 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,160 South Asia. So the judge approved their 57 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,160 ability to to, to get the visa done. 58 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,320 Now they, they're waiting on that order, which they'll 59 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,240 probably get tomorrow. Then they have to go to the visa 60 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:57,880 people themselves to keep this as simple as possible and get 61 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,120 more approval. And then hopefully they'll be 62 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,360 able to go to get their visa renewed, etcetera. 63 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:08,320 And so that's good news in the sense of of they're able to make 64 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:10,040 some progress. For those who've been following 65 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:15,240 that story, we also certainly want to pray for what's going on 66 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:18,480 in Iran. And we're going to do that right 67 00:03:18,480 --> 00:03:20,680 here in a minute. So let me give you a couple of 68 00:03:20,880 --> 00:03:25,280 things to think about. First of all, let's pray for the 69 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:29,640 people in Iran. These are not just fictitious, 70 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,480 nebulous people to me. Some of you know that I'm part 71 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,440 of a ministry that is one of the largest ministries in the world 72 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:39,640 to Iranians. And so these some of these 73 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,760 people are actually names and faces for us. 74 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,560 You remember Doctor Combis who was here months ago. 75 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:50,360 And so we're getting word on the ground, the word that they would 76 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,640 share with you today is hope. The fastest growing church in 77 00:03:54,640 --> 00:03:57,000 the Muslim world is the Iranian church. 78 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:01,120 So they're praying that the result of this hope that the war 79 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,360 would end soon. Obviously they're, they're 80 00:04:03,360 --> 00:04:06,040 praying for people's safety and we should too. 81 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:10,320 We, you know, people who die in war like this, many of them are 82 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:14,040 lost spiritually. And so we want this to end. 83 00:04:14,040 --> 00:04:17,480 So that then, but we also want freedom for this church because 84 00:04:17,480 --> 00:04:22,640 if this church could be set free, we believe that hundreds 85 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,440 of thousands of people could come to Christ. 86 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,320 So we, we're really praying for, for that to be the end game 87 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,760 here. As far as the Iranian people, 88 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:31,800 obviously we want to pray for our military. 89 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,040 We have a grandson who's in the military, and many of you have 90 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:38,840 people, you know, who are maybe very much involved with this. 91 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,000 And then we want to pray for the people of Israel. 92 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,400 We especially want to lift up Al and Billy missionary partners in 93 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,880 Jerusalem as well. And so and the people there, 94 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,440 obviously people in other countries are being impacted as 95 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,360 well. So let's pray about this for a 96 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,480 moment and then we'll turn to God's Word. 97 00:04:57,760 --> 00:05:01,000 Father, we recognize in your sovereignty that none of what 98 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:04,560 has happened in the last couple days is surprising to you. 99 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:11,320 Father, we do understand that that Lord, your sovereignty 100 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,360 reigns over all. And so Father, we pray to you, 101 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:21,040 Father, for the protection of people in this process. 102 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:25,080 Lord that that Father, you would protect our military personnel, 103 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:27,880 that Father, you would guide leaders. 104 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,320 Lord, that you would protect the people in Israel. 105 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,720 Father, we especially lift up Al and Billy to you. 106 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:38,680 Father, we also pray for the Iranian people who, Lord, many 107 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,920 of whom are sick and tired of how Islam has failed them and 108 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:46,160 how their current context has failed them. 109 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:47,680 And father, they want to be set free. 110 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,920 They want they want a New Hope. And so, Father, I pray that this 111 00:05:52,280 --> 00:05:56,480 is actually the beginning of an incredible revival and spiritual 112 00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:58,640 awakening right in the middle of the Middle East. 113 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:01,040 And so, Father, we pray for that. 114 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:05,920 We do pray that the violent part of this would end quickly and 115 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:09,880 that, Father, you would protect those Lord that need to remain 116 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:13,360 so that your will can be done. So Father, help us to be 117 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:17,440 diligent in our intercession. I pray for those church leaders 118 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:22,000 I know who are hoping and praying for the opportunity to 119 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,360 be able to worship and freedom like we do here today. 120 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,800 And Lord, I pray that we never take this for granted, that we 121 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:33,720 never take a baptism, a public baptism for granted. 122 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:38,800 Father, so many people I know could, could just never do this. 123 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:42,800 And so, Father, thank you for allowing us to be here. 124 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,560 And Lord, help us to see that also as a responsibility. 125 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:48,120 So Father, guide us as we go to your word. 126 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,040 We pray, Father, that our mission trip experiences will 127 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,440 continue, that they won't be interrupted, that we'll be able 128 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,560 to reach people for you. And so, Father, give us wisdom 129 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:58,680 about those decisions. Father, thank you. 130 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,640 In Christ's name, Amen. All right, in Nehemiah, chapter 131 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,640 8, for those of you who are guests, we've been walking 132 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:07,360 through the book of Nehemiah. That's not going to last much 133 00:07:07,360 --> 00:07:10,840 longer, to be honest with you. Some of you might be glad about 134 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:12,120 that. Some of you might be sad about 135 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:14,600 that. Just to let you know that we're 136 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,440 going to be moving into the book of Romans after Easter, so it'll 137 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:20,640 be something completely different and that'll kind of 138 00:07:20,640 --> 00:07:22,960 get us started. Chuck Lawless is speaking at our 139 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:25,480 252 weekend Doctor Law. Some of you know him well. 140 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:28,360 Some of you love him well, as I do, and he'll be actually 141 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:30,520 sharing as a part of that weekend, next Sunday to you. 142 00:07:30,520 --> 00:07:33,720 You won't want to miss that. One of my favorite preachers in 143 00:07:33,720 --> 00:07:35,840 the world. And so you'll look forward to 144 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:38,240 that. But in the MI 8, the people were 145 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:39,800 changed. That's the word. 146 00:07:40,520 --> 00:07:42,440 They were changed by the Holy Spirit. 147 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:45,160 As the Holy Spirit confronted them and convicted them of their 148 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:50,200 sin, things changed and they were on the verge of 149 00:07:50,480 --> 00:07:53,120 restoration. They were getting there. 150 00:07:53,120 --> 00:07:56,880 It was time and, and, and so they were ready to take those 151 00:07:56,880 --> 00:07:58,240 next steps. Now what now? 152 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,200 What do we do? What happens after this, the 153 00:08:00,200 --> 00:08:03,280 Holy Spirit's move? So now it's time for a new 154 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:07,560 commitment in order to take the next steps in the power of the 155 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:09,440 Holy Spirit as he was working in their hearts. 156 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:11,960 And that's what we want to talk about today as well. 157 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:13,960 So look at Nehemiah Chapter 9, verse one. 158 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:16,680 We're actually going to cover both 9:00 and 10:00 today. 159 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:20,200 And so moving along through the book fairly quickly, But to 160 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:23,240 recognize in verse one, on the 24th day of this month, the 161 00:08:23,240 --> 00:08:26,600 people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth 162 00:08:26,960 --> 00:08:30,520 and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated 163 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:34,039 themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their 164 00:08:34,039 --> 00:08:36,280 sin and the iniquities of their fathers. 165 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,400 And they stood up in their place and read from the book of the 166 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,120 law of the Lord their God for 1/4 of the day. 167 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,000 For another quarter of it, they made confession and worshipped 168 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,400 the Lord their God. So what we're going to talk 169 00:08:49,400 --> 00:08:51,440 about, you have an outline on the back of your worship guide 170 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:53,840 or you can download it. But but one of the things that 171 00:08:53,840 --> 00:08:55,920 we're going to see today is in there are certain things 172 00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:57,320 required for this new commitment. 173 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:58,880 So the Holy Spirit works. Now what? 174 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:00,800 What are we going to do next? Here are some requirements. 175 00:09:01,040 --> 00:09:05,040 And one of the things we see is confession and renewed holiness. 176 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,280 And so we recognize they were so impacted. 177 00:09:08,280 --> 00:09:12,000 They were just not the same as the Holy Spirit after the Holy 178 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:13,880 Spirit worked on them just a few days earlier. 179 00:09:14,160 --> 00:09:16,800 And one of the things they needed to do was to separate 180 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:20,480 themselves from some of the bad influences in their life, 181 00:09:20,480 --> 00:09:23,880 separate themselves from those who would not help them live for 182 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,040 God. This was part of the reason they 183 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:29,880 got into exile in the 1st place. So these bad influences could 184 00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,160 not be tolerated. They had been through enough of 185 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,360 that. And so this is this is a new 186 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:37,760 time. It was time for them to be 187 00:09:37,760 --> 00:09:40,000 different. They needed a new holiness. 188 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:44,600 And so they were confessing this and talking about separating 189 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,440 themselves from the foreigners. And so fasting, excuse me, 190 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:52,200 feasting turned into fasting and they sought the Lord. 191 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,600 And if you notice they're wearing sackcloth and you'll see 192 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:56,640 sackcloth in the Bible every now and then. 193 00:09:56,840 --> 00:10:01,800 Sackcloth was a very coarse woven goat or camel haired 194 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:06,320 garment that was worn as a sign of mourning or a sign of grief. 195 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:10,120 So if you lost a loved 1 you, you might put on sackcloth for a 196 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:12,600 while and as a symbol of your grief. 197 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:16,600 It it was very rough in its texture and, and, and it also 198 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:19,680 served another purpose of sackcloth was a means of 199 00:10:19,680 --> 00:10:23,480 chastisement or a or for times of repentance. 200 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,400 Think of the most uncomfortable wool you've ever put on, the 201 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:30,160 most itchy thing you've ever had to wear. 202 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,840 And sackcloth is worse. It was supposed to be itchy. 203 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,120 It was supposed to be scratchy. You were not supposed to be 204 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:41,320 comfortable wearing sackcloth. It was supposed to remind you of 205 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:45,240 the pain or the sorrow or the sin that was causing you to 206 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:47,360 grieve. And so that became this great 207 00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:50,400 symbol of that. The earth on their foreheads or 208 00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,880 their heads could be dust or it could be ash, and it was placed 209 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,240 on their heads in similar times of distress. 210 00:10:56,360 --> 00:10:59,120 So you just got to imagine this whole scene, thousands of people 211 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:04,680 wearing sackcloth and, and ash or, or, or dirt on their heads, 212 00:11:04,960 --> 00:11:09,560 visibly displaying their dismay, their recognition, their 213 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:12,920 confession of their sin. There was no attempt to hide it. 214 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,880 And so they were hearing and, and they were observing the word 215 00:11:16,880 --> 00:11:20,120 of God for the first time in a long time in a brand new way 216 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,640 because of the exile. And now they were being changed. 217 00:11:24,080 --> 00:11:26,320 And so God created a passion within them. 218 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:28,240 He created a passion for his truth. 219 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,480 He created a passion for holiness. 220 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:34,560 And so as he convicts us of our sin, he'll do the same thing. 221 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:36,760 I don't want to do that anymore. The Holy Spirit's telling, I 222 00:11:36,760 --> 00:11:38,800 can't do this anymore. Now I'm going to do this. 223 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,280 And so they study the word of God for hours, if you notice 224 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:45,400 this passage. And then they're also confessing 225 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,800 for hours in worship and in recognition. 226 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,680 And so we see that time meant nothing to them. 227 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,240 So look at verse 3. And they stood up in their place 228 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:58,880 and read from the book of the law of the Lord their God for 229 00:11:58,880 --> 00:12:01,560 1/4 of the day. For another quarter of it, they 230 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:04,960 made confession and worshipped the Lord their God. 231 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,920 So they're openly reading the Bible and they're confessing 232 00:12:07,920 --> 00:12:11,680 their sin. But that gave them that released 233 00:12:11,680 --> 00:12:16,800 them to have the freedom to actually worship and for proper 234 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,480 recognition. So look at verse 5. 235 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:27,080 Then the Levites said, Stand up and bless the Lord your God from 236 00:12:27,080 --> 00:12:30,880 everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, 237 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:33,320 which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 238 00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:37,640 You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven 239 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:41,560 of heavens with all their hosts, the earth and all that is in it, 240 00:12:41,680 --> 00:12:45,120 the seas and all that is in them, and you preserve all of 241 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:48,000 them and the hosts of heaven worships you. 242 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,880 So these worship leaders, these Levites leading them in worship, 243 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,720 actually lead the people to cry out to God and the and they're 244 00:12:55,720 --> 00:12:58,200 proclaiming your name is glorious. 245 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:02,320 That word means weighty, it means honored, it means mighty. 246 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:06,320 Nobody carries the weight, nobody cares the power, nobody 247 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:09,840 cares the influence of God. He is, he alone is Lord, 248 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:13,840 literally Yahweh. He is, I am, and so the glorious 249 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:18,520 I am stands above the glorious I am stands separately. 250 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,800 He stands uniquely. He deserves our honest 251 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:23,880 recognition of who He really are. 252 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:30,440 He is and the fact that he is gloriously worthy, AW Tozer 253 00:13:30,480 --> 00:13:33,200 wrote. The essence of idolatry is the 254 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:37,480 entertaining of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. 255 00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:41,680 The very essence of idolatry is to think less of God, to to to 256 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,640 to demean God, to not give God everything that He deserves. 257 00:13:45,720 --> 00:13:50,880 So what can we say that is actually worthy of Yahweh? 258 00:13:51,560 --> 00:13:53,800 He is the greatest. He is the most glorious. 259 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:56,520 Put a period right there. Put an exclamation point right 260 00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:58,800 there. Because He's the Creator, He's 261 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:00,960 the reason. He's the origin. 262 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,480 He's the preserver. We do not exist without Him, and 263 00:14:05,480 --> 00:14:09,800 the heavenly host knows it and actively worships him because of 264 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,200 it. There's no question in heaven 265 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:15,720 about who God is. And so God deserves our highest 266 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,440 and most focused recognition. We must recognize, recognize as 267 00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,400 his people who he really who he really is. 268 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:25,880 So, so let's do that right now. It's going to be different now. 269 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:27,280 I'm going to make you do something. 270 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:31,320 I want everybody to stand up. That's right, stand up, wake up. 271 00:14:31,320 --> 00:14:32,600 It's time to wake up. Stand up. 272 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:34,960 It'll be all right. You can go back to sleep in a 273 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,840 minute. Stand up, stand up right now and 274 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,240 there's going to come a slide up there and I want you to say this 275 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,920 with me. I want us to honestly give God 276 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,520 the glory so you all start blessed. 277 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:01,240 I pray you believe that. I pray he receives that in 278 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:04,760 honesty from you. So as you're being seated, 279 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,400 remember what he's done. Remember who he is. 280 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,840 Recognize who this really is. That why This is why we're here 281 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:18,720 in order to bring him glory, in order to join him and what he 282 00:15:18,720 --> 00:15:21,640 wants to have happen. Remember how he's forgiven you 283 00:15:21,640 --> 00:15:26,160 when we when you failed, how he's fulfilled promises for us 284 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,040 that we didn't deserve. Well, the commitment continued. 285 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:35,640 Look at verse 7. You are the Lord, the God who 286 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:40,160 chose Abram and brought him out of err of the Chaldeans and gave 287 00:15:40,160 --> 00:15:45,720 him the name Abraham. Now the the third thing that we 288 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,400 see here is we see testimony. We're going to see sovereignty 289 00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:54,400 as they continue because in verses 7 through 30, you see the 290 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:56,760 most complete summary of the Old Testament. 291 00:15:56,760 --> 00:16:00,520 In the Old Testament, if you want to know what somebody who 292 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:03,280 believes and is being led by the Holy Spirit thinks about the Old 293 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,600 Testament, here's a great passage for you. 294 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:07,920 They both, they see the hand of God. 295 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:11,040 They believe in the hand of God all through the history of the 296 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:15,040 Old Testament, and they shared who this God is and they shared 297 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:19,000 what God has done. They reminded the people of the 298 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,760 testimony to everything that God had done. 299 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,520 They reminded him of a sovereign Providence throughout their 300 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,840 history. They highlighted creation. 301 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,520 They highlight Abraham, the Exodus, the wilderness, the 302 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:35,680 conquest of the land, judges, prophets, and even what led them 303 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,480 into the exile. So all the way in verse 31, 304 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:45,240 then. Nevertheless, after all this 305 00:16:45,240 --> 00:16:53,320 mess, after all we've done, even after the exile, in your great 306 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:58,000 mercies, you did not make an end of them or forsake them. 307 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,360 For you are a gracious and merciful God. 308 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:05,800 If you believe for some reason, if you've bought into some idea 309 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,040 that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New 310 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,200 Testament are somehow different, you're just not reading the 311 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,079 Bible. Grace has been from the 312 00:17:13,079 --> 00:17:17,359 beginning. In Genesis 1 it says Elohim 313 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,640 Barad, God created. That's grace. 314 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,560 He didn't have to do that creation itself. 315 00:17:25,560 --> 00:17:29,760 Totally undeserved when he gave us life, totally undeserved when 316 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:34,520 he didn't just destroy Adam and Eve and forget about humanity. 317 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,880 Grace throughout his experience, they sin, he forgives. 318 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,440 They sin, He forgives. They sin, He forgives, He 319 00:17:43,440 --> 00:17:45,640 restores, He restores, He restores. 320 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:49,480 It's because of grace in his absolute sovereignty. 321 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,600 God is gracious and God is forgiving, but he also guides 322 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,760 and he also disciplines along the way. 323 00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:02,000 And that's the part that we don't like sometimes because God 324 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:06,520 is not only the Creator, but he's also the shaper of history. 325 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,400 Remember what that word is, His story, His story. 326 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:12,640 What do you think of where he comes from? 327 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:15,720 It's his story. It's not your story. 328 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,240 It's not even my story. This isn't the story of 329 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,760 Inglewood. This is the story of Yahweh and 330 00:18:20,760 --> 00:18:24,720 what he's doing, and he sees all this story at once. 331 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,840 CS Lewis calls it God's unbounded. 332 00:18:27,840 --> 00:18:30,440 Now, I've described this to you before. 333 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:32,680 It describes predestination and election. 334 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,200 I can do it in 10 seconds. Where we are, we're living on a 335 00:18:35,200 --> 00:18:36,840 line. Turn a line on its end. 336 00:18:36,840 --> 00:18:38,600 It's a point. That's how God sees time. 337 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,440 God transcends time. Time's a part of the creation. 338 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:44,440 God's not part of time. He's beyond time. 339 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:48,280 He sees it all at once. He already knows the outcome. 340 00:18:48,360 --> 00:18:51,120 He not only shapes history, he knows how it's going to end. 341 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:54,760 He's sovereign over time, He's orchestrating, he's guiding 342 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:58,920 life, and he providentially provides both blessing and 343 00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:02,360 discipline. He graced the Hebrews with 344 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:07,360 opportunities, but they still sinned and and they wouldn't 345 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:10,000 listen or obey. One of those verses in that 7 346 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,120 through 30 is says they shrugged their shoulders and stiffened 347 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:16,600 their necks. I know people right now like 348 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,680 that who just refuse. They refuse. 349 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:23,480 You know, people are like dogs sometimes. 350 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,400 Now don't get mad at me. I didn't even call you a dog, 351 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:27,800 but but people are like dogs sometimes. 352 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:29,240 Think about this. I mean, you probably heard this 353 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:30,320 before. Think about this. 354 00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:33,640 You take your dog and you go up to it and you're playing with it 355 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:35,920 and being offering and you're blowing that dog's ear and he 356 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,640 didn't like that. He's going to get irritated 357 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:39,880 about that, you blowing a dog's ear. 358 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:41,320 He's going to snap at you eventually. 359 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,320 But the first thing that dog does when you put him in your 360 00:19:44,320 --> 00:19:50,240 truck is he sticks his head out the window with his tongue 361 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:53,360 hanging out, just loving the the breeze blowing all over him. 362 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,800 They don't even know what they want sometimes. 363 00:19:57,800 --> 00:19:59,040 We're a lot like that, aren't we? 364 00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,160 So the people of God forgot. They forgot what was best for 365 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:06,960 them, and they forgot that what was best for them was what God 366 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:09,080 desired for them. They got it all mixed up. 367 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:13,680 And sometimes we do that too. So he seeks to redeem. 368 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:17,640 And, and hear me, God never forgets his promises. 369 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,680 God cannot forget his promises. It isn't just that he's really 370 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:23,680 that cool and he's doing it, although that's part of it. 371 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,760 He can't forget his promises. That's who he is. 372 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,200 It's part of his nature. He does not. 373 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:32,120 He cannot forget that and he won't. 374 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,040 His mercy and grace are truly amazing. 375 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:38,880 And as long as time exists in the creation that we're part of, 376 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,520 it's never too late. It's never too late. 377 00:20:43,520 --> 00:20:47,160 But don't forget the lessons, because God still wants us to 378 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:48,920 learn some things. Look at verse 33. 379 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:55,280 Yet you've been righteous, and all that has come upon us, for 380 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:59,880 you have dealt faithfully, and we have acted wickedly. 381 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,840 You see that formula? We're wicked. 382 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:06,280 You're faithful. And then look at verse 38. 383 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:11,200 Because of all this, we make a firm covenant in writing. 384 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:15,160 On the sealed document are the names of our Princess, our 385 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:18,080 Levites, and our priests. So the fourth thing I just want 386 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:21,000 you to say, I want you to see the lessons and the commitment 387 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:23,560 that are required to take those next steps. 388 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:28,920 They move from confessing their sinful past to committing to a 389 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:33,200 new future with God. That's the way our lives work 390 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,120 too. The the challenges weren't over. 391 00:21:36,120 --> 00:21:37,400 They were still going to face challenges. 392 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:39,440 They're going to be problems along the way, but they knew God 393 00:21:39,440 --> 00:21:42,640 was giving them another chance. Listen, God's given you another 394 00:21:42,640 --> 00:21:44,080 chance. If you're listening to this 395 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:45,880 message, you're getting another chance. 396 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,200 Don't blow it. So they made a new covenant. 397 00:21:50,240 --> 00:21:53,840 Interestingly, they cut a new, that's what the word means. 398 00:21:53,840 --> 00:21:55,280 Covenant means to cut an agreement. 399 00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,720 They cut a new agreement to keep the old covenants. 400 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,040 So they made a new agreement to keep all the old agreements. 401 00:22:02,880 --> 00:22:05,720 And so they're, they're renewing, they're recommitting 402 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:10,720 to the old agreements that word firm or sure, depending upon 403 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:14,840 your translation is actually related to the word Amen, which 404 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:18,920 just means so be it. So this was a firm, so be it 405 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:22,280 Amen kind of document. It was a committed commitment to 406 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:27,400 the commitments they were committed, and this was their 407 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:32,160 contract for their potential. This is who we can be. 408 00:22:32,360 --> 00:22:33,680 This is who we're supposed to be. 409 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,400 So learn the lessons from the past. 410 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:37,440 You got to learn them. You got to follow them properly, 411 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:40,520 but then commit to a new present covenant. 412 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:44,600 And for us, that covenant is certainly based upon this entire 413 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:47,760 complete word of God. Here's a covenant for you, the 414 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,800 Word of God. This is our guide. 415 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:55,000 So humbly engage the Bible and say to God, Amen. 416 00:22:55,520 --> 00:23:01,720 So be it in my life. Look at chapter 10, verse one on 417 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,920 the seals are the names of Nehemiah the governor. 418 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,520 Now as we commit to him as a church, we must also have 419 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:10,800 several things that are committed and you see sub points 420 00:23:10,800 --> 00:23:12,680 on the outline. The first thing you see is 421 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:17,720 committed leadership. In verses one through 2784, 422 00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:21,920 religious and political leaders signed the new covenant. 423 00:23:23,240 --> 00:23:26,200 Nehemiah was the first in line both by position and I think by 424 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:29,360 conviction. So he's first, but as a as a 425 00:23:29,360 --> 00:23:31,640 leader, he's trying to demonstrate here's his own new 426 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,000 commitment. But we also see priests and 427 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,840 Levites and heads of families and tribes standing together 428 00:23:38,040 --> 00:23:41,600 proclaiming that this is our proper future. 429 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:46,200 And and leaders affirming new commitment unanimously was no 430 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:49,320 small thing for these people. You got to remember their 431 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:51,000 history. They fought like cats and dogs. 432 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,960 Sometimes they split kingdoms, tribe versus tribe. 433 00:23:55,160 --> 00:23:57,840 They committed war against one another in the past. 434 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:00,280 They, the kings, would kill kings. 435 00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,640 And so this unity was a major part of their life. 436 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:09,320 So coming together unanimously, putting their seal on a 437 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,640 document, it was a serious thing in those days. 438 00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,880 This was an oath before God and it was punishable by the law if 439 00:24:14,880 --> 00:24:16,680 you violated. This was no small deal. 440 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:19,920 This is not just saying, yeah, OK, this is a big deal. 441 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:24,960 Look at verse 28, the rest of the people, the priests, the 442 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,800 Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, 443 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,640 and all who had have separated themselves from the peoples of 444 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,520 the lands to the law of God. Their wives, their sons, their 445 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:35,960 daughters, all who have knowledge and understanding, 446 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:41,760 join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter to a curse and 447 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:45,320 an oath to walk in God's law that was given by Moses, the 448 00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:49,880 servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of 449 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:53,800 the Lord, our Lord and His rules and His statutes. 450 00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:57,120 See, it wasn't just the leaders. We don't just need committed 451 00:24:57,120 --> 00:24:59,200 leadership, we also must have secondly, committed 452 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:01,720 discipleship. We've all got to do this 453 00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:03,600 together. The leader signed the actual 454 00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:07,920 document, but all the people affirm it and bind themselves to 455 00:25:07,920 --> 00:25:10,520 it. And so they took an oath of 456 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:15,840 obedience to all of God's law and placed themselves under the 457 00:25:15,840 --> 00:25:18,240 curse if they should ever violate it. 458 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:20,440 So it's more than a proclamation. 459 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:23,080 This was a commitment to a whole new way of living. 460 00:25:23,080 --> 00:25:25,600 This is a whole new version of discipleship in the Old 461 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,560 Testament, for sure. And so the people were asked to 462 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:34,320 commit to return wholeheartedly to God and to obey all of his 463 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,000 word. Now, for us here at Inglewood, 464 00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:43,480 we've prayed and worked hard to to biblically come up with some 465 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:45,800 ideas. And a great start for us would 466 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:49,640 be a united pursuit of what we refer to as the seven essentials 467 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:52,400 of discipleship that we've established in your worship 468 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:53,520 guide. There was an insert. 469 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:58,160 Oh yeah, I'm pulling this out. If you didn't get a worship 470 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:00,400 guide, there are extra ones on the tables in the back in the 471 00:26:00,400 --> 00:26:02,200 welcome center. You need one. 472 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,360 Let us know, We'll get you one. This is what is called the 473 00:26:05,360 --> 00:26:07,720 Englewood Baptist Church Membership Covenant. 474 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:09,720 You might not even know one of these exists. 475 00:26:10,560 --> 00:26:13,440 For several of you, more than 100 of you who've joined in the 476 00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,480 last few months, you all work through Discover Englewood. 477 00:26:16,480 --> 00:26:18,320 You talked about this. You actually signed one of 478 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:20,920 these. Whenever I do new member 479 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:24,920 presentation, I refer to it, but this is what the new members are 480 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:26,720 signing now. Some of you older members might 481 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:29,360 need to take a look. I was going to have you sign it 482 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:31,760 and turning into the offering plate, but I'll be nicer than 483 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:40,600 that today, depending upon how many times you Amen before this 484 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:45,000 sermon's over. Thank you very much. 485 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:49,600 Appreciate you. Seriously, this is who we are at 486 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,520 Inglewood. This is who we are. 487 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:54,680 This is what it means to be a member here. 488 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:57,880 This is what it means to be a growing disciple in this church, 489 00:26:57,880 --> 00:26:59,880 which is really important to us. That's the whole purpose we're 490 00:26:59,880 --> 00:27:03,080 trying to make disciples and, and what it means to be like 491 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:05,600 Jesus. And so we need to all stand 492 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:08,960 together as members and agree to this if we're going to be 493 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,400 healthy moving forward. What percentage do you think I'm 494 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:17,480 looking for? And so my prayers that 100% of 495 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,800 you would pledge to pursue God's mission, the church's vision, 496 00:27:22,280 --> 00:27:27,760 and pursue these essential seven things of discipleship as well 497 00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:29,720 as God's will. Now, for those of those who 498 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:31,960 aren't, who aren't members, this is a great thing for you to 499 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:33,360 study. This is what it means here at 500 00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:36,040 Inglewood to be a part of this. This is what it looks like to. 501 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,880 And I pray that you join us in this commitment and serve 502 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:42,480 alongside of us. I mean, in life, you make all 503 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:45,480 kinds of commitments. You make a commitment to go to 504 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:46,520 work. Well, I hope you do. 505 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:50,800 You make a commitment to your marriage. 506 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:54,480 I pray you do you make a commitment to your family. 507 00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:57,800 I I really pray you do. And you even make commitments to 508 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,560 other things like social clubs and teams and and other things 509 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,520 where you serve and you're part of and and and great. 510 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:11,560 Keep these commitments well, but if you've been saved, first of 511 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:13,120 all, that'd be your first commitment. 512 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:16,360 If you haven't going to be hard for you to do anything else 513 00:28:16,360 --> 00:28:20,800 until that happens. But if you've been saved, you 514 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:25,200 also made a commitment to Jesus Christ as your Lord, your 515 00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:29,240 curious, your boss, and your Savior. 516 00:28:30,240 --> 00:28:31,480 How you doing in that commitment? 517 00:28:32,600 --> 00:28:35,400 How's your commitment to the body, the church? 518 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,520 We want you to stand with us in discipleship. 519 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,760 Look at verse 30. It gets more specific. 520 00:28:43,560 --> 00:28:46,480 We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land or 521 00:28:46,480 --> 00:28:49,920 take the daughters for our sons. And if the peoples of the land 522 00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:52,840 bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sale, we will 523 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:55,480 not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. 524 00:28:56,240 --> 00:29:00,120 And we will forgo the crops of the 7th year and the exaction of 525 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:03,000 every debt. More specifically, we're also 526 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:06,920 going to live for Him through committed relationships. 527 00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:10,480 This is interesting because they were to commit their life 528 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,040 relationships to God. This wasn't just spiritual, this 529 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,240 was practical. So their family relationships, 530 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:20,600 their business relationships, their day-to-day life 531 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:22,880 relationships were to be committed for them because they 532 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,840 were struggling in some of these areas, especially the Sabbath 533 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:29,360 and money and things. And so So what we're going to 534 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,440 see for them, them for them specifically, they needed to 535 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:36,520 maintain the purity of the community by not intermarrying 536 00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:39,320 with the people of the land. Now this was very contextual and 537 00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:43,000 specific because marriage in those days wasn't necessarily 538 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:46,240 based on romance. And, and you might say to me, as 539 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:48,360 long as I've been married, neither is mine, but we're going 540 00:29:48,360 --> 00:29:49,480 to talk about that some other day. 541 00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,280 But marriage in those days were arranged by the heads of 542 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:01,160 households and were very often used to service to to create or 543 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:04,440 to see what alliances and relationships between two 544 00:30:04,440 --> 00:30:08,240 families between 2 tribes for wealth, for prestige and for 545 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,560 position. They were as much political as 546 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:14,280 they were romantic. And so this practice 547 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:17,560 historically in the Old Testament led the people of 548 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:22,400 Israel into Pagan and ungodly relationships and alliances and 549 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:24,480 all kinds of trouble. This is part of the reason they 550 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:26,920 went into exile. Some of you in small group have 551 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:30,600 been talking about Malachi and you know that. 552 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:32,400 And so they got in trouble because of this. 553 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:35,920 So they were not to arrange marriages with non Jewish 554 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:39,680 households according to the law. Now the New Testament continues 555 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:41,400 with this idea in kind of a different way. 556 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,760 Paul writes about this in in the new relationship we have in the 557 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:50,080 church and with one another. And we're told that believers 558 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,320 should not marry unbelievers. Look at 2nd Corinthians 6. 559 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:58,240 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers for what partnership 560 00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,440 has righteousness with lawlessness, or what fellowship 561 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:04,720 has light with darkness? And see, the reason this is true 562 00:31:04,720 --> 00:31:07,360 is marriage is an image of the relationship of Christ in the 563 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,160 church and and you got to make that connection. 564 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,840 And so we need to preserve the sanctity, the proper biblical 565 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,800 definitions of marriage. And we all know that in today's 566 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:18,960 world that has become increasingly confused. 567 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:24,000 And so here at Inglewood, we believe in Christian marriage 568 00:31:24,360 --> 00:31:27,280 and the only kind of weddings we're going to be a part of are 569 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:32,000 between two believers, a man and a woman per the word of God. 570 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,240 And so they also struggled not only in their family 571 00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:38,800 relationships, but they were struggling in their money and 572 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:41,440 business relationships. They were violating the Sabbath. 573 00:31:42,160 --> 00:31:45,720 And so they were to observe the Sabbath properly because keeping 574 00:31:45,720 --> 00:31:48,720 the Sabbath is a faith relationship with God. 575 00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:51,240 To believe it's OK for me to rest. 576 00:31:51,240 --> 00:31:54,080 It's good for me to rest, but also to believe that God's going 577 00:31:54,080 --> 00:31:56,560 to take care of me on that day. I don't work and I don't get 578 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:59,680 paid. And so you got to understand in 579 00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:03,240 that kind of culture, you know, daily pay was a part of their 580 00:32:03,240 --> 00:32:06,280 life. And so believing God will take 581 00:32:06,280 --> 00:32:10,320 care for of us for that day when we take time dedicated to focus 582 00:32:10,320 --> 00:32:13,360 upon Him. So even our work relationships, 583 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:17,400 or perhaps more accurately our relationship to work, need to 584 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,800 belong to Him. So resting and taking time to 585 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:25,360 focus upon Him brings in glory and it's also the best for us. 586 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:30,360 And so they had abused it in the exile, and, and they abused, 587 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,680 they abused not only the day of the Sabbath, but their 588 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,880 sabbatical years in the law. And they were to keep God's 589 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:40,360 word, even if it meant perceived personal financial loss for 590 00:32:40,360 --> 00:32:42,440 them. And that took faith. 591 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:45,960 It took faith to believe that God would take care of them. 592 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:49,480 And so to wipe the slate clean every seven years for the law 593 00:32:49,640 --> 00:32:52,480 meant I believed God's promise that he would cause the harvest 594 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,160 in the sixth year to be enough for three years. 595 00:32:56,200 --> 00:32:59,760 In fact, the law says in Leviticus 25, I will command my 596 00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:02,840 blessing on you in the sixth year so that it will produce a 597 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,400 crop sufficient for three years. When you sow in the eighth year, 598 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,040 you will be eating some of the old crop. 599 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,760 You shall eat the old until the 9th year when its crops arise, 600 00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:15,680 arrives. So people, do you have enough 601 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,120 faith? Do you have enough commitment to 602 00:33:19,120 --> 00:33:25,440 trust, to rest, to find peace, to find hope in your 603 00:33:25,440 --> 00:33:31,520 relationship with God and for us, we would say it in God the 604 00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:35,120 Son, Jesus Christ. Will you trust him with you 605 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:38,160 relate with family, in marriage, in business? 606 00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:41,840 Will you trust him with your money And related to this, look 607 00:33:41,840 --> 00:33:45,960 at verse 32. We also take a note, take on 608 00:33:45,960 --> 00:33:50,680 ourselves the obligation to give yearly a third part of a shekel 609 00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:53,560 for the service of the House of our God. 610 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:58,800 Then skip to verse 35. We obligate ourselves to bring 611 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:01,440 the first fruits of of our ground and the first fruits of 612 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,320 all fruit of every tree year by year to the House of the Lord. 613 00:34:04,800 --> 00:34:07,160 Also to bring to the House of the Lord, to the priests who 614 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:10,920 minister in the House of our God the first born of our sons and 615 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:14,560 our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the first born of 616 00:34:14,560 --> 00:34:18,000 our herds and our flocks. And to bring the first of our 617 00:34:18,120 --> 00:34:21,639 our dough and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the 618 00:34:21,639 --> 00:34:24,280 wine and the oil, to the priest, to the chambers of the House of 619 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,520 our God. And to bring to the Levites the 620 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:30,239 tithes from our ground. For for it is the Levites who 621 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:33,040 collect the tithes and all our towns where we labour. 622 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:35,679 And the priest, the son of Aaron, shall be with the Levites 623 00:34:35,679 --> 00:34:37,520 when the Levites receive the tithes. 624 00:34:37,880 --> 00:34:40,440 And the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithe to the 625 00:34:40,440 --> 00:34:44,199 House of our God, to the Chamber of the storehouse for the people 626 00:34:44,199 --> 00:34:45,960 of Israel. And the sons of Levi shall bring 627 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:48,440 the contribution of grain, wine, and oil to the chambers where 628 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:51,520 the vessels of the sanctuary are, as well as the priests who 629 00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:53,960 minister and the gatekeepers and the singers. 630 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:56,920 We will not neglect the House of our God. 631 00:34:57,720 --> 00:35:02,040 And so we have to understand and add to this, that in order to 632 00:35:02,240 --> 00:35:04,440 move forward, we need committed stewardship. 633 00:35:05,240 --> 00:35:08,240 This isn't just about money. It's not just about earthly 634 00:35:08,240 --> 00:35:12,320 resources, but it includes that temple service gave them. 635 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,200 You understand how big a deal this was for them to renew the 636 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,960 temple activity for them to, they've rebuilt this. 637 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:20,600 Now it's time to get this whole thing cranked up again to get 638 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:23,040 the sacrificial system going at like they're supposed to 639 00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,800 according to the law at that time, in order to get the temple 640 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:29,800 service going gave them a new opportunity to worship God and 641 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:32,800 also to seek his forgiveness. They needed that second part as 642 00:35:32,800 --> 00:35:34,120 much as they needed the first part. 643 00:35:34,280 --> 00:35:37,560 How do we make atonement? How do we get redemption from 644 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:40,640 God? And so they recognized that this 645 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:44,240 was not some sense of drudgery, but that this was also a this 646 00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:47,240 was a way for them to find joy, the way for them to find freedom 647 00:35:47,240 --> 00:35:50,720 in God's redemption through the proper sacrifices. 648 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:56,000 So they paid their ties and also gave their offerings and, and, 649 00:35:56,120 --> 00:35:58,360 and the agreement here was interesting because it actually 650 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,720 calls for less than the law required, which is a testimony 651 00:36:01,720 --> 00:36:04,120 to their level of poverty. They didn't have a whole lot. 652 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,960 These weren't rich people who were doing this. 653 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:07,760 It wasn't just the rich people doing this. 654 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,960 This was everybody doing this. And so they started where they 655 00:36:10,960 --> 00:36:13,600 were and they could, they start, they could grow that way. 656 00:36:14,400 --> 00:36:17,720 And so they were in this together, committed, each giving 657 00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:20,440 regularly as much as they could to support the work. 658 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,560 And the first fruits and the first born are given because 659 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:26,440 they represent the whole, the whole crop, the whole herd 660 00:36:26,440 --> 00:36:28,920 belongs to God. That's what good stewardship 661 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:31,680 recognizes. So 110th of all the crops were 662 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:35,000 to be given as gifts of God, tithing or giving, that 10% of 663 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:38,960 all you have and worship recognizes that God has total 664 00:36:38,960 --> 00:36:43,200 ownership of your entire life. It's all tied together. 665 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,200 And so these, these Old Testament worship principles and 666 00:36:46,200 --> 00:36:49,080 giving principles were never dumbed down in the New 667 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:51,280 Testament. They were never dumbed down. 668 00:36:51,280 --> 00:36:54,600 In fact, Jesus often elevated principles of the Old Testament 669 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:57,360 in the New Testament. So giving joyfully and 670 00:36:57,360 --> 00:37:01,720 graciously became an issue. And for us, it's an issue of a 671 00:37:01,720 --> 00:37:07,160 grateful and and and saved heart and not just a command of the 672 00:37:07,160 --> 00:37:09,480 law. It's out of grace. 673 00:37:09,480 --> 00:37:13,680 Now be gracious givers. And for us, practically, that 674 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,800 means to support our general budget, support the workers, 675 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,600 support the core ministries of our church week by week as we 676 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,920 seek to make disciples here. But it's more than that. 677 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:26,200 Warren Wearsby writes the great commentator. 678 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:30,000 He says when there is true revival, it will reveal itself 679 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,520 in the way we support God's work beginning in our own local 680 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,200 church. And so general, generous 681 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:37,480 stewardship needs to be a normal part of our discipleship. 682 00:37:37,680 --> 00:37:44,280 But it's not just money, It's time, it's energy, it's focus, 683 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:48,080 it's effort in service and in ministry to one another. 684 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:50,160 It's not just the offering plate. 685 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:51,920 We're going to pass the offering plate later. 686 00:37:52,240 --> 00:37:54,600 But that's not what it's about. I'm not just here to get your 687 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:56,080 money. And guess if you're here, I 688 00:37:56,080 --> 00:37:58,760 don't want your money. You just give us your your 689 00:37:58,800 --> 00:38:00,440 Connect card, your Next steps card. 690 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:02,480 And we'd love to have that record of you. 691 00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:06,240 But Winston Churchill, who by the way is not a great 692 00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:11,320 theologian, once said, we make a living by what we make a living 693 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:16,840 by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. 694 00:38:18,600 --> 00:38:20,800 The people were bound together in this new covenant. 695 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:22,800 This is who we're going to be. This is who we are. 696 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:24,160 This is how we're going to serve. 697 00:38:24,280 --> 00:38:25,560 This is how we're going to support. 698 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,280 This is how we're going to live with one another together in 699 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:34,240 community, bound together by oath, worshiping and working 700 00:38:34,240 --> 00:38:37,600 together to bring God great glory, to bring him and to join 701 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:41,560 him and redeeming the nations by making disciples who love him 702 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,280 and love others and join that mission. 703 00:38:44,840 --> 00:38:46,280 That's what Englewood's all about. 704 00:38:47,920 --> 00:38:50,160 You know, it's like an Olympic team. 705 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:51,840 I, I, I was watching the Olympics. 706 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:54,640 Teresa will tell you, I, I don't know why this sport of all the 707 00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:58,160 sports I've been, I've become fascinated with curling. 708 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,880 I mean, shuffleboard on ice. How cool is this? 709 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:06,400 You got people with Swiffer mops out there and a big and a big 710 00:39:06,400 --> 00:39:09,120 rock trying to land in a circle. I mean, it really is pretty 711 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:10,720 impressive. I don't know if you know what 712 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:14,640 curling is at all, but but, but I, I, I didn't know a whole lot 713 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:16,360 about, I watched curling. I don't know anything about it, 714 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:18,680 but I, I said so, so who are all these people? 715 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:21,560 So I researched and there's all kinds of different parts of a 716 00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:24,000 curling team. Now I know you want to know 717 00:39:24,000 --> 00:39:25,160 this. I appreciate you. 718 00:39:26,200 --> 00:39:27,880 Stay seated. It'll be OK, just for a minute. 719 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:29,560 I know you're anxious to know this. 720 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:31,960 So, so you, you have these different positions. 721 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:33,960 The lead throws the 1st 2 stones. 722 00:39:33,960 --> 00:39:36,000 If you don't know anything about it, they got these big rocks and 723 00:39:36,000 --> 00:39:38,080 they slide them on ice, try to land in a circle and they try to 724 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:39,280 bump each other's out of there, right? 725 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:41,160 That's curling. And you got people with these 726 00:39:41,160 --> 00:39:43,160 little Swiffer mops going down there. 727 00:39:43,320 --> 00:39:45,440 They got one slick shoe and one sticky shoe. 728 00:39:45,440 --> 00:39:46,440 It's amazing. I don't even know. 729 00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:50,280 I can't even walk on ice. They're just sliding down there. 730 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:55,280 So the second, that's what that's what they're called those 731 00:39:55,280 --> 00:39:58,480 the the 3rd and 4th stone. The third also called the vice 732 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:00,560 skip because I knew you really wanted to know that throws the 733 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:04,360 5th and 6th though, and then the skips is the team captain. 734 00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:08,240 There's a strategist responsible for calling the shots and 735 00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:10,400 directing the sweeping because they all get out there and they 736 00:40:10,400 --> 00:40:14,040 sweep in front of it to help the stone go in the right direction. 737 00:40:14,760 --> 00:40:17,560 Now, it was pretty amazing to me because those folks, first of 738 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:19,840 all, I could never squat down as low as they get, but it's pretty 739 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:22,360 amazing to me. That they can be all the way 740 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:25,960 down there and then put that rock right in the middle of that 741 00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,480 circle. Now they don't do that on their 742 00:40:28,480 --> 00:40:29,720 own. They're spinning it, It's 743 00:40:29,720 --> 00:40:34,320 curling into position, and then you got people sweeping real 744 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:36,480 hard on the ice to make it go in certain directions. 745 00:40:38,480 --> 00:40:39,720 I was pretty impressed with that. 746 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:47,280 Didn't take much, but I got to thinking about the understanding 747 00:40:47,280 --> 00:40:53,920 of the fact that everybody's position had a responsibility. 748 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:56,960 And even though you might think the most important person is 749 00:40:56,960 --> 00:41:00,480 that person sliding the stone, if you watch really carefully, 750 00:41:00,480 --> 00:41:02,520 the people who are doing the sweeping are directing that 751 00:41:02,520 --> 00:41:05,280 stone into place. And then you got somebody down 752 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,360 there calling the shot to tell them where to put the stone in 753 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:09,440 the 1st place. Everybody matters. 754 00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:14,440 All the pieces matter, all the responsibilities, all the 755 00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:18,440 positions come together, and every one of them is essential 756 00:41:19,880 --> 00:41:23,160 for effective teamwork. I want you to take this 757 00:41:23,160 --> 00:41:26,960 membership covenant in all seriousness with you, and I want 758 00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:32,840 you to use it as a prayer guide, but also as an assessment tool. 759 00:41:34,120 --> 00:41:36,520 How am I doing in my discipleship? 760 00:41:37,840 --> 00:41:41,720 How am I doing in my membership? What? 761 00:41:41,720 --> 00:41:43,600 What's the strongest part of my life? 762 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:45,560 What's the weaker part of my life? 763 00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:52,080 What can I do, Lord, to be more obedient to you and to help the 764 00:41:52,080 --> 00:41:56,680 body to join the team to take up my part of the responsibility? 765 00:41:58,200 --> 00:42:00,360 What do I need to do to covenant with you, Lord? 766 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,240 What do I need to do to cut a new firm? 767 00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:09,160 Sure commitment to declare. Amen. 768 00:42:10,520 --> 00:42:14,280 So be it. Last couple of weeks I've been 769 00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:17,200 drawn to Psalm 42. It's a familiar passage. 770 00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:22,880 Many of you could quote it Psalm 42 verses 1 and 2 as a deer 771 00:42:22,880 --> 00:42:30,680 pants for flowing streams. Soul pants my soul for you, oh 772 00:42:30,680 --> 00:42:36,920 God, my soul thirsts for God, for the living God. 773 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:42,920 When shall I come and appear before God? 774 00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:54,480 Well, when Indeed, Right here, right now for some of you. 775 00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,240 Do you thirst for God's presence? 776 00:42:57,240 --> 00:42:59,800 Do you thirst for God's power in your life? 777 00:43:01,400 --> 00:43:04,960 Does something need to change? You need to make a new 778 00:43:04,960 --> 00:43:09,080 commitment? Father, I don't know where 779 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:10,640 everybody's hearts are this morning. 780 00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:20,200 Father, I've, I've, I've tried perhaps as poorly as I have, but 781 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:22,560 I've tried, Father, to tell them what I thought you wanted me to 782 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:25,640 tell them. I don't really know what else to 783 00:43:25,640 --> 00:43:32,040 do except ask you to work. Father, I pray that you'll work 784 00:43:32,040 --> 00:43:35,080 in each heart here. There's some Father that need to 785 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:37,400 make a new commitment with you, and that's a commitment of 786 00:43:37,400 --> 00:43:40,920 salvation. Father, I pray right now that 787 00:43:40,920 --> 00:43:44,080 you just Pierce their heart and soul to where they could not 788 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:48,920 deny your reality. And Father, I pray that they 789 00:43:48,920 --> 00:43:53,480 would understand that we couldn't pay the price for our 790 00:43:53,480 --> 00:43:57,440 shortcomings, that in your Holiness you have to hold us 791 00:43:57,440 --> 00:44:00,480 accountable for those. And so, Father, Jesus died on 792 00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:05,520 the cross perfectly, the only one who could to sacrifice 793 00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,240 himself so that we might be forgiven. 794 00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,280 And Father, I pray that they'll believe that right now, that 795 00:44:10,280 --> 00:44:13,400 you'll help them to believe that right now, Father, and that they 796 00:44:13,400 --> 00:44:17,840 might pray right now and to recognize that, and maybe they'd 797 00:44:17,840 --> 00:44:20,880 say something like this to you. I Lord, I know I'm a Sinner. 798 00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:25,600 I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn for my sin. 799 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:29,600 I trust in Jesus to be my Savior. 800 00:44:30,920 --> 00:44:37,200 I trust in Jesus to be my Lord. And I want to live for him, for 801 00:44:37,200 --> 00:44:42,960 his glory. I want to serve for the church, 802 00:44:45,000 --> 00:44:48,480 something like that, Father, guide us, help us. 803 00:44:49,480 --> 00:44:53,640 Father, others recognize that they need to be baptized too. 804 00:44:53,640 --> 00:44:55,800 We have others who are already planning on that. 805 00:44:55,800 --> 00:44:58,000 I'm thankful for that. I pray, Father, we don't grow 806 00:44:58,000 --> 00:45:00,480 used to that. I pray, Father, we don't grow 807 00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:02,520 apathetic toward people being baptized. 808 00:45:03,680 --> 00:45:06,960 I worry sometimes that because it's become so frequent, Lord, 809 00:45:06,960 --> 00:45:10,760 that we take it for granted. And I pray we never, ever, ever 810 00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:13,040 do that, Lord, or you'll stop it. 811 00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:18,200 You'll stop it. And so, Father, I pray, Lord, 812 00:45:18,200 --> 00:45:20,640 for those who need to be baptized, others need to join 813 00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:23,160 the church. Maybe others just need to come 814 00:45:23,160 --> 00:45:24,560 and pray. They need to kneel at these 815 00:45:24,560 --> 00:45:27,040 steps as an altar of prayer before you, Father. 816 00:45:27,320 --> 00:45:30,520 Or they need to go to our next steps room and have a counselor 817 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:33,240 just pray with them privately and discreetly about what you're 818 00:45:33,240 --> 00:45:36,680 doing in their life. So, Father, whatever we need to 819 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:40,520 do, even as we take up an offering, Father, even as we 820 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:46,800 offer ourselves to you completely all of our life, the 821 00:45:46,840 --> 00:45:49,720 Father, you would help us and give us the strength to be 822 00:45:49,720 --> 00:45:53,680 obedient. Bless us now as we surrender in 823 00:45:53,680 --> 00:45:57,000 Christ's name, Amen. Well, stand with me. 824 00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:58,280 Our worship team's going to lead us. 825 00:45:58,280 --> 00:46:00,680 There'll be some pastors here. You can come and pray here. 826 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:04,080 The Next Steps Room will be open with people who just love to 827 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:07,600 pray with you, counsel with you, talk to you about whatever God's 828 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:10,120 saying to your heart, whatever you need to do. 829 00:46:10,120 --> 00:46:14,120 As we sing, you come, Don't hesitate, just come and respond. 830 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:20,320 Thank you so much for listening today. 831 00:46:20,320 --> 00:46:21,600 And I also hope that you'll go to 832 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:25,440 ourwebsite@englewoodbaptist.com as well as our app and find many 833 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:27,800 other resources that will bless you and your families. 834 00:46:27,960 --> 00:46:29,000 Thank you once again.