Samson: Birth and Work

Well, good evening, folks. It is great to see you. Thank you so much for coming out today.

What a joyous day. I've loved it. Thank you so much for your encouragement.

And the fact that you're here this evening, I know today's been a long day as well.

It's going to be really good. I have really enjoyed getting into the life of Samson this week.

We're going to be looking at Samson this Sunday evening and next Sunday evening as we find him in Judges 13.

You might want to turn there now and grab a Bible. This fascinating character.

And it's been a real joy to walk with him this week and to think about Samson, the saviour, as we meet him in the book of Judges.

So what we're going to do, just to mix things up a little bit, is we are going to have a five-minute introduction to Samson.

I'm just going to take us through some of the big things to look for, particularly as we come to the reading.

We're going to read chapters 13, 14 and 15 together.

And then we're going to have a song and then we're going to come back for the rest of the sermon.

Does that sound okay?

Okay, Judges 13, that's where we are.

But why don't we pray just as we come to God's words together now.

Forever you are faithful.

Forever you are strong.

Forever you are with us forever.

Thank you, Father, that there is no shadow of change with you.

And it's to you we look this evening.

And Father, we ask by your Holy Spirit you would come.

And Lord, you would work in our midst.

Father, that as your word is preached this evening.

Father, that your voice would be heard.

And most of all, Lord, you would lift our eyes to the greatness of your Son, Jesus Christ.

In whose name we pray.

Amen.

So I wonder when was the last time you got really excited about a birth.

So in our household at the minute, our one-year-old daughter, Grace, her favorite cuddly toy is her panda.

She absolutely loves her panda.

So you can imagine when we heard news of a pregnancy.

Does anyone know who this is out of interest?

It's Chan Chan who looked up.

So when you heard that she was pregnant, you can imagine the excitement in our family.

Sadly, the rumors were going around that she was going to have some cubs later in the year.

Fascinated were our girls.

And this was a story, I don't know if you remember when it came out.

It was a story that captured the hearts of our nation.

Because it's something we'd been hoping for for a very long time.

I think I tweeted pandemonium.

And it got a few likes.

So the pandas.

We were interested in the pandas.

We were longing for this day to happen.

We were longing for these births or births to happen.

And then it was finally announced that it wasn't going to happen.

And I had to break the news to our little girls.

It's not going to happen.

Well, here we are in Judges 13 this evening.

And I want us to transition from a nation, from a people longing for a birth to happen that didn't happen.

So here we are in Judges 13.

And as the readers of the book up until this point, we've been accustomed to this cycle that we've seen in Judges.

This cycle that's been ongoing throughout the book.

Step 1 of the cycle, the people sin against God.

The people turn away from their Creator and their Redeemer.

They turn away from the Lord.

Step 2, slavery.

God judges the people and He delivers them into the hands of their enemies.

Step 3, the people say sorry.

They cry out to God.

God, would you have mercy on us?

God, deliver us.

And God in His grace, He hears the cry of a people who have absolutely no right to His ear.

And God, step 4, saves them.

People saved.

God raises up a judge who acts to save the people.

Step 5, silence or rest.

God gives His people rest through this judge.

Well, Judges 13, we kind of have it again.

And I'm thinking as I'm reading this through this week, oh, here we go again.

Here we go again.

We've seen this pattern before.

First one, the people of Israel, looking at the screen, people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.

So they sin.

We've seen it before.

Seen it before.

Sin.

God delivers them into the hands of the Philistines.

For 40 years, do you notice that in the text?

40 years, that's a long time.

Long time for these people to be in captivity.

Slavery.

And what are we expecting next as we read this narrative?

This is where I'm looking for a bit of interaction here.

What are we expecting next?

Third step.

Sorry.

We're expecting the people at this point to cry out to God, are we not?

This is what we've seen in the cycle.

People to cry out to God.

God, would you save us?

God, would you have mercy on us?

God, would you deliver us from the hands of our enemies?

But here's the question.

Do you see, do we see any crying as we come to chapter 13?

There's no cry.

Why?

Well, you see, it's not just a repeating cycle that we've noticed that we've journeyed through judges.

It's a downward cycle.

And I think the author is telling us here that things have got so bad in Israel that the people have actually grown accustomed to a life of slavery.

And they are blind to seeing the folly of their ways because if they saw the folly of their ways, they would turn back to God and cry out to him and he would save them.

But these people aren't bothered about the situation as we step into chapter 13.

They're not crying out to God.

And so it's in this context that Samson is born.

To people, to a nation, not longing for a birth to happen that did happen.

So here's what we're going to do now.

We're going to read chapters 13, 14, and 15.

And this is the story of Samson's birth and life.

And here's what I want you to do as you read through these chapters.

I want to get us thinking.

I want to get us into the text this evening.

So Hazel is going to come and read chapter 13 for us.

And Neil is going to come and read chapters 14 and 15 for us.

They're the two sections.

Chapter 13, Samson's birth.

Chapters 14 and 15, Samson's life.

And after each reading, we're going to pause for 30 seconds.

And hopefully you've got a sermon outline.

I saw Alistair handing them out on your way in.

Hopefully you've got a sermon outline.

And here's what I want you to think about.

The question I want you to ask yourself.

How am I feeling after chapter 13?

And how as a reader am I left feeling after chapter 15?

If you could sum it up in one word, what would that one word be?

Now here's the big question of this sermon this evening.

Here's the big question that we're asked,

the writer asks us from this section of Judges.

Will the talk of Samson's birth be matched by the walk of Samson's life?

So that's the big question for us this evening.

The big question we're going to think about.

And hopefully the big question we're going to answer

as we journey through these chapters together.

Thank you, Hazel and Neil.

So here we go.

Will the talk of Samson's birth be matched by the walk of Samson's life?

So I wonder what words you scribbled down at the end of chapter 13.

I wonder if it was something like this.

Here's what I wrote down.

Optimistic.

Optimistic.

Intrigued.

Anyone?

Excited.

Anticipating.

All those kind of words come to mind when you read chapter 13.

Now let me just help you see my thought process

as I travelled through chapter 13.

There were four grounds for hope that I saw in chapter 13.

Four signs that got me really excited

that we could be on to a winner here with Samson.

Here's the first ground for hope.

The numbers.

So there's been 11 judges so far in the book of Numbers.

Sorry, in the book of Numbers, in the book of Judges.

11 judges so far.

Samson is the 12th judge.

Now that gets me intrigued.

Thinking to myself,

will Samson,

will he be the judge who finally,

not only saves Israel from their enemies,

but will he be the saviour

who representatively leads Israel in worship and obedience to the Lord

that Israel so far in this book have failed to do.

He's the 12th judge.

And the arrival of Samson also marks the beginning of the sixth cycle in this book.

Each judge thus far has delivered Israel from their enemies,

brings in,

ushers in a period of rest for the people.

But that only lasts as long as the judge has lived.

And as a reader,

I'm thinking to myself,

will Samson be the judge who finally brings the nation of Israel,

as it were,

into the seven

and bring God's people lasting

and complete rest

from their enemies.

He's the 12th

and he's the 6th.

And as a reader,

I'm optimistic for Samson at this point.

Here's the second ground for hope,

the announcement.

We're introduced to this couple.

Do you see them opening verses?

Chapter 13.

Manoah and his wife.

Who appears to them?

An angel of the Lord.

An awesome messenger of God

appears to this woman.

And he delivers a message

that God once again is acting by his grace

to save his people,

his captive people,

his wavered people.

God is going to act in his grace towards them.

And the angel announces to the woman

that although she is barren,

that she will conceive

and she will bear a son.

Now this barren woman pattern

is something that is frequent in Scripture.

Sarah,

Rebecca,

Rachel,

after the book of Judges,

we've got Hannah,

we've got Elizabeth

and here again is God by his grace

looking upon the humble estate

of this barren woman.

And we're left as readers

wondering in anticipation,

what exactly is this child

going to turn out to be?

Third ground for hope is the calling.

This woman,

do you notice it?

She's given clear instructions.

Verse 4.

What is she to do?

Or rather,

what is she not to do?

Drink no wine.

Touch no unclean thing.

Presumably because if she does,

and she will vicariously

taint the child within her.

And what of this boy?

Two things.

Do you notice in the passage?

Firstly,

he will be a Nazarite.

Now a Nazarite was someone

who would yield their life

completely to God.

God,

you are wholly mine.

Wholly apart,

dedicated to him.

Wholly apart,

to be focused on him.

You find that vow

to be a Nazarite

laid out in number 6.

If you want to maybe

check it out later.

Three expressed things

that a Nazarite had to do.

Or rather,

three expressed things

that a Nazarite had not to do.

No wine,

no razors,

no contact with dead bodies.

And we're excited

because normally

this is a voluntary vow

that people make.

But here,

this child

is being called apart,

set apart by God

to be wholly devoted by him.

To see it,

this boy will be a Nazarite.

That's exciting.

Secondly,

he will be a saviour.

Verse 5.

He'll begin to save Israel

from the hands

of the Philistines.

This is what this child

in this woman's womb

is being called to be.

And this is what this child

in this woman's womb

is being called to do.

Oh,

that's greatly exciting.

And the fourth ground

for hope

is the stirring.

Verse 24.

Feel the anticipation

that the writer

is creating here.

Verse 24.

This woman bore a son.

And verse 25.

The spirit of the Lord

began to stir him.

And if we were to roll credits

at this point,

I'm sure it would say

Samson,

the saviour,

is here.

We have four massive grounds

for hope

in this passage.

So how,

as readers,

are we left feeling

as we finish chapter 13,

we are feeling wildly optimistic

for Samson.

So back to our question.

Will the talk of Samson's birth,

and you've got to say

it's a big talk,

will the talk of Samson's birth

be matched

by the walk

of Samson's life?

And we move

from four grounds

for hope

to four reasons

to sigh.

Now I wonder

what words

you scribbled down

that summarized

how you felt

at the end of chapter 15.

Do I wrote

deflated?

Gutted?

Disappointed?

Oh, Samson,

you had it all!

You'll notice

as we journey

through chapter 14,

maybe you want to

scan your eyes

over it just now,

chapter 14.

The deliberate repetition

of the word down.

Now it's used

five times

in chapter 14,

five times.

Verse 1,

down.

Verse 5,

down.

Verse 7,

down.

Verse 10,

down.

Verse 19,

down.

The writer's

trying to tell us

something,

that the trajectory

of Samson's life

ain't going up,

it's going down.

Again,

really quickly,

four reasons

to sigh

from this chapter.

The first one,

right?

The first one

is the woman.

verse 1 of chapter 14,

Samson goes down

to Timnah.

And what does he see?

It's going to be

a key word

in Samson's life,

his eyes.

What is he seeing?

He sees

a daughter

of one of the Philistines.

And immediately

at this point,

in our eyes,

there should be

a warning light flashing.

Sometimes you get them

in your car,

don't you,

when you need to

check your oil.

There's a warning sign

in your dashboard.

Well, this is what's

going on here.

The writer's just

dropping in

a little flashing

warning sign.

God has expressly

prohibited that his

people marry

one of their enemies.

And his parents,

Samson's parents,

they know that.

They know that.

Our little girl,

Chloe,

her favorite word

at the minute

is the word need.

Daddy,

I need a drink.

Daddy,

I need to watch

Bing on CBBs.

Daddy,

I need to wear a dress.

And we have to educate her.

You'd think she would

get it by now.

She's not.

Chloe,

that's not how you ask.

It's not how you ask.

What are you saying?

You see it a little

two-year-old mind

just thinking about it.

Daddy,

can I please have a drink?

Yes,

you can have a drink.

But there's none of that

here with Samson.

None of that here

with Samson.

Verse 2,

you can slightly

understand what

his mom and dad

are trying to do.

Samson is not one of

our daughters

you can marry.

He's not one of

our people

you can marry.

Surely there must have been.

But no,

and feel the force

of the passage here,

get her for me dad.

I want her.

I want her.

I've seen her

and I want her.

Now not only

is Samson not honoring

his father and mother

at this point,

but he's acting

like a spoiled brat.

Is he not?

It's a bit like

if you remember

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

when we were growing up.

Veruca saw,

Daddy I want,

Daddy I want,

Daddy I need.

This is Samson.

What Samson sees,

Samson wants

and Samson normally gets.

First reason to sigh

for Samson

is the woman.

Second reason to sigh

is the lion.

Verse 5,

it's Samson

and both his parents

are on their way

down to Temna.

This young lion

comes hurtling towards him,

quite literally

leaps out the pages

like a 3D book here

for us readers,

roaring.

And Samson,

as the spirit

rushes on him

with no weapon

in his hands

but his bare hands,

rips this lion in two.

I love how

the writer drops in there

as one would

rip a young goat

as if to say,

you should know

what that's like.

But he rips

this young lion

in two.

Spirit rushes on him

and here for the first time

in the narrative

we're given a taste,

a taste of what

Samson can accomplish

when the spirit

of God

rushes on him

and empowers him

for service.

Samson continues

to,

verse 7,

continues on

with Manoah.

He talks with this woman

that he sees

quite literally

flirting

with danger

and we get that little

phrase from the writer

which I think

summarizes

Samson's life

in a nutshell.

That he did

what was right

in the Lord's eyes?

No.

He did what was right

in his eyes.

And it's no great

surprise then

that as we read

of Samson

seeing the same

dead lion

on his return

journey home

that as he sees

the honey

that Samson

does what he does.

Now remember

his Nazarite vow.

What wasn't he to touch?

No unclean thing.

No dead bodies.

And here's Samson

proving that he's

more interested

in a little honey

to sweeten his tongue

than he is

to obeying

God's word.

Scraping it

onto his hands.

You see how the writer

lets us know

that he touched this.

Scraping it onto his hands.

Eating it as he went.

Without a care in the world.

Remember when we were

growing up

me and my brother

one of the highlights

of our holiday

was going to the sweet shop.

We'd get those

little flora tubs

and he would fill it up

with 20p mix

Haribos.

And we would just

walk on back to the house

without a care in the world

eating as we went.

Without a care in the world.

This is Samson

eating as he goes.

Not a care

in the world.

Not a second thought

as to what he's done here.

Second reason to sigh

is the animal.

Third reason to sigh

is the party.

You see the party?

Verse 10.

Samson throws a feast

to celebrate his marriage.

Now the Hebrew word there

suggests a party

but one with the highest

probability

that alcohol

is involved

in this celebration.

Again you see

Samson totally blasé

about his Nazarite vow

happy to blend in

with the Philistines

round about him.

And he gives his

Philistine companions

who come to be with him

at his party

gives him this little riddle.

And this riddle

may seem innocent enough

but do you see

that it puts his wife

in danger?

Now she's probably

thinking about

I'm on my honeymoon

I've just got married

I'm thinking about

a cruiser in the med

but instead

she's put in this

horrible position

because of Samson's

pride and arrogance.

Verse 15.

The Philistines say to her

tell us the answer

to that guy's riddle

tell us the answer

to his riddle

or else

we will kill you

and we will burn

your father's house

with fire.

They pressure her

she pressures him

and we see arguably

Samson's weakness

here exploited

because he tells her

the answer to this riddle.

And she to save

her own skin

tells the Philistines.

It's worth noting

the detail the author

gives us there

at verse 17.

Who does she tell?

She tells her people.

As if to tell us

readers again

where her loyalties lie.

These are her people.

And what does Samson

call his wife?

Do you see that

in verse 18?

You only know

because you ploughed

my heifer.

Now there are some phrases

that will never ever

stop being insulting

and that's one of them.

We see that Samson

is not one

he's not like

Mr. Darcy.

I'm not going home

tonight and using

that one with Alex.

That is not a

complimentary thing

to say about your wife.

Here is Samson here

just totally

in love of himself.

And they win

don't they?

They get the riddle

right.

Right.

They win.

Samson owes these men

these Philistines

30.

I think we can assume

that they're suits

30 sets of clothes.

Third reason to sigh

is the party

and that leads us

to the fourth reason

to sigh

and that is Samson's

attitude.

Where are these

Armani suits

going to come from?

Where are these suits

going to come from?

Verse 19.

Well in a rage

he goes

and he gets that spoil.

Where does he go?

He goes and he kills

30 Philistine men.

And in a rage

he rages back

to his father's house

and after he realizes

his wife has been

given to his best man

he rages against

the Philistines.

Now this guy

has got some serious

anger problems.

Serious anger issues.

And he ties

300 foxes together

which

is no easy thing

I might add.

He ties them together

with torches

and he sets them loose

and Philistine feels

to cause havoc

and devastation.

It's maybe worth

slowing down

just a little bit here

and asking Samson

what are you doing?

What are you doing?

We get the impression

here to be not

that he's toying

with the Philistines.

He's playing

with God's enemies.

Almost

having a bit of fun.

He's always showing off

look how

great I am.

That God has

greatly equipped him

and God has

highly called him

and what is he doing?

He's playing around

having a laugh

without any regard

for the consequences

because there are

consequences

because he's playing

around

notice at verse 6

it costs

his wife

and her father

their lives.

Just playing around.

Understandably

Samson is a

wanted man

in the Philistine

camp.

The Philistines

come looking

for him

and the men

of Judah

after a bit

of negotiation

with him

they present

him to the

Philistines

but God

as the spirit

rushes on

Samson again

defeats them

quite emphatically

you have to say

verse 15

of chapter 15

a thousand men

with a jawbone

why?

Why was he able

to do it?

Because the spirit

of God

rushed on him.

God

through

Samson

won this

victory

against

his people's

enemies

and Samson

calls out

to God

verse 18

he calls out

to God

verse 18

give me a drink

give me a drink

a little irreverently

perhaps

but nonetheless

here is Samson

praying to the Lord

what does he describe

himself as?

Your servant.

A little interesting

though that he calls

the Philistines

uncircumcised

at verse 18

all of a sudden

now he's concerned

as to who

these people

represent

he wasn't all

that concerned

about it

when he went

to marry

one of their

daughters

here is Samson

the first

the fourth reason

rather to sigh

is his attitude

so how as readers

are we left

feeling as we

finish chapter 15

well if the talk

of Samson's life

left us feeling

greatly optimistic

then the walk

of Samson's life

leaves us feeling

greatly deflated

will the talk

of Samson's birth

be matched

by the walk

of Samson's life

on the whole

we have to say

it wasn't

four grounds

for hope

four reasons

to sigh

and as we work

towards a close

this evening

and as we reflect

on his birth

and his life

let me give you

two truths

to ponder

one truth

to challenge

us

and one truth

to comfort

us from these

verses

firstly

here's the truth

to challenge

us

now here is

Samson

tragically

failing to live

up to the calling

that God

had placed

on his life

but it's

what we need

to understand

that it's not

just Samson

who is failing

to live up

to his call

because standing

behind him

is a whole

nation

who are failing

to live up

to the call

that God

has placed

on their lives

so here are

God's people

in the place

that God

had promised

he was going

to redeem

them

and bring

them to

here are

Israel

here are

God's people

his treasured

possession

here are

God's people

the people

who God

had covenanted

with and said

you will be

my people

you will be

my people

and I will

be your God

what an

enormous

privilege

incredible

honour

that these

people

are God's

people

but instead

of being

a shining

light

to the

nations

round about

them

instead of

being a

megaphone

to the

nations

round about

them

that's

belted

out

how great

is our

God

sing with

me

how great

is our

God

here they

are living

in disobedience

and here

they are

revelling

in rebellion

and here

they are

flat out

and conforming

not to

God's

image

but here

they are

flat out

and conforming

to be more

like the

likeness of

the people

round about

them

and undoing

not what is

right in

God's eyes

but undoing

what is

right in

their eyes

here are

God's people

failing to

live up to

their calling

and presumably

that is the

challenge that

the first readers

of this book

would have felt

as they read

this

and that is

the challenge

that comes to

us this

evening as

God's people

as we look

at the

failures of

a previous

generation

we've got to

examine our

own hearts

live up to

your calling

are we living

up to our

calling

of course

where we

stand

in history

we stand

the other

side of

the cross

God too

has redeemed

us in

Christ

in Jesus

Christ

God has

saved us

and as

Christians

that we

are in

Christ

and he

has set

us apart

to live

for him

in relationship

with him

and to

live for

his glory

alone

is the

constant

refrain

in the

New

Testament

dear

Christian

dear

Christian

see your

calling

see your

calling

and seize

your

calling

1 Peter 2

let me just

read one

verse 1 Peter 2

1 Peter 2:9

verse 9

Peter writing

to his

generation

of God's

people

but you

are a

chosen

people

a royal

priesthood

a holy

nation

a holy

nation

God's

special

possession

that you

may declare

the praises

out of

darkness

and into

his wonderful

light

so the

first challenge

of these

verses

is live up

to your

calling

live up

to your

calling

are we

living up

to our

calling

as God's

people

and secondly

the comfort

of these

verses

the

initiative

all the

way through

these

chapters

is the

Lord's

this God

who never

changes

who is the

same yesterday

today and

forever and

is full of

steadfast love

towards his

people is

why we

opened with

the song

that we

opened with

the Lord

the Lord

the Lord

the Lord

the Spirit

of the Lord

all the way

through this

chapter

the great

and gracious

and loving

initiator

in these

chapters

is the

same who

is the

gracious

loving

initiator

in the

whole of

history

is this

great

God

the Lord

the Lord

the one

who raised

up a

saviour

for a

people who

were not

interested

who were

not calling

out to

him who

raised up

a saviour

for his

people

it's another

wonderful

gospel truth

for us to

grasp

it's exactly

what we see

in the

Lord Jesus

Christ

and we'll

come back

to that

in a

minute

that when

we were

not looking

for God

God came

looking for

us and

saved us

it's another

wonderful thought

to think about

this evening

that God

did not wait

for us to

make the

first move

because we

wouldn't have

made the

first move

towards him

but he

stepped down

and acted

to save

us

the Lord

who heard

Manoah's

prayer

the Lord

who sent

his spirit

upon

Samson

time and

time again

to accomplish

his people's

deliverance

and look at

the very last

verse of

chapter 15

lives

that our God

is big

enough

he is

sovereign over

not just

the things

of this

chapter

he is

sovereign

over all

of life

all of

life

he is

sovereign

over our

problems

but the

other truth

is that

he is

near

he is

near

he is

near to

us

in our

problems

I think

it's

J.I.

Packer

who famously

called God

the one

who is

majestic

and the

one who

is

personal

that is

the God

that we

meet

here

that is

our

God

as the

old hymn

puts it

grace

grace

God's

grace

grace

that will

pardon

and cleanse

within

grace

grace

God's

grace

grace

that is

greater

than all

our sin

what loving

grace

the Lord

shows his

people here

what a

wonderful

God we

have

and the

lesson here

the big

thrust of

this passage

to the

readers

is come

to this

God

don't trust

in people

don't trust

in yourselves

don't trust

in the

nations

round about

you

don't

trust in

anything

but this

God

this gracious

God

come to

him

this

evening

come

to

him

foregrounds

for

optimism

four

reasons

to

sigh

two

truths

to

ponder

but as

we leave

this chapter

this evening

let me

leave you

with one

longing

to have

here's our

question again

will the talk

of Samson's

birth be

matched by the

walk of

Samson's

life

here's the

one longing

to have

what are we

left longing

for at the

end of these

chapters

we're left

longing for

a saviour

a saviour

where the

talk of

his birth

matches up

to the

walk of

his life

that's the

saviour that

God's people

need

and that's

the saviour

that this

gracious God

one day

provided

now I don't

know how you

felt as you

read chapter

13 but I

felt very

Christmassy

felt like I

should be

putting on

my Christmas

jumper

getting the

crackers on

anyone else

feel Christmassy

chapter 13

striking

similarities

striking

similarities

between the

two births

an angelic

appearance to

the parents

the announcement

of a saviour

Jesus the

name meaning

that God

saves

that's what

that boy

was called

to do

striking

similarities

but one

striking

difference

Samson's

mindset

not your

will be

done God

but my

will be

done God

Jesus

throughout

the entirety

of his

life

tempted in

the wilderness

by the

devil

tempted in

the garden

of Gethsemane

and yet

what was

his cry

not my

will be

done Lord

not my

will

but your

will be

done

and so

obedient was

he that it

took him to

the cross

where he died

for our sin

three days

later he

rose again

and he rules

and he reigns

this is the

saviour that

God's people

need

the model

Israelite

the king

who lives

forever

and the

saviour who

has won

lasting

rest

for his

people

will

the talk

of Samson's

birth

live up

to the walk

of Samson's

life

no

but will

the talk

of Jesus'

birth

live up

to the walk

of Jesus'

life

gloriously

yes

so we

sing

oh come

all ye

faithful

joyful

and triumphant

come ye

oh come

ye to

Bethlehem

come and

behold him

born the

king of

angels

oh come

let us

adore him

oh come

let us

adore him

oh come

let us

adore him

Christ

the Lord

let's pray

together

and so

father we

thank you

so much

lord for

this

evening

and lord

we pray

for the

truths that

we have

seen in

your word

this

evening

father that

they would

resonate in

our hearts

way beyond

when we

leave this

building

this evening

father may

we be drawn

to put our

trust in

the god

who is

above all

things

and know

the peace

of the god

who is right

beside us

so father

thank you

for your

words

father thank

you for

your truth

go with us

now we ask

because we

ask in

jesus name

amen