Colossians 3:1-4

Well, thank you so much, everyone who's participated in our service thus far.

Thank you so much, Alice, for reading to us that great psalm of David.

And you'll have heard that the prayer of David in that psalm is that God would lift his eyes to the,

and the phrase is, the rock that is higher than I.

And that's what we want our prayer to be as we come to God's words this afternoon.

So I'd invite you to turn to the book of Colossians.

This is where we're going to be this morning.

We're picking up where we left off.

I think it was the end of November we left our series in Colossians,

and we're picking it up at chapter 3 this morning.

So please turn there and let's pray as we come to God's word together.

Heavenly Father, it is our prayer, Lord, because we know our own hearts

and we know the things that distract us, that you would still us now

and we would want to make the words of David in that psalm our prayer

as we come to your words, that you would lift our eyes to the rock

who is your son Jesus Christ who we've been singing about,

who is higher than us.

And Father, it's in his glory saying that we pray these things.

Amen.

Well, whoever you are here today,

I'd encourage you to listen in to the thing,

the big message that these four verses in Colossians chapter 3

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

are going to tell us.

Because in these verses, we're going to get right to the heart

of what it means to be a Christian.

So whoever you are here this morning,

the God we've been singing about and praising this morning,

whether he's distant to you,

I'd encourage you to listen in.

Whether you are flying in your Christian life,

I'd encourage you to listen in.

And whether you're struggling in your Christian life,

I'd encourage you to listen in.

Because this is going to take us right to the heart

of what it means to be a Christian.

And to get us into this passage this morning,

let me just put a figure up on the screen.

So the figure is, you can see it there,

it's 2 billion.

Now that figure represents the number of people.

It's a lot of people, right?

2 billion people.

Don't know if you know this,

but that is the number of people who,

back in 2011, around the world,

watched Kate Middleton marry Prince William.

2 billion people.

Put your hands up if you were one of those 2 billion people.

So, I heard on the grapevine

there was a lot of heartbroken young women that day,

thinking that should have been me.

But I remember where I was on that day.

I was one of those 2 million people.

And I remember it well,

because I was living in Bristol at the time.

And my boss had given me the day off work to watch it.

And there I was in the baking heat,

which England does have,

which we don't have up here, by the way.

Baking heat.

And there I was,

I was watching it in my flip-flops and shorts.

So I remember where I was

when I was watching this royal wedding.

And all eyes were on Kate,

if you remember that day.

All eyes were on Kate.

Kind of,

Sorry?

Kind of what happens, isn't it,

when a wedding happens?

All eyes are on the bride.

What will she be wearing?

What will her hair be like?

What pattern will her dress be?

What time will she arrive?

All eyes are normally on the bride.

And even more so was the case on this day.

Because we were all watching this,

knowing that for Kate,

this was the moment in her life

where everything was about to change.

Maybe somebody wants to get the door to the back.

Everything for Kate was about to change.

Because this was the day

when this little girl from Reading,

who studied history of art

at St Andrews University,

was not only officially declared to be married,

but she was declared to be,

in front of all of us in the watching world,

she was declared to be a royal.

With new responsibilities

and new privileges in her life.

New priorities in her life

and a new calling for her life

because she was given a new identity.

So she walked down that aisle,

Kate Middleton,

and she walked back up at

the Duchess of Cambridge.

Total new identity for Kate.

And the reason I tell you that

is because as we come to these verses this morning,

there's a Kate Middleton moment,

if I can put it like that,

I'll coin that phrase.

There's a Kate Middleton moment

that's right at the heart of these verses.

That for the Christian,

it's wonderfully true

that because Jesus Christ

has taken hold of your life,

everything about you has changed.

So if you've got your Bibles there,

come with me to Colossus chapter 3

and let's just read these four short verses together.

Now they're on the screen

if you don't have your Bibles there,

but I'd encourage you to grab your Bible

because we'll be really in the text this morning.

Colossus chapter 3.

Remember Paul writing to this little church in Colossae,

he writes and says this,

Since then,

you have been raised with Christ.

Set your hearts

on the things above

where Christ is,

seated

at the right hand of God.

Set your minds

on things above,

not on earthly things,

for you

died

and your life

is now hidden

with Christ in God.

When Christ,

who is your life,

appears,

then you will also

appear with him

in glory.

So this is what Paul is writing.

Remember,

he's writing to this gathering

of Christians

who are living out their faith

in the first century

in this city

of Colossae.

And if you remember back

to where we left off

at the end of November,

where we've been so far

in this letter

is that Paul

is painting

a big picture of Jesus.

A big picture

of Jesus.

A Jesus who is so much

bigger

than we think he is.

A Jesus who is so much

better

than we think

he is.

And a Jesus

through his death

on the cross

has paid for their sin

and has reconciled them

to the God

who made them.

A Jesus

who lives in them

by his Holy Spirit.

And he wants them

to understand

that anybody

who would seek

to distract their gaze

from this Jesus,

whether it be mysticism

or Jewish religion

or superstition,

anyone who seeks

to distract

from Jesus

is not worth

listening to.

And so here we are then

at the Kate Middleton

moment of this letter

where Paul declares

for the Christian

everything has changed.

Everything's changed.

It's interesting

because it's probably

not the first time

in this letter

that he's said this.

If you want to turn back

to chapter 1

verse 22,

the verses that

our Paul took us through,

Jesus has presented you,

you see it there,

this is the description

of the Christian,

holy, faultless

and blameless

before him,

before God the Father.

Holy, faultless

and blameless.

This is our identity

in Christ.

It's not the first time

he said this in the letter

and I was thinking

of it this week.

How true is that

that we need to be

reminded of that?

Because I don't know

about you but I drift.

We'll see this in a minute.

I drift in my understanding

of who I am in Christ.

Paul has said this

time and time and time

again in the letter.

There is your identity.

Now, chapter 3,

first four verses.

Notice that Paul uses

the word you or you're

six times there.

Do you see it?

You, you're,

you, you're,

you, you.

You can almost feel

his hand reaching out

from the page,

one of those big novelty,

big foam fingers

you see in American

football games

and saying this is for you.

Right?

This is for you.

You, he says.

You,

in your very ordinary,

messy,

working it out,

slogging it out,

unspectacular,

unglamorous,

works in progress

Christian lives.

These glorious truths

are for you.

And you think,

me,

and my life,

my unspectacular life,

my struggling with sin,

fighting,

my flesh

kind of life,

yes,

these truths are for you.

And I also see that Paul

uses the word Christ

four times there.

See it?

With Christ,

where Christ,

with Christ,

when Christ,

you in Christ,

you in Christ,

that's the connection

he's making.

And so these pivot voices,

the pivot verses,

if you like,

in this letter

where Paul moves

from the theological,

theological,

that is who Jesus is

and what he's done for you,

and he moves to the practical

as if to say,

here's what it means

for your life,

here's what this identity

will look like for your life.

He wants them to understand,

get it in their minds

that this is who they are.

And who they are

is that they are Christ's.

They are in Christ.

That is their identity.

They are Christ's.

So the buzzwords of our day

isn't it?

Identity.

People are always out to find

who they really are.

Who are they in life?

People going on gap year

after gap year,

moving from job to job,

desperately trying to find out

the real them.

Or people aren't out to find out

who they really are,

maybe they're out to create

who they are.

So they spend hours and hours

on social media,

updating the Twitter profile,

updating the Facebook profile,

trying to create

this online perception

of themselves.

These are the pictures of me

that I want people to see.

These are the places

that I want everybody to know

that I've been to.

These are the friends

that I want everybody to know

that I keep.

And these are the things

that I want everybody to know

that I do in my free time.

Kind of summed up

in the words of Woody Allen,

if you remember Woody Allen

of your certain generation.

He said this,

tongue in cheek.

He said,

my one regret in life

is that I am not someone else.

Woody Allen.

My one regret in life

is I am not someone else.

We're searching for identity.

And the thing is,

by our very nature,

we're tempted to derive

our identity from other things.

Someone else want to get

that door?

Now you've heard of

identity theft.

Well,

this is what I like to call

identity drift.

I want to,

if you resonate with anything

I'm about to say,

we understand ourselves,

don't we,

primarily sometimes

in relation to other things.

By what job we have.

By how well our kids

have turned out.

Or are turning out.

Or are not turning out.

Or what place we're from.

Or what results we've achieved.

Or what funds we've got

in the bank account.

And if you think to yourself,

I wonder,

I don't know if that's true for me.

Well then ask yourself,

that I asked myself this week,

how do you react

when those things fail you?

I know how I react so often.

Or even if we kind of get

that we're not defined

by those things,

how often are we tempted

to define ourselves

in our Christian lives

by how we're doing.

When I'm performing well

as a Christian.

When I've woken up

at 6.30

and I've had my quiet time.

When I've woken up early

and I've prayed.

When I've tithed my 10%.

When I've gone to that service.

I'm tempted to think

that I'm somebody.

I don't know how this works out

for you,

but I know in those moments

my thoughts so easily turn to,

doesn't it totally make sense

that God picked me for his team.

I often find it

it's in those times

when I'll walk into a lamppost,

did that this week,

or I'll realise

that I'm walking around

with the tag still on my jumper.

God's way of reminding me,

I think,

humbling me

as if to say,

yeah, Graham,

we both know that's not true.

But the flip side

can also be true,

can't it?

Speaking from my own experience

and that of walking

alongside some of you

in life,

if there's a temptation

to find my identity

in how I'm performing,

is it not just equally

an identity

to fall off the horse

on the other side

and find my identity

in how I'm not performing?

Curse those dated

Bible reading devotions.

It's the 20th of January

and I'm still on the 4th, right?

I miss the prayer meeting again.

Why am I still struggling

in my Christian life

with that sin

that I cannot seem to shrug?

Why am I not feeling it

all the time

in the Christian life?

And you slip,

as John Bunyan used to write

in his Pilgrim's Progress,

you slip into

the swamp of despair.

And your conclusion in life

is that surely

this can't be true for me

because if it was true for me

then I'd simply

I'd be performing

in doing better.

And the thing is

whatever side of the horse

you fall off,

friends,

they are terrible

foundations for us

to build our lives upon.

Do you know why?

Because they're based on us.

They're based on us.

And I don't know about you

but I change.

I'm here one minute

and I'm there the next minute.

What we need

is an identity

that is not based on us.

And our performance

and our feelings

which are so unreliable.

And the good news

of these verses

is that into our

identity confused world

God speaks

good news

of the true

identity

of the Christian.

And the amazing thing is

that this is an identity

that you and I

can rest in.

It's a lovely gospel word

that isn't it?

It's a very good

rest.

Love it when Jesus says that

in the gospels

come all ye to me

who are heavy burdened

and I will give you

rest.

It's like to say

find in me

your all in all.

And this frees us

doesn't it?

Allows us to take

the mask off

and to stop worrying

about how we're

coming across.

Because that's true

isn't it?

That the amazing

truth of the gospel

is that Jesus

outed me

and you

as failures

on the cross

as sinners

on the cross

because if we

weren't sinners

he wouldn't have

needed to die

for us.

He identifies

with us

and he says

I've taken your sin

and I'm bestowing

on you my life

and that frees me

friends

to admit

that I am not

sorted

and to stop

pretending

that I'm sorted

and to live out

my life

by the grace

of God

saying I am not

what I want to be

but by the grace

of God

I am what I am.

Here's an identity

that Jesus has

won for us.

There's a famous

story told of

Martin Lloyd-Jones

who was a

famous Welsh

minister from

about 100 years

ago and he was

speaking one evening

to a member

of his congregation

and the member

of his congregation

is telling

Martin Lloyd-Jones

how he was feeling

weighed down

with his sin

how he just

couldn't understand

why he was a

Christian

and it went on

and on

and on

and on

and Martin Lloyd-Jones

good pastor

that he was

he listened

for a good

chunk of time

and he just

turned to the man

and he said

have you not

realised

that so much

of your

unhappiness

in life

comes from

the fact

that you are

listening to

yourself

rather than

talking to

yourself

in other words

let God

speak truth

about who

you are

to your

heart

and that's

what I invite

you to do

this morning

this afternoon

as we journey

through these

verses

is to allow

God to speak

to your

heart

about the

truth of

who you are

in him

don't find

your identity

in anything

else

anything

other than

him

let God

speak deep

into your

life

and I've

got two

very quick

takeaway

points

from us

from this

passage

about what

it means

to be

Jesus

you ready

for these

if you've

zoned out

zoned back

in

this is what

it means

to be

Jesus

it's

two things

firstly

Jesus

changes

who we

are

he changes

who we

are

look with

it

look with

me at

chapter 3

those opening

verses

you see

Jesus

has changed

this identity

that runs

in three

directions

you think

like me

this is

your 3D

okay

three directions

he's changed

the past

look with me

verse 3

those two

words

you died

you died

writes Paul

that's the

truth

if you're a

Christian

you have

died

you've

died

in that

before you

were a

Christian

there was

a you

who was

trying to

force

your way

and live

your life

without

God

remember

there was

a song

that my

dad used

to play

in the car

when we

were young

and it

was written

by a band

called Fleetwood Mac

remember Fleetwood Mac

and the song

just went

you can go

your own way

you can go

your own way

great song

but that is

the identity

of all of us

before God

got involved

in our lives

we were not

running towards

sin we were

running away

from him

and that old

life friends

that was a

guilty life

deserving of

God's

we'll see this

more next week

deserving of

God's wrath

his righteous

anger

against our

sin

against our

maker

but when you

became a

Christian

that old

you died

in that it

was nailed

to the cross

with Jesus

and through

his death

on the cross

for us

him shedding

his blood

for us

paying the

penalty for

our sin

we have

received

forgiveness

and that

old us

has gone

and that

new us

has come

that old us

has died

it's over

it's finished

and we can

leave it

behind

because Jesus

has paid

for it

this is our

enemy

loving

pursuing

God

that we're

speaking about

here

praise him

that doesn't

mean that there

are no

earthly

consequences

that might

remain from

our old

life

but what

this does

mean

is that

as far as

God is

concerned

because of

Jesus

because of

our faith

in him

because of

our trust

in him

that old

life

is gone

because that

old life

has been

dealt with

and we can

sing

and I still

remember the

day having

sang this

old hymn

for years

that it

didn't make

sense to me

and all of a

sudden it

made sense

to me

my sin

oh the

bliss

of this

glorious

thought

my sin

not in

part

but the

whole

is nailed

to the

cross

and I

bear it

no more

praise the

Lord

praise the

Lord

oh my

soul

that is the

truth of

the gospel

and if you're

struggling with

this this

morning

thinking is

that true

for me

then this

passage tells

you yes

that's true

for you

the old

has gone

Jesus

dealt

with it

he changes

the past

and he

changes the

present

in other

words

if the

old

you

has

gone

the

new

you

has

come

God

isn't

into

weeding

just

he's

also

into

seeding

weeding

and seeding

the old

you

has

gone

the

new

you

has

come

verse

one

we've

been

raised

with

Christ

we're

united

with him

in his

death

and we're

united

with him

in his

resurrection

and your

life

verse

three

is so

bound up

with

Jesus

so much

so

that

Paul can

describe it

as being

and this is

one of the most

wonderful descriptions

of the Christian

hidden in Christ

in God

hidden in Christ

in God

you feel the security

of that

hidden in Christ

in God

we went up

for a walk

up Blackford Hill

with some friends

on New Year's Day

and we got the girls

out of the car

and it was freezing cold

on New Year's Day

if you remember

we got the girls

out of the car

got them all wrapped up

and the temperature

at the bottom

of Blackford Hill

I'd forgotten

I'd climbed it

in years

I'd forgotten

how steep it is

the temperature

at the bottom

was bearable

but the more

we climbed up

this hill

the colder

it got

until eventually

our two little ones

let us know

that we weren't

going to go on

any further

and so we sat

kind of halfway up

Blackford Hill

overlooking the city

a beautiful view

and Alex and I

just sat there

with one child each

and we just

engulfed them

so we did

we just took them

and we just

engulfed them

and I think

that's a

beautiful description

of what Paul's

describing here

isn't it

this is what

Jesus has done

they're so bound up

are our lives

in him

that Paul can say

that our lives

are hidden in him

which means

that when God

looks at us

he sees Jesus

he doesn't see

our sin

he sees

as we were singing

in that first song

he sees his

righteousness

his perfect life

he doesn't see

the old us

he sees the news

that knew us

that Jesus has taken

and hidden in him

and we are welcomed

into the family

of God

invited to live

our lives

in relationship

with the God

who made us

that is God's

assessment of us

in Christ

isn't that wonderful

it speaks

of complete

and relational

security

that God

has done all this

in Christ

and the spirit

awakens our

hearts

and our minds

to the truth

that we are his

we are his

no matter how

we're feeling

this morning

no matter how

we're performing

this morning

if our trust is in him

we are his

he changes

the past

he changes

the present

and you can guess

where we're going

next can't you

he changes the future

he changes the future

verse 4

when Christ appears

Paul's talking

about his second coming

when Christ

as we were singing

will come

in all his glory

he will come

as king and judge

and what will he do

he will reclaim

creation for himself

and that will be a day

when we don't

cower before him

that will be a day

when we will

appear with him

and we will reign

with him

you know

I wonder whether

these Christians

in this church

in Colossae

with these

if you remember

the background

there's false teachers

in the background

they're teaching

that religion

and mysticism

and superstition

are the key

to spiritual growth

are the key things

that are going to

gain you access

to God

and Paul is saying

all you need

is Christ

there's only one

that can lead us

into the presence

of God

and it's Christ

you've access

to your father

through him

he's all you need

but I wonder

if they're sitting

there thinking

to themselves

are we the real deal

everything that

in your Christian life

as you look at

your unspectacular

Christian life

just slogging it out

sanctification

is a long process

God is not in a hurry

with us

think am I missing out

am I being held back

in the Christian life

well what Paul

is saying here

is that you don't

need ten steps

to a better

spirituality

to grow as a Christian

you just need to

embrace your identity

in Christ

and you need to

live in light of it

Jesus has changed

your past

he's changed

your present

and he will

change your future

he has changed

that future

it's guaranteed

what a transformation

that is

do you see it

past present future

what a transformation

that's our identity

if you're trusting

in him this morning

the old you

has gone

and the new you

the one that's in

Christ has come

and that means

that you and I

have been chosen

we've been forgiven

we've been

spirit filled

we've been declared

right with God

we have peace with him

we've been invited

near

into the very family

of God

once a stranger

now declared

and spoken to

as a son and daughter

and we've been held

by Christ

and he guarantees

us a glorious

future

this is who we are

how freeing

how liberating

are those words

how freeing

and liberating

does it make us feel

in life

how liberating

and freeing

does it make us feel

in our evangelism

that there's

the ends of Romans 8

if you want to check that out

when you go home

Paul says

there's nothing

that can separate us

in other words

Christ's grip on our life

is so strong

nothing can separate us

for as different

why are we scared

of telling others

about Jesus

why is the fear

of man so great

in our hearts

answer because

the fear of God

the picture of him

is small

Paul's saying

get it the other way around

this is who you are

you're his

not because of anything

you've done

but all because of Jesus

that way he gets

all the glory

Jesus changes

who you are

and secondly

and this will be

very very quick

because we'll be

expanding on this

in the weeks to come

flowing from our

new identity

in him

Paul says

Jesus changes

how you live

now if I can

verse creep

again I'm going to

coin that phrase

down to verse 10

I just want you to

see this

so I can kind of

frame this rest

of this section

as we journey

through it

look what Paul

writes about

the new you

the new you

it's being renewed

that's the word

he uses there

that wonderful

caterpillar to

butterfly kind of

word

renewed

in knowledge

after what

the image

of its creator

now this is what

happens to me

I find this every

Sunday morning

when I come in here

I look down here

and I normally see

Gary or Jamie

tuning their guitars

every Sunday

guarantee it

this is what I see

they're tuning their

guitars

now I'm no guitar

expert

I can kind of have

a crack at

Wonderwall by Oasis

and the guitar

but that's about

all I can do

but even I know

when I watch them

do that

the reason that

they do that

is that because

somehow or other

that guitar

has become untuned

and they sit there

and what they do

is they just

tune it again

get it right again

and there's something

of that truth

isn't there

in those verses

that word

you see the wonderful

truth that the

Bible tells us

about us

is that we were

made in the image

of God

it's why we believe

that every human

being has an inherent

worth to them

because we're made

in the image

of God

made to live

our lives

with him

made to live

our lives

looking to him

but the sobering

truth that the

Bible tells us

about us

is that sin

our sin

has so affected

us right to the

core

that it's distorted

that image

so much so

that we by nature

turn away from God

rather than turn

towards him

so Martin Luther

used to call

used to call sin

the thing

that's turned us

inwards on ourselves

that's the idea

here

but the thing

is when Jesus

Christ took

hold of our

lives

and as his

spirit works

in us

he moulds us

and he tunes

us

day after day

after day

after day

after day

back into the

way that we

were designed

to be

as if God

is declaring

over us

that I made

you in my

image

I made you

for myself

and I have

saved you

through the

sending of my

son

and I have

turned you

through the

work of my

spirit

and I have

brought you

back to me

so that you

can fully

bear that

image to the

world

once again

as you live

your life

in community

with your

fellow brothers

and sisters

and however

imperfectly it

may look

this side of

eternity

that's what

I'm doing

in your

hearts and

lives

and the

perfect picture

of who I'm

transforming you

into is the

Lord Jesus

Christ

you see

as we turn

to the

moral

imperatives

in this

letter

we need

to understand

that that's

what's going

on here

otherwise

this would

be just

be dry

moralism

don't do

this do

that

that's

what's

not

what's

going on

here

this is

God

ordained

Christ

one

spirit

filled

inside

out

transformation

so we've

seen all

the way

through

this

letter

isn't

it

this

is

not

an

outward

in

kind

of

change

that

just

doesn't

work

so Jesus

says

isn't

it

that the

problem's

not

outside

it's

inside

it's

not

going

to

work

what we

need

is a

inside

out

kind of

change

and so

Paul says

in light

of who

you are

Colossians

verse

one

see the

command

seek the

things

that are

above

seek the

things

that are

above

set

your

minds

on the

things

above

now feel

the force

of the

verbs

there

seek

and set

on the

things

above

and in

the

negative

nod

on the

things

of

earth

and the

logic

surely

is that

because

you are

Christ's

then actively

pursue the

things of

his

kingdom

invest

yourselves

not in

things that

are temporary

but invest

yourselves in

things that

are eternal

people

now imagine

when they read

this out

to this

little

gathering

of

believers

in the

church

the

false

teachers

are in

the

background

the

guys

who are

promoting

angel

worship

mysticism

superstition

and they

read that

they hear

that

and they

say

seek the

things

that are

above

amen

brother

Paul

let's

get the

drums

back

on the

go

and let's

get the

angel

worship

banging

again

because that's

what they think

when they read

this but you see

how Paul

he grounds this

in the nitty gritty

details of their

lives

in other words

this is what true

spirituality is going to

look like

this is what true

inward outward

change will look like

what will it look like

we'll see this in the

weeks to come

it will mean saying no

to the ways of the

old self

and it will look like

saying yes

to the things

of the new self

Jesus changes who you

are says Paul

if you're a Christian

that is gloriously

true

and Jesus changes

how you live

you know just as we

close I was thinking

on it this week

I wonder what went

through the Duchess

of Cambridge's mind

in the days and the

weeks following her

wedding day

I wonder whether

there were times

that she wandered

the palace

or she was out

and about and

people are

she's meeting

school children

or she's meeting

NHS employees

whoever she's

meeting the pictures

show us

people are bowing

to her

people are curtsying

to her

and she thinks

to herself

maybe thinking back

on the things

that she did

when she grew up

or the things

that she said

or did when she

was at uni

and she thought

to herself

who am I

that this would

happen to me

but the truth

is if you think

about it

she is who

she is

not because of

anything that

she's done

she is who

she is

simply because

of the identity

of her husband

that's all she's

got

that's all she's

got

all she did

was say yes

and the same

is absolutely

true for the

Christian

there are identities

not in us

not found in us

it's found through

looking at Jesus

our saving spouse

I wonder even if

even during our

short time together

this afternoon

the evil one has

been speaking words

of accusation

and guilt into

your ear

maybe bringing up

stuff that you

did last year

last week

even last night

and saying how

dare you think

that this is true

for you

how dare you

think that this

is true for you

Paul would say

to us

and the risen

Lord Jesus

who's speaking

through these

words would say

to us this

morning

that you are

who you are

not because of

what you've done

but you are

who you are

because I've

claimed you as

my own and

you're mine

and all you've

done is say

yes

for you died

says Paul

the old you

has gone

the new you

has come

in your life

is now

hidden

with Christ

in God

and we're

going to pray

in just a second

but why don't we

just take a

moment of silence

and maybe just

cast your eye

over these verses

again and allow

God by his

spirit just to

sink these deep

truths into your

heart

and then I'll

pray and we'll

close

and so

gracious God

and loving

heavenly

father

thank you so

much for these

words this

morning these

words of truth

and I pray

lord knowing

my own

heart

and all of us

knowing our own

hearts

father so often

how we're

tempted to

forge our own

way in the

world and we

think of

David's words

at the start

that we

prayed that

you would

lead us to

the rock

who is higher

than us

and so we

pray dear

father that

you would

remind us

of these

truths that

you would

embed them

deep into

our hearts

and our

lives and

father that

by your

spirit living

in us you

would help

us to

grasp them

more and

live in

light of

that new

identity

behold him

there the

risen lamb

my

perfect

spotless

righteousness

the great

unchangeable

I am

the king

of glory

and of

grace

one with

himself

I cannot

die

my soul

is purchased

by his

blood

my life

is hid

with

Christ

on high

with

Christ

my

saviour

and my

God

with

Christ

my

saviour

and

my

God

heavenly

father

thank you

for the

incredible

love

which you

have

shown

us

and we

praise

you

and we

pray

knowing

that you

hear us

because we

pray in

Jesus'

name

Amen