1 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:36,000 Yeah. You. 2 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:45,040 Did it all by yourself. Isn't it great that we are 3 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,920 learning? Wonderful. 4 00:01:50,120 --> 00:01:54,160 It's a beautiful day outside and we're grateful to have children 5 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:56,440 that are able to light our candles. 6 00:01:56,600 --> 00:02:00,080 Welcome to the church and welcome to the Christian Church. 7 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,600 I don't have any special announcements. 8 00:02:04,960 --> 00:02:08,520 I know y'all can all read. So if you'll just look at any of 9 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:11,480 the announcements, are we doing Tuesday night? 10 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:13,600 Tuesday. Yes, ma'am, Men's. 11 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,120 Night Tuesday, all right, 6:00 the men tonight. 12 00:02:17,120 --> 00:07:42,280 All right, ladies. Please stand turns your number 13 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,920 382. Serve the Lord with gladness. 14 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:46,960 We'll do the first and second verse. 15 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:12,480 Have you ever planned something and you wanted to just throw it 16 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:17,960 out the window? I planned a devotion today and a 17 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,200 little girl, Sophie, just came up to me and whispered. 18 00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:27,040 I'm going to get emotional. Will you tell other people about 19 00:10:27,040 --> 00:10:32,320 God? So you as a congregation, will 20 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:39,600 you tell other people about God? Coming from a little child, how 21 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:45,360 old is she? 6 So let us go to the Lord in 22 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:48,320 prayer. Our Father, we do thank you for 23 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:53,560 our children, for just the message, the simple message they 24 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:59,520 give to us. Lord, help us to raise these 25 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:04,680 children in our church and to dedicate them to you. 26 00:11:06,360 --> 00:11:10,760 Father, we come to you now saying the prayer that you 27 00:11:10,760 --> 00:11:15,600 taught us to pray. Father who art in heaven, 28 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:21,760 hallowed be thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be gone 29 00:11:22,280 --> 00:11:25,480 on earth. As it is against in heaven, give 30 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:30,160 us this day Our Daily Bread, and forgive us our deaths. 31 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:32,400 As. We forgive our debtors. 32 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:34,200 And. Lead us not into. 33 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:35,880 Temptation. But. 34 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:40,720 Deliver us from evil, for thy name, the Kingdom and the power 35 00:11:41,120 --> 00:11:43,640 and the glory forever. Amen. 36 00:11:58,160 --> 00:12:01,960 Please open your handles to #440 Here I am Lord, first and second 37 00:12:01,960 --> 00:15:28,680 verse. as we go to the Lord in prayer 38 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,080 this morning. I do want to let you know that 39 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:39,760 Miss Patricia is home. Doesn't feel great, very tired, 40 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,320 but it is certain certainly glad to be home. 41 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:48,320 So just be in prayer for her and Mr. Dan and the girls who were 42 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:54,040 there with them. Other prayer request. 43 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:58,520 Somebody else had mentioned someone to me and I don't 44 00:15:58,520 --> 00:16:03,000 remember who it was. Nobody. 45 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,400 Nobody out here mentioned anybody to me this morning. 46 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:12,200 No. All right, Maybe I dreamed it. 47 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:17,040 All right, well, let's go. Lord in prayer, Heavenly Father, 48 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:19,520 this morning as we do, give thanks, Lord, for the 49 00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:23,840 opportunity to worship, Lord, for the opportunity to 50 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:31,920 understand, Lord, not only who you are, Lord, but how you love 51 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:36,760 us, how you care for us, Lord, how you desire to have that 52 00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:41,560 relationship was with us where we call upon your name, Lord, 53 00:16:41,560 --> 00:16:47,040 where we seek you. Lord, each day that we have here 54 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,480 on this earth, Lord, that your your desires for us to to live 55 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:53,960 in such a way that we draw others to you, that they see 56 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:57,960 your love through us. And Lord, we simply pray that we 57 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:06,119 can in some way, in some small way touch someone's life to 58 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,200 allow them to see God through our lives. 59 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:13,119 Lord, we thank you for your patience and your kindness. 60 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,800 Lord, we thank you that even when we fall short, that you are 61 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:23,359 waiting for us to come to you. Lord, that you offer us the the 62 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:27,839 opportunity to be forgiven. Lord, for the opportunity to be 63 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:32,480 dusted off and, and Lord picked up and and ready to be used 64 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:34,800 again. We just prayed through our 65 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,280 service today, Lord, that we bring glory and honor to your 66 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:42,200 name, Lord, through the offerings that we give Lord, 67 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,760 through the words and then the songs that we sing that we do 68 00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:49,400 praise you, Lord, as we come to the table to remember the 69 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,960 ultimate sacrifice given by our Savior and your Son Jesus 70 00:17:53,960 --> 00:17:56,480 Christ. Lord, how thankful we are. 71 00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:00,160 And Lord, and as we look into your word, we simply pray today, 72 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,760 Lord, that it speaks to us, that it, even though it was written 73 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:07,880 so many years ago, Lord, that there is a message for us today 74 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:11,640 and Lord, that as we leave here, we leave here change, that we 75 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:14,800 leave here encouraged. We leave here excited about the 76 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:19,720 opportunity that we have, Lord, to share the good news and to 77 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:21,440 lead others to that relationship with you. 78 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:24,720 We do ask all this in Jesus name, Amen. 79 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:31,320 As we give these. Ties with a joyful heart. 80 00:21:51,220 --> 00:21:53,180 Our communion hymn is number 400. 81 00:21:53,500 --> 00:21:55,340 Jesus at your holy table, of course. 82 00:21:55,340 --> 00:23:53,800 First and second verse. Christ invites to this table all 83 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,680 who profess the Christian faith and who seek the mercy of God. 84 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:00,400 Jesus said I am the bread of life. 85 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:05,120 Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes 86 00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:09,080 in me will never be thirsty. No one who comes to me will I 87 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,120 drive away. Because there's one bread. 88 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:15,840 We who are many or one body, for we all partake for the one 89 00:24:15,840 --> 00:24:18,720 bread. So whether you eat or drink or 90 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,080 whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God. 91 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,560 Father, we come to the table today that you have prepared. 92 00:24:28,840 --> 00:24:33,480 We thank you for the bread and what it means to each one of us 93 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:38,120 Christians, the broken body of Jesus, thank you for the grace 94 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:43,000 and the love that you have given to each one of us through Jesus 95 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:47,920 Christ. Help the Father, we thank you 96 00:24:47,920 --> 00:24:52,520 for allowing us to come to this your table, and we take this 97 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:54,520 cup. Let it remind us of the blood 98 00:24:54,520 --> 00:25:02,120 that was shed on that cross, that Jesus died so that we can 99 00:25:02,120 --> 00:25:05,680 have eternal life. Now we take this emblem. 100 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,400 Maybe do so in a manner of pleasing unto you. 101 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:12,640 The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread and we 102 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:14,920 had given thanks. He broke it and said, this is my 103 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:18,640 body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 104 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,440 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying this cup is 105 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:32,800 the new covenant in my blood. Do this whenever you drink it in 106 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:57,120 remembrance of me. Or whenever you eat this bread 107 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:01,440 and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 108 00:29:25,110 --> 00:29:30,030 All right, before we get started this morning with the message I, 109 00:29:30,030 --> 00:29:33,790 I have, I have the two names that I, I could not remember 110 00:29:33,790 --> 00:29:38,720 earlier. First one is Miss Lisa's mom has 111 00:29:38,720 --> 00:29:41,360 been transported back to Mississippi. 112 00:29:41,520 --> 00:29:43,360 Craig, that went all right on the on the move. 113 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:44,840 Yeah, the trip went OK. They got it back. 114 00:29:54,510 --> 00:29:59,950 To the nursing home. I think about 5:00 in the 115 00:30:00,550 --> 00:30:03,310 morning, OK, OK. So please continue to remember 116 00:30:03,350 --> 00:30:07,990 Lisa's mom and Lisa and then the rest of the family as they've 117 00:30:08,430 --> 00:30:12,960 making this transition. And the second one I want you to 118 00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:17,200 write down. Her name is Christy Self and she 119 00:30:17,200 --> 00:30:21,640 is the mom of one of Anna Claire's softball coaches. 120 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:28,440 And she has they have found a mass on on her kidney and just 121 00:30:28,440 --> 00:30:34,320 be in prayer for them. She's a young lady, probably 50s 122 00:30:34,320 --> 00:30:39,120 at at at most, I would guess, and just just be in prayer for 123 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,680 her. I will say this her her daughter 124 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:49,000 Grace is a just a fine young lady and not only does she coach 125 00:30:49,000 --> 00:30:52,240 softball well, but she loves those girls and and spends time 126 00:30:52,240 --> 00:30:57,160 and prays with them and and just as a really good mentor to them. 127 00:30:57,160 --> 00:30:59,360 So I asked you to be in prayer for them. 128 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:01,960 All right. This morning as we look into 129 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,000 God's word, we're going to be in Hebrews. 130 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:11,120 We're going to be in Hebrews chapter 10 and it's going to 131 00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:13,200 we're going to start in verse 19. 132 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:17,160 But before you, before we start with that, I want to ask you a 133 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:18,760 question. I want you to think about this 134 00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:30,430 question before you answer. Is God's love unconditional? 135 00:31:32,150 --> 00:31:44,840 Is God's love unconditional? Huh. 136 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:47,840 His love, Yes, His love is unconditional. 137 00:31:49,400 --> 00:31:52,640 OK, so let me ask you this question. 138 00:31:55,640 --> 00:31:56,960 OK, let me ask you this question. 139 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:03,040 God loved us enough to send His one and only Son, right? 140 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,800 Died on the cross for each of us, right? 141 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:12,000 Gives us the opportunity for forgiveness of sin, the 142 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:21,200 opportunity of eternal life. What happens if we reject his 143 00:32:21,200 --> 00:32:30,270 Son Jesus Christ? What happens? 144 00:32:35,150 --> 00:32:41,950 OK, so the answer is yes, God's love is unconditional is what 145 00:32:41,950 --> 00:32:47,320 you're saying. But not everyone's going to 146 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,680 heaven. Not everyone will experience 147 00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,720 forgiveness of sin, not by God's doing, but by our own doing. 148 00:32:58,840 --> 00:33:01,720 So my answer to that question is God's love unconditional? 149 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:09,000 Is yes and no? And This is why I say that there 150 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,360 is nothing that will separate us from the love of God. 151 00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:17,760 There's nothing that we can do. There is no sin great enough to 152 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:23,160 keep us from God having giving us the offering of forgiveness. 153 00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:31,280 But it is one condition that it can only come through his Son 154 00:33:31,280 --> 00:33:35,200 Jesus Christ and our belief in him and our faith in him and our 155 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:39,680 acceptance of who He is and what He did on the cross. 156 00:33:40,960 --> 00:33:52,740 So I agree with you, God's love is unconditional. 157 00:34:01,540 --> 00:34:04,860 Here we go. Therefore, brothers and sisters, 158 00:34:04,860 --> 00:34:08,300 since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the 159 00:34:08,300 --> 00:34:14,219 blood of Jesus, by new and living way open for us through 160 00:34:14,219 --> 00:34:18,659 the curtain that is His body, and since we have a great priest 161 00:34:20,380 --> 00:34:23,460 over the House of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere 162 00:34:23,460 --> 00:34:27,520 heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. 163 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:31,199 Having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty 164 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:34,760 conscience, and having our bodies washed with pure water, 165 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:40,080 let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for he who 166 00:34:40,080 --> 00:34:44,639 promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may 167 00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:48,560 spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up 168 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:51,800 meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but 169 00:34:51,800 --> 00:34:55,679 encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day 170 00:34:56,000 --> 00:35:00,000 approaching. If we deliberately keep on 171 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:04,920 sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no 172 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:10,520 sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of 173 00:35:10,520 --> 00:35:15,440 judgement and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of 174 00:35:15,440 --> 00:35:18,400 God. Anyone who rejected the law of 175 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,000 Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three 176 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:25,040 witnesses. How much more severely do you 177 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,600 think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the 178 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:33,160 Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the 179 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,640 blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has 180 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:43,400 insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said it is 181 00:35:43,400 --> 00:35:47,320 mine to avenge. I will repay and again the Lord 182 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:52,080 will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall 183 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,280 into the hands of the living God. 184 00:35:57,240 --> 00:36:02,400 This morning I want us to grasp the concept of God is love 185 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:09,640 without a doubt. But we can never separate God's 186 00:36:09,640 --> 00:36:19,200 love from His Holiness, from the fact that He is a just God, from 187 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:22,360 the fact that He has given us the law so that we would 188 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:30,440 understand that we were sinners. And God does not accept sin in 189 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:35,040 any shape, form, or fashion. He will not tolerate it. 190 00:36:35,240 --> 00:36:38,160 He will not look past it. Now, let me say this to you. 191 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:43,520 This is why I say I have trepidation in saying God's love 192 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,240 is totally unconditional. I agree that nothing can 193 00:36:46,240 --> 00:36:52,000 separate from from the love of God through Christ in Christ. 194 00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:58,280 But if we reject his Son, if we reject the opportunity that we 195 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:06,040 have to have that relationship with Him, we will receive 196 00:37:06,040 --> 00:37:10,160 punishment. We will be separated eternally 197 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:17,320 from the God who we say His love is unconditional. 198 00:37:20,720 --> 00:37:27,080 This morning I want us to get in our minds the importance of a 199 00:37:27,080 --> 00:37:37,280 sharing not only who God is and and how a loving God he is, but 200 00:37:37,280 --> 00:37:43,520 also that he is a holy God and that he is a righteous God and 201 00:37:43,520 --> 00:37:48,920 that without Christ we will receive the due punishment for 202 00:37:48,920 --> 00:37:57,720 our sins. When we think about love, Those 203 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:02,640 of you who have children, grandchildren, your, your child 204 00:38:02,640 --> 00:38:12,680 can, can do anything pretty much, and you will forgive. 205 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:19,120 You won't stop talking to them. You you won't cut them off. 206 00:38:19,120 --> 00:38:29,120 It would have to be of tremendous wrongdoing for you to 207 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:34,800 even consider that. And we understand how much we 208 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,720 love our children. But I want to tell you that God 209 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:43,680 loves us even more. Our love can't even begin to 210 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:51,320 compare to the love of God. Want to read you a passage from 211 00:38:51,320 --> 00:39:05,040 Romans as one that you know well from Romans Chapter 9. 212 00:39:05,720 --> 00:39:11,440 Excuse me, chapter 8 and verse 37, 38. 213 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:14,800 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels 214 00:39:14,800 --> 00:39:19,080 nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 215 00:39:19,080 --> 00:39:22,560 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation 216 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:26,040 will be able to separate us from the love of God. 217 00:39:27,160 --> 00:39:31,440 And don't leave this part out. That is in Christ Jesus our 218 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:33,280 Lord. Nothing can separate us from the 219 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:37,840 love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 220 00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:43,280 I want you to understand that without Christ, when He said in 221 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:48,800 this passage over here that they are an enemy to God. 222 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:53,240 If we do not have that relationship with Christ, we are 223 00:39:53,240 --> 00:39:57,560 an enemy of God because we have rejected His Son. 224 00:40:04,980 --> 00:40:12,360 There is an idea. That I think that we sometimes 225 00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:17,840 convey that we don't do intentionally, but but we convey 226 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:21,320 God is a loving God, which he is. 227 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:26,920 God's love is unconditional, which it is through Christ. 228 00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:33,800 God's love is not unconditional without Christ. 229 00:40:35,360 --> 00:40:43,640 God loves us absolutely, but He will punish us if we do not have 230 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:49,120 the Son. That love for us comes only with 231 00:40:49,120 --> 00:40:52,280 the acceptance of His Son as our Savior. 232 00:40:54,120 --> 00:40:57,320 Does He still desire for us to come to relationship with Him if 233 00:40:57,320 --> 00:40:59,000 we don't have the Son? Absolutely. 234 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,800 Is He longing and waiting for us? 235 00:41:01,240 --> 00:41:06,200 The God's Word tells us that it is His desire that no one, no 236 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:14,040 one be lost, no one be punished if they will accept His Son. 237 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:18,360 But if we don't, He is a just God. 238 00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:21,480 He is a righteous God. He is a holy God. 239 00:41:21,800 --> 00:41:25,480 You remember when Moses came into the place where the burning 240 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,880 Bush was and what was said to Him? 241 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:30,920 Take off your shoes for the ground which you are standing on 242 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:40,160 is holy ground. I don't want us to ever come to 243 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:43,280 the place of that. We convey to this world that we 244 00:41:43,280 --> 00:41:47,520 live in that God's love is unconditional and it doesn't 245 00:41:47,520 --> 00:41:51,280 matter what you do, God is always going to love you because 246 00:41:51,280 --> 00:41:54,240 there will come a time when they leave this earth, if they don't 247 00:41:54,240 --> 00:41:57,920 have Christ, they're going to be punished. 248 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:01,280 That is what we have to convey to them. 249 00:42:01,760 --> 00:42:07,120 We have to convey to them that God's love is everlasting, that 250 00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:11,680 nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ. 251 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:21,400 So when we are conveying to people what it means to know 252 00:42:21,400 --> 00:42:28,840 God, to experience God, to receive forgiveness, it can only 253 00:42:28,840 --> 00:42:31,200 happen through that relationship with Christ. 254 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:33,160 And now you may say, no bread. Well, I've known that all my 255 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:37,400 life. How many people have you told 256 00:42:37,400 --> 00:42:41,400 that? How often do we really get to 257 00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:45,720 the point of saying that without Christ there is no hope? 258 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:48,040 And you say, well, we don't want to go that far. 259 00:42:48,040 --> 00:42:50,840 We don't want to push it on. We don't want to push my faith 260 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:53,680 on them. Let me tell you that this is the 261 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,880 only way. There is no other way to God 262 00:42:57,880 --> 00:43:02,720 except through Christ. That's what the Word says, and 263 00:43:02,720 --> 00:43:09,280 He has given us the responsibility to share the good 264 00:43:09,280 --> 00:43:15,840 news, that eternal life, forgiveness of sin, the 265 00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:21,520 experience that He has waiting for us in heaven comes through 266 00:43:21,520 --> 00:43:26,840 Christ and Christ alone. If you go back into the 267 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:33,040 beginning of Romans chapter 1, I have read this past the 268 00:43:33,040 --> 00:43:36,920 scripture before and I will read it again and again and again 269 00:43:36,920 --> 00:43:45,080 because it reminds us of how holy God is. 270 00:43:46,040 --> 00:43:49,400 Romans chapter 1 and verse 18. The wrath of God is being 271 00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:52,880 revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness 272 00:43:52,880 --> 00:43:58,040 of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what 273 00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:01,480 may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it 274 00:44:01,480 --> 00:44:04,160 plain to them. For since the creation of the 275 00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:07,840 world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and 276 00:44:07,840 --> 00:44:11,800 divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what 277 00:44:11,800 --> 00:44:15,800 has been made, so that people are without excuse. 278 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:20,160 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor 279 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:23,120 gave thanks to Him. But their thinking became 280 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:25,560 futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 281 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:29,560 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools in 282 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:32,000 exchange. The glory of the immortal God 283 00:44:32,480 --> 00:44:37,160 for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and 284 00:44:37,160 --> 00:44:46,440 animals and reptiles. This world is full of people who 285 00:44:46,440 --> 00:44:51,280 are creating, who have a desire to create, who have this idea of 286 00:44:52,360 --> 00:44:59,480 I will make my own God. My God will meet my needs. 287 00:45:00,320 --> 00:45:03,960 My God will do for me what I desire for him to do for me. 288 00:45:03,960 --> 00:45:07,600 I want you to understand this morning that as we came here to 289 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:12,360 worship today, we came here to worship God and God alone. 290 00:45:13,800 --> 00:45:16,880 Not the God that we desire, not the God that we won't, not the 291 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:18,920 God that we think that He should be. 292 00:45:19,440 --> 00:45:24,160 We came to worship the God who has been revealed to us through 293 00:45:24,160 --> 00:45:35,920 His Word, and he is a holy God. He is a merciful God, He is a 294 00:45:35,920 --> 00:45:43,560 loving God, and nothing can separate us from that love that 295 00:45:43,560 --> 00:45:49,840 is in Christ Jesus our Lord. What I want you to take from 296 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:52,760 this today, What do I want you to do tomorrow in the days 297 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:57,440 ahead? My hope, my prayer, my desire is 298 00:45:57,440 --> 00:46:09,000 for us as Christians to give them the love of God, but to 299 00:46:09,000 --> 00:46:11,760 give them everything else about God. 300 00:46:12,280 --> 00:46:15,800 He's not just a loving God, He's a just God. 301 00:46:15,800 --> 00:46:17,920 He's a holy God. He is a righteous God. 302 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:25,920 We don't get to conform God to our desires. 303 00:46:27,080 --> 00:46:31,280 We conform to what He desires for us to be. 304 00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:37,760 Let me let me give you one last illustration. 305 00:46:45,330 --> 00:46:52,170 I have three children who I love greatly, who I would do anything 306 00:46:52,170 --> 00:47:01,600 in the world for as much as I love them as much as I would do 307 00:47:01,600 --> 00:47:05,720 anything in the world for them. I cannot save them. 308 00:47:07,040 --> 00:47:09,560 I cannot give them faith in Christ. 309 00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:15,280 I cannot pray it, I cannot hope it. 310 00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:18,360 It doesn't matter how much I desire it. 311 00:47:18,360 --> 00:47:22,720 It has to be that relationship that they come to with Christ 312 00:47:23,000 --> 00:47:28,720 for themself. So often we look at, at, at 313 00:47:28,720 --> 00:47:32,840 people and, and we, we, we, we knew their parents and they will 314 00:47:32,840 --> 00:47:35,760 say things like they had some of the finest parents that I've 315 00:47:35,760 --> 00:47:39,160 ever come across. Those were some of the most 316 00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:41,280 Christian people that I have ever seen. 317 00:47:41,280 --> 00:47:49,000 Their life that they lived was clearly in accordance with God's 318 00:47:49,000 --> 00:47:53,000 Word. As much as we desire for 319 00:47:54,360 --> 00:47:57,720 salvation to happen for everyone, we have to realize 320 00:47:57,720 --> 00:48:03,440 that it's not going to happen. It is being preached from 321 00:48:03,440 --> 00:48:09,480 pulpits around the world, unfortunately, that we're all 322 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:13,280 going to heaven. God loves everyone so much that 323 00:48:13,280 --> 00:48:18,760 he he is such a loving God that he he's not going to punish 324 00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:20,760 anyone. Everyone's going to be in 325 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,240 heaven. That would be great, but it's 326 00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:28,080 not truth. We as Christians have to stay 327 00:48:28,080 --> 00:48:34,400 true to the Word when it says that we are to hold unswervingly 328 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:38,240 to the hope we profess. For he who promised his faith, 329 00:48:38,240 --> 00:48:41,360 well, God is faithful, and he has told us that if you accept 330 00:48:41,360 --> 00:48:47,360 Christ my Son as your Savior, nothing can separate you from my 331 00:48:47,360 --> 00:48:49,040 love. Nothing. 332 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:55,760 But it also says, if we deliberately keep on sinning 333 00:48:55,760 --> 00:48:59,760 after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no 334 00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:03,840 sacrifice for sins is left. What is the knowledge of the 335 00:49:03,840 --> 00:49:06,080 truth? And the truth is that God sent 336 00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:11,880 His one and only Son to this earth to die for sinners, and we 337 00:49:11,880 --> 00:49:14,040 must have a relationship with Him. 338 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,320 If we don't, there is no sacrifice for sins is left for 339 00:49:19,320 --> 00:49:23,520 only, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and 340 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:26,880 raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 341 00:49:27,200 --> 00:49:30,240 The enemies of God are those who have not accepted Christ as 342 00:49:30,240 --> 00:49:35,200 Savior. Each and every one of them will 343 00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:41,040 be consumed by the wrath of God. Now, I don't want you to leave 344 00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:43,240 here downtrodden. I don't want you to leave here 345 00:49:43,240 --> 00:49:48,240 sad. I want you to leave here hopeful 346 00:49:48,240 --> 00:49:51,040 and thankful that you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. 347 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:51,920 And that's the beginning of this. 348 00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:56,280 It says it is a call to us to persevere in our faith. 349 00:49:58,520 --> 00:50:02,760 And it is also a call for us to share the importance of those 350 00:50:02,760 --> 00:50:06,000 who do not know Christ as Savior, that they need to know 351 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:09,960 Him and the way that we live our lives. 352 00:50:09,960 --> 00:50:14,760 We talked about last week about our words, our speech, the 353 00:50:14,760 --> 00:50:17,720 actions that we have each and every day, and what is in our 354 00:50:17,720 --> 00:50:22,280 heart, what we convey to people. We need to be conveying the love 355 00:50:22,280 --> 00:50:26,360 of God. We need to be conveying the 356 00:50:26,360 --> 00:50:32,560 truth of who God is. We need to be conveying that 357 00:50:32,560 --> 00:50:36,120 salvation comes only through Christ. 358 00:50:36,680 --> 00:50:42,080 Forgiveness of sin comes only through Christ, and without it 359 00:50:42,080 --> 00:50:47,120 there is no hope. The Lord will judge. 360 00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:52,600 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God 361 00:50:53,760 --> 00:50:55,600 this morning. My challenge for you is to 362 00:50:55,600 --> 00:51:02,280 simply share the truth. Don't water it down, give it to 363 00:51:02,280 --> 00:51:06,840 Him straight. There is no hope without Christ, 364 00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:12,480 but with Christ there, there is nothing better. 365 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:17,160 You can walk through this life or whatever this world throws at 366 00:51:17,160 --> 00:51:21,080 you, and with Christ you do not fear leaving this world. 367 00:51:22,560 --> 00:51:25,440 There is nothing in this world that can separate us from the 368 00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:29,840 love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord. 369 00:51:30,080 --> 00:51:34,320 Let's pray. Heavenly Father, I thank you. 370 00:51:42,080 --> 00:51:50,200 Lord, for the profound and awesome love that is conveyed to 371 00:51:50,200 --> 00:51:52,360 us through your Son Jesus Christ. 372 00:51:55,480 --> 00:51:58,720 Lord, we thank you for your patience and your kindness and 373 00:51:58,720 --> 00:52:02,960 your gentleness and the forgiveness that we have through 374 00:52:02,960 --> 00:52:08,120 Christ. And Lord, we also thank you that 375 00:52:08,120 --> 00:52:14,080 you are a just God. Lord, we are thankful that you 376 00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:20,880 will judge each of us not on our righteousness, not on what we 377 00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:25,080 have accomplished, not on what we have done, but the 378 00:52:25,080 --> 00:52:28,480 righteousness that we attain through Christ. 379 00:52:31,440 --> 00:52:37,480 Lord, we humbly acknowledge that we are sinful beings and that 380 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:42,040 without Christ we have nothing to look forward to except the 381 00:52:42,040 --> 00:52:50,280 punishment that we deserve, that we have earned, and that you 382 00:52:50,280 --> 00:52:57,240 will give us. But we also thank you, Lord, for 383 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:01,080 the opportunity to accept Christ as Savior. 384 00:53:01,640 --> 00:53:06,040 Receive forgiveness and have a hope that can never be 385 00:53:06,040 --> 00:53:07,880 diminished by anything in this world. 386 00:53:10,000 --> 00:53:13,200 Lord, I pray that we leave here today, going forth into this 387 00:53:13,200 --> 00:53:19,240 world to share the good news of Jesus Christ and the importance 388 00:53:19,240 --> 00:53:21,120 of having a relationship with Him. 389 00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:26,520 I pray that it is a burden on our souls, the hearts and the 390 00:53:26,520 --> 00:53:33,640 lives of those who do not know Christ, and that we give them 391 00:53:33,640 --> 00:53:39,400 the truth, that we give them who they can place their hope in, 392 00:53:39,960 --> 00:53:41,880 and that's only found in Jesus Christ. 393 00:53:42,360 --> 00:53:44,120 Send his name, I pray. Amen. 394 00:53:52,610 --> 00:53:57,850 Please stand open your handle to #414 softly and tenderly. 395 00:53:58,170 --> 00:53:59,610 We'll do the first and second verse. 396 00:56:23,340 --> 00:56:30,020 Father, you give thanks Lord, for your love and your grace and 397 00:56:30,020 --> 00:56:35,280 your mercy. Lord, I just pray that we 398 00:56:35,400 --> 00:56:41,600 understand how great it is, how important it is to know Christ. 399 00:56:44,200 --> 00:56:47,840 Lord, I pray that we leave this place today ready to share. 400 00:56:47,880 --> 00:56:50,200 It's in Jesus name I pray.