The Posture of the Persecuted

faithful evermore.

Well, now we get to turn to the preaching of God's Word.

And if you've been with us for the last few months,

you know that we've been walking through 1 Peter today.

We complete that series.

We're going to be looking at 1 Peter chapter 5,

1 Peter 5 · chapter mention

taking it in its entirety today.

So if you have your Bibles, you can turn there

or look on the screen behind me.

I don't know if you are fans of history.

History was always one of my favorite subjects

in school growing up.

I continue to love to read historical books

and watch historical documentaries.

Admittedly, I don't know much about Scottish history.

That's on my list of things to read for the summer.

But I do have a great love for American history.

And one of the great icons in American history

is George Washington.

So whether or not you are familiar with American history,

you've likely heard of Washington.

You probably know that he was the first president

of the United States.

And something interesting when you study Washington

is something particular about his legacy

was not necessarily something that happened

during his presidency.

But at the end of his presidency,

he gave this farewell address.

And in this address, he was basically saying

he was stepping down from public service.

He was ready to retire and to live on his farm,

but he wanted to address the public.

And he didn't do so with a speech.

It was actually more of a letter

that he wrote to the American people,

commending them for building up this country.

But also, and more importantly,

he was warning them of the dangers that he perceived

that were a threat to the unity of this very young country.

And so he said,

if we are going to maintain our independence,

maintain our liberty and our prosperity and our safety,

we must be unified as a country.

And he pointed out several of these dangers

that threaten the unity.

Things like sectionalism,

this regionalism that would divide people

into different areas of the country.

He warned against political parties

that could divide people,

that could be divisive,

that tear people apart

rather than seeking the good of the country.

And so these remarks were actually something

that continue to be of value to Americans today.

There's actually his address is read annually

on his birthday on the floor of the Senate in Congress.

And so while we think of that farewell address of Washington,

this actually relates well to our passage today

because Peter,

although he's not retiring from ministry,

gives a very passionate plea to his audience here.

He's talked a lot about suffering

and the role of the church

in this new environment after Christ's ascension.

And he points out some of these dangers

that he sees that threaten the viability of the church.

And so in this last passage,

this is what he's focusing on here.

So this is what we're going to see

as we read chapter five today.

So let's turn there and study it together.

First Peter chapter five, starting in verse one.

To the elders among you,

I appeal as a fellow elder

and a witness of Christ's suffering

who also will share in the glory to be revealed.

Be shepherds of God's flock

that is under your care,

watching over them,

not because you must,

but because you are willing

as God wants you to be,

not pursuing dishonest gain,

but eager to serve,

not lording it over those entrusted to you,

but being examples to the flock.

And when the chief shepherd appears,

you will receive the crown of glory

that will never fade away.

In the same way,

you who are younger,

submit yourselves to the elders.

All of you clothe yourselves

with humility towards one another

because God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.

Humble yourselves, therefore,

under God's mighty hand

that he may lift you up in due time.

Cast all your anxiety on him

because he cares for you.

Be alert and sober-minded.

Your enemy, the devil,

prowls around like a roaring lion

looking for someone to devour.

Resist him,

standing firm in the faith

because you know

that the family of believers

throughout the world

is undergoing the same kind of suffering.

And the God of all grace,

who called you

to his eternal glory in Christ,

after you have suffered a little while,

will himself restore you

and make you strong,

firm, and steadfast.

To him be the power

forever and ever.

Amen.

With the help of Silas,

whom I regard as a faithful brother,

I have written to you briefly,

encouraging you

and testifying

that this is the true grace of God.

Stand firm in it.

She who is in Babylon,

chosen together with you,

sends you her greetings.

And so does my son Mark.

Greet one another

with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you

who are in Christ.

This is the word of God.

Let's pray together.

Lord, again,

as we come to your word,

we ask that you open our eyes,

that you soften our hearts.

May the truth of the gospel

sink in deep.

And may we be transformed

by your word.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So again,

if you've been with us

these last few months,

you know we've been walking

slowly through

this letter from Peter.

And we see a lot of these themes

that have popped up

over and over again.

The fact that we as Christians

are called to be exiles.

That we as Christians

are called to suffer,

not lives of comfort,

but to recognize

that tribulation,

that suffering,

that persecution will come

and that we should expect it.

And we can anticipate that

because we know that God

can use these experiences

to refine us

and to purify his church.

So now in concluding this letter,

Peter's giving some final instruction,

some final encouragement

to the church

in light of all

that he's just said.

And it's interesting

what he focuses on.

He's focusing on our mindset.

He talks about what our posture

of the persecuted church should be.

And so I want to look at three postures

that Peter talks about today.

A posture of humility,

a posture of vigilance,

and a posture of trust.

So let's look at that first posture

of humility together.

This is where we're going to be spending

most of our time this morning.

You may think, though,

that it's kind of strange

that he would talk about humility.

I mean, he spent this whole letter

talking about persecution

and suffering.

You'd think we've got

the humility part down

based on our circumstances, right?

But he's making a point here

to say that our humility

doesn't come simply

by our circumstances

or our surroundings.

Our humility comes

from the inside

and grows outward.

Our true humility

is a matter of the heart.

And so as he talks about humility,

he's really talking about it

in two forms here.

He talks about horizontal humility,

humility that we have

with one another,

brothers and sisters in Christ,

but also vertical humility,

humility in our relationship

with Jesus.

And so let's first look at this

horizontal humility,

this humility that he speaks of

first in this passage.

And he does so

by addressing himself.

He calls himself,

in verse one,

a fellow elder

and witness of Christ's sufferings

who will also share

in the glory to be revealed.

Now through this series,

we've talked a lot about Peter

and his interactions with Jesus.

We know that he denied

knowing Jesus three times

after Jesus was arrested.

We know that he pushed back

when Jesus said

that he would have to suffer.

And so we see how Peter

has grown and developed

and there's actually

one more interaction with Jesus

that I want us to look at today.

After Jesus' resurrection,

Peter and some of the disciples

are out fishing

and Jesus meets them on the shore.

And they come in

and they have a breakfast together

and Jesus turns to Peter

and he asks them

a very pointed question.

He says,

Peter, do you love me?

And he asks him this three times.

And each time,

Peter says the same thing.

He says,

Yes, Lord, you know

that I love you.

And so Jesus gives him

a command.

He says,

Then feed my lambs.

Care for my sheep.

And not only that,

he actually foretells

of Peter's death

that will come as a result

of his ministry.

And so now Peter,

in talking about himself,

he's really expressing solidarity

with his audience here.

He's telling them,

I'm not instructing you

to do anything

that I haven't been told

to do myself.

The calling that you have

to suffer

is the same calling

that I have to suffer.

And so we,

as leaders of the church,

this is our responsibility.

And what is that responsibility?

Verse two,

To be shepherds

of God's flock.

And it's interesting

whose flock it is here.

It's God's flock.

In verse four,

it talks about

the chief shepherd.

That's Jesus.

And so we see this analogy

used throughout the Bible

of Jesus as the shepherd

that we are the sheep

of his pasture here.

And so the elders

of the church,

you may think,

well, this is kind of weird.

Why is he talking

about church leadership

at the conclusion

of this letter?

It goes to show

just how important it is

for a church

to be led well,

especially when we have

that wartime mentality.

And so here,

he's talking about

the need for shepherds,

for leaders of the church

to shepherd well.

And it's interesting.

If Christ is our chief shepherd,

then the leaders of our church

are under shepherds.

And that's actually,

it would be a title

or a position

that someone would have had

back in that day

when you had a shepherd

who had a large flock.

A lot of times

he would need help

caring for

and gathering this flock together.

Certainly God doesn't need

the help of anybody

to care for his church,

but here he welcomes in leaders

to do the duty

of leading the church.

And so what does this include?

What's the role of a shepherd?

We know that a shepherd

has to defend the flock.

We know that the shepherd

leads the flock

and cares for the flock

and feeds

and nourishes the flock.

This is hard work.

A lot of times

you may think of,

when you think of a shepherd,

you kind of look at this

maybe a landscape painting

of a shepherd

kind of leaning on his staff

and the sheep grazing

peacefully in front of him.

But that's not really

what the work of a shepherd is.

It's not about serenity.

It's not about solitude.

The work of a shepherd

is hard work.

And so the reality of this

is that Peter points out,

well, how are these leaders

to work?

How are they to lead

their flock well?

And he says, first of all,

the shepherd watches

over their sheep willingly.

You know, if you're a parent

and you told your child

to do something,

maybe you are a child

and you've been instructed

by your mom and dad

to do something,

and you kind of roll your eyes

and you drag your feet

and you do what

they've told you to do,

technically you did

what they wanted, right?

You followed their commands,

but was it done willingly?

No.

Did it bring pleasure

to your parents?

Probably not.

In the same way here,

he says that the elders

should not serve begrudgingly.

It needs to be done willingly.

And it's not because

the sheep are always lovable.

We've got to remember

that sheep are smelly,

stupid, stubborn animals here.

And so the elders,

as they lead the church,

it's not primarily done

out of a desire

and a love for the church,

so they should love the church.

Their primary motivation

comes through a loyalty

and a love for the shepherd.

He goes on to talk about

not seeking personal gain

in leading.

And so as the leaders

of a church,

they're not to see

what they can get

out of their leadership,

but they should be eager

to give instead.

And lastly,

he talks about

needing to lead,

not lording over others,

he says in verse 3,

but leading by example.

And so as elders in the church,

they lead by example.

They are also following

the example of Christ

who said,

I didn't,

he says,

he didn't come to be served,

but to serve

and give his life

as a ransom for many.

I actually read an article

not that long ago

and it was on the topic

of leadership.

And it was actually

using the same analogy

talking about shepherds

and how do you lead

your sheep well,

how do you lead your people

as a leader well.

And it actually interviewed

this shepherd

and he said,

well,

the one thing you don't want

to do in leading sheep

is bullying them.

You're not going to get

what you want

by bullying your sheep.

But he said something interesting.

He said,

the best way to lead your sheep

is to create a desire

within the sheep

to do the things

the shepherd wants them to do.

And I think that same principle

applies for leadership

within the church as well.

We don't lead in such a way

by bullying,

by just forcing people

to be obedient to you.

We lead in such a way

that God's will

looks attractive

to the church.

That God's desires

becomes our desires

as church members.

And so Peter then concludes,

well, what's the reward

for the leaders of the church?

Verse four,

when the chief shepherds appear,

you will receive

a crown of glory

that will never fade away.

So the leaders of the church

don't do so for personal gain.

They don't do so

for personal glory,

but they are able

to share in the glory

of Christ.

Peter uses that imaging here.

We know in Roman times

when you'd have athletes,

they may win

and get one of those wreaths

that they can put on their head.

That's what he's referring to here.

Except with,

instead of using leaves

and things that die,

he's talking about this,

this red flower

that never fades.

We have this everlasting glory

when we are in Christ.

And so that's really only

half of the horizontal relationship

then, right?

We know the responsibility

of the elders,

but what is the response

of us as a church?

He says in verse five,

in the same way,

you who are younger

submit yourselves

to your elders.

And so it's,

this term here,

younger,

kind of needs to define

that a little bit.

You may think,

well, this doesn't qualify.

I'm not an elder

and I'm not young,

so it kind of,

I'm out of the picture here.

No.

When he's referring to

those who are younger,

he's basically saying

everyone who's in the church

but not in a position

of leadership.

So he is talking

to everyone here

when he says

submit to yourself

to the elders.

And that's kind of difficult,

right?

We don't always like

that word submit

because a lot of times

we've seen how leadership

is done really poorly

and how it can hurt people.

But when he's talking

about submitting here,

it's not simply

of mere respect.

It's more than that

because if God has called

the leaders of our church

to lead willingly,

then he has called us

as the body of Christ

to follow willingly.

And so that doesn't mean

just kind of going along

with decisions

that the leaders make

in the church

is actually

an active,

willing participation

in the life

of the church.

If we are to follow

the example of the elders,

then we want to be committed

to corporate worship.

Then we want to treasure

the teaching of God's word.

We want to participate

in community.

We want to engage

in ministry

because that is the work

and mission

of the church.

And so when we do this,

we need to remember

how we are to act then.

It's not done

begrudgingly

like we've talked about,

but also needs to be done

without complaining

or passing judgment.

We see that often

in our lives.

When something happens

that we don't like

or isn't done

how we want it done,

we can grumble

and complain, right?

We can start to grow resentful

when things aren't done

our way,

but that's not true humility.

Humility comes

when we are under God

and we are willing

to put others first.

And so this is a great challenge

for us as a church body

to think about the leadership

here at Bucleu.

And I want us to think personally,

when was the last time

you earnestly prayed

for the leaders of our church?

When was the last time

you encouraged them

with a note

or a pat on the back?

When was the last time

you commended them

for their servant leadership?

I don't say this

because the elders

of this church

need your encouragement

or they want your praise.

But they do so

because of their love for Christ

and I guarantee

that your prayers

and encouragement

will be well received,

that they will do

many benefit,

they will have

a beneficial effect

on our leadership

of our church.

And so Peter goes on

to talk about

how this humility

is really

a two-way street here.

In verse 5 he says,

in the same way,

or the second part

of verse 5,

all of you

clothe yourselves

with humility

towards one another.

And so when he's

talking about this,

when he says

clothe yourselves,

he's actually,

this Greek term

means to actually

to tie on.

And so when we think

about leading

or submitting

to one another,

when we think

about humility,

we can remember

Christ.

When he was

with his disciples

during that last supper

in that upper room

and before they ate,

what did Jesus do?

He took off

his outer garment

and he tied on

that towel

in order to

wash his disciples' feet

in the same way

in our humility

we should be willing

to serve

one another.

And so then

Peter moves on

from here

we've talked

about horizontal

humility

then he talks

about this

vertical humility

that we need

with Christ.

Verse 6,

humble yourselves

therefore under

God's mighty hand

that he may lift

you up

in due time.

This phrase

under God's mighty hand

is really only used

in this passage

throughout the New Testament.

We see it in the Old Testament

a lot

and it's actually used

in the book of Exodus

where it's talking

about God's mighty hand

and delivering his people Israel

from the nation of Egypt.

But this is really

when he's saying it here

he's talking

specifically about

how our mindset should be

when we are humble

it's out of a recognition

for what God has done for us

how he has

delivered us.

And so when we think

about humility

it's what's really needed here

is

a recognition

of our proper position

before God.

There's an American comedian

who I really like

and he has this bit

where he just complains

about people

who are all about themselves

who talk about

how great they are

and how wonderful they are

and all the things

they've done

and when someone

tells a good story

they have to come in

and tell their story

which they think is better.

And he calls these people

me monsters.

He says

because all they think about

is me, me, me.

And so he has this

social fantasy

that

he wishes

that he could be

one of the 12 astronauts

that have walked on the moon

because

that story

and that experience

trumps anything else

that anyone else

has ever done.

And so when he was

in a social setting

and someone goes on and on

about how great they are

he can just kind of sit back

until they're done

and then look at them

and say well

I've walked on the moon

and put them in their place.

They would be silent

because they recognize

they're not so special

anymore.

So the same happens

when we think about

our humility

is recognizing

our proper position

before God.

We need to recognize

the gravity

of our sin

and recognize

the greatness

of our God.

Jesus tells a parable

of the tax collector

and the Pharisee

who come to the temple

to pray

and he says

that the Pharisee

when he came in

what does he do?

He prays and says

Lord thank you

that I'm not like

all these other sinners.

I tithe

and I fast

and man I'm a good person.

And then the tax collector

comes in

beating his chest

and says

Lord have mercy

on me

a sinner.

Jesus says

it's the tax collector

who went home

justified that day

for those

who exalt themselves

will be humbled

and those who humble

themselves

will be exalted.

and so again

we turn back

to this picture

of recognizing

that God

has delivered us.

There's nothing

that we contribute

to our own salvation

our own position

before Christ.

And so when we recognize

that God

is our deliverer

that he is in control

of our circumstances

and our life

then that kind of

that frees us

when we think

when we put it

in the context

of suffering.

it's going to

prevent us

from when people

persecute us

or when bad things

happen because

of our faith

we don't have to

push back against it

we don't have to

try to get even

or upset at people

because we can

trust in the Lord.

In the same way

we don't have to

always question

when bad things

happen

God why are you

letting this happen

to me

what have I done

to deserve this?

No because we

recognize that

the path of

suffering leads

to exaltation.

He says

because God

is our sufferer

in due time

he will lift

us up.

And it's interesting

this isn't just

in the future sense

but this is the

here and now

that God

cares for us.

Verse 7

cast all your

anxiety on him

because he cares

for you.

You know

there's probably

not been

another time

in your life

perhaps where

you've had so

much anxiety

as this past

year with

the pandemic.

There's many

of us who

might have

been crippled

by fear

in early

on wondering

what this

virus was

all about.

How dangerous

was it?

Am I safe

by wearing

a mask?

Am I able

to go in

public?

Can I see

my family?

Is this

vaccine going

to be

affected?

Have I

washed my

hands enough?

The list

goes on

and on.

The same

occurs when

we may

experience

suffering.

These

anxieties

that creep

up.

How are

my co-workers

going to

receive me?

Am I

going to

lose my

job security?

Will my

family reject

me?

Will my

friends

leave me?

Will my

classmates

make fun

of me?

We need

to recognize

that when we

have these

anxious thoughts

and fears,

it's not

simply because

we have

some level

of uncertainty

or whatever

it may be

in our lives

that causes

us fear.

anxiety

goes much

deeper

than that

because

this

anxiety

is really

based on

the fact

that we

are prideful,

that we

have this

desire to

control our

situation,

that we have

placed our

hope in

ourselves.

So when

there's a

problem,

we feel

like we

should be

the ones

to fix

it.

And so

when we

think about

humility,

humility

comes when

we release

those anxieties,

when we

can let go

of that

false

sense of

control

that we

think we

have and

turn everything

over to

God.

And so

I want to

just pause

and think

about this

for a second

because this

verse is so

familiar to

some of us

that we can

kind of just

gloss over

this truth

that God

cares for

you.

That God

knows what's

going on

in your

life.

And we

have a

chief shepherd

in Christ

who is

willing to

lead and

to protect

and to

nourish you.

So there

is no

one in

this

world

that cares

more for

you

than our

all-powerful,

all-knowing

God.

And so

this kind

of leads

us then

to the

second

point

when we

recognize

the

humility

that we

need

in our

life.

We

also

need

this

posture

of

vigilance.

It says

in verse

8,

Be alert

and sober

minded.

Your

enemy,

the devil,

prowls

around like

a roaring

line,

seeking

whom

he may

devour.

Throughout

this letter,

Peter's

talked a lot

about suffering

as we've

said,

but this is

really the

first point

where Peter

is identifying

the source

of this

suffering.

A lot of

times we

think of

our suffering

and we

think,

well,

it's coming

from that

person or

because of

that situation,

but we

don't recognize

the spiritual

warfare involved,

that Satan

is behind

these

attacks.

And so how

does Peter

describe him

here?

He says

that he

is a

roaring

lion.

When we

lived in

the States,

we were in

this neighborhood

that was

on a hill

that overlooked

this park.

It was a

good-sized park

with trails

and green

spaces and

playing fields.

And on the

north side

of the park,

there was a

zoo.

And it

wasn't a

very big

zoo,

but our

family liked

it.

We could

walk there.

We went

there all

the time.

And one

of the

exhibits that

the kids

liked the

best were

the lions.

There were

two large

male lions.

And so not

only could we

go and see

the lions,

but actually

from our

house,

you could

hear the

lions roar.

You could

be lying in

bed in the

morning and

you could

hear the

roar of

the lions.

And it was

interesting because

that was really

the only time

in the day

that they would

roar.

Rarely would

they roar

at another

time.

And so one

time when we

went to the

zoo, I

asked one

of the

workers there,

why do the

lions only

roar in the

morning?

And he said,

well, that's

because the

zookeeper comes

in the morning

and that's when

he feeds the

lions.

And so that's

what we see

here.

That Peter is

describing this

roaring lion,

not simply a

lion who's

sunning himself

on a rock.

This is a

lion who is

anxious and

irritable and

impatient and

ready to feast.

And so that's the

image of Satan that

we need to have in

our minds here,

that Satan is our

adversary, that he

wants nothing more

than to destroy

the church and to

defeat us as

Christians.

Christians.

And so how do we

go about defeating

this lion?

Well, it says to

be sober-minded, to

be alert, to

resist and to

stand firm.

This is the third

time that Peter has

used this language in

his letter.

And James in his

letter also says

similar things.

In James chapter

four, he says,

submit yourselves

then to God,

resist the devil and

he will flee from

you.

Come near to God

and he will come

near to you.

So we resist not

out of our own

willpower, but we

can resist being

grounded in our

faith.

We draw near to

Christ, knowing that

Christ will draw

near to us.

So if you're

familiar with the

story of Pilgrim's

Progress, you may

remember that

Christian, as he's

on his journey to

the celestial city,

he encounters two

lions on the path.

And he'd heard

about these lions

before.

Other travelers had

seen them and

actually had turned

around out of fear.

So when Christian

approaches these

lions, he really

thinks his death

is imminent.

And as he

considers turning

around to go the

other way, he

hears his voice

call out ahead of

him.

A man who's

standing on the

steps of the

palace in front of

him.

He calls out and

he says this,

are your strength

and courage so

small?

Don't be so

afraid of the

lions since

they are in

fact chained.

They're being

there for the

purpose of

testing your

faith at this

point in your

journey as well

as to discover

those who are

not faithful.

So keep in the

middle of the

path and you

will not be

harmed.

And so that's

what Christian

does.

He follows this

advice.

He goes on the

path and though

the lions are at

either side of

him growling and

snarling, he's

not harmed and

he makes it

safely to the

palace.

And so what a

wonderful way to

illustrate what

Peter is talking

about here.

When we face

trials and

temptations, we

need to be

grounded in our

faith.

We need to

recognize that

Satan is bound,

that there's no

lasting that harm

that can come from

his attacks.

And so then that

leads us to our

third posture, that

posture of trust.

Because when we

continue on this

journey, we

recognize that we

can trust God, that

he will protect us

and that he will

lead us to glory.

In verse 10 it

says, and the

God of all grace

who called you to

his eternal glory

in Christ, after

you've suffered a

little while, will

himself restore you

and make you

strong and firm

and steadfast.

So Peter finishes

his letter the

same way that he

started talking about

the glory that we

have and share in

Christ.

He's emphasizing,

yes, you will

experience in

suffering.

This life will not

be easy for you,

but we can trust

that we have a God

who is full of

grace.

We can trust that

we have a God

who protects and

preserves us.

We can trust that

our suffering will

be temporary and

the glory that we

will experience has

been secured by the

blood of our

Savior.

And so if you are

a believer, I

would urge you to

remain in this

trust, to focus on

the victory that we

have in Jesus, to

allow the suffering

and the persecution

that we may

experience in our

life now to be a

refining time.

where God may

purify us because

we see the end

result here.

He says that he

will restore us and

make us firm and

strong and steadfast.

What security that

is that we have in

Christ.

And then what's

that going to

compel us to do?

It's compelling us to

doxology, to the

praise and glory of

God, as he says.

But maybe that's not

you.

Maybe you're not a

Christian or you think

the idea of

suffering for your

faith is kind of a

silly concept that

seems really

uncomfortable.

Well, I want you to

consider this.

When I laid in my

bed in the morning

when I lived near

that zoo and I

heard those lions

roar, I had no

fear.

I didn't have to

worry about them

coming and attacking

me because I knew

that they were

contained, they were

caged.

But there is no

such security for

those who aren't in

Christ.

And in fact, not

only if you're not

in Christ, you

have to worry

about the devil

roaring like a

lion, seeking

whom he may

devour, but we

also face the

judgment of God,

which has far

greater lasting

implications.

So I urge you to

turn to Christ.

We have a good

shepherd who wants

to lead and

protect and

nourish you.

And ultimately,

Peter ends with

this.

He says,

peace to all of

you who are in

Christ.

That is peace

that is offered

to all.

And that's a

peace that's

available to you

today.

Let's pray.

Lord, we thank

you that you

offer us peace,

that you are

willing to share

your glory with

us.

And so we ask

God, as we

continue on this

journey, that we

will have a

posture of humility

and vigilance.

that we will be

able to trust you

and all that you

have done for us.

Lord, we thank you

for your great

love.

We thank you that

you are the good

shepherd.

We thank you that

our salvation is

secured by the

blood of our

suffering servant.

Lord, may this

truth penetrate our

hearts.

And may our

response be one

of praise and

doxology and

joy.

we pray this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now we will sing

together our last

hymn, How

Firm a

Foundation.

How firm a

foundation.

How firm a

foundation.

How firm a

foundation.

you saints of the

Lord is laid for

your faith in his

excellent word.

What more can he say

than to you he has

said, to you who for

refuge to Jesus

have fled.

Fear not, I am with you.

Oh, be not dismayed.

For I am your God and will

still give you weight.

I'll strengthen you, help you,

and cause you to stand,

upheld by my gracious,

omnipotent hand.

love you.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

When through the deep waters

I call you to go,

the rivers of sorrow

shall not overflow.

For I will be with you,

your trouble to bliss,

and sanctify to you,

your deepest distress.

When through fiery trials

your pathway shall lie,

my grace all sufficient

shall be your supply.

The flame shall not harm you,

I only desire

your trust to consume

and your gall to be found.

Will you stand with me

to receive the benediction

taken today from Hebrews 13,

Hebrews 13:20

verses 20 and 21.

Now may the God of peace,

who through the blood

of the eternal covenant

brought back from the dead

our Lord Jesus,

that great shepherd

of the sheep,

equip you with everything

good for doing his will,

and may he work in us

what is pleasing to him

through Jesus Christ,

to whom be glory

forever and ever.

Amen.

You may go in peace.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

People

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.