True Worship on Display

Let's begin with prayer.

Father, our gracious Father, we do not pray out of habit.

We do not pray because it is something that is planned and a formal part of worship.

We pray because our hearts are inclined towards you by your grace.

We pray because we are needy.

We pray because you are sufficient.

We pray because we are frail, inclined to all the wrong things.

And this morning we would ask that your spirit would quicken our hearts, that the sweet words

of Psalm 119 would be true, that we would have hearts that are opened to hear wonderful things

out of your law.

We pray that we have soil that is suited, that the word of Christ may fall upon prepared hearts

and bear fruit that brings glory to your name.

We pray because there are some here that don't know Christ.

And that in the light of eternity, this moment is critical.

We pray that you would bring conviction where there is that need for revival.

We pray that you would enable me and my frailty and my very earthy vessel would reflect your glory.

And that your people would delight in you.

We ask this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

I want to leave you with a couple thoughts.

I'm not leaving yet, but I just want to be sure these stick.

Whoa.

Early departure.

No.

Here we go.

I want you to kind of frame this in your life and think about it.

We cannot worship apart from truth.

I want you to hold on to that.

We cannot worship apart from truth.

We cannot grow apart from truth.

Now, I've got two pieces out here, so what I want you to do is,

and this is a little bit of foretaste of what we're going to do tonight, right?

All of you are going to be here, right?

All God's people said, well, maybe.

Okay.

I know.

Some of you have very pressing details.

Okay.

We've got two pieces on.

Here's what I want you to do.

I want you to think if you can attach a Bible text to the two statements I've made so far.

Is that fair?

Isaiah chapter 8 says this,

Isaiah 8 · chapter mention

According to the law and to the testimonies,

if they speak not according to this,

it's because there's no truth in them.

And we know what the Bereans did.

You know, they were more noble than those in Thessalonica

because what they did was,

as they listened to Paul preach,

and they didn't have their phones in front of them,

they were swiping to kind of check and see,

but they were cross-referencing everything Paul said against the Scriptures.

So I made the statement,

you can't worship apart from truth.

Yeah?

Where's that?

I made the statement,

you can't grow apart from truth.

Yeah?

Where's that?

There's the third one.

We cannot love him apart from truth.

And so one of the things that I trust

is happening in this slow and methodic journey

that we're taking through the book of John,

and we are in John chapter 12,

John 12:1

verse 1.

As we are taking this slow and methodic journey

through the book of John,

one of the things that I sincerely trust is happening

is that you are growing in your affection

for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We live in a wicked and perverse world.

And not only do we live in a wicked and perverse world,

but every one of us who are here,

at least that are sensible to spiritual realities,

know that we also carry in us this very frail heart

that is inclined towards things of less than noble propositions, right?

I like the words of the songwriter.

It said,

prone to wander, Lord, I feel it.

Prone to leave the God I love.

Take my heart, oh, take and seal it.

Right?

Do something with this heart I have.

In relationship to this passage,

I'm going to close with a statement.

That's at least the plan.

I'm going to tell you ahead of time

so that you know how it's going to end up.

And you may even write it on your notes

because it's something I want you to frame and hold on to.

Two choices on the shelf.

Worship Christ or worship self.

Not original with me.

I want you to know that for certain.

But really, at the heart of the lesson

that we're going to take from this passage

in John chapter 12

John 12 · chapter mention

is this fundamental truth of the reality

that we are all worshipers.

As I listened to you sing this morning,

I couldn't help but take pleasure in it.

I like the way you sing.

And you know why I like that?

Because I just cannot,

I cannot understand people who go to church

and say they're there to worship

and then kind of sit there

with kind of a glum spirit on their face.

You know, it's like,

yeah, I know the words,

but I'm not in it today.

Hey, you know what?

He is happy to help you with that attitude.

How many of you know that?

You know, one of the things I love about salvation

is you don't have to stay the way you are.

And people that love Jesus

have every reason to sing.

By the way, Pastor, I wrote this on my hand.

The last part of every sermon

or every service

is that your pastor is going to read

a passage of Scripture.

Pastor Shear, I'm going to be in that place,

so I'm going to ask you to read

Psalm 96, 7 through 9.

It's...

Got it.

I make little notes to myself.

That's the way I get around.

John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

Six days before the Passover,

Jesus therefore came to Bethany

where Lazarus was,

whom Jesus had raised from the dead.

So they gave a dinner for him.

There Martha served,

and Lazarus was one of those

reclining with him at the table.

Mary therefore took a pound

of expensive ointment

made from pure nard

and anointed the feet of Jesus

and wiped his feet with her hair.

The house was filled

with the fragrance of the perfume.

But Judas Iscariot,

one of his disciples,

he who was about to betray him,

said,

Why was not this ointment

not sold for 300 denarii

and given to the poor?

He said this not because

he cared about the poor,

because he was a thief.

And having charged the money bag,

he used to help himself

to what was put in it.

Jesus said,

Leave her alone.

So that she may keep it

for the day of my burial.

For the poor you always have with you,

but you do not always have me.

Let me remind you

that essentially

what we're looking at

in this passage,

kind of press it together,

is we're looking at

two stark differences

in what worship looks like.

Remember what I said

the end of the sermon is?

But two choices on the shelf,

worship Christ or worship self.

You can see here,

Mary is one illustration of worship

and Judas is another illustration of worship.

We tend to think that worship

is something that we only do towards God,

and that's not true at all.

We are worshiping all the time.

I was struck

by the fact that

yesterday there were

30 of our men,

I don't know how many ladies,

were ladies involved in the move as well?

Absolutely.

Children as well?

We had 30 people show up

to conduct worship services

at Drew and Melissa Clausen's home.

Okay, now you're wondering

what's that all about?

Hey, when you sacrifice

your Saturday morning

to go and move

a brother and a sister in Christ,

that's worship.

Isn't it?

And worship is something

that we're always doing.

And I think it's important

to realize that.

And so as you look at this passage

and you step into it,

there are a couple things

I think are important

to lay out for us

that we have in mind.

First of all,

let's grasp the setting.

It is worth remembering

that John's gospel

is substantially different

from Matthew, Mark, and Luke,

which we refer to as the synoptics.

And John really only gives us

seven miracles.

He gives us very, very little detail

about Christ's life.

On the other hand,

John's gospel is the most focused

on the last week

before the crucifixion.

In fact,

John actually spends

about half of his gospel

in the week

preceding and in the crucifixion.

Mark only uses about 20%

to cover the crucifixion.

Matthew uses about one-third.

Luke, only a fourth.

And as we step into the passage

in this particular study,

I want you to recognize

that we're actually stepping

into the last week

of Christ's ministry

and what takes place

actually happens

less than a week

from his death.

Now, did Jesus know

he was going to die?

Did he know that?

Did he know how many days

were going to pass

before that happened?

Absolutely.

There was not a thing

hidden from him

and he had spoken

over and over again

to his disciples

about what was coming.

And so as our passage

records this week

before the cross,

I want you to kind of

fix in your mind

that this week

before the cross

is really the most

momentous week

of all of history.

Now, again,

when a pastor makes

a statement like that,

God's people should be

doing what?

Yeah?

Yeah?

I'm not sure about that.

There's some other

pretty important weeks,

am I right?

What would be

an important week?

Creation, right?

And yet,

as someone threw

resurrection out there,

we'll kind of tag that in

with the week,

I suppose.

But, yeah,

without the resurrection,

the cross is worthless,

correct?

But,

it tells us in 1 Peter

that angels,

when they look at

the issue of grace

and what Christ has done

in saving us,

that they're just

kind of overwhelmed

and awed.

And we do know that

during the creation week,

what were they doing?

They were hooping it up

because they were pretty

impressed with

God's creative power.

They enjoyed what they saw,

they were impressed by it.

But during the part

of time that passed

in Christ's redemptive work,

they kind of put their hand

over their mouth

and they're just in awe.

So, here we are

in John chapter 12,

John 12:1

verse 1 and 2.

And what we find

is that John,

in a good journalistic approach,

he gives us the who.

He tells us when

and he tells us where.

And we're not going to

delve into all of that,

just mark the fact

that we have a picture here

of Jesus coming

to a dinner

and he is coming

with at least 17 other people.

There's Lazarus,

there's Martha,

there's Mary,

and himself,

and then his 12.

And I want you

to just imagine,

if you would,

that here is Jesus

walking towards

this dinner party,

knowing what is going

to happen.

knowing the things

that are going to be said.

Knowing the import

and the significance

of what lay in front of him.

And he steps into this setting

and we find that the dinner

is in the process

of being played out.

We know that

because it tells us there

that Martha served.

It was happening.

It is interesting,

and I think it's worth noting

that previously,

in the last dinner

that we have

when Martha and Mary

were together,

remember,

Martha was busy

doing her thing

and what was Mary doing?

She wasn't participating

in dishes and dinner.

She was just sitting there

listening to Jesus.

And in that case,

Martha takes it upon herself

to go and talk to Jesus

about the fact

that her sister

was falling down

on the job.

I'm impressed

by the fact

Martha evidently

learned something

and she didn't make

the same mistake twice.

She listened.

She observed.

She went about her business.

And we find that Mary

was not attached

with that serving part.

What does Mary do?

I want you to look

at the passage there

in verse 3

and mark,

if you will,

just the absolute brevity

with which Scripture

describes what Mary did.

Let me read it to you.

Mary therefore took

a pound of expensive ointment

made from pure nard

and anointed the feet

of Jesus

and wiped His feet

with her hair.

The house was filled

with the fragrance

of the perfume.

I'm struck by

such a significant act

being given

merely one text,

a verse.

It's interesting

to actually find

that this ministry

that Mary engaged in

is also referenced

in at least two

of the other Gospels.

And let me just

read the passage for you

so you can frame it

from what we find elsewhere.

There in Matthew 26,

Matthew 26:7

verse 7,

it says this,

A woman came up to Him

with an alabaster flask

of very expensive ointment

and she poured it

on His head

as He was reclined

at the table.

Mark 14, verse 3,

Mark 14:3

A woman came

with an alabaster flask

of ointment

of pure nard

very costly

and anointed the feet

of Jesus

and she broke the flask

and poured it

on His head.

So I want you

to stop just for a moment

and we're going to

step back

and recognize

something about Martha

before we move on.

You'll remember earlier

in John chapter 11

John 11 · chapter mention

that when Jesus came

to Bethany

where He had come

to raise Lazarus

from the dead,

it was Mary

who was grieving

in the home

and didn't come out

to greet Jesus.

When Martha came

and she had that discourse

with Jesus,

one of the things

that I am impressed by

is that Martha

had worshipped Christ

with her confession

of faith.

Do you remember

what she said?

John 11, verse 27,

John 11:27

You are the Christ,

the Son of God,

who is coming

into the world.

A very significant

declaration

of her absolute

confidence

that Jesus standing

in front of her

was indeed the Christ,

the Son of God,

the one that had been

prophesied

as a fulfillment

of God's promise

going all the way back

to Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

She believed in Christ

and her worship

was a confessional one,

something she said.

We find a different

picture here of Mary

and Mary's worship

was one of her

costly act of giving.

The alabaster jar

of pure nard

must have been

hers personally

and we're not told

the details of it

but I can imagine

that,

just imagine

that you have

something

that is

so expensive.

It represented

one year's wages.

Now,

let's just do

a little bit

of exercise here.

How many of you

remember what was

on your taxes

when you filed them?

Does anybody remember?

Just in broad terms,

I see some of you smiling.

You don't need

to shout out numbers

but I just want you

to imagine that

proportionally

that's what this represents.

Now,

if we're going to spend

a year's wages,

right,

what kind of things

would we like

to get out of that?

I see you're going

to buy yourself

a house.

I mean,

you know,

well,

not a year's wages

but you want

something that's

going to last.

Would you like

something that would

last?

How many of you

would willingly

pour out,

how many of you

would burn

a year's wages,

just light it up

and let it go?

Now,

perfume

has a little

longer

last

to it

than

burning

dollar bills.

But I do want

you to know

that within

a short period

of time,

what happens

to perfume?

It evaporates.

It disappears.

The aroma,

the odor

from that perfume

is dissipated.

It's gone.

And so,

here is Mary.

She brings that

which belongs

to herself.

And I'm struck

also by the fact

that just earlier,

her brother

had died.

Right?

It was not

unusual

for the Jews

in preparing

the body

of a loved

one

to use

spices,

anointments,

and perfumes.

They did not

embalm

individuals back

in the good

old days,

right?

And nobody

walked past

the casket

and said,

my,

don't they

look good.

You know,

they used

heavy perfumes

and things like

that.

Guess why?

In place

of refrigeration

and embalming,

they were hoping

in some kind

of,

and you remember

when they prepared

Jesus' body

for burial,

how many pounds

of spices

did they use?

Who knows?

75 pounds

of spices,

okay?

I just finished

reading that passage

this morning,

so it's kind of

fresh in my mind.

75 pounds

of spices.

That's a lot.

Martha

and Mary

had lost

their brother.

Mary had

chosen not

to use this

for her

brother's burial.

And yet,

here she comes

and she

pours it out.

She breaks

the neck

of the alabaster

flask

and she pours

it on his head,

Jesus' head,

and down

onto his feet.

And I've got

to tell you

that it goes

without saying

that Mary

did something

exceptional

and stunning.

Let me spell

it out for you.

For one thing,

Mary's expenditure

was great.

This had to

represent

a very significant

part

of her life.

I want you

to imagine

the thought

processes

that went

through her mind

in actually

coming to the

place of deciding

that it was

a reasonable

thing

to buy

that perfume.

One of the

things I did

last week

was I actually

did a little

bit of

internet search

of what

kind of

perfumes

were really

expensive.

Just raise

your hand

from the elbow

up.

How many

of you

know of

perfumes

that cost

over a dollar?

You're good.

Okay.

How many

of you know

perfumes that

cost over

a hundred

dollars?

Just up

from the elbow.

That's all I'm

looking for.

How many

of you know

perfumes that

cost more

than a

thousand

dollars?

Ah,

yeah,

I got it.

How many

of you

can imagine

spending

let's say

fifty thousand

dollars

for a

little

little

flask

of perfume?

How many

of you know

what buyer's

remorse

and anxiety

is?

How many

of you

should I

have done

that?

You know,

and here

is Mary

who bought

that.

There's

hers.

And here

is Jesus.

And she

willingly,

consciously,

deliberately

broke that

flask and

poured it on

his head

and poured

it on

his feet.

great.

There's

something else

that I want

you to

appreciate.

Mary's

humility

was great.

I think

it's safe

to say

that there

is not

a single

woman in

this room

that has

ever

abased

herself

at

anyone's

feet

and ever

wiped

someone

else's

feet

with her

hair.

Huh?

Anybody?

No?

My bride

is homesick

today and

I'll tell

this,

you know,

she doesn't

mind rubbing

my shoulders

but when I

say,

would you

rub my

feet?

She says,

I don't

touch feet.

Now,

I know

some of you

are just

wonderful,

godly

exceptions to

the rule

but for

the most

part,

it's not

something that

most of you

like doing,

right?

here was

Mary

willing

to let

her hair

down.

Did you

know that

in Jewish

culture you

didn't let

your hair

down in

public?

You never

did.

You never

did.

This was

something that

simply was

not done

and Mary

let her hair

down ahead

of going

in and

anointing

Christ's

feet and

then as

she was

stooped at

his feet,

she took

her hair

and she

rubbed her

hair over

his feet.

I'll never

forget

the wedding

that I went

to in which

Jimmy,

I think she

married Kadar,

this is

Christy Brown's

sister.

It was an

Indian wedding

and after the

wedding service

was performed,

the ceremony,

you know how

it is,

you have the

wedding and

out go the

bride and

the groom and

everybody's

cheering and

Jimmy stopped

and at the

first pew she

knelt and

kissed her

mother-in-law's

feet.

I've never

forgotten that.

And here

is Mary

who with a

heart that is

so unbelievably

thankful,

she willingly

pours out

not only a

costly gift

but a

profoundly

humbling

gift.

You know,

it's interesting

when you stop

and think about

it that all

worship really

shows worth.

Can you say

that with me?

All worship

shows worth.

All worship

shows worth.

Let me illustrate

that for you

just for a second.

I want you to

look in your

Bible, turn back

to 2 Samuel

2 Samuel 24 · chapter mention

chapter 24.

Just look at

this.

This is at the

very end of

2 Samuel and

you remember that

David was tempted

and decided that

he would number

the people and

God comes to

him and says,

you messed up

and here are

the consequences.

In verse 18 it

says,

David runs off

there because

the people are

suffering and the

nation of Israel

is suffering because

of David's sin.

And when Arunah

sees David coming

he says,

what's up?

And David says

in verse 21,

I don't know if

you have the next

verse underlined.

All this,

O king,

Arunah gives to

the king.

And Arunah said

to the king,

may the Lord

your God accept

you.

Now mark this.

And the king

said to Arunah,

no, but I will

buy it from you

for a price.

I will not

offer burnt

offerings to the

Lord my God.

That costs me

nothing.

Do you

understand that?

Here was David

expressing the

worth of his

God.

And here is

Mary expressing

the worth of

our Savior.

Now what Mary

did was a

display of her

view of Christ.

She declared

his worth.

And when we

speak of

worshiping Christ

and really at

the end of the

day, remember

what I said,

but two choices

on the shelf,

worship Christ

or worship

self.

The truth of

the matter is

we are always

engaged in the

activity of

worship.

The question is

who is on the

throne and who

are we focused

on?

Allow me a

couple practical

notes before we

move on here.

For one, I'm

struck by the

fact that we

find no rebuke

from Christ or

from Lazarus or

from Martha.

Jesus accepted

this worship and

I'm struck by the

fact in other

passages you'll

remember when

John fell at the

feet of an

angel.

The angel says

don't be doing

that.

Worship God.

Here's Jesus

accepting this

worship and not

rebuking Martha

or not rebuking

Mary for this

exceptionally

expensive and

costly gift.

Furthermore, we

know that Mary's

act of worship

while condemned

by wickedness

lifted up her

sacrifice to

eternal significance.

What do I mean

by that?

Turn back.

You're in

John.

You were in

another passage,

2 Samuel, but I

want you to look

at John.

I'm sorry.

Turn to Mark

14.

Mark 14,

Mark 14:9

verse 9.

Truly I say to

you, wherever the

gospel is

proclaimed in the

whole world,

what she has

done will be

told in

memory of

her.

That's

something,

isn't it?

Mary's act of

worship was one

that ended up as

a benchmark and a

reminder to all of

us of what real

genuine worship

looks like.

So let me stop

just for a minute

and ask yourself

this question.

What have you

given him?

When have you

ever consciously

chosen to give to

him something that

you were reserving

for yourself out of

nothing other than a

mere expression of

your worth for him?

So a practical

question to follow

that would be

this.

How often has

your worship been

as significant and

as sweet as

Mary's?

How often has

your worship been

as significant and

sweet as Mary's?

I got to tell you,

we live in an age

where the

vocabulary of our

culture is a dead

giveaway.

How many of you

have ever heard

somebody say,

I'm worth it?

Two weeks ago I

was having a

conversation with

an individual and

we were dealing

with the issue of

sin.

And the person

was trying to

understand why I

was concerned about

what had been going

on in the

individual's life

morally.

And in the flow

of conversation the

individual said

this, I should

think more of

myself and not

keep doing this.

I thought,

what?

You're not the

problem.

It's your view of

God.

Do you follow

that?

I'm worth it.

Here is Mary

saying, Christ,

you're worth it.

And I find my

pleasure and my

satisfaction in

giving to you

that which is my

best and most

prized.

Well, there's

another person in

the picture and I

don't think we

should miss him.

Look at Judas

at his altar.

Verse 4, but

Judas Iscariot, one

of his disciples, he

who was about to

betray him, said,

you can hear his

attitude, right?

Kind of snarky.

Hey, stop just for

a minute.

How many of you

specialize in being

critical of other

people?

Raise your hands if

you want to wave at

me and say, I'm

good at that.

Why was this

ointment not sold

for 300 denarii and

given to the poor?

Here is Mary's

beautiful act of

worship that Christ

accepts.

Have you ever been

amazed at how stupid

you can be and put

your foot in when you

really should think

more carefully?

There is wisdom

sometimes in just

being quiet.

Judas would have

been well served to

keep his comments to

himself.

No, he opens his

mouth.

Why did he do that?

I mean, you know,

hey, he could have

said, well, hey, it's

her business, it's her

stuff, let her throw

it away if she wants

to.

No, he had to step

into it and really

show his heart.

The truth is, whether

it is in regards to

moral purity or

honesty or the value

of human life,

ultimately, truth is

something that is

offensive to the

sinner.

And the sinner is not

going to let truth go

unchecked.

think with me just for

a moment of a passage

over in John chapter

John 3:19

3, verse 19 and 20.

Remember, Jesus, in

essence, says this.

He says, listen, I've

brought light into the

situation, and those

who hate the light,

right?

They hate the light

because their deeds

are evil.

I want you to

understand that true

worship exposes false

worship and will always

stir hatred.

You don't have to go

out of your way, but

you have to worship.

And you shouldn't be

surprised if your

worship ends up being

something that is

maligned, is hated,

because of your joy and

satisfaction ultimately

in Christ rather than a

fallen and broken world

in the messiness of the

place we live.

It's interesting to

notice that Judas hid

his wickedness behind

false piety and a

well-known discipline of

generosity.

It is clear from the

passage that Jesus and

his disciples collected

money, and one of the

things that they did was

they shared it with

others who were needy.

And Judas knew that.

Now, if you want

something to kind of

chew on when you go

home, ask yourself

this question.

Why would Jesus, did

Jesus know everything

about Judas' heart?

What's the answer?

Over in John chapter 2,

John 2 · chapter mention

it says, for he knew

the hearts of men.

Remember when his

disciples were having

arguments and Jesus

would say, what's up?

And they'd say, oh,

and he'd say, bang,

he'd tell them.

He knew what people

were thinking.

Why did Jesus let

Judas be the

treasurer for the

disciples?

Go home and chew on

that one, right?

But here we find

Judas having no

problem whatever in

voicing his

criticism.

By the way, I think

this is the first

place in the

Gospels where we

actually see Judas

saying anything.

Not very nice thing to

comment on, is it?

A critical and

dismissive spirit is

often a sign of

spiritual issues

elsewhere in a

person's life.

Wouldn't you agree

with that?

How many of you

recognize that?

You don't have to

work hard to be

critical and

sarcastic and

belittling of other

people when your

own spirit is

frail and struggling

in your walk with

Christ.

When your heart is

overwhelmed with the

beauty of his

grace, there's not

much of that

bitterness there.

Am I right?

So we find here this

criticism of Judas

recorded not only in

John, but let me

strike something else

for you to attend to.

Sadly, sadly, when you

look at Mark and you

look at Matthew, you

find that the other

disciples picked up and

ran with Judas'

criticism.

That's a little

shameful, isn't it?

So, just a little

note to self.

Do not be a person

who spends energy in

being critical of

everybody else because

usually it's a

reflective note of

your own heart.

Secondly, don't cause

other people to

stumble by your own

bitterness.

Yes.

So I want you to

think with me as we

close of some

practical application.

We're all

worshipers.

We're all

worshipers.

And we're

worshiping all the

time.

The question is not

if we worship.

The question is

who.

There are some of

you here today that

do not know

Christ.

How many of you

know that sermons

usually end up with a

conversation about who

Jesus is?

Does that make

sense?

There are some of

you here that do not

know Christ.

Can I tell you that

being a worshiper of

self is a miserable

unhappy journey

towards an eternal

heartache and hell?

One of the things it

says in the book of

Isaiah, it says it

repeatedly, there is no

rest for the wicked.

It's not just this life

that will be hard.

Eternity will be

marred with unending

sorrow.

And the most bitter

experience of separation

from the glory and

sweetness of Christ.

And I would plead with

you this morning,

understand this, that

there is no remedy for

the self-focus of your

heart.

And there is no way to

overcome the bitterness

of where you are apart

from coming with

brokenness and saying,

I am a sinner justly

condemned by God.

And yet Jesus came

and lived a sinless life

and was the sacrifice

for my sin.

That I, recognizing my

moral bankruptcy, could

reach out and repent and

call upon the name of the

Lord and be saved.

Can I tell you, salvation

doesn't happen because I

persuade you.

It is the work of the

Spirit of God.

And if you are here and

you are under the

convicting power of the

Spirit, I would plead with

you in Christ's stead.

Stop being a miserable

worshiper of yourself.

Call upon the Lord and be

saved.

I told you how it'd end.

So here's the last line.

But two choices on the

self, on the shelf.

Worship Christ or worship

self.

John, would you come and

lead us as we prepare for

baptism?

And Jessica, if you would.

stand together.

sing together.

Simple prayer to the Lord.

Jesus, draw me close.

Closer, Lord, to you.

Let the world around me fade away.

Jesus, draw me close.

Closer, Lord, to you.

For I desire to worship and obey.

We're going to sing that one more

time.

Jesus, draw me close.

close.

Closer, Lord, to you.

Let the world around me fade away.

Jesus, draw me close.

Jesus, draw me close.

Closer, Lord, to you.

For I desire to worship and obey.

And holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy holy

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name.

Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name.

The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning.

It's time to sing Your song again.

Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me,

let me be seen in the evening comes.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, worship His holy name.

Sing like never before, O my soul, I'll worship Your holy name.

Sing like never before, O my soul, worship His holy name.

Sing like never before, O my soul, worship His holy name.

You're rich in love, and you're slow to reign.

Your name is great, and Your heart is kind.

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing.

Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O my soul

O my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

O my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

And on that day when my strength is failing

The end draws near and my time has come

Still my soul will sing Your praise

High and deep

Ten thousand years in there forevermore

Bless the Lord, O my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your holy name

Bless the Lord

Bless the Lord, O my soul

Oh my soul

My soul

Oh my soul

Worship His holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

I'll worship Your holy name

Lord, I'll worship Your holy name

Amen. Please be seated.

I took my microphone off

So I have to lean in here a little bit

But just to let you know that for us

Baptism is not something that saves a person

Baptism is an outward sign of the inward work of grace

And when a person comes forward to be baptized

What they are doing is coming to give public testimony

To the power of the cross

And the sweetness of our Savior

And it is always fitting for us to hear the testimony of an individual

When they willingly come forward in humility to be baptized

As a public testament of their salvation

So I'm going to ask Jessica to share her testimony of faith in Christ

I went to Awana

I was listening to Miss Denise Harless teaching the lesson

And we came home from Awana

And I asked Dad questions

I knew I was a sinner in need of a Savior

I accepted Jesus into my heart after all of that night

And I accepted Jesus into my heart after all of that

Jessica, on the basis of your testimony of knowing Christ as your personal Savior

and your desire to be baptized this morning,

I now baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Thank you.

Pastor Shearer, will you come and close with a word of Scripture?

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples.

Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name.

Bring an offering and come to His courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Tremble before Him all the earth.

Take a spirit of worship from this place to every place God will take you this week.

You are conduits of worship to Him wherever you go.

Please Him this week through worship.

Thanks for coming this morning.

You're just amazing.

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Thank you.