Stop Being Complacent

Well, pleased to have a seat and a very good evening, everyone.

I hope you've had a great afternoon in 1st of November,

which I heard from Lawrence in Wales.

It was 22.7 degrees, Lawrence.

Unheard of, November.

There we go.

Amos chapter 6.

Amos 6 · chapter mention

Please turn there in your Bibles.

Also, I've made us a sermon outline this evening,

which is going to massively help us, I think,

see the big idea of what Amos 6 is all about.

So if you don't have one of them,

then please put up your hand.

And Johnny, I'm sure, will be able to get one to you.

Hopefully that's going to be very helpful for us this evening.

What a joy it is to be together at the end of what is a busy week,

and I'm sure on the cusp of what is going to be another busy week,

just to spend time in God's presence.

So why don't we pause and let's pray together

before we dive into Amos chapter 6.

Amos 6 · chapter mention

Let's pray together.

Our gracious and loving God,

we are so thankful for our time together this evening.

Father, we ask that as we continue to look at this book of Amos,

this sometimes difficult book to understand,

Lord, that you would help us,

by your Holy Spirit,

to understand what you are saying to us.

Would you help us to know more of you?

Would you help us to see more of your goodness

and your glory in this passage we ask in Jesus' name?

Amen.

Amen.

So I want to begin by taking you back to your school days.

I wonder if you were like me,

my dad would come home after every day from work,

and he would say to me,

son, how was school today?

And I replied, one word answer.

I wonder if anyone else did this.

One word.

What was that word?

Fine.

Every time.

Fine.

And so my dad, bless his heart,

he would try and get a bit more out of his stroppy teenager,

and he would say,

son, what about maths?

Did you enjoy maths today?

And I said, well, yeah, it's going well.

What about English?

You've been doing that project in Macbeth.

Are you enjoying it?

How's it going?

Yeah, it's going all right.

Not too bad.

Quite like Macbeth.

I said, well, what about history?

You love history.

Tell us about World War II.

Tell us what you're learning about German history

in the Weimar Republic.

Yeah, it's all right.

Teacher's a good guy.

Everything was always fine.

But I wonder if you were like me.

There was one day in the school calendar

that I dreaded above all others.

And it was the day when I came home

with my school report cards.

Because that was the day that revealed

that all things weren't in actual fact fine.

And I remember those days well,

with trembling hands and with knobbly knees.

I would hand this report card to my dad,

and out the door I sprinted to play football

with my friends,

because I was bracing myself for the worst.

We all know that experience, don't we?

What our mouths kept hidden,

the report card so massively exposed.

And I think that is a good way to understand

what is going on in Amos chapter 6 this evening.

Amos 6 · chapter mention

I found this a really helpful way

for understanding what's going on here.

This is the last part of the first section of this book,

and it's the second of these warning or woe oracles

that Amos has been bringing to God's people,

the first one of which we saw last week.

And I think what we need to understand

is that if you had asked God's people at the time

how things were going,

they would probably tell you they were going fine.

In fact, they were going better than fine.

They are flying right now as a people.

We are experiencing the favor and the blessing of the Lord.

It's no doubt what they would have piously

and presumptuously told you.

Things are going good in the land.

Remember, John introduced this letter a few weeks back.

Things are going very well for Israel at this point.

They are prosperous and they are victorious.

These are good times on the surface for God's people.

Things are going fine.

Amos chapter 6.

Amos 6 · chapter mention

He's about to deliver to them

God's report card on how he thinks things are really going.

And let me tell you, it is stinging.

Right at the heart of this stinging take on things,

the divine looking at things,

the biggest displeasure that God has with his people,

the precise details that we'll look at in a minute,

the very heart of this is their pride.

God is disgusted with the pride of his people.

Open report card, page 1.

It says that,

I detest, I abhor your pride.

I abhor it.

I hate it.

And notice who Amos is addressing here.

Firstly, he's addressing the people of God.

Right?

The people who are supposed to be God's people,

representing him,

as we heard this morning,

shining for him and displaying God's glory to the watching world.

That people, God's anger,

is against them.

It's not just against any old nation.

It's against God's people,

which incidentally is why the lessons from this

are so applicable to us this evening.

This is God's people.

Secondly, within that people,

look halfway through verse 1.

We saw Amos last week addressing,

or two weeks ago,

addressing the females in Israel.

So the cows of Bashan,

which I thought Ian so helpfully

and delicately took us through.

We're looking this week at the male of the species.

Amos is speaking directly,

did you notice it,

to the notable men.

So he's speaking to the men

in the corridors of power,

both in the north and in the south.

The men at the top of society,

the movers and shakers,

the men of influence,

the decision makers,

the leaders of God's people.

These are the people that Amos is speaking to.

And these are the people in his sights

as he delivers this stinging report card.

God detests their pride.

Hates it.

And for that pride, says God,

you are heading for destruction and exile.

I think we see that emphasis

come out so strongly

in the way that Amos has shaped

and structured this message in this chapter.

Now, here's a question for you this evening.

Put your hand up if you like a sandwich.

Excellent.

Peter, favourite sandwich?

Take your time.

Stuffing.

Excellent.

Cool.

Anyone else?

Favourite sandwich?

Lawrence.

Cheese and ham.

Okay.

Anyone else?

One more.

A BLT.

Standard.

Excellent.

Here's the sandwich we're going to look at this evening.

This is the Amos 6 sandwich.

Very simple.

Two bits of bread,

two bits of cheese,

and a bit of meat in the middle,

which is the focus of

and the substance of the sandwich.

Amos 6 sandwich.

You'll see it on your sheet.

The mark of pride,

number one.

The mark of pride,

number two.

And the meat in the middle,

which is the very focus of

and the sharp end

of what Amos is saying to God's people.

God is disgusted

with the pride of his people.

Mark of pride,

number one.

His people's complacency.

God hates his people's complacency.

You'll see the first bit of this sandwich,

verses 1 to 3,

and verses 13 to 14.

This is the bread of the Amos 6 sandwich.

And what does he start?

Verse 1, chapter 5,

the word,

woe.

Now, I've had many a bad report card in my time,

but none of them have started with woe.

Started with a lot of other words,

but not woe.

This is shockingly surprising, isn't it?

Woe.

It is strong language.

Who is this woe addressed to?

It's to the capital cities.

Capital city in the north,

capital city in the south.

To those who are at ease in Zion,

so that's Jerusalem,

and those who are secure in Samaria.

These men at the top,

whom the people of the land,

they come to seek counsel and advice from,

they are quite happy,

quite happy with how things are going in the land.

And that ease may suggest comfort to those leaders,

but it reeks of complacency to God.

Here's what they're doing.

They're doing two things, okay?

Firstly,

they are looking at favorable comparisons.

Now, you'll notice it.

Johnny did excellently

in reading the place names

that are in here in these verses.

Look at them with me, okay?

The place names.

Kalna,

Hamath,

and Gath.

These are the nations that surround Israel.

And we can understand that at this point in time,

Israel are far better off

than the nations surrounding them.

And as the leaders of God's people,

when they go compare.com,

they come off very favorably.

And it produces within them

a sense of smugness

as they compare themselves

to the nations round about them.

Now, look at verse 2.

Commentators think that this,

verse 2,

is the propaganda of the day.

So, when the people of the land,

they come to the leaders

with their problems

and their cases of injustice,

instead of dealing with them,

the leaders simply fob them off

by telling them

that instead of complaining,

what they really should do

is be extremely thankful

that they live in Israel

and they don't live

in one of the surrounding nations.

Be so thankful

that you live here

and you don't live over there.

This is what they're saying.

And so, they're just fobbing them off.

Now, to get your head around

what this would look like,

here's what I want you to picture.

Imagine you write to David Cameron

and you're appealing to him

because your employer

has tripled your contracted hours of work,

is making you work without a break,

and to sum it all up,

he has halved your pay.

So, you make your way to number 10

and you meet David Cameron.

He hears your complaint

and he says to you,

well, I could deal with your complaint.

I could deal with it.

But I put it to you

that you should be thankful

that you live in the United Kingdom

where you have a job

instead of living in a third world country

where you don't have a job.

So, here's what I suggest to you,

that instead of coming to me with a complaint,

just stop yourself next time

and count your lucky stars

that you live here

and you don't live over there.

Now, would you be satisfied

that justice has been done

in that situation?

Of course you wouldn't.

Of course you wouldn't.

But that is exactly

what is going on

in the land of God's people

at this precise moment.

These leaders,

these people at the top

should not be at ease

over how things are going.

There's a distinct moral unjustness

that is rife in the lands

and they are being complacent

in the way that they are leading

this nation.

And adding to that sense

of complacency,

secondly,

they are exaggerating

their achievements.

Look at the bottom

of the sandwich here.

So, this is verses 13 and 14.

The bottom bit of bread.

So, this is,

look at it with me,

Lodabar and Karname.

They are two place names.

They are two places

of recent military victories

for Israel.

And the fact that they are

two recent military victories

has led to God's people

feeling super confident

in their own abilities

and strength.

And what does Amos say?

You foolish people.

You foolish people.

There's some irony

going on here as well.

These two towns,

we can understand,

they were not hard to conquer.

They were not hard to conquer.

Lodabar,

the name literally means nothing.

It means nothing.

I mean,

this is the equivalent

of Scotland

beating San Marino

at football

and thinking that we are

world beaters

off the back of it.

Now, I say that

knowing that sometimes

we don't beat San Marino,

but you get the point.

Don't get ahead of yourself.

That's Amos' point.

Don't get ahead of yourself.

That wasn't a difficult victory.

And Karname,

again,

it's not a big place,

but its name,

it means horns.

So,

it's the symbol

of power and authority.

So,

to conquer a land

with horns

on the emblem,

it most likely

fed Israel's pride.

Both of these

are hollow victories.

They're not something

to be boasting about.

They're not something

to be bragging about.

And I think

these favorable comparisons

and this exaggerated

sense of achievement

has led to this

sense of invincibility.

And as they look

to their army

and as they look

to their borders,

they think they are

invincible

when the truth is

they are anything but.

They are

a complacent

people.

They are a complacent

people because

they have taken

their eye off the ball.

They have taken

their gaze

away

from God.

They have fallen

out of a right

relationship with Him.

and they have

stopped judging

things by how

He views things

and they have

started judging

things by their

own standards

and their own

interpretation.

They say things

are fine.

They are not.

You are

a complacent

people,

says God.

And I guess

we've got to ask

ourselves,

haven't we,

as God's people,

are we

complacent?

Would that be

as we open

our report card,

would it say

complacent?

Are we

settling

for hearts

that are

at ease?

Are we

settling for

a haphazard

prayer life?

Are we

becoming

casual

in our

treatment

of God's

words?

Both

indications,

I think,

that we are

doing things

in our own

strength.

Friends,

have we become

numb

because of our

comfortable lifestyles

to the broken

world in which

we live?

Are we

being lulled

into thinking

that we are

doing well

at shining

for Jesus

because we

are comparing

ourselves

to the world

in which we

live and we

think we're

just that

little bit

more moral

than everyone

else?

Brothers and

sisters,

have we

taken our

eyes off

of God

and are we

stopping

judging things

by his

standards

and are we

judging things

by our

own?

You know,

it was Jim

Elliott who

said,

forgive me

for being

so ordinary

while claiming

to know

so extraordinary

a God.

And so what

does Amos say

to this

complacent

generation

of God's

people?

Look at

verse 3.

You put

off the

day of

disaster

and bring

near a

rain of

terror.

I mean,

I know it

was Halloween

the other

night,

but these

are scary,

scary words,

aren't they?

Mark of

pride number

one,

their

complacency.

Mark of

pride number

two,

their

carelessness.

God

detests his

people's

carelessness.

And you'll

see this

next layer

of the

Amos 6

sandwich.

Okay,

we're into

the cheese

section now.

Verses 4

to 7

and verse

12.

Now,

why might

you be

asking?

Why are

they

careless?

Well,

to be blunt,

friends,

they really

couldn't care

less about

what's going

on in

their land.

These

notable

men could

not care

less about

the people

underneath

them in

the pecking

order of

society,

and they

couldn't

care more

about

prospering

themselves.

Look at

verses 4

to 7.

Amos gives

us such

a flavour

of the

reality of

what's going

on in

the land

here.

It's a

picture of

affluence,

it's a

picture of

indulgence

and luxury.

All round

about them

there is

poverty and

ruin amongst

God's

people.

Look at

the words

that Amos

uses here.

Look at

this description.

What's he

saying here?

This is

what's going

on in

the land.

Beds

of ivory,

lounging

on couches,

dining on

choice lambs

and fattened

calves,

drinking wine

by the

bowl full,

strumming on

instruments,

I don't think

that's anything

against the

harp there,

using the

finest lotions,

bathing

themselves.

Do you get

the picture

here?

Do you

see what

he's trying

to tell

us?

That this

stuff that's

going on,

God's not

blind to

it, God

sees it,

God sees

how they're

behaving, and

he hates

it.

He hates

their

carelessness.

And you'll

notice two

biblical

characters that

Amos uses

there in

those verses.

I think they

add to that

sense of

rebuke.

Firstly, you

get David

in there,

and I think

Amos is

saying, and

it's a

massive lesson

for God's

people, that

just because

you act like

David,

David, doesn't

mean you've

got a heart

like David,

and also we

get Joseph in

there as

well.

What's he

doing in

there?

Well, we

studied him, I

wonder if you

remember, a few

months ago.

We did a

series in

Genesis looking

at his life,

and you may

remember that

episode in

Genesis 37,

where his

brothers, filled

with jealousy,

they throw him

into the depths

of the pit and

leave him there

for events to

take their

course.

They literally

just leave him

for death.

And then a few

chapters later

on in Genesis

42, the

brothers are

looking back on

this incident,

they're looking

back on this

incident, but

Joseph now is

in the place of

power in Pharaoh's

courts.

And they say

this in Genesis

42, looking back

on that, they

confess to one

another.

This is what

they say.

We saw how

distressed he

was.

So that's

Joseph.

We saw how

distressed he

was when he

pleaded for his

life, but we

would not

listen.

We saw his

cries and we

did nothing.

We heard the

cries, we saw

it, we turned a

blind eye to it

and we did

nothing.

And it's almost

as if Amos is

saying to this

generation of

God's people,

you are at it

again.

You're doing it

again.

You turn a

blind eye to

injustice.

You ignore it

as if it wasn't

there.

This is happening

right under your

noses.

You know about

this stuff and

you're doing

nothing to stop

it.

As leaders of

God's people,

you're supposed

to be those who

love God.

You love God

and you love

and you serve

his people and

you are doing

anything but.

And that

mismatch behavior

isn't right,

it isn't right

morally and it

isn't glorifying

to the God who

you claim to

represent.

You're not

shining for him.

And as if to

drive home the

point, we get the

second part of that

sandwich at verse

12.

And the big idea

that Amos is

painting for them

here is this idea

of mismatches.

So this is things

that everybody knows

don't go together.

So look what he

does.

What does he say?

Would you take

your horse out of

the paddock and

instead of taking

it to a lush green

field for a run

around, would you

take it to the

rocks to run

around?

Of course you

wouldn't.

Of course you

wouldn't.

Would you take

your oxen out to

plow and instead

of going to the

lush soil of the

farm to plow,

would you go to

the sea to

plow?

Of course you

wouldn't.

Everybody knows

those things do

not go together.

It does not take a

genius to work

that out.

And so follow the

logic.

What does he say

next?

Would you expect

life-giving justice

to produce poison?

Would you expect a

healthy tree to

produce bitter fruit?

Of course you

wouldn't.

Of course you

wouldn't.

And yet, and

yet, that is

precisely what is

going on in your

land.

Precisely what's

going on.

Now if you've got

an ESV there,

you'll notice it

verse 12.

Instead of

bitterness, it

uses the word,

Amos uses the

word wormwood.

I find that

quite a helpful

image in

understanding what's

going on.

I wonder if you've

had that experience

in your life where

you've gone to pick

up an old table or

an old chair that

was sitting in the

attic for years and

years and years,

and as you lift it

up, it just falls to

pieces beneath you.

Have you had that

experience before?

I've had that

experience before.

It is rotten to the

core.

It is eaten by

woodworm.

And it gives you

the impression that

it is healthy and

stable, while all the

time it is rotten to

the core.

And that's what's

going on here.

Here is a people at

face value are giving

the impression that

they are healthy and

stable.

Reality is there's

nothing going on.

They are rotten.

You are a careless

people.

What does Amos say to

this careless generation

of God's people?

By the way, you'll

notice that where it

says, those who

strive to put

themselves first.

You'll notice that

idea of first as you

read this through.

They put themselves,

they are the first

nation in their eyes.

The leaders place

themselves first in

this nation.

They eat and anoint

themselves with the

finest or the first of

meats and oils.

What does Amos say?

Verse 8.

Therefore, you will be

among the first to go

into exile.

Your feasting and

lounging will be at an

end.

God detests his

people's carelessness.

He hates it.

And it's a real, real

challenge to us.

Friends, would God on

our report cards, would

he write careless?

Are we those who are

living mismatched lives?

Are we people who say

one thing, claim to be

living for one thing, and

are doing something

completely else?

Are we giving the

impression of health and

life, but the truth of

it is, on the inside,

there's absolutely nothing

going on?

Now just think about your

own personal walk with

the Lord for just a

second.

are you good at putting on

the front in here?

Are you, have you

mastered the church

lingo?

Do you know the right

times to say amen?

But actually the reality is

that the fire, the inward

affection and love for

Jesus has long gone out.

Friends, do we care about

justice?

Do we care about

injustice?

Or have we got so good?

Have we mastered the art

of turning a blind eye to

it, and are simply

fattening ourselves and

growing callous?

You know, Neil mentioned

it earlier, are we

unconcerned?

Are we concerned about the

plight of our brothers and

sisters around the world

who are facing persecution

for standing for Jesus

Christ?

Does that even concern us?

Can I encourage you to come

to the prayer meeting on

Wednesday, where we'll be

praying for the

persecuted church?

It's just a great way of

remembering them in our

prayers.

God detests his people's

carelessness.

And now we come to our

favorite bit, the meat of

the sandwich.

This is the meat of the

sandwich here.

This is the sharp end of

what God is saying to his

people through Amos.

You'll see it in verses

8 to 11.

And the big idea here is

that God detests his

people's pride.

He hates his people's

pride.

What's going to happen to

this people?

That's the question.

What's going to happen to

them?

Well, says Amos, you are

headed for exile and

destruction.

And he describes for them

what that destruction is

going to look like as we

get this quite shocking

picture at verse 9.

Look at it there.

Verse 9, it is a shocking

picture.

And I think it's a picture

of the aftermath of a

slaughtering battle.

And there's a relative

hunting for survivors

amongst the rubble,

looking for bodies to

take away and burn.

And what he does, he

calls into the rubble.

He calls, is anyone

there?

Is anyone there?

And a voice shouts back,

I am here.

I'm here.

But whatever you do,

whatever you do, just

don't mention God's name.

Just don't mention God's

name.

Now, why is he saying

that?

Well, I think the idea is

that this people have

experienced God's

judgment.

And this is the

confession of a people

who have taken God

lightly.

They have not listened to

his words, and they've

experienced the

consequences of that.

Now, why?

What does God have

against his people?

Well, God is disgusted

with the pride of his

people.

Their self-sufficiency,

they don't think they

need him.

Their self-assurance,

it's that they can go

alone.

That they think they

have all the resources

at their disposal.

Their self-enhancement,

their false sense of

security, the fact that

they only care about

themselves.

That's what's going on

here on the surface.

But I think we need to

work a little bit harder

than that.

Because lying behind this

pride,

lying, I mean,

pride is just a

manifestation of it,

right?

Lying behind this

pride is a people who

have lost sight of who

God really is.

Because right at this

root, right at the root

of this pride,

standing right behind it,

this is a worship

problem.

This is a worship

problem.

They've ceased to

worship God as he

truly is, how God has

revealed himself to be,

and instead they are

bowing at the altars of

the God of their own

imagination and

preferences.

So you can think

about it this way,

in the life of this

nation, God's people

at the time, God has

gone from being in the

driver's seat to being

but a speck in the

rear view mirror.

They've just forgotten

about him.

And God reminds them

here of who he really

is.

Notice the names that

God uses for himself

at verses 8 to 11.

The sovereign Lord,

verse 8,

the Lord God

Almighty,

verses 8 and 14.

He is the holy

God.

He is the awesome

God.

He is the all-powerful

God.

He is the redeeming

and loving God.

He is the God who

controls the entirety

of the world which he

made.

All people,

all people,

including God's

people,

answer to him.

So do you see what

God is doing here?

He's committing the

totality of who he is

to doing what he says

he is going to do.

Let me ask you this

evening, let's pause

just for a second and

ask ourselves this

because it is so

important.

Friends, do you have a

worship problem?

Have you lost sight of

who God really is?

Have you just lost

sight of it?

And instead, are you

making God into a

figment of your own

imagination and being?

Is God who he says he

is or is God who you

say he is?

You see, lying behind

this people, the core

of the people's

problem here is that

they have failed and

they are ceasing to see

God as he really is.

It's a worship problem.

I'm always reminded of

the words of Lucy from

The Lion and the Witch

and the Wardrobe, if

you remember that.

She's speaking about

Aslan.

And what does she say?

He is not a tame

lion, but he is good.

He is not a tame

lion, but he is good.

God's people are headed

for exile and

destruction.

And of course, we've

got the privilege of

having history on our

side.

We know that 40 years

or so later, the

Assyrians are going to

come marching into town

and destroy Israel.

And if what we know

about the Assyrians is

true, they're not the

most humane of people

when it comes to

conquering a nation.

And Judah, of course,

the little brother of

the north and the

south.

Judah, they're not far

behind.

God is disgusted with

the pride of his

people.

Now, this Amos 6

sandwich, it's been a

hard chew, hasn't it?

It's been a hard

chew.

But here is the

aftertaste that I

wanted for us to be on

our tongues as we

leave this evening.

Because believe it or

not, there are two

great encouragements.

I know, honestly, there

are encouragements in

this passage.

Two great encouragements

for us in Amos chapter

Amos 6 · chapter mention

6.

Firstly, what comes so

clearly across in this

chapter, and indeed

throughout the whole

Bible, Old and New

Testament, is that God

detests pride.

He hates it.

God opposes the

proud.

But praise God that he

gives grace to the

humble.

James chapter 4 would

James 4 · chapter mention

tell us that wonderful

truth, that he gives

grace.

We need to see that God

warning his people of

their pride, him

pointing it out, is a

mark of his loving and

great grace.

It's grace.

And that gracious hand of

God is still outstretched

today through his son,

Jesus Christ, the man who

John describes in his

prologue, John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

as being full of grace and

truth.

Encouragement number one,

friends, that God gives

grace to the humble.

And the second great

encouragement that I think

we can take from this,

Amos here is addressing a

generation of God's people,

and specifically addressing

a generation of corrupt

leaders of God's people.

Complacent leaders,

careless leaders, leaders

who couldn't care less about

the affairs of their people,

leaders who are self-serving,

who are quite literally

leading their people into

death and destruction.

And I think most importantly,

they are leading this people,

their people, away from the

presence of God.

Well, praise God.

Praise God, friends, that the

true and perfect leader of

God's people, Jesus Christ,

came as one who was fully

obedient to God, who was fully

dedicated to his people,

and who fully gave it all to

save them.

For Jesus came not into riches

and palaces, but into poverty,

with nowhere to lay his head.

He left his throne room.

He humbled himself.

And he took our poverty.

He took it.

So that we, through him,

might become rich.

Jesus came not eating and

dining with the high and

mighty, but associating himself

with the meek and lowly.

He came not wearing the

sweetest smelling aromas of

finest perfumes, but he was

born into the stench of a

stable.

And Jesus is the true leader of

God's, true leader of God's

people, through whose costly

sacrifice on the cross took

God's disgust and judgment that

we deserved.

He took it on himself.

And his self-giving for his

people has opened the way back

up for us to come to the

Father.

Do you see what's going on

here?

This is beautiful stuff.

These leaders of God's people

are leading their people away

from the presence of God.

Jesus leads his people straight

into the very presence of God.

The contrast couldn't be any

greater between these two

leaders of God's people.

Friends, let me ask you this

evening.

What leader are you trusting

in this evening?

Are you like Israel in Amos 6?

Are you trusting in yourself?

Do you rate your own

achievements and capabilities?

Or are you trusting in Jesus,

the true and perfect leader of

God's people?

If that's you this evening, if

that's where you are, then this

is a great cause for rejoicing.

That we have been saved from

death and destruction.

And we are now found in the

true and perfect leader of

God's people.

And what does he tell us to do

as his followers?

To live now for his kingdom.

The kingdom that he will bring

when he returns in glory, where

all social injustice will be

abolished, all oppression

ceased, and where he will rule

his people in grace and truth

in the very presence of God.

And what does he tell us to

pray and to do?

That it would be done on earth

as it is in heaven.

You see, there's that wonderful

cause for rejoicing this evening

that we are found in the

perfect leader of God's people,

Jesus.

What a great thing.

But as we close, let me just

take you back to school for a

minute.

When it comes to the report

card of our lives, friends,

let's be honest with one another,

none of us are getting straight A's,

are we?

I mean, not even close to that.

None of us are perfect.

But the gospel tells us that

Jesus has taken our blotted

report card.

The report card of our lives that

justifiably read guilty and

excluded and dead.

And he's given us his unblemished

perfect one.

And so we don't come in fear and

unbelief before God.

We come before him with confidence

and assurance in Jesus Christ that

we are acceptable to him and

praise God that we can call him

father.

That is what God has done for us in

the gospel.

He's taken spiritually dead people

and he's made them alive.

He has turned enemies, his enemies,

into his friends.

And he's turned orphans into sons and

daughters of the living God.

What a great and wonderful God that we

serve.

Why don't we pray?

And I'm just going to allow just a

few minutes,

maybe just 30 seconds actually,

let's just respond

to what God has been saying to us

through his word this evening.

God with you.

Let me just read you one of the verses

of one of my favorite hymns called Here is Love.

Let me all thy love accepting,

love thee ever all my days.

Let me seek thy kingdom only

and my life be to thy praise.

Thou alone shalt be my glory,

nothing in the world I see.

Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me.

Thou thyself hast set me free.

So Father God, we thank you so much for Jesus.

We praise you, Lord, for the gospel.

We praise you for our great leader,

Captain, King, and Savior,

who has saved us, rescued us from death,

and transported us into your wonderful family.

Help us, Lord, this week as we live our lives in this world

to seek your kingdom above all.

Lord, help us to be people who don't live for ourselves,

but live for your glory.

And this is our prayer in and through Jesus' wonderful name.

Amen.